Morning Watch: Firefighters get body armor; Trump threatens Berkeley; artifact found in attic; pigeons as art

Here's what's new this morning.

NEWEST GEAR FOR MEDICAL RESPONDERS? BODY ARMOR

It isn't the bunker gear they wear to dash into fires or the uniform to respond to medical emergencies. It's bullet-resistant vests and helmets more commonly associated with police and the military. Pinellas County spent about $720,000 on the new equipment in a move officials say allows firefighters and paramedics to respond sooner and closer to the scene of a shooting.

TRUMP THREATENS BERKELEY FUNDING OVER PROTESTS

President Donald Trump raised the threat of pulling federal funds from the University of California at Berkeley on Thursday after the institution canceled a talk by provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos, an editor for Breitbart, and put the campus on lockdown after intense protests against the planned speech.

GOV. RICK SCOTT AWARDS USF, MOFFITT GRANT FUNDS TO FIGHT ZIKA

The University of South Florida received nearly $2.5 million for Zika research on Wednesday as Gov. Rick Scott announced grants to 10 universities and research institutions in Florida to speed up development of a vaccine.

THANKS TO LOCAL MAN, A PIECE OF HISTORY RETURNED

[Cologne Cathedral]

[Cologne Cathedral]

Ray White considered as junk the military memorabilia his father-in-law dribbled out over the years to White's wife, Mary Anne. White dismissed the lot, didn't want to hear about any of it. After Mary Anne's death two years ago, White cleared out their attic in preparation for a move and found a treasured piece of German history that had languished for 71 years.

FLORIDA LAWMAKERS ALSO WANT TO PUNISH 'SANCTUARY CITIES'

As President Donald Trump's administration cracks down on so-called "sanctuary" cities for undocumented immigrants, State Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, and Rep. Larry Metz, R-Yalaha, are drafting legislation that aims to do the same in Florida this year.

ROMANO: OH GOODIE, SILLY SEASON IS BEGINNING IN TALLAHASSEE

On the day the governor released his budget wish list, the House speaker announced he was going after Tallahassee's cockroaches and the Senate president had to remind everyone of a constitutional amendment that lawmakers have ignored for two years. This is typical of the days and weeks before Florida's legislative session.

FLORIDA MAKES A LATE DASH, SPLASH TO VAULT INTO SIGNING DAY PROMINENCE

From the state capital to the Swamp to the Selmon Center, the national signing day objectives and outcomes varied. For Charlie Strong, the day was about salvaging. For Jimbo Fisher, it was about solidifying. And for Florida Gators coach Jim McElwain, it was about stunning. Perhaps even stupefying. A solid Gators class got a bit more prosperous — or dubious, depending on one's perspective — in the 11th hour Wednesday.

ART EXHIBIT AT USF CONNECTS PEOPLE AND PIGEONS

[University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum]

[University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum]

Visiting "Duke Riley: Flights of Fancy" is like discovering pieces of evidence from a crime scene. In this colorful exhibition at the University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum, the crime is a gutsy smuggling operation over water and across borders. The perpetrators are shameless pigeons, those longtime desecrators of public property like city streets and park benches.