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The top stories near you
• As the first week of a new academic year came to a close, University of Florida President Kent Fuchs gave his State of the University address. Click to hear his full 25-minute speech, which includes discussion of the incoming freshmen class makeup, rebounding international student numbers and research, and a transportation plan that will fundamentally change one of the campus' internal corridors. (WUFT News)
• Kayser Enneking, who last year lost a challenge to state Sen. Keith Perry's incumbency, now wants to unseat state Rep. Chuck Clemons in the Florida House. (Gainesville Sun)
• Lake City is one of 40 American cities to fall victim to a cyberattack, but it's one of the few to pay a ransom demand to get its computer system back. The FBI recommends against paying a ransom, lest that encourage more attacks. (New York Times)
• The state of Florida last night executed serial killer Gary Ray Bowles near Starke. (AP)
• There aren't likely to be charges filed against Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast after he fatally struck a pedestrian with his car Wednesday night in Hernando County. (Bay News 9)
• Florida Senate President Bill Galvano outlines his vision for the state's new proposed toll roads — one of which will come through this region — in this op-ed. He says the task force studying the roads will first meet next week in Tampa. (Tampa Bay Times)
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Around the state today
• A team of researchers built an interactive map showing the areas of Florida where it's most difficult to evacuate before a hurricane. The state has the most such areas of any in the country. (StreetLight Data, Miami Herald)
• The Sun Sentinel is tallying the votes for an unlikely special session of the Florida Legislature that would examine new gun bills.
• Some Panhandle communities are struggling with aging infrastructure and sewage overflows during heavy rain events like the one this past week. (Panama City News Herald)
• A compelling read for your weekend: A writer for Deadspin went to the last race at a Sarasota greyhound racing track. The sport, as voters decided, will be banned statewide at the end of 2020.
• U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is concerned about the Key deer, as they might no longer be included under the federal Endangered Species Act. The state will need to do more, he says. (Florida Politics)
• "By any measure, we’ve achieved scale," the University of Central Florida's interim president says, and so the school decided this year to cut its freshman class size slightly. (Orlando Sentinel)
• As of last month, vaping is illegal in Florida's indoor workplaces, but the state is still one of 16 where lung-related illnesses are popping up and have suspected connections to e-cigarettes. (WUSF)
From NPR News
• National: FBI, Local Police Arrest Dozens Of People In Effort To Avert Potential Mass Shootings
• Race: It was 400 Years Ago That The First Enslaved Africans Arrive In North America
• World: Tourism To Israel Is On The Rise, With More U.S. Evangelical Christians Visiting
• Health: How Dr. Kenneth Davis Turned the Mount Sinai Health System Around
• Health: Tales Of Corporate Painkiller Pushing: 'The Death Rates Just Soared'
• Science: Helium Shortage Forces A Search For New Sources
• Business: States-Phone Companies Deal Will Help To Block Robocalls
About today's curator
I'm Ethan Magoc, a news editor at WUFT. Originally from Pennsylvania, I've found a home telling Florida stories. I’m part of a team searching each morning for local and state stories that are important to you; please send feedback about today's edition or ideas for stories we may have missed to emagoc@wuft.org.