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The Point, Sept. 5, 2019: Spared Dorian's Worst, Floridians Look To Help Bahamas Relief Effort

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The news after Dorian

• Floridians breathed a collective sigh of relief over the last 24 hours, as Hurricane Dorian breezed past the state's Atlantic Coast. In communities from West Palm Beach, to the Space Coast, to Brevard, to St. Augustine, and Jacksonville, the outcome could have been much worse. (Palm Beach Post, WMFE, Florida Today, St. Augustine Record, Florida Times-Union)

• Statewide relief efforts have begun to help the Bahamas, though getting supplies to Marsh Harbour and other hard-hit areas by air remains a challenge. Royal Carribean is sending ships to skip the air travel challenges, while an Ocala church group is in the midst of its own airlift attempts. (Fort Myers News-Press, Orlando Sentinel, Ocala Star-Banner)

• Florida's U.S. Senators are trying to get the federal government to relax visa requirements for Bahamian citizens. (Politico)

• Brevard County did see plenty of beach erosion as the storm moved out. (WMFE)

• North Atlantic hurricanes like Dorian have begun to stall more often in recent decades — decreasing their average speed by 17 percent. The storm's slow speed and changing direction made for more flights than usual for the Hurricane Hunters. (WLRN, WUSF)

• Travelers will again have to pay tolls on state highways this weekend. (Orlando Weekly)

• Dorian's rough surf helped surface a package with drugs in Cocoa Beach. (Florida Today)

• Some people in Hallandale Beach evidently rushed to dump their sandbags onto the beach, which is a terrible idea in multiple ways. Hurricane season is far from over, and those bags might be needed again. (Miami Herald)

• Unsure how their small car would fare in a hurricane with high winds, a Jacksonville couple parked it in their kitchen. (AP)

• The National Science Foundation this week produced an interesting video about a University of Florida effort to better monitor bridges during periods of storm surge. (YouTube)


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Florida's non-weather news

• Tom Petty's first wife now owns the late rockstar's childhood home. (Gainesville Sun)

A new state audit is critical of Step Up For Students, a Jacksonville-based nonprofit that helps administer state scholarships. We investigated the concerns about its Hope Scholarships back in February. (Florida Politics, WUFT News)

• Plastic straw bans are still allowed by Florida cities, and Key West went ahead and enacted theirs. (FLKeysNews)

• The Palm Beach Post investigated which state university rightly holds the distinction of being Florida's oldest: UF or FSU?


From NPR News

• National: Bahamas Death Toll From Hurricane Dorian Rises To 20

• National: Dorian Could Make Landfall In North Carolina, Forecasters Say

• National: Riding Out A Hurricane May Be Safer For Older People Than Evacuating

• Education: Families, Not Just Students, Feel The Weight Of The Student Loan Crisis

• Politics: Trump Displays Altered Map Of Hurricane Dorian's Path To Include Alabama

• Books: Victim Of Brock Turner Sexual Assault Reveals Her Identity

• Health: Fentanyl As A Dark Web Profit Center, From Chinese Labs To U.S. Streets

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.

Contact WUFT News by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news @wuft.org