Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m.

The top stories near you

• Tropical Depression Ten is the latest storm that Floridians might want to keep an eye on, as it formed yesterday and could move toward the northwest over the next week or so. (Florida Storms)

• For more than a decade, Opus Coffee has had a presence at UF Health Shands, serving coffee to both employees and patients. The two brothers behind the brand are now expanding to two other locations between the hospital and downtown Gainesville. (WUFT News)

• Early this morning, Gainesville Fire Rescue removed a driver from their vehicle after it slammed into Arbor Park Apartments on the city's southwest side. (Twitter/GFR)

• About 200 people took part in yesterday's protest on the University of Florida campus over the lack of blue emergency lights near Fraternity Row. (The Alligator)

• Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn last night won reelection once again. (Ocala Star-Banner)

• One utility that serves customers in the north central Florida area is expected to charge lower rates next year. (Orlando Weekly)

• The Alachua County School Board's newest member was the only one last night to vote against a small property tax increase. (Gainesville Sun)

• Gainesville city commissioners are frustrated that they can't be more involved in deciding how city police handle immigration enforcement cases. (WUFT News)

• The push to keep downtown Starke businesses alive has begun in earnest now that the U.S. 301 bypass around the city opened last week. (WCJB)

• Surely you've noticed their return on your windshield or elsewhere and wondered why they are just so numerous. Our 2012 explainer on lovebugs remains as relevant as ever this time of year. (WUFT News)

Today's sponsored message

Crime Prevention Security Systems has more than 40 years of experience in providing peace of mind for businesses and families in North Central Florida. With its free app, local monitoring and state of the art security equipment, Crime Prevention is the local leader in security systems and home technology. Upgrade your existing system now for remote access to your security, lights, locks and thermostats – from your smartphone or tablet. Call 352-376-1499 or visit www.cpss.net.

Around the state today

• All those bundled ballot amendments from last fall's election could help bring about the end of the Constitutional Revision Commission. (WFSU)

• About 3,000 of the 8,000 farm applicants for industrial hemp permits will be able to legally begin growing it next year. (Florida Politics)

• Starting today, Lake Nona has two self-driving shuttle buses. (WMFE)

• There's good news in the state's trendline of the number of homeless veterans over the past decade, but there's still work to do. Florida student homelessness, on the other hand, nearly tripled in the decade following 2007. (Florida Phoenix, WUSF)

• The Tampa Bay Times reports that the reason why 18,000 insurance claims from Hurricane Michael are still open "is a mystery."

• These are the latest statewide Hepatitis A outbreak numbers: 2,540 reported cases in 2019 compared to 548 in 2018. (News Service of Florida)

• The Lakeland Ledger investigated individualized education programs — better known as IEPs — in Polk County, and its findings about the programs' accountability weren't encouraging.

• A Major League Baseball pitcher is being held in a Pennsylvania jail without bond on a charge of solicitation of a Fort Myers teenager, along with two other counts. (Fort Myers News-Press)

• SeaWorld will again need a new CEO — seven months after the most recent one took the job. (Orlando Weekly)

• The state is paying another $35 million to help deepen Jacksonville's harbor, bringing Florida's share of the total to $71.5 million. (WJCT)

From NPR News

• Politics: Cokie Roberts, Pioneering Journalist Who Helped Shape NPR, Dies At 75

• World: Elections Do Little To Point The Way Out Of Israel's Political Impasse

• National: Critics Assail 'New York Times' After Publication Of New Kavanaugh Allegations

• National: U.S. Abortion Rate Continues Long-Term Decline In Most States

• Health: It's Not Just Insulin: Diabetes Patients Struggle To Get Crucial Supplies

• Business: GM Workers Worry That Plant Shutdowns May Not Be Over

• Business: Does It Pay For Companies To Do Good?

• Business: Fed Eyes Another Interest Rate Cut To Prop Up The Slowing Economy

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.