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The top stories near you
• Florida this September hasn't received nearly the rainfall it usually does, with cities like Gainesville, Pensacola and Tallahassee getting less than an inch. The abnormally dry conditions can actually be traced to Hurricane Dorian dodging the state. (Florida Storms)
• "If we fund classes like this, we’re saying this history is important." Alachua County high schools are offering a renewed focus on African and African American history. (WUFT News)
• Gainesville Fire Rescue this month has had to extricate people from crashed vehicles once every five days, on average. (WCJB)
• These are the five finalists that the Gainesville City Commission interviewed yesterday to be its next city manager. (WUFT News)
• One of our reporters looked into the issue of stolen and abandoned shopping carts in Gainesville. Here's what she found about what's driving the problem and how it might be solved. (WUFT News)
• CSX has evidently had second thoughts about selling its rail corridor between High Springs and Newberry. Alachua County Commissioners had hoped to turn the stretch into a bike trail. Here's our 2017 report on the project's origins. (Gainesville Sun)
• University of Florida librarians have completed a two-year project to digitize and make searchable more than 100 years of The Alligator, the newspaper reports.
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Around the state today
• Gov. Ron DeSantis is going to bat for President Donald Trump and encouraging donations to protect him in the midst of a formal impeachment inquiry. (Florida Politics)
• DeSantis was in Mexico Beach yesterday to announce a $1.1 million state grant to first responders whose budgets were hit hard by Hurricane Michael and its aftermath. (Panama City News Herald)
• The state's blue green algae task force has put together some initial recommendations to limit the problem in the future. (WLRN)
• What's behind Nikki Fried's support for eliminating energy conservation goals? (Florida Phoenix)
• Fisherman's Community Hospital, destroyed in the Keys during Hurricane Irma, won't have a permanent new building until the summer of 2021. (FLKeysNews)
• A candidate for Clearwater mayor says she's running on behalf of the loggerhead sea turtle species. “I’m not going to accept money contributions,” Elizabeth Drayer told the Tampa Bay Times. “The sea turtle cannot be bought.”
From NPR News
• Politics: Acting Director Of National Intelligence Testifies On Whistleblower Complaint
• Politics: What's Happened Since The Existence Of The Whistleblower's Complaint Became Public
• Politics: How People Across The U.S. Are Reacting To Trump's Call With The Ukrainian President
• National: U.S. Income Inequality Worsens, Widening To A New Gap
• World: Trump Administration Drastically Cuts Number Of Refugees Allowed To Enter The U.S.
• Health: CDC Says The Cause Of Vaping Related Deaths Is Still A Mystery
• Science: A Peculiar Solar System Has Scientists Rethinking Theories Of How Planets Form
• Books: In 'The Water Dancer,' Ta-Nehisi Coates Creates Magical Alternate History
• Books: Disney CEO Bob Iger Has Lessons On Fostering Creativity — And Acquiring It
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.