The Point

The Point, July 31, 2020: Fatal Car Crash Near UF Raises Questions About Florida Courts' Treatment Of Speeding History

WUFT | By WUFT News

Published July 31, 2020 at 12:00 PM EDT

Subscribe to The Point to invite us into your inbox with the most important Florida news from Monday through Friday at 8 a.m.

The top stories near you

• Fresh Take Florida: Moment That Love, Life Was Lost After Tragic Crash: ‘She Did Not Make It, OK?’ "The case illustrates the tragedy of a violent, fatal car crash in a college town blamed on drunken driving involving two young adults, and raises questions about whether Florida’s courts treated the young driver’s prior history of speeding seriously enough."

• WUFT News: From The Front Lines Podcast. "Florida Front Line Workers New And Old Deal With New Challenges Due To COVID-19."

• Gainesville Sun: Rolling back to school. "The district has ordered 80 new buses, many of which have already arrived, and officials have come up with new procedures to try to keep students apart. But on a bus, there is only so much space."

• WCJB: Committee endorses new name to replace J.J. Finley. "The J.J. Finley renaming committee will be recommending Carolyn Beatrice Parker as the new name for the elementary school."

• Gilchrist County Journal: Tourism thriving in Gilchrist County. "Donna Creamer reported that the June 2020 receipts for the 3 percent bed tax hit a new all time record of just over $19,000 from one month of single overnight stays."

• The Alligator: Recent Gainesville High School graduate competes in prestigious science competition. "The sensors she created can detect things like industrial water pollutants, air pollution and toxins that leak from solid objects like paint, children’s toys and water bottles."
• WCJB: Levy County School Board delays first day of school. "The week delay from the 10th to the 17th won’t affect teachers’ pay as they’ll use the time to train on the digital learning platform canvas."

• Spotlight on Levy County: Against the Odds, Time Capsule Found in WHS Rubble. "The box, as it turned out, was an 81-year-old time capsule left by community leaders."

• Your forecast from the UF Weather Center: "Today: Partly cloudy and hot. Isolated to scattered afternoon storms. High near 94. Heat index near 105. Tonight: Partly cloudy skies turning mostly clear. Low 74. Saturday: Partly cloudy and hot. A chance of late afternoon storms. High near 94. Heat index near 105."

Your support matters now more than ever.

WUFT is here for you with vital coverage during complex times. With the spread of COVID-19, independent, public service journalism has never been more important than it is right now. WUFT exists to serve the north central Florida community and is committed to keeping you up to date with the latest news from your community, the state and the world. If you’re able to, please consider making a donation to WUFT to keep us going strong. Support WUFT and your trusted journalism source in this critical time.

Around the state today

• Associated Press: Florida faces pressure, sees record high virus deaths. "Florida tallied on Thursday a new record high in daily confirmed COVID-19 deaths for the third straight day as the state faces pressure to outline new measures to combat the pandemic."

• WESH: Isaias becomes hurricane as it moves closer to Florida. "The forecast cone keeps the storm off the east coast of Florida and moving toward the Carolinas, but part of Central Florida is still within the cone."

• News Service of Florida: Judge Agrees To Keep Police Officers’ Identities On Hold. "In a closely watched case about how to apply a constitutional amendment that expanded victims’ rights, a Leon County circuit judge on Thursday agreed to at least temporarily keep secret the identities of two Tallahassee police officers involved in use-of-force incidents."

• Sun Sentinel ($): For South Florida Muslims, Eid goes virtual but ‘unhealthy breakfast’ endures. "But during a pandemic when large gatherings are prohibited, Muslims in South Florida must find new ways to celebrate. Even the smallest customs, like kissing loved ones on the cheek three times when greeting them on Eid, must be altered."

• Associated Press: 'On our way to Mars': NASA rover will look for signs of life. "The biggest, most sophisticated Mars rover ever built — a car-size vehicle bristling with cameras, microphones, drills and lasers — blasted off for the red planet Thursday as part of an ambitious, long-range project to bring the first Martian rock samples back to Earth to be analyzed for evidence of ancient life."

• Tampa Bay Times: Tampa Bay power companies among first to resume shutoffs. "Beginning in September, both of Tampa Bay’s major power companies will resume shutoffs for those who haven’t paid their bills or made payment arrangements."

• Tallahassee Democrat ($): Amid coronavirus, kids of migrant farmworkers take summer school outside trailers. "At the threshold of her family’s rundown south-side apartment, 8-year-old Yarely and tutor Marixa Soto sit on metal folding chairs, writing sentences. Yarely hasn’t been in Tallahassee very long. Her family, migrant farm workers from Collier County, follows the crop seasons."

• Florida Today: Port Canaveral cuts 115 jobs through layoffs, furloughs, attrition. "Port Canaveral this week implemented a massive staff cut, largely the result of the continuing shutdown in cruise ship sailings because of the coronavirus pandemic."

• Tampa Bay Times: Trump cuts Florida fundraising trip in half due to Tropical Storm Isaias. "Trump, who is still expected to land in Tampa on Friday night for a fundraiser, had planned to travel to South Florida for a Saturday event at his Trump National Doral Miami golf resort."

• Associated Press: Police: Florida couple jailed for refusing to quarantine. "They had been ordered by the health department to quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19, but neighbors said they were ignoring the order. Investigators say someone videotaped the couple and gave it to Key West police."

• Associated Press: Court records show injury reports for Universal water slide. "At least 115 injury reports have been made involving a water slide at Universal Orlando’s Volcano Bay, according to court records filed in a lawsuit by a tourist who says he was left paralyzed after going on the ride."

• NPR News: NBA Players Share What It's Like To Live In A 'Bubble'. "The NBA season resumes Thursday night, with teams living and playing at Disney World. The temporary basketball campus is called a "bubble," and NBA players have documented their lives there."