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The top stories near you

• Fresh Take Florida: Former UF Journalism Dean Ralph Lowenstein Dies After Stroke. “As dean of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications from 1976 to 1994, Lowenstein arranged for the installation of a large, integrated PC network, made up of some 300 computers – one of the earliest in a university environment. Also during his time as dean, the college established the first citywide, continuously updated electronic newspaper in a venture with the Gainesville Sun and New York Times, and founded WUFT-FM, the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information and the Knight Division for Scholarships, Career Services and Multicultural Affairs.”

• News Service of Florida: Florida’s Governor Doesn’t Want To Punt On College Football. “DeSantis’ news conference came as the Big Ten Conference and the Pac-12 Conference on Tuesday called off all fall sports, including football, because of health and safety concerns related to the pandemic. The Big Ten and Pac-12 were first two major athletic conferences to take the step, though smaller conference also have called off fall seasons.”

• New York Times ($): ‘A Smoking Gun’: Infectious Coronavirus Retrieved From Hospital Air. “A research team at the University of Florida succeeded in isolating live virus from aerosols collected at a distance of seven to 16 feet from patients hospitalized with Covid-19 — farther than the six feet recommended in social distancing guidelines.”

• Florida Politics: UF topped $900M in research funding last year. “The total is up $63 million from the 2018-19 fiscal year, when the flagship university received $837 million in research awards.”

• Gainesville Sun ($): Nestle water permit tabled. “The action was taken because most of the board members believe the controversial permit should be considered at a live meeting rather than a video meeting.”

• Ocala Star-Banner ($): Marion County deputies ordered not to wear masks. “(Sheriff Billy) Woods has made some exceptions for officers to wear masks while working at the courthouse, the jail, in public schools, in hospitals and in dealing with people suspected of being infected with COVID-19 or at high risk of complications from the disease.”

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Around the state today

• NBC Miami: Florida Reports 276 More Coronavirus Deaths, a New Single-Day Record. “The figure reflects the number of residents whose deaths were confirmed Monday, after a weekend when new death and hospitalization numbers are often lower than the rest of the week. Many died days and weeks ago, but are only being confirmed now.”

• New York Times ($): The Virus Is Killing Young Floridians. Race Is a Big Factor. “Throughout the pandemic, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has stressed that the state’s coronavirus crisis is largely limited to the very old. He has repeatedly noted that Florida has seen more coronavirus deaths in people over the age of 90 than in all people under 65. But data reviewed by The New York Times shows that’s changing: Deaths were greater in July for residents under 65 than for those over 90.”

• Orlando Weekly: Joe Biden selects Sen. Kamala Harris for VP over Orlando Rep. Val Demings. “Demings lacks the national name recognition that Harris has, but her consideration has certainly raised her profile. Demings and Harris were both sworn in to their current seats in January of 2017. Demings released a statement after the announcement, saying ‘we deserve leadership that will not only put America back on track, but build back better.'”

• Florida Politics: Vince Evans to be Kamala Harris political director for Biden campaign. “Vince Evans, familiar in North Florida for having served as a political director for one-time gubernatorial hopeful Andrew Gillum and as ‘special assistant’ for U.S. Rep. Al Lawson in Washington in recent years, will be promoted from his role as political director in the Southern states.”

• News Service of Florida: Agencies Told To Look At Ways To Cut Budgets. “The direction to look for reductions does not mean such cuts will be made in the fiscal year 2020-2021 budget, which took effect July 1. It was included in annual budget instructions sent to state agencies in mid-July.”

• Orlando Sentinel ($): DeSantis says state would have to borrow from feds to get Trump’s unemployment benefits. “That and other complications could make it unlikely that jobless Floridians would receive the benefit anytime soon.”

• Florida Today ($): Dozens of inmates, staff test positive for COVID-19 at Brevard County Jail. “The new round of testing, conducted Aug. 6, was done in consultation with the Department of Health following a review on July 30. It tested 174 ‘asymptomatic’ inmates and found 48 had tested positive — a positivity rate of 27.6%.”

• Miami Herald ($): Miami Beach issues $14,400 in fines for COVID-19 mask violations. Most haven’t paid. “Of the 288 people fined, only four have paid their fines as of Monday, according to a city spokeswoman.”

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From NPR News

• Politics: In Historic Pick, Joe Biden Taps Kamala Harris To Be His Running Mate

• National: TSA Finds 3 Times Usual Rate Of Guns At Checkpoints, Despite Drop In Air Traffic

• National: Big Ten Postpones College Football Season

• World: Russia Says It Approved A Coronavirus Vaccine

• Education: Ga. School District Quarantines Hundreds Of Students Over Fears Of COVID-19 Exposure

• Business: Secret Gyms And The Economics Of Prohibition

• Science: A Prophet Of Soil Gets His Moment Of Fame