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The top stories near you

• WUFT News: Alachua County School Board Postpones Reopening To Aug. 31. "On Wednesday afternoon, the Alachua County School Board voted to delay the start of fall reopening — again. This is the second time the district has postponed the start of school since July." 

• Ocala Star-Banner ($): Ocala City Council overrides mayor’s face mask veto."With the 4-1 vote to override the veto, the ordinance went into effect immediately and will be valid for 60 days."

• Citrus County Chronicle: Regal Cinemas in Citrus to reopen Sept 3 with enhanced safety protocols."Many Regal Cinema locations nationwide will open Aug. 21. But the smaller markets delayed a couple weeks, she said. Tickets are available to purchase starting Thursday, Aug. 27."

•  Gainesville Sun ($): Former commissioner let go after social media firestorm."Former Alachua County Commissioner Susan Baird has been severed from her role at Bosshardt Realty Services because of a Facebook post regarding Sen. Kamala Harris as the running mate of Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden."

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Around the state today

• News Service of Florida: Florida teachers ponder early retirement as schools reopen."As schools begin to reopen, surveys show that teachers across the state are deciding to resign, retire early or take a leave of absence rather than return to campus this month."

• Tallahassee Democrat ($): Leon County Schools teachers may wear scrubs to classrooms during COVID-19."But the idea to allow teachers to wear scrubs — which can easily be removed and washed — initially came from the Leon Classroom Teacher's Association teacher's union, President Scott Mazur told the Tallahassee Democrat."

• Bay News 9: Florida Could Slash $23 Million From Hillsborough Schools if Classes Start Online. "Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran sent a letter to the (district school) board saying the new plan doesn’t follow the state’s guidelines. The board was given a deadline of August 14 to submit changes – or its funding could be impacted."

• Tampa Bay Times ($): Florida Rep. Jamie Grant abruptly withdraws re-election bid for Tampa Bay area seat."The Tampa Republican was an architect of the Amendment 4 law and sponsored a law this year that shaped the job he's now taking with the state."

• Fort Myers News-Press ($): HUD Secretary Ben Carson visits Fort Myers opportunity zones."U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson toured some of Fort Myers' lower-income communities Wednesday to tout a program meant to revitalize neighborhoods."

• Miami Herald ($): ‘Words can’t explain how I feel.’ Felons vote for first time since rights restoration."U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska earlier this month had ordered unsealed a large batch of documents associated with Maxwell’s defamation suit involving Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre..."

• TCPalm ($): U.S. Rep. Brian Mast proposes new Lake Okeechobee legislation with support from clean water advocates."The proposed legislation would prohibit the Army Corps of Engineers from discharging Lake Okeechobee water containing toxic algal blooms with 8 parts per billion microcystin or more to the St. Lucie Estuary and Indian River Lagoon."

• WTSP: Lawyer: Carole Baskin served with lawsuit in death, disappearance of Don Lewis, whose cold case resurfaced after 'Tiger King'. "The hype around the docuseries led the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office to reopen the case for new leads in March. Tips came in daily, but most were missing one key element -- credibility."

From NPR News

• National: Funding For Postal Service, Mail-In Voting Stall Coronavirus Relief Talks.

• World: Kamala Harris Pick For VP Is Hailed As 'A Moment Of Pride' In India.

• Politics: Eagles And Mockingbirds Catch A Break As Judge Strikes Down Trump Bird Opinion.

• Business: Riots That Followed Anti-Racism Protests Come At Great Cost To Black-Owned Businesses.

• Race: Report: 59 Confederate Symbols Removed Since George Floyd's Death.

• Race: Black Power Scholar Illustrates How MLK And Malcolm X Influenced Each Other.