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The top stories near you

• WUFT News: No House Parties Allowed: Alachua County Opts Against Registration System For Gatherings, But Will Consider Issuing Citations. "University of Florida leaders concerned about further coronavirus spread among students who have returned to Gainesville had asked county officials to come up with a system for registering indoor parties. The system could have helped with contact tracing, county officials believed."

• WCJB: Alachua County commissioners unanimously approve needle exchange program. "The ordinance intends the program to not only reduce physical risk but address treatment options for those suffering from addiction."

• WUFT News: UF's Positive Coronavirus Case Total Tops 300 As Students Return For Fall Classes. "According to UF spokesperson Steve Orlando, positive cases have been identified in on-campus housing, though he wouldn't say in which 'because of the risk of identifying the individuals involved.'"

• The Alligator: UF Fall fraternity recruitment moved completely online. "In a normal recruitment week, about 1,000 men flood Fraternity Row and move freely between houses..."

• Florida Politics: Rob Bradley, Nick Patronis appointed to Water Management District boards. "Bradley, a Fleming Island lawyer, has been a Republican Senator for Senate District 5 since 2012 but is term limited and not seeking reelection. He will serve on the St. Johns River Water Management District Governing Board, which oversees groundwater and surface water resources from Nassau County to Okeechobee County."

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Around the state today

• Tallahassee Democrat ($): FSU reports spike in students testing positive as party pictures circulate on social media. "Figures released Tuesday show more than 700 Florida State University students tested positive in the past week, compared to the previous week."

• New York Times ($): Trump, Calling Himself ‘the No. 1 Environmental President,’ Green Washes His Record. "President Trump traveled to Florida to declare himself “a great environmentalist,” extending a moratorium on offshore oil drilling that his administration had moved to end."

• WFSU: TCAC, Dream Defenders Among Those Speaking Against The Arrests Of Protesters. "The Tallahassee Community Action Committee wants charges dropped against 14 people arrested Saturday during a protest march to the Capitol. The protest was spurred by a grand jury decision not to indict police in three different officer-involved shootings. Those shootings include the May killing of Tony McDade, a transgender Black man."

• Bay News 9: Florida to Start Paying Extra $300 This Week to Eligible Jobless. "This program, authorized in a memorandum by President Donald Trump last month, provides additional benefits for individuals who are eligible for jobless benefits for weeks of unemployment ending on or after August 1, 2020."

• WMFE: Coronavirus Cluster That Shut Down Olympia High School Traced To Off-Campus Birthday Party. "Olympia High School (in Orange County) was shut down after school officials said 156 students and staff have had direct contact with six individuals who tested positive for COVID-19."

• Orlando Weekly: Orlando Congresswoman Val Demings introduces bill to allow LGBTQ+ people to donate blood. "The FDA in 1985 instituted a lifetime ban on blood donations from men who've had sex with other men – amid a panic of discrimination and bad policy around the emerging health crisis of HIV and AIDS – and then amended that in 2015 to a still-discriminatory 12-months-celibate deferral period."

• Politico: Black legislators sound warning on Florida primary amendment. "Florida Republican and Democratic leaders ramped up their rhetoric against a proposed constitutional amendment that would open state primary elections to all voters regardless of political party."

• Sun Sentinel ($): DeSantis' selection of Palm Beach judge hits snag. Florida Supreme Court allows challenge to go forward. "Striking a blow to Gov. Ron DeSantis, a unanimous Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed a state legislator to continue challenging the governor’s appointment of Palm Beach Circuit Judge Renatha Francis to the state’s highest court."

• St. Augustine Record ($): After struggling with COVID-19, Commissioner Paul Waldron gets back to work. "Following a lengthy health battle after being diagnosed with COVID-19, St. Johns County Commissioner Paul Waldron returned to the Commission on Tuesday via telephone."

From NPR News

• Science: A Warming Climate Is Affecting Tree Regeneration After Forest Fires

• National: Rochester Police Chief Resigns Amid Protests Over Black Man's Death

• National: Northeastern University Dismisses 11 Students For Breaking Social Distancing Rules

• Politics: In Unusual Move, DOJ To Defend Trump In E. Jean Carroll's Defamation Suit

• Politics: Political Divisions Drive Police Brutality Cases

• Race: Black Pastor Wants His Mostly White Congregation To Understand Racial Justice

• World: 'At Any Cost': Japanese, IOC Officials Insist Olympics Will Happen In 2021

• Business: Tech Stocks Are In A Mood, And They're Dragging The Market Down With Them

• Business: Egg Prices Skyrocket During The Pandemic

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.