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

• Orlando Sentinel ($): Gators report 7 COVID-19 cases, including 1 football player. "The infections coincide with a spike of cases of the virus in Gainesville as UF students returned to campus and end a clean bill of health for coach Dan Mullen’s squad."

• WUSF: Weeki Wachee Is Being Destroyed By Docking Kayakers, Study Says. "A year-long analysis of recreation along the Weeki Wachee River was presented to the Board of Hernando County Commissioners last week. It found that people getting out of their kayaks cause the most harm to the natural resources attracting visitors in the first place."

• Associated Press: ‘It’s Going Horribly’: College Towns Like Gainesville Fret About Census Count. "From Tempe to places like Bloomington, Indiana, and Gainesville, Florida, the looming undercount could harm college towns across the country. In some places with major universities, students make up as much as three-quarters of the population."

• WTSP: Citrus County School District deals with an internet outage. "The school district said this isn't the first time this has happened. It was also offline on Tuesday. The provider told school leaders they thought they fixed the issue."

• Ocala Star-Banner ($): Earth Fare returns to Ocala. "There were tears when the Earth Fare reopened in Ocala on Wednesday, six months after it seemingly closed for good."

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

• St. Augustine Record ($): Crews remove St. Augustine's Confederate memorial from the Plaza. "Capping about a month of work by moving crews and contention in the community that spanned a few years, St. Augustine's Confederate memorial was removed from the Plaza de la Constitucion on Wednesday morning."

• Associated Press: Florida Reports 202 New COVID-19 Deaths On Wednesday. "Florida reported 202 new COVID-19 deaths, which is the highest daily increase in about three weeks. But the numbers released Wednesday morning reflect a lag time in the reporting of deaths over several days and follows the three-day Labor Day weekend."

• News Service of Florida: DeSantis Vetoes Controversial Vaping Bill. "Attorney General Ashley Moody, Senate President Bill Galvano and health organizations such as the American Cancer Society and the American Lung Association pushed the legislation (SB 810), which largely would have brought Florida into compliance with federal laws aimed at curbing teen vaping."

• WFSU: Students Say FSU's Quarantine Dorm Is Filthy, Infested With Flies. "When Emma Andrews tested positive for COVID-19, she moved her belongings into Rogers Hall. It's one of two dorms designated for quarantining students. But Andrews says the building looks like no one's touched it in a year."

• WLRN: What Nurses Need From The Public To Help Stop The Spread Of COVID-19. "Maggie Hansen, Chief Nurse Executive and Senior Vice President at Memorial Healthcare System in Broward County: 'They need people to take personal responsibility. It definitely makes them angry when they see people out in the community that are not wearing their masks or going out to bars.'"

• News4Jax: Records: More Jacksonville evictions filed in last 2 weeks than past 4 months. "...the wording of the Florida governor’s executive order has since changed. Now, tenants must show proof to a judge, within five days, that they can’t pay rent specifically because of the pandemic."

• WUSF: Pinellas Teachers ‘Exhausted And Feeling Defeated’ As Frustration Mounts Over Simultaneous Instruction. "At a Pinellas County School Board meeting Tuesday, teachers voiced frustration about having to instruct in-person and online students at the same time, as the district tries to balance safety with educational needs as the coronavirus pandemic drags on."

• FiveThirtyEight: Polls Are Good For Biden Pretty Much Everywhere — Except Florida. "In most other states which have been polled about as much as Florida — there’ve been 12 polls there since the start of the Democratic convention — they’ve seen far less of a change or barely any movement at all. "

• TCPalm ($): Report: St. Lucie County one of two in Florida to have Russian malware in 2016. "St. Lucie was one of two Florida counties to have its election registration systems hacked by Russian malware, media outlets reported Wednesday, citing excerpts from a new book on President Donald Trump."

• Miami Herald ($): Miami-Dade School Board votes to cut ties with K12 online learning platform. "The Miami-Dade County School Board has voted unanimously to no longer use My School Online, the district’s controversial new online learning platform many say is at the center of the district’s failed start of school."

From NPR News

• World: Because Of Global Pandemic, U.N. General Assembly Will Be Online

• Business: Pandemic Financially Imperils Nearly Half of American Households, Poll Finds

• Politics: Trump Knew Seriousness Of The Coronavirus Early On, New Book Says

• Health: How Vaccine Skepticism May Affect Efforts To Combat The Coronavirus Pandemic

• Health: About 20% Of Americans Couldn't Get Needed Medical Care Due To Pandemic, Poll Shows

• National: U.S. Says It Will Cut Number Of Troops In Iraq By Nearly Half This Month

• National: Film Academy Announces New Diversity Requirements For Best Picture Nominees

• National: Courts Try To Resume In-Person Proceedings As Safely As Possible

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.