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The top stories near you
• Fresh Take Florida: US Appeals Court Rules Felons In Florida Must Pay Court Fines, Fees Before Voting. "In a historic voting rights case, the decision by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta represented a major legal and political victory for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and GOP lawmakers. They had limited the voting rights of felons last year under a new state law to those who already paid their fines or fees and served their prison sentences."
• WUFT News: Gainesville Apartments Struggle To Keep Occupancy As Education Moves Online. "As the University of Florida makes education increasingly available in an online format, many students have chosen to not return to Gainesville ... Most complexes are offering specials like gift cards ranging from $100 to $1000, plus the removal of additional fees or a discount on their rent."
• The Alligator: UF is No. 6 in U.S. public universities. "The university also ranks No. 30 in the combined list of public and private universities, up from No. 34. "
• WUFT News: Construction Begins On New Alachua County Elementary School. "Alachua County Public Schools Superintendent Karen Clarke says the school on Parker Road is needed to alleviate overcrowding."
• Bay News 9: Hernando County Residents to Vote on School Referendum in November. "The Hernando County Political Action Committee is asking residents to approve of a one millage rate increase for the next four years to help with teacher pay raises, keep students safe, and improve and expand current and future programs."
• WFSU: How To Make Sure Your Mail-In Ballot Gets Counted. "Counties in Florida saw a sharp increase in mail-in voting during the August primary, as people put a priority on voting safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. But thousands of mail-in ballots went uncounted."
• Gainesville Sun ($): Alachua County grapples with bars reopening. "County officials spent much of Friday in discussions with police, UF and others about how to handle the reopening."
• Ocala Star-Banner ($): The Centers CEO resigns, merger on the table. "The move ratcheted up ongoing merger talks between The Centers and Daytona Beach-based SMA Healthcare. After (Dr. Donald) Baracskay's decision to resign, the facility entered into a management agreement with SMA on Sept. 1 while the two entities seriously explore a merger."
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Around the state today
• Associated Press: Florida Supreme Court Orders Governor To Pick New Justice. "The Court ruled Friday that Judge Renatha Francis is constitutionally ineligible to serve because she hasn’t been a member of the Florida Bar for at least 10 years."
• NPR News: Mike Bloomberg Commits $100 Million To Help Joe Biden Win Florida. "Bloomberg's investment is a potential game changer in Florida, a swing state with expensive media markets."
• Tampa Bay Times ($): When a Black baby is born, the doctor’s race matters. "Black babies are more likely to survive birth when cared for by Black doctors as opposed to white doctors, according to the study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. When cared for by white doctors, Black newborns were nearly three times more likely than white newborns to die, the researchers found."
• WUSF: State Reports Only 8 COVID-19 Deaths, Lowest Total Since Mid-June. "The number of reported deaths is typically lower on the weekends but the figure has not been in the single digits since June 15 when the state reported seven deaths."
• WLRN: 9/11 First Responders in Florida Battle Health Problems and Fear of COVID-19. "Thousands of first responders and survivors of the 9/11 terror attacks living in Florida are facing health problems today. The coronavirus pandemic puts them at higher risk and many are struggling with social isolation."
• FLKeysNews ($): Tropical Storm Sally brings foot of rain to Florida Keys, several inches to Miami-Dade. "The Florida Keys were soaked overnight Sunday. More than 11 inches fell in Key West at the National Weather Service station in midtown, while nine inches of rain was reported at Key West International Airport."
• Orlando Sentinel ($): Tropical Storm Sally strengthens, targets Gulf Coast; Hurricane Paulette on top of Bermuda; Tropical Storm Teddy forms. "The 2020 hurricane season continues to ride its peak as the National Hurricane Center monitors up to seven tropical disturbances into Monday, including Tropical Storm Sally growing closer to the Gulf Coast, while Hurricane Paulette is passing directly over Bermuda."
• Tallahassee Democrat ($): Florida State maintains Top 20 status in U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings. "After notching a No. 18 spot last year, FSU placed No. 19 in the latest rankings."
• Sun Sentinel ($): Many Canadian snowbirds are delaying Florida visits until COVID-19 eases. "Florida, which is ranked third among the 50 states in cases, had nearly 664,000, or roughly five times the number of cases in Canada."
• Miami Herald ($): University of Miami makes COVID-19 tests a requirement for students on campus. "Get a COVID-19 test every two weeks for the remainder of the fall semester. It’s not a request. It’s a requirement."
• Naples Daily News ($): University of Florida researchers win grant to detect red tide toxins in air. "Professors Myoseon Jang and Dail Laughinghouse with UF have combined efforts to research and develop the device. The goal is to be able to measure how much brevetoxin, the neurotoxic compound found in red tide, is in the air during a bloom and detect how long it survives."
From NPR News
• National: How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled
• National: Despite A New Federal Ban, Many Renters Are Still Getting Evicted
• National: Cyclists Bring Food And Water To People In Oregon Towns Destroyed By Fire
• Health: Trump Signs New Executive Order On Prescription Drug Prices
• Science: Longtime Climate Science Denier Hired At NOAA
• Science: As COVID-19 Vaccine Trials Move At Warp Speed, Recruiting Black Volunteers Takes Time
• Business: More Groceries, Less Gas: The Pandemic Is Shaking Up The Cost Of Living
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.