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The Point, Oct. 6, 2020: How A Federal Grant Could Help This Rural County's Fire Department

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Today's top Florida stories

• WUFT News: Putnam County Fire Department Accepts $2.3 Million Grant. "This grant not only saves valuable money for Putnam County, a rural north Florida county that in 2019 reported its total public safety budget as just over $35 million, but it also helps property owners. Property insurance rates should decrease as the fire department makes improvements."

• Florida Storms: Delta Strengthens Into Hurricane In The Western Caribbean. "While there is still a large amount of uncertainty in the track and intensity of the system, the National Hurricane Center notes that there is an increasing risk of dangerous storm surge, wind, and rainfall hazards along the Gulf coastlines from Louisiana to the western Florida Panhandle."

• Gainesville Sun ($): UF Health team combats delirium in COVID-19 patients. "To combat the growing issue — seen in hospitals nationwide — a group of UF Health medicine experts and nurses started an effort coined the 'delirium prevention champions.' As such, selected nurses were chosen specifically to visit with the non-critical COVID-19 patients and provide the daily interaction and touch medically proven to prevent delirium."

• WTSP: Florida's voter registration site experiences issues hours before deadline. "Florida Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee did confirm the problem online, tweeting the issues were linked to a 'high volume' of people trying to register at once."

• WMFE: Fraud claims discourage some Republicans in The Villages from voting by mail. "Overall, voting by mail has increased dramatically in Sumter County in recent years. It doubled in this year’s August primary compared to the primary two years ago. Democrats account for most of the increase."

• Sun Sentinel ($): Florida’s COVID-19 positivity rate remains below 5% for 12th straight day. "The daily rate of new tests coming back positive was 3.93%, well below the threshhold of 5% that experts have set as one of the standards for judging the disease under control. It was the 12th day in a row that the rate was under 5%, and experts have called for two straight weeks below the threshold to meet the standard."

• WJCT: Mayo Expert: Fla. Will Suffer ‘Unnecessary Deaths’ As COVID-19 Restrictions Are Lifted. "Dr. Pritish K. Tosh, M.D., is an infectious disease physician and researcher at Mayo Clinic. He typically tries not to comment on policy decisions, but he said reducing social distancing and mask use will inevitably lead to rising cases."

• Miami Herald ($): Thousands of students and teachers return to Miami classrooms as COVID concerns linger. "Students in pre-K, kindergarten and first grade, as well as students with disabilities on a modified curriculum, were part of the first wave in the district’s staggered reopening plan. Another 40,000 students, including all elementary students plus sixth, ninth and 10th-graders, are expected to return Wednesday. By Friday, all students whose parents opted for in-person learning on a summer survey will be back in school."

• WFSU: Bobby Bowden Says He's Tested Positive For Coronavirus. "The 91-year-old has told other media outlets he believes he contracted the virus during a recent hospital stay over a leg infection."

• Tampa Bay Times ($): Trump’s coronavirus hospitalization hasn’t fazed Florida Republicans. "They also aren’t blaming their party leader for an aversion to masks and social distancing protocols that public health experts say likely imperiled his health and those he has encountered while infected."

• Palm Beach Post ($): Principal fired after Holocaust comments could be rehired this week. "Following an administrative judge’s ruling that he was improperly terminated, Schools Superintendent Donald Fennoy has recommended former Spanish River High School Principal William Latson be reinstated and given $152,000 in back pay."

• The Alligator: Alachua County libraries now offering browsing hours. "The library district previously offered curbside services in May and expanded to computer appointments in July, spokesperson Rachel Cook wrote in an email. The decision to offer browsing hours was the next step to reopening."


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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.

Contact WUFT News by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news @wuft.org