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The top stories near you
• WUFT News: Hot Fall Weather And A Rainstorm Greet Opening Of New High Springs Farmer’s Market Pavilion. "After six years of planning and building, the only farmer’s market in High Springs reopened at a new location at the corner of Northwest 185th Road and Northwest 235th Street with a green-covered pavilion, ceiling fans, finishing brickwork and fluorescent lights."
• WUFT News: Gainesville’s Regal Theater Locations Close Once Again. "Gainesville’s three Regal Theater locations — Regal Celebration Pointe, 4901 SW 31st Place; Regal Royal Park, 3702 W. Newberry Road and Regal Butler Town Center, 3101 SW 35th Blvd Butler Plaza — remained open until Thursday before closing. These were the only theaters to offer first-run movies in Gainesville."
• WUFT News: The Lede: Accountability Is The Name Of The Game: "In this episode of The Lede, we look at how members of our community are holding officials accountable regarding mailing ballots and canceling UF graduation."
• WUFT News: Gainesville Daycares Face Obstacles As COVID-19 Continues. "Daycare owners have been forced to adapt to constantly evolving pandemic conditions."
• WUFT News: Jews Celebrate A COVID-Safe Shabbat In The Sukkah. "Community is important to Jews, a reflection of a long history of persecution and forced diaspora. So despite the limitations to holding a Sukkot Shabbat service in the middle of a pandemic, the directors at UF Hillel knew they had to make it happen – as safely as possible."
• Spotlight on Levy County Government: State Inches Closer to Revealing Where Toll Roads Might Go. "DOT will move into the project development and engineering (PD&E) phase of the toll road study next year. Alignments or paths will be identified by DOT and shown on internet-based maps at some point in 2021."
• The Alligator: Mike Pence holds non-distanced campaign rally in Florida’s biggest retirement community. "Pence spoke maskless from a stage during his campaign speech at The Villages — a massive retirement community west of Orlando — drawing hundreds of carefree, non-distanced President Donald Trump supporters Saturday afternoon. The crowd of about 500 people was predominantly made up of people 50 years or older; there were more lap dogs than children."
• Associated Press: A senior warning sign for Trump: ‘Go Biden’ cry at Villages. "In few places could any significant drop-off spell doom more profoundly than Florida, a state Trump almost certainly must win. Older adults historically are the most reliable voters, and Florida is infamous for its tight races. So even a modest drop in support could send Trump back to private life."
• Palm Beach Post ($): Solar farms dot red Florida. Will it bolster action on climate change? "On a list of 14 solar centers FPL is constructing now, or has plans to develop, 13 are in counties Trump won, ranging from Baker County, which Trump bagged with 81% of the vote, to Hendry County, which the president took with a more modest 55% of the ballots cast."
• WCJB: Former ASO deputy wins case against Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell. "Former deputy Zac Zedalis tells TV20 that the judge is awarding him $400,000 for lost wages and mental anguish. He will also be reinstated at ASO including years served and retirement."
• Gainesville Sun ($): Financial woes may force Woman's Club to leave landmark building. "The Gainesville’s Woman’s Club, which has been in its landmark clubhouse off West University Avenue since 1961, may have to leave it due to financial struggles."
• The Alligator: UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences to end use of prison labor after push from activists. "For almost a decade, local activists and UF students have called for UF to end its dependence on prison labor. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences responded by breaking its prison labor contracts last week."
• WJCT: Putnam County Statue Relocation Committee Mulls Potential Options. "The citizen-led Statue Relocation Committee met in Palatka for the first time Friday to discuss potential places to relocate the large Confederate statue standing outside of the Putnam County Courthouse."
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Around the state today
• WUFT News: Florida’s Prisons Have Reopened For Visitation, But Not All Families Appreciate Their New Rules. "The Florida Department of Corrections reopened its doors for visitation a week ago, a six-month closure that, even after it ended, highlighted the need for further communication between the FDC and the families of those who are incarcerated."
• Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Florida is a swing state again. These battleground regions could decide the race. "The overall strategy for winning Florida hasn’t changed much, although the 2020 cycle is creating some new wrinkles, including Biden’s weakness with Hispanic voters and Trump’s slide with seniors."
• NPR News: Trump Back On Campaign Trail After Coronavirus Diagnosis. "President Trump was diagnosed with the coronavirus 12 days ago. On Friday, he'll hold a rally in Florida, after physicians announced over the weekend he was no longer a transmission risk to others."
• Sun Sentinel ($): Leaf blowers may be swept away in Fort Lauderdale. "Mayor Dean Trantalis is proposing the controversial ban, not just because leaf blowers buzz like chainsaws, but because landscape trimmings sometimes get blown into the street. Once in the street, the debris can wind up in storm drains, then get swept into the waterways and, in the worst cases, result in algae blooms."
• Miami Herald ($): The road outside Trayvon Martin’s high school in Miami-Dade will soon carry his name. "Miami-Dade commissioners this week approved adding Martin’s name to the part of Northeast 16th Avenue that leads to Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High, where Martin was in 11th grade when he was fatally shot in 2012 while on a visit with his father in Sanford."
• New York Times ($): At Disney World, ‘Worst Fears’ About Virus Have Not Come True. "As tumultuous as the three months since the reopening have been, however, public health officials and Disney World’s unions say there have been no coronavirus outbreaks among workers or guests. So far, Disney’s wide-ranging safety measures appear to be working."
• WLRN: Broward Schools Reopen, But Most Students Stay Home. "Florida’s second largest school district reopened campuses to about 12,500 students on Friday, making it the final district in the state to resume face-to-face instruction amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Only about a quarter of the students who were eligible to return in the first wave of the staggered reopening process did, and school district officials expect the numbers to stay low."
• Bay News 9: Tampa’s First Driverless Shuttle is on the Road. "This driverless shuttle is riding on what’s called a 'virtual rail.' That means it is on a set route, like a street trolley would be."
From NPR News
• Politics: How The Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings For Amy Coney Barrett Will Work
• Politics: The Boiling Resentment Behind The Foiled Plan To Kidnap Gov. Whitmer
• Politics: Pennsylvania Voters Don't Think Fracking Is A Big Issue Despite Trump's Focus On It
• Science: A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Kill Half A Million Sharks, Conservationists Warn
• National: Why This 17-Year-Old Wants To Be A Poll Worker
• National: Derek Chauvin Can Await Murder Trial Out Of State Amid 'Safety Concerns'
• Business: Yelp Will Label Businesses Accused Of Racist Behavior
• Business: You Can Rent An Underground Cave To Escape From Election News
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.