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• WUFT News: Alachua County School District Bus Giveaway Uplifts Area Churches And Nonprofits. "The district awarded 40 used school buses to area churches and nonprofits during a first-ever giveaway event, dubbed 'Operation Moving Forward,' in the Gainesville Raceway parking lot. This past year the district bought 80 new buses, which usually results in a surplus traditionally sold through auction, at which each used one sold typically nets about $1,000 each, officials said. This time, however, the district chose to donate the used buses to churches and nonprofits, in part to help relieve the financial strain the pandemic has caused them, the officials said."

• WUFT News: Marion County School Board Adopts Mandatory Face Mask Policy. "The Marion County School Board voted unanimously to adopt a mandatory face mask policy to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Visitors that fail to comply will be asked to leave the property and students who fail to comply will receive a dress code violation."

• The Alligator: East Hall to close to make room for more quarantine space. "The dorm, located in the center of campus southwest of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, will be turned into another on-campus quarantine facility for the Spring semester, according to the email. UF is making the transformation out of an abundance of caution, it read."

• WCJB: Fraternity suspended by University of Florida for COVID-19 guideline violations. "University of Florida spokesperson Steve Orlando tells TV20 around the middle of October the fraternity held an event where more than 50 people were seen by law enforcement not social distancing or wearing masks. The organization also did not have a permit for the event."

• WUFT News: Political Newcomer Takes Aim At Unseating Incumbent In Florida’s House District 23. "Democrat Cynthia Dela Rosa, 24, is running to unseat Republican Rep. Stan McClain, 59, on Nov. 3. McClain is seeking reelection for his third term in the State House."

• WUFT News: Meet the Candidates for State Attorney in Florida’s 7th Judicial Circuit. "Incumbent R.J. Larizza and challenger Don Dempsey are running to become the next State Attorney for Florida’s 7th Judicial Circuit. The 7th Judicial Circuit covers four Florida counties: Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns and Volusia."

• Main Street Daily News: GFR setting up rescue strategy in case someone falls into sinkhole. "Gainesville Fire Rescue has been working on a strategy to potentially carry out a rescue operation just in case it's necessary as a 100-foot wide sinkhole continues to grow in a residential area of NW Gainesville."

• WMFE: The Villages wins approval for apartment building, but area homeowners feel betrayed. "The Villages won approval from Sumter County Tuesday night to build an apartment building near homes on the site of the old Hacienda Hills Country Club."

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Around the state today

• Fresh Take Florida: Man Pleads Not Guilty To Felony Charges Of Altering Voter Records Of Florida Governor. "The lawyer for Anthony Steven Guevara said the prank was not malicious and represented a wakeup call for concerns about the integrity of Florida’s voter systems. Guevara told criminal investigators that he looked up the governor’s birth date on Wikipedia and used it to alter DeSantis’ voter registration online using the state’s election website."

• Sun Sentinel ($): Florida’s elections chief works to avoid becoming household name in 2020 vote count. "Laurel Lee has an IQ fitting of the challenge ahead of her — ensure that the presidential election in Florida runs smoothly and doesn’t become a punchline yet again for the nation’s comedians."

• News Service of Florida: Florida Outlines Plan To Provide COVID-19 Vaccine Despite Unclear Timeline. "Florida plans to prioritize COVID-19 vaccinations for front-line workers at hospitals, nursing homes and senior centers and first responders when a vaccine becomes available."

• Politico: Scott opens wallet for Trump in Florida. "Florida GOP Sen.Rick Scott is rallying behind President Donald Trump in signature fashion: with a big TV ad buy."

• WFSU: Florida Supreme Court Denies Lawsuit Against Proposed Amendment 3. "The Supreme Court of Florida has denied a petition to block officials from counting votes cast on proposed Amendment 3. If approved the ballot initiative will change the state’s primary-election system to a top-two primary."

• Florida Times-Union ($): Jacksonville readies $5.3 million relief for 'sleeping giant' of eviction and foreclosure. "The money will help confront the building financial pressure on people who have lost income during the pandemic and fell behind on paying rent, which United Way of Northeast Florida administrator Jeff Winkler has called 'one of the sleeping giants of 2021 we're going to have to face.'"

• Orlando Sentinel ($): Walt Disney World layoffs slash entertainment, leaving big shows in limbo. "Walt Disney World laid off entertainers from its highest-profile shows Tuesday night in what some described as a 'bloodbath' as the scale of the layoffs rocked the Central Florida arts community."

• St. Augustine Record ($): St. Johns County beach restoration project about 30% complete. "The project will widen about 2.6 miles of the coast and add dunes from just north of Nease Beachfront Park to around the Ocean Villas in the Serenata Beach community, according to St. Johns County government. The dunes will be restored to 2015 conditions."

• Palm Beach Post ($): In trying to stop Florida from turning clocks back an hour, they tried using the pandemic ... it didn't work. "A novel push to thwart Sunday’s end to daylight saving time was lobbed in September with Florida senators using the coronavirus pandemic as an impetus to keep the state from turning clocks back an hour."

• Bay News 9: Florida's First Snow Park is Hiring Ahead of Debut. "When Snowcat Ridge opens, it will feature a 60-foot-tall, 400-foot-long snow-covered tubing hill as well as snow dome with a smaller tubing hill inside. Visitors will also be able to build snowmen inside the dome."

From NPR News

• National: U.S. Hospitals Targeted In Rising Wave Of Ransomware Attacks, Federal Agencies Say

• Health: How Much Will A Coronavirus Vaccine Cost To Americans With Medicare Or Medicaid?

• Health: Stuck-At-Home Moms: The Pandemic's Devastating Toll On Women

• Politics: Newly Sworn-In Justice Barrett Faces A Motion To Recuse Herself In Election Case

• Business: Citing 'Devastating' Pandemic Impact, Boeing To Lay Off 7,000 More Workers

• Business: Dow Plunges 943 Points; Steep Sell-Off Is Triggered By Fears Of More Lockdowns

• Science: Scientists Find Cells In The Human Brain Responsible For Episodic Memory

• Science: Scientists Find Massive Coral Reef In Australia's Great Barrier Reef

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.