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The Point, Nov. 13, 2020: State Prisoners Describe The Vibe Behind Bars As Votes Were Counted

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The top stories near you

• WUFT News: Tropical Storm Eta A Reminder Of The Potential For Late-Season Hurricanes In Florida. "The storm’s effects were still being monitored Thursday in Citrus, Hernando and Levy counties. 'Eta was extremely unpredictable and made many turns and twists, so never let your guard down, pay attention to what’s happening,' said Chris Evan, Citrus County’s director of emergency operations."

• WUFT News: ‘Trying To Come To Grips’: Poet Laureate Offers Poetry On Racial And Social Injustice. "Stanley Richardson,  the Alachua County poet laureate, choked over the words Thursday evening as he read from one of his new poems, '8 Minutes and 46 Seconds': 'Trying to come to grips / to comprehend my own / a Black man’s tears / weeping for his brother / weeping for his son / I watched from the comfort of my uncomfortable Blackness.'"

• Ocala Star-Banner ($): School Board denies extra pay increase for veteran teachers. "The Marion County School Board voted 5-0 on Wednesday to deny the teachers’ union's request to give veteran teachers an extra 3% pay increase to better offset a $5,700 boost in new teacher salaries."

• WMFE: Will there be an Ocala Christmas Parade during pandemic? City Council decides on Tuesday. "But whatever their decision, the school district’s bands won’t be marching in it. The Marion County School Board decided earlier this week, for COVID-19 safety reasons, not to let the schools take part in any parades."

• The Alligator: New to Gainesville, UF freshmen seek love and friendship through dating apps. "Medical professionals agree that online dating is a safe alternative during the pandemic to meeting new people at bars, restaurants and other gathering places. With changing COVID-19 guidelines, the number of smartphone dating app users in the U.S. will reach 26.6 million in 2020 — an 18.4% increase from last year."


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Around the state today

• Fresh Take Florida: Behind Bars, Florida’s Prisoners Cheer Biden’s Election Victory. "Their eyes are on Biden, who as a U.S. senator largely wrote and pushed through Congress the 1994 crime bill, which established tougher prison sentences for federal crimes and more aggressive policing. As a presidential candidate, Biden has pledged to reduce the number of people in prison and eliminate what he called racial, gender, and income-based disparities in America’s justice system."

• Lakeland Ledger ($): Career criminal Marcelle Waldon charged in murders of former Lakeland city commissioner Edie Yates and her husband David Henderson. "'We think that it was a random act,' Assistant Police Chief Sam Taylor said when the arrest was announced during a press conference at LPD headquarters. 'As far as we know, we have not been able to locate any relation between him and the victims.'"

• Tampa Bay Times ($): ‘It just kept coming’: Tropical Storm Eta flooding stuns Tampa Bay residents. "Eta brought storm surge that ravaged coast lines, flooded roads and gushed into homes and garages, and downpours that leaked through ceilings and saturated backyards."

• WUSF: Despite Flooding And Water Rescues, Tropical Storm Eta Largely Spares Tampa Bay Area. "No injuries are reported to any citizens or deputies as a result of the rescues."

• News Service of Florida: Court Battles Continue Over Florida Domestic Violence Agency. "Florida’s attempt to recoup millions of dollars paid to Tiffany Carr, the former CEO of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, is inching along, as Carr and the agency’s ousted directors duke it out in court with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration, Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office and two insurance companies."

• Miami Herald ($): After 3-day recount, incumbent Democrat loses Senate seat to Ileana Garcia by 34 votes. "In a video posted shortly after the recount was done, (Democratic incumbent José Javier) Rodríguez conceded and called for an investigation into the race, raising concerns about the influence of a third-party candidate backed by dark money who received more than 6,300 votes in an election decided by a few dozen out of more than 215,000."

• NPR News: Jeffrey Epstein's Former Prosecutors Used 'Poor Judgment' In Deal, DOJ Says. "Under the agreement, Epstein served 13 months in Palm Beach County jail with a work release during the day. He also had to register as a sex offender."

• Associated Press: Florida Governor Pushes ‘Anti-Mob” Proposal In Response To Protests. "An 'anti-mob' legislation drafted by Gov. Ron DeSantis and aimed at police brutality protests sprouting up in other cities would expand Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, a move critics say would allow bystanders to shoot and kill looters."

• WFSU: Florida Pollster Credits New Change To Tight Margin Of Victory For Minimum Wage Proposal. "The economic impact statement on the ballot explained that passage of the amendment could lead to local tax increases and revenue reductions. This was the first year the statement was included on ballots."

• Pensacola News Journal ($): Skanska facing 18 lawsuits — and counting — over loose barge debacle. "During Hurricane Sally in mid-September, barges owned by Skanska came unmoored and crashed into the Pensacola Bay Bridge and many surrounding shorelines. The bridge suffered significant damage and will remain closed for repairs through at least March 2021."

• WTSP: Tom Brady's dock breaks, sending jet skis floating away during Tropical Storm Eta. "Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady got his first big taste of tropical weather, having spent most of his career up north. The 43-year-old said he had a dock break and float away with jet skis on it as Eta pummeled the area."


From NPR News

• National: 'No Evidence' Election Was Compromised, Cybersecurity Agency Says

• National: 'She'll Look Like A Boss': Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris Inspires Young Girls

• Politics: Senate Republicans Back Push For President-Elect Biden To Get Intelligence Briefings

• Politics: Urban And Rural Americans Have More In Common Than They Might Think

• Education: Appeals Court Rules Harvard Doesn't Discriminate Against Asian American Applicants

• Health: Federal Trade Commission Cracks Down On Unproven COVID-19 Treatment

• Books: Former President Obama Tells His Story His Way — And Makes His Case For History

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