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The Point, Nov. 17, 2020: Search For New Gainesville Fire Rescue Chief Narrows To Three Finalists

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Today's top Florida stories

• WUFT News: Gainesville Fire Rescue Searches For New Chief. "(JoAnne) Rice is one of three candidates to permanently replace Lane as chief. The others are both assistant chiefs within the Gainesville department: Stephen Hesson and Joseph Hillhouse. City Manager Lee Feldman will decide who gets the position. A national search began in August..."

• WMFE: New UF program in The Villages will do medical research affecting seniors. "Researcher Carla VandeWeerd will head up a new program in The Villages for the UF College of Medicine doing research focused on senior health issues."

• News Service of Florida: Fried Urges Stop Sign For Toll Road Projects. "Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried wants the state to put the brakes on a series of controversial toll road projects as lawmakers face budget shortfalls caused by the coronavirus pandemic."

• Miami Herald ($): Fact check: There’s no evidence Florida is ‘protecting the vulnerable’ from COVID-19. "The phrase 'protect the vulnerable' is a familiar refrain from the DeSantis administration. It’s key to the governor’s reasoning for pursuing a policy designed to allow the virus to spread largely unchecked among younger people."

• WJCT: Publix, Winn-Dixie Among Stores Announced To Carry Eventual COVID-19 Vaccine. "Although no vaccine is yet approved for distribution, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced a long list of distribution partners nationwide who are committing to administer one."

• Orlando Sentinel ($): As infections surge, officials find non-compliant bars in downtown Orlando and near UCF. "COVID-19 cases surged across Central Florida on Monday with the rate of infections climbing toward double-digits again as officials warned bars aren’t following safety precautions and urged people to keep Thanksgiving gatherings small."

• Palm Beach Post ($): COVID-19 deaths? The picture won't be clear for 8 weeks, researchers say. "People who aren’t worried about the last spike in COVID-19 cases because deaths haven’t skyrocketed could be in for a nasty surprise, according to researchers who have watched Florida’s reporting of deaths ebb and flow throughout the pandemic."

• WTSP: Hillsborough County commissioners express concern over returning college students. "Dr. Doug Holt of the Hillsborough County Health Department told commissioners if college-aged students decide to return home from campus, they should take precautions not to infect their family."

• NPR News: Sen. Rubio Joins Small Group Of Republican Senators Calling Biden 'President-Elect.' "Rubio joins a club of only four other Republican senators who have acknowledged Biden's win. They are Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Ben Sasse of Nebraska, who have all also congratulated Biden for clinching the White House."

• NPR News: 4 Astronauts Aboard SpaceX Crew Dragon Successfully Dock With Space Station. "Four astronauts aboard their SpaceX Dragon capsule 'Resilience' have arrived at the International Space Station, circling 262 miles above the Earth, where they will stay until spring. The capsule lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center Sunday evening atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, chasing the ISS for 27 hours before matching its altitude and speed for an orbital dock."

• WUSF: 'Unconditional Surrender' Statue To Stay On Sarasota's Bayfront. "The 26-foot-high statue was inspired by a famous photograph taken in New York's Times Square on V-J Day in 1945 of a World War II sailor bending over to kiss a woman. Some detractors have said that kiss was done without the woman's permission."


Today's sponsored message

We focus our legal attention on these practice areas: • Family Law • Business law • Estate Planning • Probate • Guardianship

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From NPR News

• Health: Moderna's COVID-19 Vaccine Shines In Clinical Trial

• Health: Why Does Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine Need To Be Kept Colder Than Antarctica?

• Health: Philadelphia Bans Nearly All Indoor Gatherings For The Rest Of The Year

• Health: California 'Sounding The Alarm' With New Restrictions Amid Coronavirus Spike

• Health: Whitmer: 'Not Going To Be Bullied' Over Michigan Coronavirus Restrictions

• Health: Iowa Governor Reverses Course, Issues Mask Mandate As COVID-19 Cases Rise

• World: Hurricane Iota Makes Landfall In Nicaragua, Region Braces For 'Catastrophic' Impact

• World: White House Orders Thousands Of U.S. Troops Withdrawn From Afghanistan And Iraq

• National: FBI Report: Bias-Motivated Killings At Record High Amid Nationwide Rise In Hate Crime

• National: Small Cities Are A Big Draw For Remote Workers During The Pandemic

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