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The Point, June 28, 2021: 9 People Dead, 150 Still Missing In Surfside

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The situation in Surfside

• NPR News: Surfside Official Told Residents Their Building Was Safe, Despite Engineer's Warning. "Just one month after an engineering report warned of 'major structural damage' that required immediate repair, a Surfside, Fla., official assured residents of Champlain Towers South that their building was sound."

• New York Times ($): Possible Failure Point Emerges in Miami Building Collapse. "The investigation into what may be the deadliest accidental building collapse in American history has just begun, but experts who have examined video footage of the disaster outside Miami are focusing on a spot in the lowest part of the condominium complex — possibly in or below the underground parking garage — where an initial failure could have set off a structural avalanche."

• NPR News: What We Know About The Victims Of The Champlain Towers Collapse. "More than 150 people are still unaccounted for in Surfside, Fla., after a 12-story condo building partially collapsed Thursday. Nine people have been confirmed dead, one of whom died in the hospital after being pulled from the building's wreckage."

• Associated Press: Families frustrated at slow pace of condo rescue. "Scores of rescue workers remained on the massive pile of rubble, searching for survivors but so far only finding bodies and human remains. No one has been pulled alive from the pile since hours after the collapse on Thursday."

• Local10: Missing grandparents’ landline calling from Champlain Towers South condo, family says. "The family has received a total of 16 calls with the first one coming in the evening of the condo collapse at 9:50 p.m. Thursday. Part of the 12-story building came down around 1:30 a.m. Thursday."

• WSVN: 7Weather’s Ferro opens up about losing uncle, godmother in condo collapse. "7Weather Chief Meteorologist Phil Ferro is one of many South Floridians for whom the partial collapse of a condominium building in Surfside hits close to home. Speaking with 7News on Sunday, Ferro said he is still processing the loss of his uncle and godmother, Antonio and Gladys Lozano."

• WLRN: 'Always Serving': Colombian Family Says Goodbye To Community-Minded Brother Missing In Surfside. "Many of the relatives of the 152 still missing have now concluded their loved ones too are gone — and said goodbye — including the family of a Colombian lawyer best known for his community service-minded practice."

• Politico: Miami-Dade mayor: We dearly hope collapse was 'an anomaly.' "Over the weekend, (Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella) Levine Cava announced a 30-day audit for buildings 40 years or older in response to the incident."

• WLRN: The Feds Are Already Looking Into Surfside Collapse. What Should We Expect From Them? "The National Institute of Standards and Technology was given the authority to investigate building collapses after the attacks of 9/11. Now, six researchers are in Surfside gathering information about Thursday's partial building collapse."

• Palm Beach Post ($): A quick dip in the water likely saved Surfside man from condo tower tragedy. "With wet shorts on and no change of clothes, he was in his girlfriend's driveway around 11:30 p.m. planning to go home, put on some dry clothes and prepare for a gym session the next morning. But his girlfriend urged him to stay and let her dry his clothes. He agreed. It was a decision that likely saved his life."


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Today's other Florida stories

• Fresh Take Florida: Man To Plead To Felony Hacking Florida Governor’s Voter Records; Faces Probation. "Under the plea deal, Anthony Steven Guevara, 20, of Naples, Florida, would avoid having a felony record, said his lawyer, Mike Carr. He was expected to enter his plea Tuesday morning in Collier County Circuit Court, according to Carr and the court docket."

• Atrium Magazine: Once the only hotel for Black people in Gainesville, the Dunbar rises again. "The pink two-story house has stood for years in Pleasant Street, Gainesville’s oldest historically Black neighborhood. Age has withered its walls and chipped its paint. It has lost the luster of its glory days. And yet, every few years, someone new has come along to imagine a rebirth in its interiors."

• WMFE: UF Health Reports Progress After Cyberattack At Villages, Leesburg Hospitals. "UF Health announced Friday that it has restored the electronic medical records for its hospitals and clinics in The Villages and Leesburg following a cybersecurity event. The hospital system still is not describing the nature of the cyberattack, which was detected on the night of May 31."

• Florida Politics: DEP: Florida once again leads nation with cleanest air on record. "The department recently confirmed that for the second straight year, Florida has met all ambient air quality standards and ranks atop the most populated states in the U.S. for clean air."

• News4Jax: Police make 2 more arrests after 5 teens shot at Gainesville American Legion party. "Just before 10:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the Gainesville Police Department, two people began shooting at each other at the American Legion Post 16 on NW Sixth Street and the five teens were hit by gunfire."

• Spectrum News: Suspect in Daytona Beach officer shooting captured in Georgia. "According to Daytona Beach police, Othal Toreyane Resheen Wallace was taken into custody early Saturday in a wooded area just outside of Atlanta."

• WFSU: Former FAMU President Frederick Humphries Dies At 85. "Florida A&M University faculty, students and alumni are mourning the death of former university president Frederick Humphries. He served as the school's eighth president from 1985 to 2001. Humphries died in his Orlando home on Thursday at 85-years-old. He is remembered for his efforts to help FAMU rise to national prominence."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Unapproved recycle bins spawn illegal dumping. "After investigating several bins placed in locations around Alachua County, Mainstreet Daily News discovered companies from South Florida and out of state are setting the bins at various locations without notifying property owners or obtaining permission."


From NPR News

• National: Minneapolis Reacts To Chauvin Sentence With Fury And Hope

• Health: Coronavirus FAQ: I've Been Vaccinated. Do I Need To Worry About Variants?

• Politics: In Suing Georgia, Justice Department Says State's New Voting Law Targets Black Voters

• Politics: With Trump Holding Rallies Again, The Shadow 2024 Republican Campaign Continues

• National: A Photographer Saw An Arkansas Town Fading. His New Book Keeps Its Stories Alive

• Science: He Inherited A Devastating Disease. A CRISPR Gene-Editing Breakthrough Stopped It

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