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The stories near you
• WUFT News: North Central Florida Residents Remember 9/11 On Its 20th Anniversary. "Gainesville will hold a ceremony at 8 a.m. at Reserve Park. Marion County will hold a commemoration 8:30 a.m. Saturday at Ocala/Marion County Veterans Memorial Park. A traveling 9/11 memorial wall will be at the park from that day through Sept. 19. At the University of Florida, “In Memoriam – September 11, 2001,” and “America the Beautiful” will be tolled in a musical tribute from Century Tower at 12:35 p.m. Friday. Members of area public safety agencies will climb the stairs at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at 8 a.m. Saturday, at an event hosted by the UF Collegiate Veterans Society."
• WUFT News: UF Student Population Hits Record High for Fall Semester. "The university welcomed a record-high number of students for the fall 2021 semester. According to the school enrollment office’s official count, 60,613 students are enrolled for the fall semester, an increase of nearly 5% from last fall’s enrollment of 57,841 students."
• Florida Storms: Strong Storms Are Likely Across The Tampa Bay Area And Nature Coast On Friday. "These storms are capable of localized flooding and frequent lightning as they move from southwest to northeast."
• WCJB: Gainesville mayor asks GRU general manager to resign. "This comes a day after both the Gainesville City Clerk and City Attorney tendered their resignations. City commissioner Gail Johnson is also leaving prematurely. Earlier this year, Equity Director Teneeshia Marshall also quit."
• Florida Politics: Citrus County shifts stormwater revenue needs onto taxpayers. "Many homeowners who paid $2 or $3 a year under the tax are being hit with a $58.84 annual (Municipal Services Benefit Unit), which is based on the square footage of “impervious” surface — rooftops, driveways, parking lots, patios."
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Around the state
• News Service of Florida: State Quickly Files Emergency Motion in Mask Battle. "Hours after a Leon County circuit judge allowed school districts to continue student mask requirements, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration Wednesday night filed an emergency motion asking an appeals court to reinstate a stay."
• Associated Press: A Judge Has Blocked The 'Anti-Riot' Law Passed In Florida After George Floyd Protests. "The 90-page decision by U.S. District Judge Mark Walker in Tallahassee found the recently-enacted law 'vague and overbroad' and amounted to an assault on First Amendment rights of free speech and assembly as well as the Constitution's due process protections."
• Florida Today ($): 'It’s almost like a movie set': Parrish COVID-19 ICU sees unprecedented level of deaths. "Mortality rates are sobering at Parrish. COVID-19 deaths skyrocketed from one in June and four in July to 50 in August amid the delta variant surge — forcing hospital officials to bring in an overflow morgue unit to store all the bodies. FLORIDA TODAY toured the 12-bed Parrish ICU on Sept. 3, providing a rare glimpse into the closed-to-the-public world where front-line doctors and nurses endure harsh emotional and physical tolls."
• News4Jax: Majority of Duval County schools have zero students opted out of mask policy. "Out of the 103,779 students studying on public Duval County Public Schools campuses, only 206 have been opted out of the district’s mask mandate that went into effect Tuesday."
• WFTS-Tampa Bay: 'We don’t like being mandated,' Florida police unions stick to guns on no vax mandates. "It’s become a familiar scene across Florida. Funerals for Florida law enforcement officers who have died from complications related to the COVID-19 virus. Last week, at least two funerals were held in the Tampa Bay region for two officers who died as a result of the virus."
• Florida Politics: Wilton Simpson strips Lauren Book of key committee chair. "Senate President Wilton Simpson on Thursday removed Democratic Sen. Lauren Book as chair of a key committee that could consider legislation that would further restrict abortion in Florida. ... Book, of Plantation, had been the head of the Senate Children, Families and Elder Affairs Committee since the 2018 Legislative Session. Simpson replaced her with Sen. Ileana Garcia."
• CBS Miami: Local Municipalities Prepare To Keep South Florida Streets From Flooding As King Tides Return. "The phenomenon happens every year from September through November, but leaders across different municipalities have been working to find new solutions for neighborhoods and property to keep from flooding."
• News4Jax: These 4 former FDNY firefighters each ran toward disaster on 9/11. "Bob Aponte, Gerard Durkin, John Westfield and Eddie Zielman all live in St. Johns County now. They were there 20 years ago during the attack on New York City, serving with the New York City Fire Department."
From NPR News
• Health: Biden Will Require Vaccines For Federal Workers As Part Of A New COVID Strategy
• Politics: Biden Withdraws His Nominee To Lead The ATF
• Science: A Football-Shaped Animal Species Is Discovered In A 500-Million-Year-Old Shale
• World: Photos: Afghan Women Are Protesting For Their Rights
• National: Dozens Of Undocumented Immigrants Employed By The World Trade Center Remain Missing
• National: The Security Crackdown After 9/11 Permanently Altered Life At The U.S.-Mexico Border
• National: Progressives Want Justice Stephen Breyer To Retire. His Response? Not Yet
• Business: An Anti-Vaccine Book Tops Amazon's COVID Search Results. Lawmakers Call Foul
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.