Subscribe to The Point to invite us into your inbox with the most important Florida news from Monday through Friday at 8 a.m.

The stories near you

• WUFT News: Alachua County Property Owners Can Expect A Spike In Taxes. "...property owners will collectively pay $9 million more in taxes in 2021-22 than they did last year. A county commission spokesperson said the tax increase is because properties in Alachua County have gone up in value."

• WUFT News: Alachua County Sheriff Announces Arrests In Recent Bomb Threats At Newberry Schools. "'This is not a game. These are felonies and they will be handled as such,' he wrote."

• WUFT News: Marion County Teens Taking On ‘Devious Licks’ TikTok Trend Are Getting Arrested. "Forest is just one of the schools in Marion County that has been vandalized from this trend. In response, schools are limiting students’ time away from class, and law enforcement is arresting teenagers across the county."

• WUFT News: Months After New NCAA Rules, Florida Gators Athletes Are Teaming Up With Gainesville Businesses. "The law, which took effect statewide on July 1, allows collegiate athletes to receive compensation for the use of their name, image, and likeness, which was previously forbidden under NCAA regulations."

• WUFT News: Gainesville Residents Are Frustrated With Spotty USPS Informed Delivery System. "After a change to the system at the end of August, users noticed it wasn’t working the way it had before. When she checked her email from Informed Delivery, no images of the mail would show up – only an error message."

• NPR News: For The 1st Time, Cori Bush Testifies About Getting An Abortion When She Was A Teen. "Republican Congresswoman Kat Cammack of Florida testified about her own experience as the daughter of a woman who was advised to have an abortion. Cammack has said abortion should only be limited to extreme cases. 'I would not be here had it not been for the very brave choice that my mother made 33 years ago,' she said during the hearing."

• Citrus County Chronicle ($): District confirms name of student-athlete who died. "The Citrus County School District confirmed Antonio Elijah Hicks of Inverness was the 16-year-old student who died after collapsing at Tuesday’s football practice."

• WUFT News: The Hippodrome Celebrates “Being Back Together Again.” "Now back with live performances, both the theater and its workers are refreshed and ready to welcome a (masked and socially distanced) audience."

Do you value local journalism?

WUFT is here for you with vital coverage during complex times. We exist to serve north central Florida and are committed to keeping you up to date with the latest news from your community, the state and the world. If you’re able to do so, please consider making a donation to WUFT to keep us going strong. Support WUFT and your trusted journalism source.

Around the state

• Fresh Take Florida: Florida Children Will Receive Over $1 Billion In School Lunch Relief. "After weeks of controversy that became a political issue between Gov. Ron DeSantis and one of his possible re-election opponents, Florida children are set to receive over $1 billion in federal relief funding."

• Spectrum News: Florida's minimum wage increases to $10 per hour Thursday. "Florida's wage will increase every Sept. 30 until 2026 and reach $15 per hour. Some larger companies are already at or near a $15 per hour starting wage."

• WUSF: Florida Should Come Down Harder On Environmental Crimes, Report Says. "In 2020, Sarasota, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties spilled more than nine million gallons of wastewater from sewage plants, with five million gallons flowing into area waters."

• WFSU: A Florida State University Project Is Teaching Students To Think Critically And Recognize Misinformation. "As misinformation has become the norm on social media, Florida State University’s Office of Critical Thinking Initiatives has undergone a change. The time has ended for the 5-year project, and the office has now morphed into a network of faculty teaching students how to think critically in their majors – and subsequently in the world."

• TCPalm ($): State expert tells judge Austin Harrouff was not insane when he killed Tequesta couple in 2016. "Harouff, 24, is accused of killing Michelle Mishcon, 53, and John Stevens III, 59, at their Southeast Kokomo Lane home in Martin County on Aug. 15 2016. The Jupiter resident, who was then attending Florida State University, was found biting and chewing on Stevens' face in the couple's driveway."

• Miami Herald ($): Miami police chief is under fire. But he has solid support with a key group — Black cops. "Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo faces yet another grilling from city commissioners on Friday — act two in what has already been a bizarre, very Miami bit of political theater pitting a Cuban-American outsider against deeply entrenched Cuban-American elected officials."

From NPR News

• National: The R. Kelly Verdict Is A Relief For Those Advocating For The Voices Of Black Girls

• Education: School Boards Are Asking For Federal Help As They Face Threats And Violence

• World: We Asked Vets Of The Soviet-Afghan War To Judge The U.S. Exit. Here's What They Said

• Health: The Bill For His COVID Test In Texas Was A Whopping $54,000

• Health: To Combat Meth, California Will Try A Bold Treatment: Pay Drug Users To Stop Using

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.