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The stories near you
• WUFT News: Alachua County Public Schools launches free tutoring program. "The new Beyond the Bell virtual tutoring program is available to students of all grade levels and run by volunteer teachers from the school district."
• Ocala Gazette: Marion Schools watch and wait for fallout of new rule. "While the new rules are clear, how they will affect COVID-19 cases in schools remains uncertain. The recent order revised the rule governing when students exposed to COVID-19 can return to school. Previously, any child exposed to the virus had to quarantine for at least four days and not show symptoms before returning to school. The revised rule leaves the decision to parents, assuming the student is asymptomatic."
• Citrus County Chronicle ($): Call for review of athletic trainers following student athlete death. "While the cause of the death is unknown and the school board has launched an investigation in the case, school officials are likely to ponder again whether to review the need for athletic trainers during school athletic practices and games."
• News4Jax: Family suing Alachua County Jail after death of baby born in jail. "Attorneys for (Erica) Thompson said the facility violated Florida’s Tammy Jackson Act, which calls for incarcerated pregnant women who go in to labor to be transported to an appropriate medical facility without delay and to receive proper care. The act also says pregnant inmates must not be kept in restrictive housing against their will."
• Tampa Bay Times ($): Meet the Florida school superintendent at the heart of the mask battle. "With (Carlee Simon) at the helm, Alachua County was one of the first two districts in Florida to institute mask requirements for all students and staff this school year, a move that defied the wishes of Gov. Ron DeSantis. Nearly a dozen other districts, including Hillsborough County, followed suit."
• WCJB: Florida Division of Emergency Management Director explains why Dixie County will not receive FEMA relief. "The Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said the state did not report enough damages from the flooding for FEMA aid. The county did qualify for low-interest small business loans."
• WUFT News: A baseball team in Ocala reunited to play in honor of the coach’s ill wife. "Ocala Elite became Team Watson when coaches David “Davey” Watson, 38, and Richard Benoit, 63, reunited the group of high school boys to play in support of David’s wife and team 'mom' Rachel after she was diagnosed with pneumonia brought on by Covid-19."
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Around the state
• Fresh Take Florida: Florida awaits appeals decision on new social media law; legal experts say it probably won’t survive. "As Florida waits for a federal appeals court decision to see whether it will be allowed to enforce a new law that prevents social media companies from shutting down accounts of political candidates, some top legal experts predict the law is doomed over challenges that it is flatly unconstitutional."
• News Service of Florida: Senate president calls for prison shutdowns, blasts corrections leaders. "Senate President Wilton Simpson has a message for state prison leaders: Shut down institutions if you want pay raises for overworked corrections officers. Simpson, in a phone interview Thursday with The News Service of Florida, blamed chronic staffing shortages and high turnover rates on corrections officials’ 'lack of vision' and 'myopia' in operating the troubled prison system."
• Florida Politics: State records another 1,719 COVID-19 fatalities while cases plummet. "The grim toll of Florida’s summer surge of COVID-19 continues to mount as state officials on Friday reported another 1,719 deaths attributed to the virus."
• Associated Press: The body of missing Florida college student Miya Marcano has been found. "Orange County Sheriff John Mina said Saturday that authorities found Miya Marcano's body near an apartment building. The 19-year-old vanished on the same day a maintenance man improperly used a master key to enter her apartment. Her family reported her missing after she missed a flight home to South Florida on Sept. 24."
• WFSU: Capitol Demonstrators Protest Florida Anti-Abortion Bill. "The Florida Legislature will soon consider an anti-abortion bill similar to what passed in Texas recently. Protestors gathered at many places across the country, including the Florida Capitol on Saturday to voice their objections."
• Yahoo! Finance: Trump on a 2024 GOP primary vs. Ron DeSantis: 'I'd beat him like I would beat everyone else.' "The former president was confident about his chances if he decided to run, even if it meant a potential head-to-head matchup with DeSantis, another GOP favorite."
From NPR News
• Health: Coronavirus FAQ: I'm vaccinated. Can I give a hug — or a handshake — without risk?
• National: A massive oil spill in the Pacific Ocean has reached the Southern California coast
• Business: How a small government agency will enforce the vaccine mandate for 80 million workers
• Business: What the 'Pandora Papers' show about how the powerful hide money from public view
• Business: Santa's sleigh is looking emptier. Fewer toys, higher prices loom for holiday season
• Education: Troubled Public Service Loan Forgiveness program will get overhaul
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.