Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m.
The stories near you
• WUFT News: What you need to know about voting in Alachua County’s upcoming primary election. "Primary elections traditionally have low voter turnout, especially in midterm election years. But the August primary offers voters a critical opportunity to weigh in on issues that matter most to them. When you cast your ballot to determine who will run in the general election, you may be more satisfied with the candidates on Election Day in November, said Aaron Klein, director of communications and outreach for the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections office."
• Florida Storms: Florida summer nights are trending warmer. "Higher nighttime temperatures can be a major health risk, especially for vulnerable populations like young children, the elderly, and outdoor workers. When temperatures don’t drop very much overnight, people do not have the ability to recover from hot daytime temperatures."
• WUFT News: Students, businesses respond to COVID-19 surge. "Average daily cases per 100,000 people in Florida rose nearly 90% from May 12 to June 28, when they peaked at nearly 53 per day, according to the Mayo Clinic. Cases have since remained at a high plateau, UF epidemiologist Cindy Prins said. On July 16, there were 32,291 cases per 100,000 people."
• WCJB: State Attorney to prosecute son of Sheriff Clovis Watson Jr. "The son of Alachua County Sheriff Clovis Watson Jr. is being prosecuted for driving as a habitual traffic offender. On Tuesday, an arrest warrant was served for Clovis Watson IV, 30, on the felony charge of driving with a suspended license as a habitual traffic offender."
Today's sponsored message
We focus our legal attention on these practice areas: • Family Law • Business Law • Estate Planning • Probate • Guardianship
Visit lawyergainesville.com or call 352-373-3334 today to learn more.
Around the state
• Associated Press: Trial focuses on Parkland shooter's casual demeanor after fleeing. "Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz walked casually into a sandwich shop minutes after he murdered 14 students and three staff members at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School four years ago, showing no signs of stress or nervousness, video played at his penalty trial Thursday showed."
• Florida Politics: Charlie Crist, Nikki Fried spar over who is better Democrat, better challenger to Ron DeSantis. "In the sole debate of their party’s gubernatorial Primary, Florida’s two leading Democratic candidates exchanged barbs as they challenged each other over who is best fit to challenge Gov. Ron DeSantis in November. U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried compared their records on abortion, affordable housing, gun violence, the environment, LGBTQ issues and more Thursday in a contentious pre-recorded debate."
• USA Today Network ($): Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis set to speak at different Florida events amid growing rivalry. "Florida’s always frenetic political scene is going into overdrive this weekend as former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis deliver speeches in different parts of the state Saturday night and other high-profile Republicans appear at a pair of political events featuring the two GOP heavyweights."
• WFLA-Tampa: ‘A fear factor’: 100 poll workers needed for August primary, Polk election supervisor says. "National reports of poll workers being threatened and harassed has caused some people to feel skittish about working on election day in Polk County, the supervisor of elections said."
• Bradenton Herald ($): If clean water is Florida’s ‘No. 1 issue,’ here’s why keeping grass green isn’t helping. "Some fertilizer that keeps lawns green contains contain high levels of nitrogen or phosphorous — two nutrients known to influence harmful algae blooms. Through careless application or heavy rainfall, those nutrients can eventually make their way into local waters. There, they act as a food source that help fuel the blooms."
• New York Times ($): Miami-Dade School Board Rejects New Textbooks With Sex Education Curriculum. "The school board had voted in April to approve the textbooks but reversed its decision after it was met with petitions from parents citing what opponents call Florida’s 'Don’t Say Gay' law."
• Jacksonville Daily Record: Court approves sale of Black News Channel. "After Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan invested more than $76 million into the network, a U.S. Bankruptcy judge approved the sale of the Black News Channel on July 20 to media mogul Byron Allen for $11 million."
• WLRN-Miami: What does it take to switch to solar? Your questions (and ours) answered. "For some, making the move from your utility to solar isn't always easy because upfront costs can be steep. In Florida, it can cost up to $18,000 per house to get set up with solar panels."
From NPR News
• Politics: Jan. 6 panel sheds light on the 187 minutes Trump went dark during Capitol siege
• Health: What to know about Paxlovid, the COVID drug President Biden is using to speed recovery
• Health: American gun violence has immense costs beyond the death toll, new studies find
• Health: The first U.S. case of polio since 2013 has been detected in New York
• Health: What extreme heat means for our long term health
• World: Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi resigns despite surviving a no-confidence vote
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.