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The stories near you
• WUFT News: DeSantis cuts another round of checks for Florida's first responders "Nearly 100,000 first responders in Florida including firefighters, EMTs, paramedics and law enforcement officers at the municipal and county levels will receive a $1,000 bonus this year, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday."
• News Service of Florida: Dixie, Lafayette and Suwannee counties were redistricted in Florida Senate map. Here are the candidates running for the new seat "Incumbent Sen. Loranne Ausley, a Tallahassee Democrat, is trying to fight off a challenge from Republican Corey Simon, a political newcomer who gained fame playing football for Florida State University before turning pro."
• WUFT News: Students at UF secretly recorded nude in dorm bathrooms, showers angry over sentence for man linked to cases at four universities"Police said Mason had secretly recorded students in the second-floor bathrooms and showers using his blue iPhone in December. They found 37 videos of 18 women from the University of Florida on his phone."
• Mainstreet Daily News: High Springs enters dialogue for joint wastewater "Newberry and Archer have already solidified their commitment to the project, and the City of Trenton has expressed interest, according to Newberry Mayor Jordan Marlowe. He confirmed with staff that High Springs will fall under no obligation after the vote and added that three cities will form a stronger request for state funds."
• Ocala Gazette: City attorney says check is in the mail for fire fee refunds "The City of Ocala is asking for more time to send $80 million in refund checks to those who paid a fire service fee that was later ruled illegal after missing a court-ordered time frame. The $80 million in court-ordered refunds stem from a class-action suit filed in 2014 over the roughly $15 a month that more than 89,000 Ocala residents and businesses paid for fire services as an add on to their Ocala Electric Utility bills."
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Around the state
• WMFE-Orlando: New COVID-19 boosters available as Florida deaths exceed 80,000. "In the U.S. more than one million have died. And around the world, the death toll so far is 6.5 million, according to Johns Hopkins University. The Florida Department of Health reported Friday that at least 80,386 Floridians have died from COVID-19, with nearly 6,000 of those deaths added since early June."
• Florida Politics: Charlie Crist agrees to three debates, confirms at least one matchup against Ron DeSantis. "...DeSantis has agreed to participate in at least one debate, the debate hosted by WPEC CBS 12, a TV station owned by the conservative Sinclair Broadcast Group. The debate will air Oct. 12."
• Miami Herald: Miami man gets 25 years after admitting he shot at FBI task force officers and cop"James Robert Mills Jr., 22, who was sentenced last week in Miami federal court, admitted that he opened fire at the unmarked white SUV while the three officers were on duty in late January in the Homestead area, according to a statement filed with his plea agreement in July."
• Naples Daily News: 2022-23 Best Colleges: Here's how Florida colleges and universities ranked"The rankings are calculated based on academic quality and place emphasis on outcome measures – including graduation rates, retention rates, graduate indebtedness and social mobility, the release states. Outcomes are the most highly weighted ranking factor, contributing 40% to each school's overall score."
• The Palm Beach Post: NHC says development possible for tropical disturbance moving toward Windward Islands "Chances have increased slightly overnight for development of a tropical disturbance in the central Atlantic, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center. The system is one of two tropical waves forecasters are tracking."
• Spectrum News: Teacher salary negotiations continue in Hillsborough County "Teachers have protested in recent months demanding the school district honor its previous agreement to pay raises on a set salary scale. Hillsborough schools remains more than 300 teachers short this school year, and as negotiations continue, pressure is mounting on the school district to retain its current teachers and attract new ones."
• Tampa Bay: Man arrested for attacking woman in Polk County park "As she was walking back to her car, the woman told police she was approached by a man "who placed something against her back as he pushed her against" her car. Police said that's when he started cutting off her shirt and physically attacking her before walking away while reportedly laughing."
From NPR News
• National: Alabama could use nitrogen hypoxia for executions in death sentences. What is it?
• Health: Nurses in Minnesota are in the middle of a 3-day strike
• Politics: Tuesday is the final day for primary contests before November. Here's what to watch.
• Economy: Soaring inflation bills are the latest inflation flashpoint
• World: Anti-royal protesters are being arrested in the U.K. as the 'Not My King' tag grows
• Race: Ideas that make up critical race theory have been around long before it got its name
• World: A rare signed copy of 'Catcher in the Rye' is for sale for $228,000
Serra Sowers curated today's edition of The Point.