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The stories near you
• WUFT News: Local NAACP to pursue legal action for ‘deceptive’ political advertisements on single-member districting; GOP rejects accusations. "The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s chapter for Alachua County announced at a press conference Tuesday morning that it will pursue legal action against an advertising campaign that quoted political leaders of the local Black community to garner support for single-member districts, a referendum on November’s ballot."
• WUFT News: UF students and faculty voice their opposition before Sasse’s return to campus. "Students and faculty at the University of Florida are preparing to again display their disapproval of the university’s sole presidential finalist — U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse R-Nebraska."
• Florida Storms: Hurricane Hunters: How they protect Florida and others around the world. "For the National Hurricane Center to gather the information it needs to create its critical forecasts, a special group of specialized airmen need to travel directly into the storm."
• Ocala Gazette: Sheriff proposes absorbing school district’s safe school department. "The Marion County School Board during its Oct. 20 work session discussed a proposal from Sheriff Billy Woods to absorb the district’s safe school department that now falls under the authority of the school superintendent."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Alachua County to combine parks, roads in surtax. "Alachua County wants to combine its Wild Spaces Public Places (WSPP) program with road and affordable housing financing in a new full-cent surtax that, if passed on Nov. 8, would begin January 2023 and last 10 years."
• WUFT News: New jazz club and accomplished performer amplify Gainesville music scene. "Smooth sounds of the saxophone and bold beats from the drums fill the air of Baby J’s Bar every night from Monday through Saturday, lingering in visitors’ ears long after closing."
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Around the state
• WFTS-Tampa Bay: Concerns for a severe flu season grow as CDC's recommended Oct. 31 deadline to get vaccine nears. "Concerns about this upcoming flu season are continuing to grow...When everyone was wearing a mask and social distancing, not only did it lessen the spread of COVID-19 but also kept the flu at bay for the last two years...Unfortunately, many people weren’t getting their flu vaccines either."
• WLRN-Miami: Hurricane Ian shows vulnerability of trailer parks and the immigrant families who call them home. "Hurricane Ian underscored just how vulnerable Florida's trailer parks are, especially for the many immigrant families who call them home. WLRN's Kate Payne visited one such community in the Gulf Coast — and found residents dealing with more than just storm-related anxieties."
•Bradenton Herald ($): Red tide algae is back in Southwest Florida waters. Here’s what experts predict. "The organism that causes red tide is back in waters off the coast of Southwest Florida. Samples collected by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission last week revealed varying levels of the microscopic algae Karenia brevis, offshore of Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and Lee counties."
• WLRN-Miami: 'Enormous loss': Advocates lament Florida dropping the teen mental health survey. "As the COVID-19 pandemic worsened a mental health crisis among America’s young people, Florida joined a small group of states to quietly withdraw from the nation’s largest public effort to track concerning behaviors in high school students."
• News4Jax: Black leaders call for investigation into what all JSO officers post on social media after racist tweets surface. "More than a dozen Black leaders gathered on the steps of the Duval County Courthouse on Wednesday, demanding a more extensive investigation into a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office sergeant’s social media pages and what other officers are posting in public."
• Spectrum News: Florida teenager wins top prize by capturing 28 Burmese pythons. "A 19-year-old South Florida man captured 28 Burmese pythons during a 10-day competition that was created to increase awareness about the threats the invasive snakes pose to the state's ecology."
From NPR News
• Arts: Protests at art museums are nothing new. Here are 3 famous examples from history
• National: Ruth Bader Ginsburg is depicted on a new USPS stamp
• Education: End of nationwide federal free lunch program has some states scrambling
• Tech: Your internet is slow because of where you live, not what plan you buy
• Business: Funeral homes could soon have to post prices online
• Environment: Emperor penguins will receive endangered species protections
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.