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The stories near you

• WUFT News: Alachua County Sheriff’s Office addresses employee wage concerns. "County officials on Tuesday voted unanimously in favor of awarding additional funding to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office."

• Fresh Take Florida: Prosecutors drop criminal charges against prominent real estate agents; related civil lawsuits settled. "The State Attorney’s office has dropped its criminal investigation of employees of a prominent commercial real estate firm whose offices were stormed by an armed SWAT team last year."

• WCJB: Marion County and Gainesville will not have trash pick-up, RTS and Suntran also suspended due to Nicole. "If you live in Marion County or the city of Gainesville, your garbage curbside pick up will be canceled for Thursday due to Hurricane Nicole. Instead, the curbside services will happen on Friday even though it is Veterans Day."

• WUFT News: Hotels may need to be booked further in advance for UF graduation. "For parents of University of Florida students who will soon be graduating, finding a hotel tends to be at the top of the priority list. From the sold-out rooms to the inflated standard rates, parents are booking hotels as early as a year out."

• WUFT News: Creating community and confidence through hair. "For Black girls in Gainesville, simple maintenance can be an alienating experience. A lack of representation and resources makes black hair care especially hard."

• WUFT News: Helen Hester is one of Alachua County’s crossing guard grandmas. "Helen Hester, 82, is an Alachua County crossing guard of nine years. She doesn’t plan on retiring anytime soon."

• WUFT News: ‘I wasn’t done yet’: 59-year-old ‘health nut’ continues to inspire others through personal training. "Health coach Andy Farina is determined to inspire and persevere no matter what life throws at him."

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Around the state

• NPR: Nicole weakens to a tropical storm after reaching Florida's east coast. "As of 4 a.m. ET Thursday, Nicole was downgraded to tropical storm status, but it still packed maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour."

• Florida Politics: Lawsuit challenging Florida’s congressional map advances in federal court. "A three-judge panel ruled that plaintiffs challenging the constitutionality of a map the Governor signed have standing to sue."

• WMFE-Orlando: CONVERSATIONS: Climate change pushes hurricanes earlier and later, expert says. "WMFE environmental reporter Amy Green talked with University of Central Florida hurricane expert Kelly Stevens about how unusual a hurricane in November is for Florida."

• News Service of Florida: Few new COVID cases in Florida but related deaths pass 82,000 mark. "More than 82,500 Florida residents have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic started in early 2020, while the number of newly reported cases remains relatively low, according to data released Friday by the state Department of Health."

• WUSF-Tampa: Scientists are calling on the White House to save a whale species unique to the Gulf of Mexico. "About 100 marine scientists signed a letter sent to the Biden administration recently asking for help in preventing the extinction of the Gulf of Mexico whale, also known as Rice's whale. Human activities are their biggest threats."

• WMFE-Orlando: Another lawsuit over Florida’s ailing manatees targets wastewater pollution. "The lawsuit is over leaky septic tanks and sewage spills that have helped lead to widespread water quality problems and seagrass losses in the Indian River Lagoon."

From NPR News

• Technology: Facebook parent company Meta sheds 11,000 jobs in latest sign of tech slowdown.

• Election: Meet some of Tuesday's history-making election winners.

• World: U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has been sent to a Russian penal colony.

• Climate: U.S. plan for boosting climate investment in low-income countries draws criticism.

• Health: Americans with disabilities need an updated long-term care plan, say advocates.

• Business: The people most interested in electric vehicles can't afford to buy them.
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.