The Point

The Point, Aug. 28, 2023: Florida makes hurricane preparations

WUFT | By WUFT News,

WUFT News

Published August 28, 2023 at 12:00 PM EDT

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The stories near you

• WUFT News: Police launch investigation after 12-year-old girl fatally shot in Lake City home. "A 12-year-old girl died in Lake City after an unknown assailant opened fire into a residence on Northwest Long Street."

• Gainesville Sun ($): City of Gainesville proposed to cut 125 jobs as officials look to finalize budget. "About half of the cuts are currently filled positions and will affect 40 jobs at the Regional Transit System (RTS) and 27 other jobs across various city departments, according to a Gainesville news release."

• WCJB: CCSO arrest two men with guns at a highschool football game. "Officials say the pair jumped a fence near the south side of the stadium."

• Gainesville Sun ($): Homeless shelter's Street Outreach program at risk of elimination due to City Hall cutbacks. "While the city of Gainesville has funded $1.35 million of the necessary $1.5 million needed to operate Grace’s shelter, homeless advocates say they still need to find $350,000 to fund its community outreach program."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Semi hits, kills Gainesville teen walking on I-75. "Upon further investigation, FHP troopers discovered the Gainesville man was walking on I-75 during the night and was struck by the tractor-trailer."

• Ocala Gazette: OPD officer injured in crashes involving two fatalities. "A 44-year-old man who fled after he struck and killed a pedestrian Saturday night on Southwest 17th Street later died after he crashed into an Ocala Police Department (OPD) vehicle involved in his pursuit, causing serious injuries to the officer, according to an OPD spokesman."

• WCJB: Activists hold rally for air conditioning in Florida prisons, hoping to expand Lowell pilot program. "With heat advisories affecting people across the nation, activists say one group that is feeling it more than most is prisoners."

• The Alligator: UF Midtown favorites The Rowdy Reptile and Fat Daddy’s to be replaced by Lil Rudy’s. "The two neighboring bars have become a staple in Midtown nightlife, and many students view it as a rite of passage to visit after turning 21."

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Around the state

• NPR: People mourn victims of the Florida shooting as a hate crime investigation begins. "Crowds gathered on Sunday at church services and at prayer vigils in Jacksonville, Fla., to mourn the weekend shooting deaths of three victims that the Justice Department is investigating as a hate crime."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: DeSantis urges residents along the gulf to prepare for Idalia. "He says anyone along the Gulf Coast could be impacted by the storm, even if they’re outside the cone."

• WMFE-Orlando: Storm season poses risks for Central Florida's homeless. "Kate Santich, communications director at the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida, said community members in need of shelter can count on emergency resources during inclement weather, but only when it comes to named storms."

• News Service of Florida: A lawsuit over Florida prison Ramadan meals is revived. "Akeem Muhammad filed the lawsuit in 2018 while an inmate at Florida State Prison, where he said officials did not provide meals before astronomical twilight."

• Florida Politics: Fuel contamination caused by ‘human error’ potentially found at Port Tampa Bay. "The department is cautioning consumers who may have purchased contaminated gas. It could cause engine damage or affect a motor vehicle’s operability."

• WMFE-Orlando: Florida might allow students to use classics test for college admissions. "The test assesses verbal reasoning, grammar, writing, and quantitative reasoning using passages drawn from the Western canon. Think Aristotle and Jane Austen."

• WGCU-Fort Myers: Experts urge be on lookout for predatory yellow-legged hornets; state task force being formed. "To track the spread of the yellow-legged hornet, scientifically named Vespa velutina, UF/IFAS honey bee experts are working with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to spread the word on what residents can do if they see or catch one of these hornets."