The Point

The Point, Sept. 12, 2023: Man arrested after allegedly crashing excavator into Walmart

WUFT | By WUFT News,

WUFT News

Published September 12, 2023 at 12:00 PM EDT

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The stories near you

• Florida Storms: Hurricane Lee expected to stay away from Southeast coast. "Although Lee is forecasted to stay off of the coast, distant hurricanes still pose a threat to coastal communities. Know the risks and how to protect yourself before heading out."

• WUFT News: Man drives stolen excavator through a wall at Butler Plaza Walmart, police say. "A man is in custody after Gainesville Police posted on social media that he allegedly stole a large excavator Monday night and drove it through a wall at the Butler Plaza Walmart at 2900 SW 42nd Street, causing damage to power poles and lines in the process."

• WUFT News: Man arrested after young children found in appalling conditions in Gainesville home. "When authorities visited a home in Gainesville, they found what they described as appalling conditions for three young children living there: virtually no food in the kitchen, the children sleeping on a bare mattress with no sheets or blankets, two of the children with rotten teeth and a cocaine pipe in plain view."

• WUFT News: FDOT pauses University Avenue construction for football season. "Florida Department of Traffic community outreach specialist Darly Goss said they are creating ways to keep pedestrians in the area more safe."

• Mainstreet Daily News: School Board passes budget for 2024. "The 6.432 millage rate is lower than last year’s 6.498 rate, but it is almost 8% higher than the rollback rate, which would produce as much revenue as last year’s millage did."

• WUFT News: Gainesville leaders hold moment of silence at 9/11 vigil. "After a presentation of colors, various leaders delivered remarks on how that day impacted their communities."

• WUFT News: Photos: Gainesville firefighters, police, students honor 9/11 victims with stadium climb. "A Gainesville Fire Rescue firefighter hikes up the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla., on Sept. 11, 2023. He and other firefighters are climbing the bleachers 14 times to represent the height of the World Trade Center., in full protective equipment."

• WUFT News: Crystal River dance studio damaged by Idalia, determined to reopen. "Owners Carla Stalcup and Sheri Ardente, who opened the studio 11 years ago, found the floor flooded with dirt and water, with mold already on the walls. Idalia also left irreparable damage to the doors, carpet and sheetrock."

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Around the state

• News Service of Florida: Both sides in redistricting case seek fast track to state Supreme Court. "Seeking a final ruling before the legislative session starts in January, both sides in a battle over a congressional redistricting plan asked an appeals court Friday to fast-track the case to the Florida Supreme Court."

• WMFE-Orlando: Property taxes for 2024 reflect a record year of inflation in Florida. "These taxes are assessed based on the real estate market value of homes, which is just now starting to slowly come down after an all-time high."

• News Service of Florida: Florida Attorney General urges the use of 'Marsy's Law' in death cases. "Nearly five years after voters passed a constitutional amendment about victims’ rights, Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office Monday urged the Florida Supreme Court to use the measure to make it harder for Death Row inmates to get stays of execution."

• WLRN-Miami: Miami is spending $4.1m on six homes, to be sold at a loss. Is this good affordable housing policy? "The tale of how the city has decided to develop single-family homes and sell them at a loss as part of a strategy to address the affordable housing crisis offers insight into what experts warn could be a city government that fails to see the big picture, and is throwing money at pet projects instead of spending taxpayer money effectively."

• WMFE-Orlando: Florida kids are learning about 9/11 in history class under a new law. Here's what's in lessons. "Under a new state law, middle and high school students at public schools must receive at least 45 minutes of instruction around the history and significance of the day. Moving forward, the day will be known as 9/11 Heroes Day in Florida schools."

• News4Jax: Drivers concerned, confused by mysterious yellow line that spans 20 miles on I-95. "News4JAX Sky 4 drone captured the line that extends for over 20 miles. The line crosses lanes several times and changes in width, but it always remains visible."

• WTSP-Tampa: Catch a cobia while fishing? FWC offering $50 to take it off your hands. "Researchers are collecting information by sampling harvested cobia’s reproductive organs to determine if and where they spawn along Florida’s coasts."

• WFLA-Tampa: 166 years after a deadly shipwreck, the oldest known cigars in the world are now on display in Tampa. "Deep in the cigar vault at the historic El Reloj building sit cigars discovered amid the wreckage of the SS Central America. The ship was travelling from Central America to the American east coast in 1857 when it encountered a hurricane off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina."