The Point

The Point, Oct. 9, 2023: Energy assistance program continues in Alachua County

WUFT | By WUFT News,

WUFT News

Published October 9, 2023 at 12:00 PM EDT

Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m.

The stories near you

• WUFT News: Program to assist low-income tenants will continue in Alachua County. "The Energy Efficiency and Weatherization of Affordable Housing Program has been in effect from January to September with the goal of reducing energy insecurity to bring down overall living expenses."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Member withdraws from GRU Authority. "A day after her appointment, Dr. Tara Ezzell resigned from the Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority (GRUA) following qualification uncertainty."

• Gainesville Sun ($): The best place to live? Some of Ben Sasse's UF cabinet members don't reside in state. "Several members of University of Florida President Ben Sasse’s leadership team have no plans to move to Alachua County, The Gainesville Sun has confirmed. In fact, they don’t even intend to live in the Sunshine State."

• WUFT News: 70-year-old man accused of killing or wounding gopher tortoises. "No details of what exactly Robinson did to be accused of these charges were available in arrest and court documents other than the complaint by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which stated that Robinson intentionally killed or wounded species designated as endangered, threatened or of special concern."

• WCJB: Former Gainesville sorority treasurer arrested for embezzlement. "Officers arrested 39-year-old Sheri Brassfield of Alachua after they say she embezzled more than 70 thousand dollars from the local chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority."

• Mainstreet Daily News: High Springs, Williston receive $700K from development grant. "Gov. Ron DeSantis awarded over $8.7 million to nine rural Florida communities from the program for housing and community development activities. Since 2019, 123 communities have received $87 million for community development projects throughout the state."

• WUFT News: Homecoming Parade rallies thousands of fans. Floats rolled down University Avenue during UF’s Homecoming Parade in Gainesville on Friday.

• WUFT News: Buchholz beats rival Gainesville to remain undefeated. "Through a dominant run game and a stifling defense, the Buchholz Bobcats defeated the Gainesville Hurricanes 35-7 to win one of Gainesville’s oldest and most passionate rivalry games Thursday at Citizens Field."

Today's sponsored message

Around the state

• WFSU-Tallahassee: Florida’s domestic violence shelters take stock as they face backlog and rebuilding challenges. "The problem is driven by the ongoing housing crisis and compounded by Hurricane Idalia. It’s especially concerning in Taylor County, where the storm landed, and many residents are now facing major job loss as the local paper mill prepares to close."

• WUSF-Tampa: Gaetz was the only Florida Republican to vote out the US Speaker of the House. "Last Tuesday, Republican Matt Gaetz and seven others voted with Democrats to kick Kevin McCarthy out as House speaker. No other Florida Republicans joined him in the vote."

• WFSU-Tallahassee:Florida high school athletes may soon be able to make money off NIL. "Florida highschoolers are barred from participating in NIL or any sponsorships. If a student-athlete is caught, they could lose their academic eligibility and be removed from the team—which is the reason some standout players stay clear of the Sunshine State, especially when more than 20 other states including Georgia and Louisiana, allow highschoolers to use their NIL."

• WLRN-Miami: Congressman asks Palm Beach property appraiser to bill Trump for Mar-a-Lago's 'true' value. "U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat from Parkland, wants Palm Beach County’s property appraiser to levy taxes on Donald Trump’s Mar−A−Lago club at the rate the former president claims is its true value: closer to $1.5 billion."

• News Service of Florida: Judge rules against Florida police, fire unions. "The challenge contended the exemptions from the restrictions were intended to apply to all workers represented by public-safety unions — not just law-enforcement officers, correctional officers and firefighters."

• Associated Press: Stricter laws are chipping away at sex education in Florida's K-12 schools and elsewhere. "The new laws are part of a broad push to fortify 'parents' rights' and strike LGBTQ+ content from the classroom, core themes that have flooded the campaign for the GOP presidential nomination."

• Associated Press: 4 members of a Florida family are sentenced for selling a fake COVID-19 cure through online church. "Prosecutors said the Bradenton family's Genesis II Church of Health and Healing sold $1 million worth of their so-called Miracle Mineral Solution. What they were selling was actually chlorine dioxide, which can be fatal when ingested."

• WUWF-Pensacola: Daily changes you can make to slow climate change. "To close out the week, we asked three local environmental experts to share some tips on daily habit changes we can all make to help reduce our carbon footprint."