The Point

The Point, Oct. 19, 2023: Controversial political commentator Ben Shapiro speaks at UF

WUFT | By WUFT News,

WUFT News

Published October 19, 2023 at 12:00 PM EDT

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The stories near you

• WUFT News: ‘Hamas ought to be destroyed,’ political commentator Ben Shapiro says. "Students at the forum challenged Shapiro about his views on the conflict between Israel and Hamas and criticized previous comments he made toward transgender youth."

• WUFT News: Marion County Deputy Vehicle fatally strikes cyclist. "A 22-year-old Marion County Sheriff’s Department deputy was placed on paid leave after he hit and killed a 63-year-old Gainesville cyclist with his patrol car early Wednesday morning."

• WUFT News: UF faculty respond to Ben Sasse’s email in support of Israel. "Some UF faculty say Sasse’s strongly worded comments discourage open debate on campus about the war. Student groups like Hillel and Students for Justice in Palestine have been vocal at UF and elsewhere as well."

• Fresh Take Florida: White man to be sentenced for recent, racially motivated attack at site of massacre of Black residents a century ago. "Prosecutors said the victims – who they described as fathers, veterans, historians, a preacher, a firefighter, a scientist, a devoted son and a grandson – testified about the violent confrontation, describing racial slurs from Emanuel that were 'so degrading and dehumanizing that the victims could barely utter them,' Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin Weiss wrote in a court motion."

• Fresh Take Florida: What is a crash? Florida courts debate definition in DUI case. "A little-noticed, years-long court battle over the single-vehicle accident that could have broad implications in a state where more than 1,000 people were killed by impaired drivers last year enters a crucial phase this week."

• WUFT News: A construction landfill in Archer faces another hazardous waste violation after 36 years of business. "Since 1987, Watson C&D, a company that operates a construction landfill in Archer, hasn’t passed Alachua County inspections."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Lawmakers vote to open probe into Gainesville bond delay. "The city of Gainesville earned another audit check and a new investigation following a Monday meeting with the state’s Joint Legislative Audit Committee (JLAC) in Tallahassee."

• WUFT News: Israel Defense Forces reservists at UF put their education on hold to return to Israel. "Israel may be thousands of miles away, but for the Jewish community in Gainesville and UF, it’s close to home. Some UF students are IDF reservists who will be sent to fight and defend their homeland."

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Around the state

• WMFE-Orlando: Bathroom rules now apply to private schools in Florida. "Under the new rule, private school students and faculty will join their public school peers in only being allowed to use facilities that align with the sex they were assigned at birth."

• WUSF-Tampa: Florida drafts regulations that clarify DEI prohibitions at colleges and universities. "The Florida Board of Governors released a draft of 'prohibited expenditures' for colleges in the state university system. All state and federal funding for DEI programs and any 'political or social activism' in the proposed regulation would be cut."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: A sketchy 2020 registration drive likely led to the now-dropped voting fraud charges against Marsha Ervin. "The voting fraud charges against a 69-year-old Tallahassee woman have been dropped. The reason: there was little proof Marsha Ervin intended to vote illegally."

• WMFE-Orlando: Central Florida opioid overdoses down for first time in years. "Opioid overdose deaths are declining overall in the Sunshine State, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Central Florida saw some of the biggest reductions."

• Associated Press: Pulse nightclub property to be purchased by city of Orlando and turned into a memorial. "Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer says the city of Orlando plans to purchase the Pulse nightclub property where 49 people were massacred seven years ago with the intention of building a memorial for the victims."

• WUSF-Tampa: Preserving a wildlife corridor in the shadow of the Magic Kingdom. "The world's most-visited theme park has become — almost by accident — one of the most important links in a corridor for wildlife spanning the length of Florida. It was created by the very organization that was responsible for kickstarting sprawl in Central Florida a half-century ago."

• WLRN-Miami: After Miami’s hottest summer ever, public housing finally gets more air conditioning. "The advent of air conditioning is what made Florida’s population boom possible. But despite rising temperatures that make AC standard in just about every business and suburban home, it’s long been a different story in public housing."