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The stories near you
• WUFT News: University of Florida inaugurates former U.S. senator Ben Sasse as 13th president. "Sasse said he was focused on the future of higher education – and the role in it for Florida’s flagship public university."
• WUFT News: State Housing Initiatives Partnership receives more than $1.6 million to assist with housing upkeep and repairs. "The State Housing Initiatives Partnership, also known as SHIP, is a program administered by Florida Housing that is intended to help homeowners struggling with housing expenses. The program has several ways for the citizens of Gainesville to receive funding."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Gainesville releases interactive affordable housing map. "The city of Gainesville released the map on Thursday during a City Commission meeting. The map features current developments and funded housing programs stretching back two years, with overlays showing public schools, City Commission districts, Regional Transit System (RTS) routes and grocery stores."
• WCJB: ‘I panicked’: Residents recall frantic moments after gunfire in Gainesville barbershop. "Gainesville police officers are searching for a suspect after a man was shot just after 2 p.m., inside of Classic Cutz Barbershop & Salon on northwest 6th street."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Alachua County Public Schools works on language accessibility. "Over a year ago, local immigrant advocates began pushing Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) to introduce more services for families that do not speak English. As they watch the district’s changes come into effect, the advocates have expressed cautious hope for improvement, but say there is much more to be done."
• WCJB: MCFR captain seriously burned while battling mobile home fire. "Fire Rescue officials say crews were putting out a fire at a mobile home on SE 20th Place when Captain Chris Trubelhorn was seriously burned."
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Around the state
• News Service of Florida: Florida lawmakers will discuss increased access to school vouchers during the special session. "Legislative leaders say the session will include an effort to provide 'a mechanism to increase the number of students served under the Family Empowerment Scholarship for students with disabilities.'"
• Spectrum News: Ybor shooting suspect to remain behind bars for now. "Tyrell Phillips made a brief appearance in court Thursday for a hearing. He will stay in jail until there’s a motion filed for a new court date."
• News Service of Florida: Here's how legislators plan to address Hurricane Idalia aid during a special session. "Florida lawmakers next week will take up proposals that would boost assistance after Hurricane Idalia and provide money to ease a backlog of residents seeking to lower insurance premiums by improving their homes."
• WLRN-Miami: Florida housing leader: Solving local affordability crisis must include developers. "Developers need to be treated as partners — not enemies — in affordable housing projects and essential to solving the statewide crisis, according to one of Florida’s leading experts on affordable housing."
• News4Jax: UPS to hire over 300 workers in Northeast Florida during 2-day hiring blitz Friday & Saturday. "The peak season for delivery companies, like UPS, runs from Oct. 15 until mid-January as holiday packages increase demand. To deal with that influx of deliveries, UPS is holding a two-day, statewide hiring blitz on Friday and Saturday."
• WMFE-Orlando: Ground breaks on Universal's new affordable housing project in Orlando. "Public and private partners broke ground Wednesday for a new housing complex on Destination Parkway in Orlando, that will offer 1,000 new living spaces, 75% of which will be kept as affordable."
• WFLA-Tampa: Tampa International Airport hosts Florida’s first ‘air taxi’ test flight. "Near a hangar on the outskirts of the airport’s property, the private company that builds the air taxi, Volocopter, completed the state’s first urban air mobility (UAM) test flight and the first at a large U.S. airport, according to TPA."
From NPR News
• National: The ex-Memphis police officer accused of killing Tyre Nichols pleads guilty
• Business: Settlement: Uber and Lyft drivers in New York will get $328 million in back pay
• Obituaries: Ady Barkan, activist who championed health care reform, dies of ALS at 39
• National: Six things to know about the political debate around daylight saving time
• Politics: Democrats sound alarms over No Labels third-party bid
• Health: As some medical debt disappears from Americans' credit reports, scores are rising
• National: A stunning — but fleeting — lake has formed in California's Death Valley
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.