The Point

The Point, Nov. 9, 2023: Third GOP debate: What you need to know

WUFT | By WUFT News,

WUFT News

Published November 9, 2023 at 1:00 PM EST

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The stories near you

• WUFT News: Firefighters rescue chickens, dogs, rabbits, goats, ferret in burning home. "Firefighters in Crystal River extinguished a fire at a rural home Tuesday and rescued 15 chickens, six dogs, six rabbits, two goats and a ferret. No one was hurt."

• WUFT News: National Cancer Institute awards $3.2 million for research of study of medical cannabis in breast cancer treatment. "Breast cancer patients have become a rapidly growing segment of medical cannabis users in the country. But while cannabis has shown promise in symptom management, it is not considered a cure for cancer for now."

• WUFT News: Sheriff’s office in Ocala seeks help in search of woman missing since March. "The Marion County Sheriff’s Office asked again for the public’s help this week in finding a young woman who disappeared in March. It urged people to send tips and noted that some citizens have conducted their own investigations."

• WUFT News: Police suspend trainee accused of threatening child with knife. "Larry Reshawn Prunty III, 28, of Gainesville pleaded not guilty to an initial complaint of felony child abuse. He was arrested Tuesday. The name of the child and the child’s relationship to Prunty were not disclosed in court records."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Micanopy students take home 100 laptops. "A partnership between AT&T, Human IT and the Education Foundation of Alachua County is providing 200 refurbished laptops for Alachua County students. The first 80 went to students in the Willie Mae Stokes Community Center’s Celebrate Success afterschool program, with about 20 more going to other Micanopy students."

• WUFT News: Man accused of shooting at mother pleads in court, avoids further jail time. "The man accused by police of shooting five times at his own mother during an argument escaped any further jail time and was sentenced to two years of probation after he pleaded in court to aggravated assault and weapons charges on Wednesday."

• Ocala Gazette: Animal Services offers program for free “barn cats." "'Working Whiskers' is a program to house less social or feral cats to provide pest control in exchange for food, water and shelter for the felines."

• WUFT News: Mail carrier admits stealing credit cards from customers on postal route. "A mail carrier pleaded no contest Wednesday to dozens of felony charges accusing her of stealing credit cards, gift cards, checks and other mail from customers on her route and spending thousands of dollars fraudulently on alcohol, fireworks and fast food."

• WUFT News: The first bilingual story time event at city park. "Library staff members usually read four to five books and sing songs in between stories like 'Head Shoulders Knees & Toes.' However, something different happened Tuesday at the November story time at the park. Staff members and volunteers sang 'Cabeza, Hombros, Rodillas y Pies' (the Spanish version of the song) instead."

• Scheduling note: The Point will return to your inbox on Monday, Nov. 13, in observance of the Veterans Day holiday.

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Around the state

• PolitiFact: Fact-checking the third GOP presidential debate in Miami. "Five Republicans seeking to oust President Joe Biden from the White House in 2024 sparred over the Israel-Hamas war, the threat from China and the U.S. approach to terrorism early in the third presidential primary debate."

• WLRN-Miami: Trump's Hialeah rally draws thousands, upstages Republican debate in Miami. "On another stage at Henry Milander Park, former President Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner, leading by double digits in polls, rallied his legions of supporters and railed against his GOP rivals and President Biden."

• WMFE-Orlando: Florida Board of Governors weighs expanding DEI restrictions at public universities. "If the Board of Governors approves the policy, public universities won’t be allowed to use state or federal funds to support DEI initiatives."

• News Service of Florida: A judge has rejected a challenge to Florida's trans athlete law. "U.S. District Judge Roy Altman on Monday issued a 39-page decision granting a request by attorneys for Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. and the State Board of Education to dismiss a lawsuit filed on behalf of a transgender high-school volleyball player."

• Politico: Florida Supreme Court justices appear open to recreational pot legalization initiative. "Justices on Florida’s conservative-leaning Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared to favor a ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana, pushing back against the state’s arguments that the initiative hides information from potential voters."

• NPR: Regulators are alarmed by conditions inside a federal prison in Florida. "The Justice Department's inspector general's office in May conducted an unannounced inspection at the facility in Tallahassee."

• WLRN-Miami: Long-awaited Miami-Dade vote on heat protections for workers gets pushed back to 2024. "Following hours of discussion on Tuesday, Miami-Dade commissioners chose to delay a long-awaited vote until next March on a controversial heat-related ordinance proposal that would protect outdoor workers in the agriculture and construction industries."

• WTSP-Tampa: 'Take Care of Maya' trial: No verdict as day 2 of jury deliberations end in $220M case. "The jury, made up of four women and two men, continued their deliberations Wednesday on the seven claims they have to consider, including wrongful death."

• WUSF-Tampa: Sanibel council voices opposition to raising homes in Captiva after Hurricane Ian. "In the midst of grappling with its own building height limitation and flood zones, members of the Sanibel City Council are sending a strong message of opposition to its counterparts in the county who are considering a plan to allow an additional level of living space for homes on Captiva Island."