Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m.
The stories near you
• WUFT News: ‘It goes up nearly past my waist’: Florida wine sellers to start stocking 4-gallon bottles. "[The law] permits retailers to sell wine in glass bottles of five different sizes, each with its own nickname corresponding with a biblical king. They start at the 4.5-liter Rehoboam, followed by the 6-liter Methuselah, the 9-liter Salmanazar, the 12-liter Balthazar and the 15-liter Nebuchadnezzar."
• WUFT News: ‘Who would ever thought we’d be here again’: 75-year-old protester marches for abortion rights a second time. "One of those people was Linda Hoff. She’s 75 years old and for the second time in her life, she’s protesting for more reproductive rights. While marching down University Avenue, she reflected on what life was like before Roe."
• Mainstreet Daily News: ‘I’m going to break your hand’: Athletes recount unwanted touching from water polo coach. "More players have raised concerns about the former University of Florida men’s water polo coach who was fired from UF and Gainesville High School (GHS) after a university report detailed allegations of him being 'overly touchy' with UF athletes."
• The Alligator: UFPD sergeant facing suspension for racist comments, nepotism. "A UF Police Department sergeant is facing a three-day suspension after an internal investigation found he repeatedly made racist and antisemitic comments to coworkers and attempted to influence official application processes to help his superior’s son get a job."
• WCJB: More than a dozen teachers leaving Newberry Elementary amid charter school conversion efforts. "School board members tell TV20 that 16 teachers transferred from Newberry Elementary during 2024 so far. They say only six teachers left throughout all of 2023."
• Mainstreet Daily News: High Springs votes 3-2 on November referendum about city charter. "The four approved changes will appear on the November ballot for High Springs voters to pass. The other four recommended changes will be reviewed in the future by the City Commission for inclusion on a ballot next year."
• Gainesville Sun ($): Local foundation to host clinics to help students apply for federal financial aid. "Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) clinics to guide high school students with completing the applications will be provided by the Education Equalizer Foundation."
• WCJB: North Florida Sewing Center hosts 1st ‘Sustainable Sunday’. "Leaders of the non-profit are trying to clean up the environment one stitch at a time. They say they are trying to figure out ways to replace every day items with things that are reusable, longer lasting and better for the environment. This time they made paperless towels with cloth to replace paper towels."
Today's sponsored message
Around the state
• Associated Press: A Parkland school massacre survivor now owns the shooter's name. "The most severely wounded survivor of the 2018 massacre at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School now owns shooter Nikolas Cruz's name, and Cruz cannot give any interviews without his permission, under a settlement reached in a lawsuit."
• WLRN-Miami: Biden administration to grant temporary legal status to 300,000 Haitian immigrants. "Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas, in a statement from Washington, said 'Temporary Protected Status' for Haitians already in the United States would be extended 18 months, from Aug. 4, 2024, to Feb. 3, 2026. And extended to up to 309,000 Haitians who were in the country on or before June 3."
• News Service of Florida: Gov. DeSantis has vetoed the much-debated vacation rental bill. "Oversight of vacation rentals for years has been a thorny issue for the Legislature, as advertising for properties on platforms such as Airbnb has ballooned."
• WUSF-Tampa: Florida cattle suffer from heat stress due to climate change, but UF scientists have a solution. "Cows are feeling the heat from global warming. Heat stress is one of the biggest challenges facing the beef industry, as it affects the animals’ growth and ability to reproduce."
• NPR: Hurricane Beryl weakens slightly to a Category 3 storm as it approaches the Caribbean. "On Sunday, Beryl grew into an 'extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane,' the National Hurricane Center said, making it the first ever Atlantic hurricane to reach Category 4 strength in June."
• Central Florida Public Media: Task force votes to approve St. Johns County for Black History Museum. "After more than two hours of contentious debate, the task force voted 6-1 on the issue. Senator Geraldine Thompson represents Eatonville and chaired the task force. She was the lone dissenter."
• Associated Press: 'Lab-grown' meat maker hosts Miami tasting party as Florida ban goes into effect. "Florida and Alabama banned the sale of cultivated meat and seafood, which is grown from animal cells. Other states and federal lawmakers also are looking to restrict it, arguing the product could hurt farmers and pose a safety risk to the public."
• WUSF-Tampa: USF doubles down on suspension and expulsion of pro-Palestinian student protestors. "USF is penalizing two students for their actions connected to pro-Palestinian rallies in April. The students say their punishments are disproportionate."
• News Service of Florida: The legendary Jimmy Buffett will be remembered on Florida roads. "Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed bills that will honor the late singer Jimmy Buffett, designating Florida A1A as 'Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway' and creating a 'Margaritaville' specialty license plate."
From NPR News
• National: What to know about Louisiana's new surgical castration law
• Health: Supreme Court overturns opioid settlement with Purdue Pharma that shielded Sacklers
• Politics: Biden tries to reassure voters after a shaky debate performance
• National: What we know about the fatal police shooting of a 13-year-old boy in Utica, N.Y.
• Sports: Sha'Carri Richardson will make her Olympics debut as the fastest woman on Earth
• Law: Supreme Court says prosecutors improperly charged some Jan. 6 defendants
• Business: Tractor Supply slashes its DEI and climate goals after a right-wing pressure campaign
• Law: The Supreme Court says cities can punish people for sleeping in public places
• Health: Forget about the gym! Chicken-sizing will keep you fit. Bonus: Fresh eggs
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.