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The stories near you

• WUFT News: State shows willingness to settle case against pro-Palestine demonstrator arrested on UF campus. "The state offered a deferred prosecution agreement to one of the protesters on Tuesday, which would effectively settle the case and avoid going to trial if the defendant agreed to certain requirements."

• WUFT News: A Gainesville stripper and her lawyer say new Florida law violates First Amendment rights. "Serenity Bushey, 19, used to work at Cafe Risque, a strip club near Gainesville. When H.B. 7063 went into effect July 1, she was no longer allowed to work there."

• Mainstreet Daily News: 18-month timeline of the struggle for Gainesville Regional Utilities. "The discussions have had key themes, like the general services contribution to the city and the residency of GRU Authority members, along with smaller votes along the way."

• Mainstreet Daily News: COVID spells trouble for Hippodrome Theatre. "COVID-19 has brought the curtain down for a third time this summer at Gainesville’s Hippodrome Theatre. Performances of the musical titled, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, were canceled for Wednesday and Thursday nights."

• Mainstreet Daily News: UF researchers get $2.8M for at-home HIV test development. "With 1.3 million new cases of HIV and 630,000 HIV-related deaths reported in 2022 by the World Health Organization, improving and simplifying how the virus is discovered in patients can reduce outbreaks and ultimately the number of deaths caused by HIV, Jain said. "

• UF/IFAS: UF sees growing interest in living shorelines. "Generally, they are cheaper to install and require less maintenance. And, perhaps most persuasively, they act as natural wave breaks."

• The Alligator: Elderly community cat Precious potentially ‘cat-napped’. "After creating flyers and spreading the word through social media, she received multiple tips the next day leading her to believe Precious was stolen."

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Around the state

• Florida Storms: Officials warn about dangerous rip currents this weekend from distant Beryl as it tracks towards Texas/Mexico. "Since the start of summer, almost a dozen people have been killed due to rough seas and dangerous rip currents in the US. Most of those deaths have been in Florida, where out-of-state vacationers ventured into water that was too rough."

• WLRN-Miami: New law will require transparency for red light cameras. Some Florida cities are making a killing. "The money derived from six red light cameras amounts to more than 15% of the city’s total revenue, far higher than most other cities that run the programs."

• News Service of Florida: Judge Blocks Federal Gender Identity Rule. "Florida has contended in its lawsuit that the rule improperly seeks to override restrictions on the treatments and would threaten lost money for the state and managed-care plans that help operate state health-care programs."

• Politico: Rubio says Project 2025 doesn’t speak for Trump. "'I think it’s the work of a think tank — of a center-right think tank and that’s what think tanks do,' Rubio said."

• NPR: With a possible second Trump term looming, some DACA recipients are taking risks. "DACA recipients are legally allowed to live and work in the U.S. However, the possibility of a second Trump presidency brings a lot of uncertainty for the over half a million DACA permit holders.'

• USA Today ($): 7: That's how many children have died in hot cars since May 2024, including 1 in Florida. "'Approximately 88% of children who die in hot cars are age 3 or younger and the majority, 55%, were unknowingly left by an otherwise loving, responsible parent or caregiver,' according to Kids and Car Safety.

• Politico: Group seeks to resurrect lawsuit against DeSantis over migrant flights. "An attorney representing the migrants on Thursday asked a Massachusetts court to once again take up the case alleging that the Republican governor, as well as current and former top aides, misled some 50 migrants as a publicity stunt."

• WGCU-Fort Myers: Sea turtles are packing Southwest Florida beaches with nests. "This year's sea turtle nesting season is going great, with a leatherback on Sanibel and early nesting throughout the region. But few turtle lovers forget last season when early signs were record-breaking but the season's results were heart-breaking."

From NPR News

• Politics: Amid growing calls for Biden to pull out, congressional Democrats remain split

• Politics: Why some Republican-led states are limiting who can vote in party primaries

• Law: Judge pauses deadlines in Trump classified documents case over immunity questions

• World: Talks for a cease-fire in Gaza appear set to resume as the war reaches 9 months

• Business: Boeing agrees to plead guilty and pay a nearly quarter-billion dollar fine

• Race: California is trying to lead the way on reparations but not clear on the path to take

• Health: A new way to prevent HIV delivers dramatic results in trial

• Business: Paid or unpaid, child care is vital to the economy. This program recognizes that

• Environment: Sharks often get a bad rap, but oceans need them

Sofia Zarran curated today's edition of The Point.