Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m.
The stories near you
• WUFT News: Photo gallery: Day 1 of 2024 Democratic National Convention. "See photos from the first day of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, IL.
• WUFT News: Florida Democrats say they’re undeterred by GOP’s 1 million lead in active voters. "Instead, party leaders said they’re looking to the number of Floridians volunteering for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign — 25,000 — as proof Florida can turn blue for the first time since 2012."
• News Service of Florida: Ocala files appeal after prayer vigil ruled unconstitutional. "The vigil was held Sept. 24, 2014, amid a spate of shootings in the Ocala area. Plaintiffs Art Rojas, Lucinda Hale, Daniel Hale and Frances Jean Porgal filed the lawsuit in November 2014 after attending the vigil, according to court documents. It named as defendants the city, then-Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn and then-Police Chief Greg Graham, who died in 2020."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Gainesville CWA unions face decertification, start ‘second step’ to remain. "Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) said it anticipates a 'seamless transition' following the decertification of its union by Florida’s Public Employees Relations Committee (PERC), but the state has yet to rule on the decertification."
• WFSU-Tallahassee: North Central Florida’s Madison County still flooding two weeks after Hurricane Debby. "It’s still flooding in North Central Florida’s Madison County, although it’s been two weeks since Hurricane Debby came through. As Margie Menzel reports, school buses aren’t picking up kids in the flooded areas, and a resource center will offer services to residents who’ve been affected."
• Ocala Gazette: County offers free adoptions of shelter animals. "Marion County Animal Services is reporting that the shelter is at critical capacity with more than 292 puppies/dogs and 300 kittens/cats in its care. Through Sept. 10, the organization is offering free adoptions for all canines, felines and other animals."
Today's sponsored message
Around the state
• Associated Press: US colleges revise rules on free speech in hopes of containing anti-war demonstrations. "While the summer break provided a respite in student demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war, it also gave both student protesters and higher education officials a chance to regroup and strategize for the fall semester."
• Sarasota Herald-Tribune ($): New College of Florida library dean placed on administrative leave after book disposal. "Her departure comes following increased attention to the college's libraries after hundreds of books could be seen overflowing from a dumpster behind the Jane Bancroft Cook Library Thursday afternoon. With the disposing of library books, New College also disposed of materials from the now-defunct Gender and Diversity Center — a student-run and student-curated library of books on subjects such as the LGBTQ+ community, Black stories and women."
• WFTS-Tampa Bay: Cybersecurity expert urges consumers to take precautions after massive data breach. "Documents from a lawsuit revealed that over 2.9 billion records are vulnerable after a massive hack of the Florida-based National Public Data network."
• Associated Press: Biden's offer of a path to US citizenship for spouses leaves some out. "Joe Biden's offer of a path to citizenship without having to first leave the country for up to 10 years is one of the biggest presidential orders to ease entry for immigrants since 2012, when the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program allowed temporary but renewable stays for hundreds of thousands of people who came to the United States as young children with their parents."
• WTSP-Tampa: Hillsborough County has most teacher vacancies in state. "In a news release, the association pointed to more than 5,000 instructional vacancies [in the state], which is a decrease from August 2023. Educational support staff vacancies total about 4,800 [in the state], which is also a decrease from the start of the last school year."
• Associated Press: A slain teacher loved attending summer camp. His mom is working to give kids the same opportunity. "Linda Beigel Schulman smiled as she watched 25 young campers from Fort Lauderdale and Miami spend an afternoon frolicking in a rural Florida spring. The scene brought back memories of her murdered son, Scott Beigel, who loved attending summer camp."
From NPR News
• Election: Harris clinched the nomination in 16 days — the fastest in more than three decades
• Law: Former Rep. George Santos pleads guilty to wire fraud, identity theft
• World: How the Ukraine-Russia war is playing out differently on 3 separate fronts
• Health: A new Alzheimer's study suggests where you live can affect the odds of a diagnosis
• Sports: Raygun and Australian officials speak out against ‘hate’ over Olympic breaking
• National: A new twist on the saying: one person’s trash is another person’s treasure
• Space: Civilian Polaris Dawn spacewalk mission is set to launch next week
• National: A woman is arrested for allegedly trying to steal Elvis' Graceland property
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.