Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m.
The stories near you
• WUFT News: Pro-Palestinian activists demand Gainesville divest from companies related to Israel-Hamas War. "They were demanding the city divest from all corporations in its investment portfolio. In doing so, the city would no longer be linked to companies with ties to the Israel-Hamas War. That includes companies like Lockheed Martin, which manufactures fighter jets purchased by Israel."
• WUFT News: Florida doctors attribute rise in tinnitus to more awareness, treatment options. "Glenn Knox hears constant noise in both his ears. It sounds like a smooth whine, and it’s louder in his left ear than his right. He has tinnitus, a condition that causes a person to hear sound that isn’t there. Knox is a University of Florida associate professor, but before that he was an ear, nose and throat doctor for 40 years."
• WUFT News: Alachua County Commissioners approve updated affordable housing plan. "The revised plan increases funding for housing vouchers from $100,000 to $200,000 to assist families with rent, utilities, and mortgage payments."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Gainesville commission extends GRACE Marketplace contract by one year. "The Gainesville City Commission voted to fully fund GRACE Marketplace at $1.9 million for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, with the possibility of increasing the funding by $100,000 next week."
• The Alligator: UF No. 34 public university in new Wall Street Journal ranking. "UF now ranks No. 34 among public universities and No. 83 among all universities, according to the article. The new ranking is a stark drop from UF’s spot in 2024, when it ranked No. 1 among public universities and No.15 overall."
• WCJB: After 9 months without a town council, Reddick leaders reinstate their positions. "The law requires elected officials to submit details about their finances. It caused leaders across the state to step down, including Reddick Mayor John Vetter. He, alongside the town council, resigned in December. After a federal judge blocked the form in June, Vetter is back to serve his town."
• Florida Storms: Florida's super soaker drags on, flood risk increases. "The latter part of the week comes with higher than normal chances, especially over North Florida and the Panhandle where the stationary front will be barely moving on Friday."
• Ocala Star-Banner ($): Man accused of raping an 80-year-old woman in her SW Ocala apartment has taken a plea deal. "On Thursday, Williams decided not to take his chances with a jury. He pleaded no contest and, pursuant to a plea agreement, was sentenced to a 40-year prison term followed by two years of probation."
Today's sponsored message
Around the state
• WLRN-Miami: Meteorologists, boaters depend on key weather data to maneuver the seas. Now, it's disappearing. "The timely data, however, comes from stations, including some in the Florida Keys, that were constructed on top of wooden structures first built to support 19th-century-era lighthouses. Some of those stations are now being shut down, leaving those who rely on them in the dark."
• Central Florida Public Media: What the buzz?! How global heating is driving more mosquito disease to Central Florida. "Orange County Mosquito Control has been busier than usual this summer. That’s because hotter temperatures and longer periods of rain are creating ideal environments for mosquito breeding around the world. Locally, there’s also been an impact."
• News Service of Florida: Florida looks to add more nuclear power, including at military bases. "After state lawmakers this year required a study on the feasibility of expanding the use of nuclear energy, Florida Public Service Commission staff members Thursday met with experts and electric-industry officials to discuss what is known as 'advanced' nuclear technology."
• Associated Press: Florida State and other ACC schools have a new path to more revenue. "This is the first sports season under a new model allowing ACC schools to keep more of the money generated by their own postseason success, a departure from decades of equal distributions among full league members. That 'success initiative' could mean $20 million to $25 million more for a school in a big year, based primarily on football like everything else in college athletics."
• WUSF-Tampa: Billions of gallons released from Lake Manatee did not cause Bradenton floods, officials say. "The release of 18 billion gallons of water from Lake Manatee didn't cause homes to flood during Hurricane Debby, Manatee County officials said Wednesday. Rather, they blamed the heavy rainfall that overwhelmed rivers and stormwater systems."
• WLRN-Miami: Palm Beach Gardens levels forest in park to build fieldhouse. "They weren’t just paving Cameron’s paradise to put up a parking lot, although paved parking for 200 cars is in the plan (and grass parking for 400 more). The city is planning to build a metal-clad fieldhouse with 12 indoor courts, including six for basketball, he told Stet News after the meeting."
• NPR: How Pitbull got his name on a college football stadium. "Recently, singer/rapper/entrepreneur Pitbull agreed to pay $6 million to Florida International University for the naming rights to its football stadium ... an unusual move for both parties: a musician paying for their name on a stadium, and for a college to name their stadium after a musician."
From NPR News
• National: Father of suspected Apalachee HS shooter arrested, charged in connection with shooting
• Politics: After a study found toxic metals in tampons, lawmakers are pressing the FDA to act
• National: 17,000 AT&T workers have been on strike for three weeks. Here's why.
• Health: First doses of mpox vaccines arrive at the heart of Africa's outbreak. What took so long?
• World: A 27-year-old just became queen of New Zealand's Maori
• Religion: Pope Francis and Indonesia’s top imam make a joint call for religious harmony
• Business: Could you live without shopping for a year? Try the 'no-buy challenge'
• Science: Can dogs understand the meaning of words? Scientists are trying to figure it out
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.