Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m.

The stories near you

• WUFT News: Report: Gainesville VA medical center incorrectly used Baker Act on veteran. "He ended up at the Malcom Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Gainesville seeking a voluntary stay for mental health treatment. Instead, according to an Aug. 28 report from the Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, he was involuntarily held under Florida’s Baker Act. He died by suicide six months later."

• WUFT News: Gainesville mayor calls for ‘acts of kindness’ on 9/11 remembrance. "Mayor Harvey Ward said he wanted to allow 'introspection' for residents, first responders and all those who attended the ceremony marking 23 years since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center."

• Florida Storms: Francine brings multiple hazards to Panhandle. "Many parts of the Gulf coast are still recovering from an incredibly wet past 2 weeks as a front remains stalled over northern Florida. Any additional accumulations over the next few days could create some localized flooding."

• WCJB: Columbia County Sheriff speaks on school threats as additional counties receive threats. "Following three arrests for separate social media threats made against schools, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference Wednesday morning. It came as the trend spread across North Central Florida schools."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Downtown Gainesville parking enforcement to start Monday. "The Gainesville City Commission approved the new rates in March with new parking stations and signs being posted in August as the city gave visitors a month-long adjustment period before starting the enforcement."

• The Alligator: Alachua County high schoolers mobilize young voters, boost Gen-Z’s civic engagement. "Youth Action Fund began recruiting and training students across Alachua County on Aug. 7. Volunteers learned voter registration procedures and equipped them with pens and voting forms. Youth Action Fund also provided $150 stipends to campus coordinators and community service hours to student volunteers."

Today's sponsored message

Around the state

• WUSF-Tampa: 'Stop issuing every permit,' advocates say. Will Florida protect its fragile springs? "Over-pumping for drinking, farming and bottled water is threatening the health of Florida's freshwater springs, advocates said this week, lamenting the state's lack of progress in protecting these fragile resources."

• NPR: Protections for minority voters are at the center of a Florida redistricting case. "Voting rights groups challenging the state’s congressional map are counting on the Florida Supreme Court to reinstate a district that gave Black voters in the northern part of the state the opportunity to elect their candidate of choice."

• Associated Press: Tyreek Hill's traffic stop revives a discussion about the realities faced by Black drivers. "After his traffic stop in Miami on Sunday, Tyreek Hill talked about 'the talk' — instructions passed down in Black families for generations about what to do when pulled over by police."

• Central Florida Public Media: Former GOP state attorney candidate files lawsuit against “Republican faction”. "A former Republican candidate for Orange-Osceola state attorney has filed a lawsuit against multiple GOP leaders and the incumbent prosecutor Andrew Bain. Thomas Feiter alleged manipulation, fraud and public corruption in what he called a ghost candidate scheme."

• NPR: The Polaris Dawn spacewalk is SpaceX’s ‘risky adventure’. "This mission will use several components that have never been tested in space before, including the spacesuits themselves. And it will require skill and cool-headed thinking from the astronauts involved, three of whom have never been to space at all."

• WLRN-Miami: The mayor who worries condo reforms could lead to an economic catastrophe. "The deadline is Dec. 31 for two of the most significant reforms: a milestone structural inspection for all buildings over three stories and at least 30 years old, and associations must have money set aside for structural repairs and maintenance. The result is many associations are hitting owners with two price hikes: monthly fees are going up and units are slapped with a special assessment."

• News Service of Florida: FSU vs ACC: Oral arguments heard in Florida appeals court. "The ACC argues a lawsuit it filed in North Carolina should have priority over a lawsuit that FSU filed in Florida. The outcome of the cases could determine whether FSU leaves the athletic conference."

From NPR News

• World: Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterates support for Ukraine in Kyiv visit

• Economy: Inflation falls to its lowest level in more than 3 years. Here’s what that means

• National: A venture capital grant program for Black women officially ends after court ruling

• Health: Mammograms will better explain what it means to have dense breasts

• Health: Schools are putting vape detectors in bathrooms — paid for by Juul

• National: The Central Park 5 are exonerated. Trump doesn't seem to think so

Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.