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Updates on Helene
• WUFT News: Live updates: Helene downgraded to tropical storm; 1.2M Floridians without power. "Over 82,000 people in Alachua County are without power. Much of the Big Bend and northern Nature Coast is 100% in the dark to start Friday."
• WCJB: Downed tree, live power lines causes roadway blocks on Newberry Road. "According to Alachua County Emergency Management, any one traveling eastbound on Newberry Road will have to defer south to Parker Road then Archer Road, or travel north up Northwest 143rd Street to Northwest 39th Avenue."
• Associated Press: Helene makes landfall in northwestern Florida as a Category 4 hurricane. "The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Helene roared ashore around 11:10 p.m. EDT near the mouth of the Aucilla River in the Big Bend area of Florida’s Gulf Coast. It had maximum sustained winds estimated at 140 mph ( 225 kph)."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Hurricane Helene to impact gas demand, not prices. "'Hurricane Helene will likely impact gasoline demand, but not supply,' said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson in a press release. 'The storm is missing the Gulf’s oil production and refining centers as it lumbers through the Southeast. But power outages, structural damage, and road flooding will hinder people from fueling up for a few days. So any impact on the national average will probably be fleeting.'"
• NPR: Here's how Hurricane Helene turned into a major storm. "Large, powerful storms are more likely when the system forms over hotter ocean water, and climate change is causing ocean temperatures to rise. The combined effects of higher sea levels and heavier rainfall means that storm-related flooding is intensifying, too."
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Other Florida stories
• WUFT News: ‘The little athletic league that could’: Youth sports program rebounds in Micanopy. "The town’s once thriving youth sports program went defunct more than a decade ago. It stayed that way until a local clergyman and parents brought the sports program back to Micanopy in spring 2021."
• WUFT News: New women’s-only meet highlights gender equality in track and field. "McGee, who was a 10-time All-American selection in her four years running for the University of Florida, will be competing in Athlos, a brand-new women’s-only track meet that features one of the biggest prize pools in the sport."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Alachua County OKs preliminary review for 87-acre development near I-75. "The project, 8024 W. Newberry Road, started several years ago with planning and, following Tuesday’s unanimous vote, will proceed to a final development review before construction. Commissioners hope the development provides an aesthetic town center with a mix of commercial and residential."
• The Alligator: Downtown Gainesville’s new parking rates: How’s it going? "The new rates are $0.50 per hour with a two-hour time limit for on-street parking spaces in the center of downtown, with $0.25 per hour or free rates with no time limit outside the 'downtown core.' The changes have sparked controversy among business owners and citizens alike."
• WLRN-Miami: Trump, Harris agree to separate town hall-style events for Hispanic voters hosted by Univision. "Spanish-language television network giant Univision announced this week that Republican Donald Trump and Democratic Kamala Harris each agreed to separate town-hall style events to discuss issues of importance to millions of Hispanic voters, only weeks away from the Nov. 5 presidential election."
• Central Florida Public Media: SpaceX’s crew of two is headed to the International Space Station. "After Hurricane Helene delayed an attempt earlier this week, SpaceX is now targeting a human space launch Saturday, sending a U.S. astronaut and Russian cosmonaut on a mission to the International Space Station. The duo could launch at 1:17 p.m., from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral."
• WLRN-Miami: 'A direct threat to democracy': PEN America raises awareness about book bans. "This week, there's an effort to raise awareness about nationwide book restrictions. It's called Banned Books Week and it runs through Saturday, Sept. 28."
• Central Florida Public Media: On faith, politics, loss: Chris and Andy take StoryCorps' One Small Step. "Central Florida Public Media has partnered with StoryCorps’ One Small Step initiative to bring strangers with differing political views together for a guided conversation. Huffman and Mondello recently sat down together."
From NPR News
• National: Read the indictment: NYC Mayor Eric Adams charged with bribery, fraud, foreign donations
• Media: Voting-tech company settles with right-wing network over false election claims
• Law: Biden's attorney general wanted to return to normal order; it hasn't been easy
• Health: More trans teens attempted suicide after states passed anti-trans laws, a study shows
• World: Over 90,000 people in Lebanon had to flee Israel's bombardments this week
• Health: 3D mammograms show benefits over 2D imaging, especially for dense breasts
• World: The BBC’s vast library of sound effects — 33,000 of them — is open to the public
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.