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Updates on Hurricane Milton
• WUFT News: Hurricane Milton live updates. Stay updated on Hurricane Milton with hourly updates from WUFT News.
• NPR: Hurricane Milton poses an 'extremely serious threat' as it barrels toward Florida. "By early Tuesday morning, the National Hurricane Center downgraded Milton to a Category 4 storm, but officials at the agency warned of the storm's power. 'Milton poses an extremely serious threat to Florida and residents are urged to follow the order of local officials,' the NHC said."
• Associated Press: Control the path and power of hurricanes like Helene? Forget it, scientists say. "In the wake of hurricanes that have disrupted lives for millions in the U.S., some people may wonder if extreme weather events could be somehow controlled. Scientists say hurricanes are far too powerful for that — and climate change is providing more fuel than ever for devastating storms like Helene."
• News Service of Florida: Florida braces for storm surge, power outages ahead of Hurricane Milton. "Duke Energy Florida, which provides electricity in areas such as St. Petersburg, Clearwater and around Orlando, said Monday it was preparing for more than 1 million power outages. It said it was mobilizing 10,000 workers, including crews from Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana, to help restore power after the storm."
• WUSF-Tampa: 'Helene was a wake-up call': Tampa Bay residents make preparations ahead of Hurricane Milton. "Deborah Steele lives on West Pearl Avenue in South Tampa. Her home was spared during Hurricane Helene. Ahead of Hurricane Milton, she's worried she won't be as lucky."
• Politico: US disaster programs are teetering. Milton could topple them. "The federal government could be nearing a collapse of its ability to help with major disasters as the second catastrophic hurricane in less than two weeks bears down on Florida."
• Associated Press: FEMA administrator continues pushback against false claims as Helene death toll hits 230. "Misinformation has spread over the past week in communities hit the hardest. Former President Donald Trump and other prominent Republicans have questioned FEMA’s response and falsely claimed that its funding is going to migrants or foreign wars. The death toll from Helene has risen to at least 230."
• Bloom Tampa Bay: USGS deploys wave sensors along Florida Gulf Coast. "USGS field crews also installed a rapid-deployment gauge on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in St. Petersburg. This streamgage will provide real-time water level data, helping emergency managers and decision-makers track water levels to protect lives and property."
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Other Florida stories
• WUFT News: Climate change, hurricanes blamed for devastating manatee food sources. "Manatees are a threatened species since 2017 when they were removed from the endangered list, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. But the increasing number of weather events in the area have some scientists concerned about their recovery."
• WUFT News: Oct 7 Palestine solidarity rally met with pro-Trump, Israel flags on UF campus. WUFT reporters document student and faculty protesting outside Tigert Hall during a walkout and rally for solidarity with Palestine organized by the UF Chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Florida.
•The Alligator: One year later: Where do UF’s pro-Israel, pro-Palestine communities stand? "Schochet was celebrating Rosh Hashanah with family at a campus organization when a UF donor began urging Jewish students in attendance to report faculty members and professors sharing pro-Palestinian sentiments, they said. While Schochet did not get the donor's name, they felt disheartened to hear such rhetoric in a Jewish space, they said."
• WUFT News: Gainesville’s City Food Hall chasing national restaurant trend. "In the post-pandemic era, many restaurants have struggled as new trends emerge. Home-delivered food and drive-throughs became the norm, hurting smaller businesses that couldn’t compete. But food halls have been able to not only last, but also grow."
• The Alligator: Gainesville community rallies for amendment returning GRU leadership to city. "Attendees rallied to support an amendment that would return the company’s leadership from state to city control. It will appear on the general election ballot Nov. 5."
• Mainstreet Daily News: GRU Authority hears plan for customer advocacy, future power generation. "She noted that the utility has run the program for more than a decade—mostly out of the public eye. But the utility wants to ensure customers know about and can access the resources available."
• WLRN-Miami: Nov. 5 electoral contest will be the last for Keys election chief. "The Monroe County Supervisor Elections, who is retiring this year after more than four decades working in the office, joined the South Florida Roundup on Friday to talk about the challenges elections officials in Florida face in keeping up with the state's new voting laws."
• USA Today ($): The cost of connection: Florida families suffer after free inmate phone calls get defunded. "Leitl's family is one of many across the state that benefitted from a pilot program designed to award Florida inmates one free 15-minute phone call a month if they displayed good behavior. But the program didn't survive state budget talks this year, and funding ran out last month."
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• World: Tunisia's President Saied wins reelection after cracking down on the opposition
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• Politics: Democrats in Kansas hope to end Republicans' reign in the state legislature
• Health: It's easy to mess up blood pressure readings, new study shows
• Law: Can ghost guns be regulated as firearms? The Supreme Court will decide
• Space: A European spacecraft launches to perform a crash scene investigation on an asteroid
Sofia Zarran curated today's edition of The Point.