While you were sleeping, we compiled the biggest stories of the day in one place. Each story has a quick and easy summary, so you're prepared for whatever the day brings. Just click on the links if you want to know more!
1. Florida may offset federal aid to schools defying mask mandate ban
Later this week, the Florida State Board of Education will consider new sanctions for at least 10 defiant school districts with mask mandates.
Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran has recommended cutting state funds equal to monthly salaries for non-compliant school boards and, in a new twist, he has also pushed for further cuts to cancel out any aid from the federal government. It comes after the U.S. Department of Education started reimbursing districts hit with losses last month.
Both Alachua and Broward counties received grants for following CDC masking guidance despite state sanctions.
2. Palm Beach County public schools have a 'ways to go' before mask mandate can be eased
The superintendent said the School District of Palm Beach County is developing metrics with local health leaders to determine when may be a safe time to scale back on mask requirements for students and teachers.
Those metrics include looking at Palm Beach County's daily COVID-19 positivity rate, as well as the number of cases per 100,000 people over a seven-day period.
Superintendent Mike Burke says they're looking for an 8% or less positivity rate in Palm Beach County, which has been reached, and average new cases per 100,000 people to be below 50, which hasn't been reached.
3. Fort Pierce woman arrested for hit-and-run crash that killed child
A Fort Pierce woman accused of killing a 10-year-old girl in a violent hit-and-run crash last month confessed to her family, telling her mother that "you're not going to love me anymore," a newly released arrest report shows.
Arianna Aleja Colon, 22, is facing charges of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a crash involving the death of a human. She's currently in the St. Lucie County Jail on $210,000 bond.
Yaceny Rodriguez-Gonzalez was crossing the street to get to her school bus — which was parked with its red flashing stop lights activated and stop bar out — when she was hit.
4. A new space race? Russian actress filming movie on International Space Station
Actress Yulia Peresild hitched a ride on a Russian Soyuz rocket along with film director Klim Shipenko and cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov to spend 12 days in space filming a movie.
Peresild will star in "The Challenge" while in space. Peresild plays the role of a doctor who was sent to the International Space Station to save a person's life, Reuters reports.
Russia reportedly wanted to beat Tom Cruise to space as he plans to also shoot a film on the International Space Station. However, a date for the production hasn't been set.
5. Character meet-and-greets, shows and more returning to Disney World
For the first time in forever, you'll be able to get much closer to your favorite Disney characters and see some of your favorite shows.
Indoor meet-and-greets will return in November, but an exact date has not been announced. You can find a full list of what characters and shows are returning and where at the link above.
There will be some precautions in place with hugs and autographs not being permitted yet, but guests will be able to enjoy one-on-one time with the characters and take photos.
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On This Day In History
On October 6, 1961, President John F. Kennedy, speaking on civil defense, advises American families to build bomb shelters to protect them from atomic fallout in the event of a nuclear exchange with the Soviet Union.
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