Rabu, 23 September 2026

Dengue Rises, Gators Volleyball Climbs, and Faceless Reese's Pumpkins

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1960, Tropical Depression Florence came ashore near Chokoloskee, cut northeast toward Vero Beach, then doubled back west across the state and made landfall a second time near Pensacola.

What's your go-to headache cure? We ran the 10 most popular home remedies for headaches past neurologists, and the verdicts are all over the map. One popular trick can actually make the pain worse, and the remedy with the strongest scientific evidence might not be in your medicine cabinet at all. See if your remedy made the list, and what the experts had to say about it. Ayla has the details on today's episode of The Flyover Podcast. Tune in here!

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Whistleblower Photos Prompt ICE Facility Probe

Democrats on the U.S. House Oversight Committee released whistleblower photographs Monday and opened an investigation into conditions at ICE facilities in Miramar and Orlando.

The images show detainees sleeping on the floor of the Miramar sally port, trash bags piled outside, and four portable toilets that the whistleblower says serve more than 100 people. Detainees brush their teeth outside with a hose.

Committee members say the Miramar site at one point held 342 people in space rated for 50, and that detainees sleep in handcuffs, leg irons, and belly chains. The allegations come from whistleblower accounts and have not been independently verified.

Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the committee's ranking member, said ICE "must immediately put an end to this inhumane treatment." ICE and DHS have not responded to requests for comment on the photos.

Florida Records First Dengue Death

An 80-year-old Hillsborough County woman who contracted dengue fever died Sept. 4 of septic shock and multiple organ failure, the state's first dengue death this year.

Florida leads the country with more than 300 of the nearly 2,000 dengue cases reported nationwide in 2026. Of those, 152 were caught inside the state rather than picked up traveling abroad, the most local infections since 2023.

Hillsborough County accounts for 134 of Florida's cases. Kristi Miley, a global health professor at the University of South Florida, said the county "has not recorded this level of dengue infection since the 1930s."

Dengue deaths are rare in the United States, usually in the single digits each year. Hillsborough has stepped up spraying and trapping, and officials say transmission may be slowing, though they're urging residents to dump standing water and use repellent.

Florida Colleges Slip in New Rankings

Nearly every Florida public university slipped in the new U.S. News rankings of top colleges, with Florida A&M University the big exception, climbing 13 spots to No. 79 among public schools, its best finish ever.

The University of Florida dropped one spot to No. 8 among public universities and four spots to No. 34 overall. Florida State fell three spots to No. 24 among public colleges, South Florida three spots to No. 46, and North Florida six spots to No. 128.

Florida State blamed part of its slide on a scoring change: U.S. News stopped counting student debt, on which FSU had performed well. "Our responsibility is not to chase rankings but to create one of the nation's best educational experiences," President Richard McCullough said.

FAMU's gain came with a loss. North Carolina A&T ended the Tallahassee school's seven-year run as the nation's top public historically black college, and FAMU slipped to No. 6 among all such schools, tied with Hampton University.

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➤ Key Largo: Customs and Border Protection and the Coast Guard stopped a 27-foot boat near Angelfish Creek carrying 22 illegal immigrants, including 13 Chinese nationals. A Cuban national suspected of smuggling them was arrested Tuesday. (See Video)

➤ Tallahassee: A student wounded in the April 2025 shooting outside FSU's Student Union settled with the university and will finish her degree at no cost. Florida law caps FSU's damages at $300,000 for all victims' claims. (See Details)

➤ Port St. Lucie: Thousands of small dead fish turned up in the C-24 Canal behind homes on Southwest Abingdon Avenue. Wildlife officials received three reports over two days and point to low water and warm temperatures. (More)

➤ Bay County: A 14-year-old boy is charged with five counts of arson and two bomb-threat counts after investigators tied him to more than 60 swatting calls, including threats to a Six Flags park and an Ohio hospital. (More)

➤ Fort Walton Beach: A doctor agreed to pay $300,000 to settle allegations of unlawful opioid prescribing. Federal officials said the civil settlement is not an admission of liability. (See Details)

Enjoy reading Flyover Florida? Click here to share with your friends and family. ✈️

➤ Florida Gators volleyball climbed to No. 8 in the AVCA Top 25 after an 8-1 start with wins over No. 17 Baylor and No. 15 Minnesota. Florida hosts Jacksonville on Wednesday, then opens SEC play at Oklahoma on Sunday. (More)

➤ IMG Academy in Bradenton holds the top spot in Florida's 2026 high school football composite rankings at 4-0, with 6-0 St. Thomas Aquinas of Fort Lauderdale second and Miami's Columbus third. The list blends Massey, MaxPreps, ESPN, and SI. (See List)

➤ A Florida receiver threw downfield on a trick play to set up a field goal in the Gators' 44-39 win at Auburn. Kahleil Jackson's last attempt at the play, three years ago against Vanderbilt, was intercepted. (Read Story)

➤ Mike Norvell's Seminoles spent an estimated $23 to $30 million on this year's roster, fourth-most in the ACC, yet were picked 11th in the league preseason and now carry its 13th-best title odds. (See Details)

Yesterday’s Results: MLB | NHL | WNBA | NCAA Volleyball

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➤ Health First cut more than 200 jobs, about 2% of its workforce, at its Brevard County operations. Most were administrative and clerical roles, and the system is also ending its Hospital at Home program. (See Details)

➤ Wakulla County commissioners voted unanimously on Monday night to ban data centers from unincorporated parts of the county, skipping the temporary moratoriums other counties are weighing. (More)

➤ Pasture mealybugs have spread across roughly a third of Jackson County since August, turning bahiagrass purple and killing it. The grass is the backbone of Florida's cow-calf operations, and mowing short is about the only defense. (More)

➤ Tallahassee State College will spend $27.3 million on a workforce training center in Crawfordville, replacing its current Wakulla campus. Renderings show a two-story building with classrooms, specialized labs, and a healthcare simulation center. (See Details)

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The Pentagon’s Got Its Eye on This Tech

One of the biggest indicators for forward-thinking investors is where the U.S. government puts its money.

First, they bet big on jet engines. Then drones. Now? Flying cars. The U.S. Air Force just signed a $142M deal for a company building five-seater air taxis. But our nation’s most covert operations need smaller, personal aircraft. And Doroni, the company positioned to lead the $100B personal eVTOL category, aims to capture this opportunity.

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➤ Faceless Reese's pumpkins won't get two Florida shoppers a payout. A federal judge dismissed their class-action suit against Hershey over the carved faces pictured on the packaging, calling their only injury "subjective disappointment." (See Details)

➤ A 400-pound silverback named Bakari now leads the gorilla troop at Disney's Animal Kingdom, taking over for Gino, who held the job for nearly 30 years. He's still meeting the females through mesh barriers. (See Video)

➤ A century-old mystery over decorated pottery found around Tampa Bay has an answer. Researchers analyzing 58 sherds traced them to migrant potters who traveled hundreds of miles south from the Mississippian heartland and set up shop. (Read Story)

➤ LEGOLAND's Christmas Bricktacular returns on select dates Nov. 21 through Jan. 3 in Winter Haven with a LEGO Santa drone show, the park's first rap battle show, and a holiday light trail. (More)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes.

➤ What are the 10 most popular at-home headache remedies, and do they actually work? (Hear Remedies)

➤ Tesla has reopened reservations for its long-delayed Roadster, nearly nine years after the car was promised. (Listen Now)

➤ Demand for wine is falling, forcing California grape growers to tear out vineyards their families tended for generations. (Hear Story)

In case you missed it, this week on Flyover Focus, we dug into the cost of living and how it affects you. Why does your paycheck buy less, and do Social Security raises keep retirees afloat? Tune in here for all of those answers and more.