Daizy Haze and Juniper Thorn share the stage with other drag show artists after their performance at University Club, an LGBTQ nightclub for patrons 18 and over. “It’s beautiful that (the Anti-Drag Show Law) was overturned,” Haze said. “There’s people who are looking out for us, and there’s people who are looking out for the younger generation.” (Caitlyn Schiffer/WUFT News) Daizy Haze confidently commands the stage, her cascading neon hair extending down to her waist. Once the spotlight fades, however, she seamlessly transitions back to Scott McKinnon, a merchandising manager at Five Below. “D ..read more

Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: A different Hanukkah, with the same spirit. “University of Florida’s Chabad center is celebrating Hanukkah amidst rising antisemitism and the war between Israel and Hamas.” • Mainstreet Daily News: Gainesville jury awards $7.5 million for 2021 car wash murder. “On Wednesday, an Alachua County jury awarded $7.5 million to the family of Bobby Hopkins Jr., who was shot and killed in May 2021 at the Swamp Car Wash on East University Avenue.” • WUFT News: Protestors call for ceas ..read more

City commissioners have changed course on what lies ahead for Gainesville’s historic Thelma Boltin Center, opting now for a renovation instead of what was previously called a “partial restoration.” Commissioners voted 4-3 on the new plan with Mayor Harvey Ward and commissioners Reina Saco and Casey Willits in dissent. Those opposed to the new plan say they fear the building will continue to deteriorate even after the fixes and that there may be more problems with the building than they even know of now. Supporters say they think the new plan will help get the doors open faster. The new plan w ..read more

University of Florida’s Chabad center is celebrating Hanukkah amidst rising antisemitism and the war between Israel and Hamas. Friday marks the second night of the 8-day festival of lights that commemorates Jewish resilience. UF Chabad was vandalized on Nov. 24. In spite of the acts of hate, the Jewish community of Gainesville is focused on celebrating. WUFT’s Loren Miranda met with Rabbi Aaron Notik and two Jewish students at UF to learn about how the Jewish community is reflecting on the lessons of Hanukkah and practicing traditions ..read more

Protestors with Jewish Voice for Peace gathered at the Gainesville city commission meeting to call upon leaders to sign a resolution requesting President Biden to support a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Attendees said they mourn both the Israeli and Palestinian lives lost and are concerned by the actions being taken by Israeli government officials. The protestors say they hope Gainesville joining the list of cities to sign similar resolutions will increase the pressure on the President to stand up to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ..read more

New evidence emerged Friday raising more questions about the legal residency of a Republican who won election this week to the state House in South Florida as his Democratic rival filed an official complaint with the Florida Ethics Commission. A letter dated June 19 the Florida Division of Elections mailed to an apartment complex where Rep. Michael David Redondo said he had leased a unit in House District 118 in June was returned July 5 by the U.S. Postal Service and marked “Return to Sender. Attempted – Not known. Unable to forward.” A political newcomer who runs his own law firm, Redondo, 3 ..read more

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — In Florida, this year has been a tale of two states as far as rainfall totals, with the southeast coast deluged by sometimes-record rainfall and much of the Gulf of Mexico coast facing a drought. Counties up and down Florida’s west side are under new water use restrictions, especially in one area where the water table has gotten so low that wells could dry up. Now Florida’s wettest season is over until late spring. What’s happening in Florida could soon become a reality elsewhere, as farmers and residents increasingly have to deal with changes in weather patterns b ..read more

Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WCJB: Commissioners approve plan for Thelma A. Boltin Center in split vote. “In a 4 to 3 vote, the Gainesville City Commission approved a $1.5 million plan to renovate the Thelma A. Boltin Center. Mayor Harvey Ward and commissioners Reina Saco and Casey Willits voted in dissent.” • Mainstreet Daily News: Hawthorne overcomes mistakes, turnovers to win second straight state title. “The defending FHSAA Class 1R state champions overcame three interceptions and a blocked punt in the first h ..read more

University of Florida students have until Dec. 15 to sign up for the opportunity to win $25,000 in the 2024 Big Idea Gator Business Plan Competition. Shelby Thomas, a Ph.D. student at UF, won the first-place prize of $25,000 in the 2023 competition, along with the $1,000 Best Social Impact and Sustainability prize for her company Coastal Resilience Solutions. “I started a nonprofit the first year of my program, and as I got further down the line, I realized I should have made it more of a company,” Thomas said. “So, I started a company for-profit that complements the nonprofit.” It was becaus ..read more

The exterior of a third-floor apartment in Miami is seen in this Dec. 5, 2023, photograph that Rep.-elect Michael David Redondo, R-Miami, leased in June to qualify as a candidate in the Florida House District 118 special election, which he won Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023. Redondo purchased a luxury, waterfront condominium in May 2023 that is 20 miles away and in District 113 and signed a 30-year mortgage for $727,000 that required him to live in the condo as his principal residence for at least one year. (Special to Fresh Take Florida/Fresh Take Florida). The Democrat who narrowly lost a state House ..read more