The RTS stop in front of Gator Corner Dining Center services campus routes 28, 34, 122, 125 and 126. All five of these routes would be eliminated this summer due to a possible cut in funding. (Brooke Davidson/WUFT News) Around 50 Gainesville residents joined a Zoom town hall Wednesday to hear from Casey Willits, Gainesville’s District 3 commissioner representing southwest Gainesville. Attendee questions were submitted through a registration form on three topics: the Regional Transit System (RTS), the Vision Zero Policy, and Streets, Stations and Strong Foundations projects. The panel consisted ..read more

University of Florida students gathered outside the Reitz Union Wednesday in support of the Palestinian people and to urge UF to divest from Israeli war interests. The protest was promoted by the UF Divestment Coalition and lasted approximately eight hours during which faculty and students delivered speeches. A counter-protest of students in support of Israel occurred at the same time. The University of Florida Police Department separated the two groups. Students in support of Israel stand in conversation during a student demonstration for the divestment of UF funds to weapons manufacturers co ..read more

The entrance to Lincoln Yard Trail. The park is currently under construction. ((Tomas Curcio/WUFT News)) The Lincoln Estates neighborhood in Gainesville will have a new public space for residents to enjoy this coming June. The Lincoln Yard Trail at 2099 SE Eighth Ave. will be a new park containing a one-third-mile walking trail, a stormwater pond, a playground and an adult fitness station. The linear park will span from Southeast 10th Place to Southeast Eighth Avenue and will be in the company of Lincoln Estates’ Lincoln Park and T.B. McPherson Recreation Center. Projects like these in Gainesv ..read more

<i>Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is backing his party's aim to win additional county school board seats in November. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)</i> Republicans have managed to increase their party's control over all but 12 of Florida’s 67 county school boards, according to a new analysis of election data. The GOP’s control has increased from 44 counties to 55 in just a few years. Republicans are competing in November to pick up at least 23 more school board seats, which could give the GOP control over as many as five more school districts if their candidates are successful. The bo ..read more

The Gainesville Police Department and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office have been arresting more juveniles for first-time misdemeanor offenses rather than issuing citations. The changing pattern stems from the decreased frequency of youth dialogue meetings and difficulties in supporting at-risk youth programs, according to over a dozen interviews with community leaders and law enforcement officials. Officers may issue temporary penalties called civil citations if a youth aged 8 to 17 has committed a minor offense, said Olivia Hollier, the youth services manager for the Alachua County Sheriff ..read more

Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local communities to report on under-covered issues, named nearly 60 reporters to new positions at newsrooms around the country on Wednesday, including an agriculture, water and climate change beat for WUFT. Schnabel, who grew up on her family’s farm in Indiana, graduates next month with dual degrees in biology and Spanish from Indiana University. Her reporting experience includes covering science and the environment for the Spanish language El Nuevo Día in Puerto Rico. “Agriculture and the environment are siz ..read more

<i>Two paintings from domestic violence survivor Marie Jimenez hang in the Peaceful Path exhibits. “Daphne and her Laurel Tree,” on the left, was painted in 2003. Jimenez also painted the untitled work on the right the same year. (Sofia Mendez/WUFT News)</i> The piece titled “Seascape” reminds artist Frederick Smith of American author Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, showing him that "all we need, really, is a change from a near frigid to a tropical attitude of mind," he said. The Hope Works Exhibition, organized by the domestic violence center Peaceful Paths, is showcasing the artistic ..read more

Chefs from Flavorful Inc. prepare a meal with other participating organizations during the Gainesville Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion Initiative (GINI) event “The Community That Eats Together, Stays Together,” in June 2023.((Photo courtesy of Gainesville Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion Initiative)) Good food warms the heart and feeds the soul. The idea of that connection between food and sharing led Aisse Kane and Awa Kaba to create Flavorful Inc., a catering service of Afro-fusion food in Gainesville, and work on different initiatives to combat food insecurity. “The more we work together and share ..read more

<i>Less than one point stood between the final score for the Tigers (1st) and the Gators (4th) at the NCAA Gymnastics Championships from April 18-20 in Fort Worth, Texas, at Dickies Arena.</i><br/> LSU secured their first NCAA gymnastics national championship title on Saturday, trailed by California, Utah and the University of Florida. Less than one point stood between the Tigers and the Gators. After advancing to the team final four event, Florida got off to a slow start on vault, falling behind to fourth place after the first rotation. First-place LSU led the Gators by 0.3 ..read more

ORLANDO, Fla. – A Democratic lawmaker in Orlando elected seven times to the state House in Florida has listed his home addresses on official paperwork outside the legislative districts where he has been elected, according to a review of campaign filings, financial reports, property listings and voter registration records over two decades. The discovery raises questions about whether Rep. Bruce Hadley Antone was legally eligible to hold office. Florida District 41 Rep. Bruce Antone. (Wikipedia/Fresh Take Florida) When a reporter presented Antone recently with evidence that the address he provid ..read more