Austin Landis
Austin is a reporter for WUFT News and can be contacted by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.
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Books and Burgers, a literacy program run by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Youth and Community Resource Unit is a local activity. Officers go to different elementary schools and parks to grill burgers and hot dogs, hand out books and spend time with kids and parents.
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Small police departments like Williston's 12-man team keep the community and police department in sync, but lower pay and lack of promotion makes it hard to recruit.
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Micanopy pastor Chris Stokes is working to turn a vacant portable-classroom building in the small Alachua County city into a community center. He hopes to have it up and running by August.
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The Senate Education Committee has approved a bill that would require Florida public elementary schools to offer 20 minutes of recess each day. Currently, only 11 out of 67 state school districts have unstructured free play time.
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A hearing was held Wednesday to decide whether three Dignity Village residents who were previously kicked out would be allowed back in the Gainesville homeless community, with the three-person panel deciding all of them would.
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Following a few officers leaving the Williston Police Department, the city has boosted the starting officer salary to $32,000 from $30,000.
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Volunteers set out across Gainesville to places like Grace Marketplace, St. Francis House and downtown Gainesville to survey the homeless Thursday.
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Longhorn Steakhouse had its grand opening, as did Culver's, a chain known for their ButterBurgers and custards. Olive Garden opened, too, but this was following a relocation.
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Phalanx Defense Systems is set to move its headquarters and some manufacturing from its location at Gainesville's airport to the Army building.
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Suppliers and consumers are concerned about the impact Amendment 1 might have toward solar power.