WUFT's Biggest Stories of 2017

Reader's picks for the biggest stories of 2017

• Dogs Rescued From South Korean Dog Meat Farm Arrive In Gainesville (Jan. 17)
• Local Protesters To Bus To D.C. Women’s March (Jan. 19)
• Alachua County Proposes $25 Million Fairgrounds Relocation Plan, Requests $7 Million From State (Jan. 20)
• Man Wearing Swastika Explains Why He Came To Turlington Plaza (Jan. 26)
• After 40 Years Serving Gainesville, Burrito Brothers To Close (Jan. 30)
• Commissioners Vote In Support Of UF And Gainesville Planning Agreement (Feb. 3)
• Yoho Answers To Contentious Town Hall Crowd That Ends With Protester Violence (March 4)
• Should Water In Florida’s Schools Be Tested For Lead? (March 27)
• A Tale of TwoGainesvilles(April 2)
• Horse Attacks Alligator At Paynes Prairie (April 12)
• Gainesville’s Copper Monkey Sells On eBay For $80K (April 17)
• Erich Farber, Solar-Energy PioneerAnd UF Professor, Dies At 95 (April 17)
• Questions Abound In Aftermath Of Former Gator, NFL Star Aaron Hernandez’s Death (April 20)
• First Medical Cannabis DispensaryTo Open In Gainesville (May 18)
• County Commission Votes To Move Confederate Statue “Old Joe” (May 24)
• June 2017 Was Rainiest Month on Record in Gainesville (June 29)
• Five local cases of missing money:
  
  
  
  • $49K Is Missing From the Gainesville Regional Airport Parking Lot (June 11)
  • Four suspended for failures in city card theft case (June 22)
  • 17th arrest in UF parking fraud case (July 19)
  • Gainesville RTS Audit Shows Variances Between Reported And Estimated Revenue (Nov. 6)
  • Police: Two Senior UF Housing Employees Stole $470K In Cash (Nov. 9)

• Troupe Of Monkeys Vex Silver Springs State Park, Go Viral On Social Media (July 12)
• Gainesville City Commission Approves $750M Biomass Plant Purchase (Aug. 25)
• Hurricane Irma (Sept. 10-11)
• Gainesville Native, Rock Star Tom Petty Remembered (Oct. 3)
• Richard Spencer at UF (Oct. 19)

WUFT.org's top 100 most read stories

These are the stories that led our website's traffic this year.

1. Man Wearing Swastika Explains Why He Came To Turlington Plaza
2. Hurricane Irma Updates For North Central Florida
3. Horse Attacks Alligator At Paynes Prairie
4. UF Greek Life Responds To Richard Spencer
5. Record Number Applies To UF; Average Admission GPA Is 4.4
6. Rope Tied Into Noose As Joke, UF Student Says
7. Officials No Longer Anticipate I-75 Shutdown After Irma
8. I-75 Southbound Lanes Blocked Due To Fatal Crash Near Micanopy
9. 3 UF Students Among 15 Arrested In Sex Trafficking Sting
10. Car Falls into Sinkhole from Flooding in Ocala
11. Live Map — Total Solar Eclipse Crosses The U.S.
12. State Buys Gilchrist’s Blue Springs Park For $5.25 Million
13. Plane Wreckage, Second Body Found Off Of Cedar Key
14. Live Blog: UF Prepares for Richard Spencer
15. North Central Florida Avoids Severe Damage During Storm
16. Gainesville Woman Arrested After Shooting Man At The Ridge
17. Gainesville Police Reviewing Complaint Against Officer From Viral Photo
18. Four Dead In Williston Plane Crash
19. Hurricane Irma Updates For North Central Florida
20. State Employee Pay Hikes On The Table
21. Archer Road Motorcycle Crash Leaves Rider In Critical Condition
22. ‘Do We Have To Fight Nazis Again?’ Professor Says Of Spencer At UF
23. Gainesville’s Copper Monkey Sells On eBay For $80K
24. In Photos: Demonstrators March At UF As Richard Spencer Speaks
25. Holy Sea Cow! Florida Survey Finds Record Number Of Manatees
26. Under Bill, Bright Futures Would Again Offer Full Tuition Coverage
27. Michael Lambrix Executed After 33 Years on Florida’s Death Row
28. Ultimate Towing’s Roam Towing Practices Attract Gainesville City Commission’s Attention
29. Florida Woman Gives Chronic Fatigue Patients Hope
30. NASA Live Stream: Total Solar Eclipse
31. Q & A With Richard Spencer
32. Key West Police Release Footage of UF Student Body President-Elect’s Arrest
33. First Amendment Professor On Richard Spencer’s Right To Speak
34. FEMA’s Craig Fugate, On His Replacement And Hatred For Bureaucracy
35. Canine Influenza Virus Found In Florida For The First Time
36. Raw Cookie Dough Bakery Opens Despite Changing Landscape Of West University
37. Life On Death Row: Michael Lambrix Has Thrice Avoided Execution
38. Puerto Rico Is Officially Bankrupt: What Does It Mean?
39. Latest Updates On National Policy Institute Event
40. Proposed Florida Bill Would Protect Drivers Who Unintentionally Hit, Kill Protesters
41. Prehistoric Saber-Tooth Cat Skull Uncovered Near Williston
42. Power Still Out? Here’s Why
43. Illinois Retailer To Bring New Jobs To Gainesville, Ocala
44. Tragic Love Triangle Is Sad For Lonely Rare Snail, Still Good For Science
45. Gainesville Police Arrest Three In Shooting Following Alt-right Speech
46. Fecal Contamination Closes Creek At Gainesville Park
47. Growth Of Gainesville Neighborhoods Causes Concern Among Residents
48. Alachua County Files Lawsuit Against Its Own Sheriff
49. New Study Reclassifies Three Types of Florida Snake
50. Richard Spencer At UF Today Causes Road, Business Closures
51. Newell Hall Transformed For Students
52. Yoho Answers To Contentious Town Hall Crowd That Ends With Protester Violence
53. Gainesville Towing Company Wants To Drop ‘Spotters’ But Can’t
54. Sabal Trail Pipeline Prevents Native American Funeral Ceremony
55. National Policy Institute Takes Over Ticket Distribution For Richard Spencer
56. $49K Is Missing From the Gainesville Regional Airport Parking Lot
57. UF Students Call For Student Body President-Elect’s Resignation After Spring Break Arrest
58. ‘That Place Is Cursed’: Tenants Revolve In, Out Of Downtown Gainesville Spots
59. Find Out Florida: When Did Correctional Officers Last Receive A Raise?
60. Highway 441 Still Flooded In Paynes Prairie
61. Gainesville’s Newest Music Venue To Debut During Heartwood Music Festival
62. One Dead In Tuesday Morning Plane Crash In Williston
63. Police: UF Law Professor Arrested After Punching Teen
64. WUFT’s Fanfares and Fireworks Welcomes The Duppies and Hedges to 2017 Line-up
65. First Medical Cannabis Dispensary To Open In Gainesville
66. After Veteran Incident, UF Frat Zeta Beta Tau Returns To Campus
67. UF Housing Director Spent Thousands In Furniture Store, Employee Says
68. Gainesvillians Document Irma’s Wrath On Social Media
69. Brother Remembers UF Student Killed By Hit-And-Run Driver
70. Gainesville Residents Still Recovering From Hurricane Irma
71. Marion County Schools Make Time For More Instruction By Suspending Tests
72. Can Cannabis Cure The Opioid Epidemic?
73. Body Of Man In Interlachen Boat Accident Found
74. UF Students React To Conservative Commentator’s Visit To Campus
75. Gainesville’s Jewish Community Readying For Spencer At UF
76. Body Found, As Search Is Called Off For Missing Plane Near Cedar Key
77. The Standard Under FDOT Investigation For Size Problems
78. Proposed Bright Futures Extension Could Mean More Summer Students
79. GPD: Three Of Five Suspects In Custody After Attempted Murder Of Child, Death Of Her Father
80. Florida Legislature Passes Bill to Strengthen Stand Your Ground Law
81. Florida Voices: Vietnam Veterans | Scott Camil, Marine Corps, 1965 to 1967
82. Police: Two Senior UF Housing Employees Stole $470K In Cash
83. Fire Departments In Alachua County Dealing With Increasing Turnover Rates Due To Lower Salaries
84. UF Students Prepare To March For Science
85. Senate Bill Would Make Recess Mandatory for Florida Elementary Schools
86. Forest Service Battles Wildfire In Ocala National Forest
87. Find Out Florida: How Many Messages Has UF Received About Spencer Visit?
88. Celebration Pointe Charges Higher Sales Tax
89. Unable To Ride, Special-Needs Teen Fundraising For Custom Bike
90. UF Journalism School Dean: ‘Our Obligation As Journalists’ To Cover Spencer
91. What Tax Will Airbnb Pay To Alachua County?
92. Alachua County Makes The FEMA List For Individual Assistance Post-Hurricane Irma
93. Rape In Gainesville And The Fight Against It
94. After 40 Years Serving Gainesville, Burrito Brothers To Close
95. Floridians Should Expect Days Without Power
96. Fla. Bill Would Require Mental Evaluation For Concealed Carry
97. Gainesville Police Officer Suspended, Under Criminal Investigation
98. John Morgan On If He Runs For Governor: Raise Wages, Restore Voting Rights
99. South Florida Water Management Department Hires 25 Burmese Python Hunters
100. ‘Above My Means’: Housing Near UF Swings Up In Rent, Amenities