WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville

Activists and students protest near the Phillips Center at the University of Florida on Thursday as white nationalist Richard Spencer speaks on campus.

Activists and students protest near the Phillips Center at the University of Florida on Thursday as white nationalist Richard Spencer speaks on campus.

Sororities and fraternities at the University of Florida are taking measures to prepare for the Thursday event on campus and combat hate speech.

The National Policy Institute has taken matters into its own hands after several local businesses attempted to reduce attendance to Richard Spencer’s speech Thursday.

The renovations are complete, but student government is still determining how to use the learning center at Newell Hall, a space designed specifically for students to study and collaborate.

The latest updates regarding security measures, closures, expectations, parking changes, bus routes, and other information connected to the event this Thursday.

While some of Gainesville small businesses and artists struggle amid growing competition and the influence of online stores, other embraced new technologies in an attempt to increase sales.

Since 1996, the Democratic nominee for president has won Archer’s precinct each time, usually by a slim margin. In 2016, the two major candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, were only separated by 3.81 percentage points, with the Democratic nominee coming out on top by only 80 votes. However, according to Archer’s citizens, these political differences don’t divide them.

UF and Santa Fe held two events to continue public discussion and opinion exchange on DACA and the SUCCEED act.

The Newnans Lake Improvement Initiative aims to clean up Newnans Lake for environmental and recreational purposes for 250,000 Alachua County residents, according to the initial project funding request. The second phase of the project is scheduled to start in March.

A dual firefighter and emergency medical technician working at the High Springs Fire Department earns an average of $29,704 annually. The same position at Alachua County Fire Rescue equates to $33,357 per year. The salary for the same position at a South Florida town of Boca Raton is $47, 448 per year. “The turnover rate is high for us, compared to what we’ve been at in previous years,” said Harold Pheus, deputy chief of Alachua County Fire Rescue. “That’s one thing that has made us concerned about our wages.”

Gainesville's Pop Warner youth football and cheerleading program has teamed up with Athlete Brain, a University of Florida student organization that analyzes the kids' brain activity outside of practice through baseline concussion testing.

This week on The Point podcast, a story from Florida's death chamber, a lesson on the First Amendment and university campuses, and the scene at Lochloosa Lake after Hurricane Irma hit. Find it at WUFT.org.