Besides Newberry, a range of other North Central Florida governments are to receive money from Stericycle.

A new girls group has started in Alachua, focused on teaching girls of all ages day-to-day life skills and providing support for their families. Dream Girlz already has about 50 potential members.

Gainesville residents are turning to yoga to help them relieve stress and treat other physical ailments. A new study has shown that practicing yoga can help to reduce the need for health care treatment.

Volunteers with Operation Christmas Child in Florida pack shoeboxes full of gifts and necessary items for children in need in India and Ghana. The goal for this year is to surpass last year’s total of 16,000 shoeboxes and collect 16,900.

From Nov. 11 to 14, a total of about 3,000 students from all over Florida gathered at the Santa Fe College campus for the Florida Theatre Conference Festival, an annual event that gives students from all over Florida the opportunity to audition, attend workshops and showcase their work.

Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency's Southwest Fifth Avenue project built new sidewalks in the community of Porters in downtown Gainesville. The CRA received the Out-of-the-Box Award from the Florida Redevelopment Association on Oct. 22 for addressing issues in the Porters neighborhood. These redevelopments have given community members a new sense of pride for their neighborhood.

The Gainesville Police Department and The River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding are bringing dialogues to the communities around Gainesville to hear from people who have issues in their neighborhoods. These police-community dialogues are expanding and promoting positive change, and RPCP believes that healthy communication breaks the cycle of violence and creates safer communities.

Locals place teal pumpkins outside their homes on Halloween to show they provide allergy-friendly treats.

Over the past 20 years, Newberry's population has grown from around 1,500 to 5,000. With 40 new businesses and 2,000 new jobs, people are moving to Newberry rather than commuting elsewhere.