Paula and her family left their native Mexico to chase their dream of opportunity in the United States. A lot of paperwork and a two-day bus ride later, they arrived in Gainesville in May. Since then, Paula’s family has struggled to get their feet on the ground. Paula and her husband do not have the legal documentation to work in the U.S. Their efforts to find schools for their sons and a way to earn an income while dealing with their legal status have been nearly impossible to navigate, said Paula, who is waiting for her family's 2024 court date to seek asylum. Paula’s story exposes the challenges that immigrants face in Gainesville and other parts of the country.

There apparently will not be any monkey business in Levy County. Plans for a primate research lab in this rural north central Florida county have been shelved. And many residents, still harboring anxieties about the idea, say good riddance. “It’s bad enough that it’s gonna be a monkey lab, and …