Native Gainesville band Sister Hazel is returning to kick off the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts' 20th season.

About 130 students are signed up to attend the area's third annual Gainesville and Alachua County Environmental Youth Summit on Saturday. Nkwanda Jah, the event's organizer, explains the opportunities this event offers to local youth.

The Chamber of Hispanic Affairs in Gainesville is hosting the 11th annual Downtown Latino Festival Saturday. The festival, which is free to the public, will begin at noon in the Bo Diddley Plaza in downtown Gainesville.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney finished up the RNC with an acceptance speech. WUFT recaps the event with a Florida Public Radio official.

While local blueberry farms have closed up shop for the winter, that doesn’t mean the farms are quiet.  WUFT-FM’s Sarah Samuels says many “You Pick” farms are now preparing for the spring season. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/news/files/2011/12/FPYouPickFarmsWRAP.mp3]

University of Florida students probably aren’t thinking very much about the alligators who live in the ponds around their school. However, Florida’s 89.1, WUFT-FM’s Sarah Samuels reports students should always be wary of encountering alligators on campus. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/alligators.mp3]

The beginning of winter means the end of hurricane season. WUFT-FM’s Sarah Samuels says it was a busy season, but mostly off Florida’s shores. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/news/files/2011/11/HurricaneSeasonWRAP.mp3] University of Florida Geography Assistant Professor Corene Matyas says the Northeast US saw significant travel problems and record flooding. Florida residents can take a sigh …

University of Florida students probably aren’t thinking very much about the alligators which live in the ponds around their school.  But WUFT-FM’s Sarah Samuels says students should always be wary of encountering alligators on campus, especially with the changing season. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/news/files/2011/11/CampusAlligators.mp3]

Despite the holiday cheer that begins to set in, families can also see building stress this time of year.  WUFT-FM’s Sarah Samuels says local advocates see a spike in child abuse during the holidays. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/news/files/2011/11/CHILDABUSEWRAP.mp3] Children’s Home Society of Florida Executive Director Jennifer Anchors says abuse does not have to …

A 12-year old Dixie County boy is dead following an apparent hunting accident yesterday. The Dixie County Sheriff’s office says Bryan Austin Osteen was hunting south of Cross City with his grandfather when Osteen’s shotgun fired, striking his torso. WUFT-FM spoke with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Spokeswoman Karen Parker about …