Florida Good

On the night before the Dove Outreach Center’s original plans to burn Qurans, the Gainesville community filled the Trinity United Methodist Church to send a message of peace and tolerance. Michael Gillespie was there. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/peacegathering.mp3]

The Gainesville community held an interfaith service at a church in downtown Gainesville on Wednesday, September 8th, to show unity and disagreement with the actions planned by the Dove World Outreach Center. Jon Perry reports. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/interfaithservice.mp3]

Over the weekend the Gainesville community dedicated a tombstone memorial to the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust. As WUFT-FM’s Kara Van Hoose reports, organizers say the memorial has deep meaning for the Jewish community in North Central Florida. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/holocaustD.mp3]

We’ve all heard the saying, “you can do anything if you put your mind to it.” As WUFT’s Andrea Gazmuri reports, a paralyzed Florida woman proves just that. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/Sailingsurvivor.mp3]

This summer marks 65 years since World War Two ended. An entire generation who holds the memories that made that war is disappearing every day. There are millions of men and women, those who weren’t the celebrities, who still remember details from their experiences. Kari Beckerman has the story of …

Wes Skiles from High Springs was an internationally recognized underwater photographer and explorer. His death on Wednesday has shocked his friends and colleagues across the state. He was pronounced dead Wednesday afternoon after his body was found at the bottom of a reef off Palm Beach Coast while filming for …

Renowned underwater photographer Wes Skiles has died. Skiles, from High Springs was pronounced dead Wednesday afternoon after his body was found at the bottom of a reef off Palm Beach Coast. Skiles, a freelance photographer for National Geographic also owned his own production company, Karst Productions and Karst Environmental Services. …

Santa Fe College and members of the Gainesville community send care packages to Florida soldiers serving in Iraq and Kuwait every month. As Erica Cordell reports, on Wednesday “Operation Care Pak” sent more than 18 packages to show support for the troops. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/3carepak.mp3]

Alachua County Veterans Services invites the Gainesville community to a special Memorial Day ceremony. The ceremony and barbeque will honor a unique group of Gainesville veterans. WUFT’s Erica Cordell talked with retired Alachua County Veterans Services Director, Jim Lynch about the 20,000 veterans in Gainesville. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/5lynch2.mp3]

The man who has helped veterans in Alachua County for more than two decades is retiring. The veteran community in Gainesville consists of 20,000 people. Jim Lynch has helped secure benefits for many of them. WUFT’s Erica Cordell sat down with Lynch on the eve of his retirement to talk …