WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville
Gainesville Fire rescue held a push-in ceremony Tuesday. Ladder 9 is the newest quint fire truck with a 100-foot aerial ladder. It is capable of holding 500 gallons of water.
Read More »Gainesville Fire Rescue Pushes Ladder 9 into Service
Gainesville Police Department Makes Mental Health a Top Priority
For over three years, police officers and clinicians at the Gainesville Police and Alachua County Sheriff’s Departments have been working to address local mental health issues through their co-responder teams. Two teams were added earlier this year, and one more will be introduced next month.
Read More »Columbia High School Ups Security For Football Games Following Bump In Firearm Incidents
New safety measures were rolled out at Columbia High School after a football game on Sept. 3 when two students were found to be armed.
Read More »Marion County Kids Are Confiding In Teachers About Abuse At Home
A 35-year-old man from Fort McCoy was arrested for child abuse on Monday.
Read More »Local Firefighters Want Gainesville’s Mayor to Resign
Gainesville Professional Firefighters voted no-confidence in Mayor Lauren Poe during a meeting on September 17. On Monday, Nick Gonzalez, President of the Firefighter Union Local 2157 released a statement requesting Mayor Poe’s resignation. This comes after the City of Gainesville’s new vaccine mandate for all government employees. In an email …
Read More »Florida Bartender Set To Collect $70,252 In Sexual Harassment Case After Five Days on Job
A Florida bartender who sued for $1 million over allegations that her supervisor groped her in a beer cooler before she quit after five days on the job is set to collect $70,252 in a federal lawsuit against owners of a Panhandle restaurant. In a twist, the owners themselves are …
Read More »Alachua County Fire Rescue Seeks Burnout Relief Amid Increased Workload
Rebecca Creech-Redding wakes up to one of two alarms. Some nights, she springs from a vinyl recliner as a siren screeches in her ears. She straightens her glasses, dashes to her locker, pulls on rubber boots and leaps into the back of an ambulance — a vehicle Creech-Redding affectionately refers …
Read More »Gainesville Work Camp Could Be Next In North Florida Prison Closures
Last month, as of Aug. 27, three state correctional facilities in Baker and Bradford counties were shut down by the Florida Department of Corrections. Now the prison work camp in Gainesville could be next on the list of temporary prison closures in North Central Florida, according to James Baiardi, the …
Read More »E-Scooters Raise Traffic Safety Concerns
Students and fans are back in the swamp. They are not the only ones that have returned to Gainesville. Traffic is back as well. In an effort to ease transportation, the city of Gainesville and the University of Florida are offering anyone age 18 years or older the opportunity to …
Read More »Gainesville Police Corporal Pleads No Contest In DUI Case
A Gainesville police corporal pleaded no contest in Alachua County Circuit Court to a charge of driving under the influence. Cpl. Scott Bertzyk, 46, rear-ended a car on Newberry Road in the early morning hours of Jan. 1, according to a Gainesville Police Department arrest report, causing at least $8,000 …
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