WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville

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]

President Barack Obama brought his wife and one of his daughters to Panama City last weekend for a brief stay, to show off the region’s pristine beaches. But Gina Jordan reports there’s disagreement over how much of the oil remains in the environment because of BP’s blown out well. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/howmuchoil.mp3]

It’s that time of year again, the start of the school year for elementary, high school and college. The roads are congested and the stores are packed. Parents are busy making purchases for school lunch boxes and their kids’ wardrobes for the semester. Commentator Shelley Fraser Mickle has a few …

President of Santa Fe College, Jackson Sasser, held his annual Fall Convocation on Friday where he outlined challenges for his faculty for the 2010-2011 school year. Sasser described some of those challenges to WUFT’s Jessica Gable. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/sasser.mp3]

The capping of BP’s Deepwater Horizon well hasn’t stopped oil from affecting marine life in the Gulf. As Steve Newborn reports, oil is now being found on the ocean bottom far from the well site. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/oilresearch.mp3]

Don’t be surprised if you see the University of Florida President riding to work at Tigert Hall on an electric bicycle. Working toward a sustainable campus is just one of the efforts of Bernie Machen. Machen spoke at the annual Joint Civic Club Luncheon on Wednesday and then sat down …

The Florida Primary is less than a week away and candidates and voters alike are gearing up their campaigns. There’s only one county commission seat on the primary ballot for District 2 and WUFT-FM’s Olivia Link has more on that race. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/2CoRaceD.mp3]

South Florida University researchers have found oil in the gulf has spread farther east than previously thought. Florida Public radio’s Marina Giovannelli has more. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/oilspread.mp3]

The First Family’s 27-hour trip to the Gulf region was a mix of business and pleasure. The President brought his family to the Florida Panhandle to promote a tourism industry that has been battered by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. As Florida Public Radio’s Trimmel Gomes reports, …

The Obama administration will no longer allow new deepwater drilling projects to go forward without environmental reviews, as happened with BP’s Deepwater Horizon. The administration announced the new policy today (Monday) after the White House Council on Environmental Quality reported that BP got environmental exemptions based on decades-old data. Shallow-water …

August 13th marks the 6th anniversary of when Hurricane Charley hit Florida. The category 4 hurricane caused $15 billion dollars in damages and took 35 lives. Charley is the 5th costliest hurricane in United States history. WUFT-FM’s Mike Gillespie spoke with State Meteorologist Amy Godsey about the storm and the …

U.S. Democratic Senator Bill Nelson met with elected leaders from Gainesville and Alachua County on Thursday afternoon to discuss the superfund plan for the contaminated Cabot-Koppers site in Northwest Gainesville. The Environmental Protection Agency has released a plan to clean up the 90-acre site, once used for wood treatment — …

University of Florida Police Chief Linda Stump admits the University Police Department could have handled things differently in the shooting of UF graduate student Kofi Adu-Brempong this past march. As Dan Katz reports, one of the four officers involved in the case has lost his job. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/shootingreport2.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]

The man overseeing that $20-billion dollar account set up by BP for Gulf Coast residents hit by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was at the University of West Florida on Tuesday. From Pensacola, Dave Dunwoody reports. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/oilforum.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 …

It’s been more than 100 days since the Deepwater Horizon blew up and sank to the bottom of the Gulf. Since then, an unlikely group has taken center stage – ocean researchers. Steve Newborn takes a look at the scientists behind the headlines. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/3science.mp3]

Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park currently serves as home to seven manatees. Park specialist, Susan Strawbridge says every manatee at the park has faced a life-threatening challenge. As WUFT’s Brittany Thompson reports, though BP has made progress stopping the oil well from gushing, manatees remain at risk from the oil …

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico 100 days ago wasn’t just an environmental catastrophe. It was a big political story in Florida…and the narrative was mostly about Charlie Crist. From Miami, Rick Stone has the story. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/oilsenate.mp3]

The University of Florida football team is facing its first big challenge of the season. As WUFT’s Andrea Gazmuri reports, the Gators are competing against each other for a good cause. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/89Gcharity072910.mp3]

As the oil catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico continues past 100 days, businesses in Florida’s Panhandle continue to struggle to stay afloat. The first sightings of tar balls on the sandy white beaches there took a toll on tourism revenue. And as Erica Cordell reports, though the oil spill …

Alachua County’s Choices program will provide free health and education services to members of the community this Saturday. WUFT-FM’s Erica Cordell talked with the Coordinator of Choices, Marie Small, about the upcoming community resources expo. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/3choice.mp3]

Between 500 and 700 turtle nests across the Northwest gulf coast are being dug up and re-located in an effort to protect baby sea turtles in the path of the oil spill. Though the leaking well has been plugged, there is still a lot of crude floating and coming ashore. …

Camp “Beyond the Horizon” opened its doors Monday morning, for children whose families are being affected by the Deepwater Horizon disaster. From Pensacola, Dave Dunwoody reports. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/1beyond.mp3]

CPR can mean the difference between someone living or dying. As WUFT’s Andrea Gazmuri reports, Marion County Fire Rescue personnel are making it their mission to train residents in this life saving procedure. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/cpr.mp3]

Gainesville-based band, Morningbell, plays tonight at the Bo Diddley Community Plaza in downtown Gainesville. Their fourth album, “Sincerely, Severely” was recently released and reporter, Brittany Thompson spoke with bass guitarist and back-up vocalist, Eric Atria about their music. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/morningbell.mp3]

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. …

Shark experts from around the globe recently met in Providence Road Island. Among them was George Burgess from the University of Florida. Burgess wears many hats including work as the Curator of the International Shark Attack File and as the Coordinator for Museum Operations at the Florida Museum of Natural …

Florida’s lawmakers rejected Governor Charlie Crist’s plan to place a constitutional ammendment on the November ballot to ban off-shore drilling in a special session Tuesday. Many continue to criticize the governor’s motives to call a special session in the first place, saying he put politics over policy to get ahead …

The phone doesn’t’ seem to stop ringing in the office of George Burgess at the University of Florida. It’s something the Director of the Florida Program For Shark Research says he’s gotten used to. Several shark incidents on the country’s Atlantic coast prompted the most recent frenzy of calls. Burgess …

The Deepwater Horizon-BP oil spill is expected to impact Gulf Coast beaches for months or possibly years. As Sandra Averhart reports, with that in mind, officials are looking at cleanup methods and equipment that minimize the amount of sand that’s being carted off along with the oil. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/savingsand.mp3]

Orlando-based Integrated Energy Partners appeared Monday morning before the Santa Rosa County Commission. It’s interested in a site in Jay for a proposed bio-fuels production facility. Dave Dunwoody reports. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/biofuelsd.mp3]

A BP Claims Center opened late last month in Clearwater. As Susan Giles Wantuck reports, a steady stream of people passed through looking for advice and hoping to be reimbursed for their loss of business because of the gusher in the Gulf. As of last Friday, BP said it had …

U.S. Highway 27 starts in Miami, and makes a 90-degree turn at the state capital in Tallahassee to continue north into Georgia. Much of Florida’s attention will be focused on that crossroads this week. As James Call reports, Florida lawmakers may vote to place a constitutional amendment banning oil drilling …