WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • Gainesville Sun ($): 2 arrested after protesting anti-abortion displays on University of Florida campus. “Taylor, 26, and Dinkla, 21, were protesting the large graphic images of aborted fetuses on display by the …
Read More »High pollen levels return to Gainesville
A steady stream of cars queues at the Take 5 Car Wash this month on Archer Road in Gainesville. Their drivers’ pursuit? Get clean from the pervasive yellow pollen dust. Randy Robinson was one of them on a recent afternoon. Robinson said that he was washing his car due to …
Read More »Local governments tackle pedestrian safety, panhandling
Panhandling and pedestrian safety are both prominent and continuing issues among communities in north central Florida. In the past 10 days, three local governments have started taking measures to keep pedestrians safe. They join Gainesville and Alachua County, which have also enacted ordinances in recent years. Gainesville Gainesville in 2021 …
Read More »Recent location change of the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire causes hourlong traffic jam
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Hoggetowne Medieval Fair recently switched locations from near the Gainesville Regional Airport to a field on Southwest Archer Road. Gainesville residents traveling to attend the event expected a 10- to 15-minute drive but for most the drive took over an hour in standstill traffic. The location …
Read More »A 40-year career as the rat catcher at the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire
For three weekends in January, Jim Greene smears his face in green paint, adopts medieval inflections and transforms into Emrys Fleet, the Rat Catcher at Hoggetowne Medieval Faire in Gainesville.
Read More »Data do not account for families experiencing homelessness in Alachua and surrounding counties
An accurate record of the number of families experiencing homelessness in Alachua County and surrounding areas is nonexistent. According to Patrick Dodds, the director of Continuum of Care in Gainesville, there are currently about 10 homeless families in the coordinated entry system in need of housing assistance. “I think the number’s probably 10 times that,” Dodds said. “Families are often kind of the invisible homeless.”
Read More »Pedestrian dead after being hit by two cars on Archer Road
A woman crossed busy Southwest Archer Road against the light during rush hour Friday morning and died after being struck by two vehicles, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Read More »Driver accused of crashing into patrol cars during fast chase, punching police dog
A 23-year-old man is facing charges after deputies say he fled and eluded police after speeding on Archer Road, resisted arrest and punched a K-9. Matthew Cornish was driving 90 mph in a 45 mph zone on Sunday morning when he led police on a high-speed chase. He crashed into two police cars trying to get away and drove through a front yard causing $2,000 in damages. After eluding police multiple times, he crashed into a tree, and his truck rolled over. Deputies caught up to him at the 5300 block of Southwest 70th Terrace. When deputies searched his car, they found a bag of marijunana and two bags containing almost 7 grams of cocaine. He is being charged with eight offenses, including aggravated assault on law enforcement, marijuana and cocaine possession, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage and hitting a police dog.
Read More »Gainesville grocery stores struggle to keep up with demand ahead of storm
Gainesville grocery stores are struggling to keep up with rising demand for supplies like water and toilet paper. While necessities are being restocked as quickly as possible prior to Hurricane Ian’s arrival, it is unclear how late stores will remain open. As of noon Wednesday, several locations still have water …
Read More »Hour-by-hour updates: Florida begins recovery after Hurricane Ian
This is a live event and this page will be updated as necessary as Hurricane Ian impacts Florida. You can also sign up to receive local updates through Alert Florida.
Read More »