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 • WUFT News: Photos: Protesters greet Ben Sasse’s first day as UF president. “The crowd consisted of students, faculty members and members of the UF community, many of whom disapprove of Ben Sasse’s …
Read More »Williston businessman sentenced to prison for defrauding federal government
Patrick Walsh, the brother-in-law of indicted former Florida State Rep. Joe Harding, was sentenced to five and a half years in federal prison Tuesday for defrauding the federal government of $7.8 million in COVID-19 aid in 2020.
Read More »Florida Department of Transportation continues to increase pedestrian safety on University Avenue
Construction continues on University Avenue as two new traffic signals have been installed along the busy road as part of new safety plan. Concern for pedestrian and road safety on University Avenue has been a major concern ever since the tragic deaths of two University of Florida students in the …
Read More »City of Gainesville holds corridor walks as it declares a traffic ‘crisis’
Gainesville city commissioners adopted a Vision Zero policy in 2018, aimed at eliminating all traffic-related deaths and injuries by 2040.
Read More »Gainesville immigrants lean on community in the face of challenges
Paula and her family left their native Mexico to chase their dream of opportunity in the United States. A lot of paperwork and a two-day bus ride later, they arrived in Gainesville in May. Since then, Paula’s family has struggled to get their feet on the ground. Paula and her husband do not have the legal documentation to work in the U.S. Their efforts to find schools for their sons and a way to earn an income while dealing with their legal status have been nearly impossible to navigate, said Paula, who is waiting for her family's 2024 court date to seek asylum. Paula’s story exposes the challenges that immigrants face in Gainesville and other parts of the country.
Read More »Growing, growing, gone: Marion County residents bemoan development surge
The air in McPherson Complex Auditorium in Ocala, once stale with bureaucracy, surged with something much more urgent upon the introduction of Item 7. Items 1-6 on the Marion County Commission planning and zoning agenda – ensnared in traps of technical jargon and dusted with mundane details – didn’t hold …
Read More »The Point, Dec. 14, 2022: Gainesville releases financial report almost 6 months late
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WCJB: The city of Gainesville released its financial auditing reports, which were approved unanimously. “The city of Gainesville’s 2020-2021 fiscal report was late by almost six months.” • Gainesville Sun ($): Does …
Read More »The Point, Dec. 7, 2022: Alachua County Commission approves landlord utility assistance
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: Alachua County Commission selects new chair, approves $340,000 in federal aid for landlord utility rental assistance initiative. “The Alachua County Commission selected incumbent Vice Chair Anna Prizzia to succeed Marihelen …
Read More »Longboarding and skateboarding competition challenges competitors at Boulware Springs Park
Miami Ultraskate record-holder Neena Beena hosted a longboard and skateboard event Sunday at the Boulware Springs Park trailhead with “awesome prizes,” competitors said. The free seventh annual Briefcase Push Race challenged riders in a 10K race and 2-mile race on the Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail, and a dizzy race, freestyle competition …
Read More »Gainesville City Commission votes to reopen street traffic near Flaco’s
The flocks of people who find their way to the picnic tables outside of Flaco’s Cuban Bakery late at night might have to find a new place to congregate. Flaco’s has used its adjacent one-way street as a patio area since 2020 when Gainesville implemented the Streatery program to help …
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