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 Special Report: Behind the bet: how illegal online books work. “When it comes to legal online books, placing bets and receiving payouts is done on the same platform. There are …
Read More »Two former Gainesville mayors died in last week
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Two former Gainesville mayors died in the past week. James “Jim” Painter died Thursday from cancer at the age of 71, and Craig Lowe was found dead Saturday morning at the age of 65. Lowe’s cause of death remains undisclosed. From 1993 through 1996, Painter was Gainesville’s …
Read More »The Point, Jan. 17, 2023: First openly gay Gainesville mayor dies
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • Mainstreet Daily News: Former Gainesville mayor dies. “According to a city of Gainesville release, Lowe, 65, served as the District 4 commissioner from 2003-10 and then made history as the city’s first …
Read More »The Point, Dec. 22, 2022: Real estate broker sues Gainesville over SWAT raid
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • Gainesville Sun ($): Real estate broker involved in SWAT raid sues the City of Gainesville in federal court. “Though not named in the warrant, Hurst was held at gunpoint, frisked, and had …
Read More »The Point, Dec. 14, 2022: Gainesville releases financial report almost 6 months late
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WCJB: The city of Gainesville released its financial auditing reports, which were approved unanimously. “The city of Gainesville’s 2020-2021 fiscal report was late by almost six months.” • Gainesville Sun ($): Does …
Read More »Historic Preservation Board begins to decide future of Thelma A. Boltin Center
The Gainesville Historic Preservation Board conducted its monthly meeting at City Hall on Tuesday to vote on the future of the Thelma A. Boltin Center. In a 5-1 vote with one abstention, the board decided to preserve the building’s auditorium, while demolishing and renovating the east wing under conditions recommended …
Read More »French game of pétanque finds a home in Gainesville
Sarah Lauerman took an interest in French culture and was intrigued by the sport of pétanque. She wanted to learn how to speak French and engage with the culture further, so she started a club around the sport. Now Lauerman is the president of Gainesville Pétanque, a club she started in 2017 with informal meetings. It has since grown to include 50 members and is played at two public courts in north Gainesville. And she had the sport included in the Gainesville Senior Games.
Read More »The future of the Thelma A. Boltin Center: a taxpayer’s burden or historic preservation?
The historic Thelma A. Boltin Center, a once bustling entertainment space for Gainesville residents, now lies silent as the building slowly succumbs to the trials of time. Located at 516 NE 2nd Ave. and built in 1943 as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal initiative, the community center has …
Read More »Gainesville commissioners vote to allow sex offenders to live closer to schools, day cares and parks
The Gainesville City Commission passed an amendment Tuesday that allows people convicted of sexual offenses involving children under age 16 to live closer to schools, day care centers and parks, reducing the prohibited radius from 2,500 feet to 1,000 feet. The amendment also establishes a cut-off date that was previously …
Read More »Gainesville City Commission struggles to fill charter officer positions
The Gainesville City Commission currently has five of its six charter officer positions vacant. City Auditor Ginger Bigbie tendered her resignation earlier this month. Four of the city’s charter officer positions are currently held by interim staff, and when Bigbie leaves in January, just one charter officer position will be held by a non-interim.
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