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: UF President Ben Sasse on strategic plan. “University of Florida President Ben Sasse says the process to craft a new strategic plan will begin this summer. He made the announcement …
Read More »Then and now: How DeSantis’ State of State speeches have changed
For the first State of the State address of his second term on Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis is kicking off the Florida legislative session in a much different position than he was four years ago. When DeSantis took office in 2019, he had defeated his Democratic opponent Andrew Gillum by …
Read More »The Point, March 1, 2023: East Gainesville residents discuss new urgent care center
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: East Gainesville residents clarify their needs for new urgent care center. “Chanae Jackson came to Lincoln Middle School ready to voice her dissatisfaction. ‘We don’t trust you, and we don’t …
Read More »The Point, Jan. 26, 2023: WUFT Special Report: Behind the bet: the rise of sports betting
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: the rise of sports betting. “Because sports betting has become normalized in most states, it’s increasingly harder to keep students at colleges and universities in …
Read More »Stop the scroll: Pressure builds to ban TikTok on Florida campuses
Is TikTok dead for Florida college students? The University of Florida is warning there is a “strong possibility” it will ban TikTok from its wired and wireless computer networks on campus. That would effectively block access to the popular social media platform for students and faculty in dormitories, classrooms, lecture …
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 »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 »The Point, Dec. 16, 2022: Gainesville commissioners pass new ordinance changing steps for criminal background checks
Private employers will need to change when they perform a criminal background check on candidates in order to comply.
Read More »Gainesville becomes first city in Florida to apply ‘fair chance hiring’ to private employers
The ordinance prevents employers from running a criminal background check on a candidate until after making a conditional offer of employment.
Read More »Alachua County will spend $2.5M in federal aid on a publicly-owned meat processing facility
The Alachua County Commission unanimously voted at a special meeting Tuesday to spend $2.5 million for a new United States Department of Agriculture-certified meat processing facility in Newberry. The $2.5 million is part of the $52.25 million in federal funds allocated to Alachua County through the American Rescue Plan Act, …
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