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: East Gainesville neighbors fight the expansion of a landfill in their backyard – again. “To the west of the landfill is Showers of Blessings church. To the north, an organic …
Read More »The Point, Feb. 6, 2023: Over 100 attend vigil for Alachua County Jail inmate
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: Vigil held at Bo Diddley Plaza following man’s death at Alachua County Jail. “One hundred people gathered Thursday night at Bo Diddley Plaza for a moment of silence in the …
Read More »The Point, Jan. 6, 2023: Camp Crystal Lake makes changes after scrutiny last year
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: Alachua County School District makes changes to Camp Crystal Lake after last year’s scrutiny. “Following last year’s internal investigation into the camp’s management and use of taxpayer funds, the school …
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 »A tale of two cities: How two Florida towns are handling the tiny home movement
Want to live in a tiny house? Barb Diaz suggests marking off an 8-by-20-foot area in your garage – or some space similar – and living in it for 24 hours. Put a TV in it. Put a dresser in it. Set aside an even smaller space for a “bathroom.” …
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, …
Read More »Alachua County Sports and Events Center will open in 2023
The Alachua County Sports and Events Center at Celebration Pointe will open on Jan. 13, 2023, for the Jimmy Carnes Indoor Track and Field Invitational. The center will remain temporarily open through the track season for several tournaments and will close in mid-February to finish the facility’s multipurpose flooring. It …
Read More »Gainesville City Commissioners vote to nearly double their salaries
Gainesville City Commissioners voted 4-1 on Thursday to change the method by which their salaries are calculated, nearly doubling their pay.
Read More »This RTS driver tries to spread holiday joy — every day — via his bus header
For one Gainesville bus driver, it’s the holiday season year-round. January through December, Steven Sowders displays “happy holidays” on his bus header to celebrate a national holiday, big or small, every day. Sowders has worked for the Gainesville Regional Transit System for nearly eight years. For most of that time, …
Read More »Weathering the storm: Homeless Micanopy couple spent two hurricanes in a tent
Of the thousands of motorists who drive southbound Interstate 75 every day, hundreds take the Exit 374 ramp toward Micanopy, and they all pass Sharon James and Tim Rader. James and Rader have been “off and on” homeless for over 20 years and have been in Florida since 2016. They spend their days panhandling at the exit and return to their tent in the woods at night, where they weathered Hurricane Ian and Tropical Storm Nicole.
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