WUFT · The Giving Garden In 2016, siblings Dustin Cottrell and Corey Cheval combined their passions of ragtime and the circus arts to create Dusty’s Ragtime Circus. “The big circuses have gone away,” Cottrell said, “so certain smaller circuses have stepped into the gap.” The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & …
Read More »Alachua County Fire Rescue’s day-off policy credited with attracting new recruits
In the world of first responders, a pinning ceremony is a symbolic event that represents dedication and commitment to duty. For the 45 students who participated in this ceremony, it was the culmination of six weeks of rigorous training.
Read More »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 trust you for a good reason,” she said. Jackson, a local activist, was spurred to participate because of issues she had with her father’s experience with the UF Health system as …
Read More »Mystery solved? Feds name man they say lived under another’s identity for 3 decades
TAMPA, Fla. – Who was pretending to be Kelvin Johnson, for more than three decades? Even serving 25 years in a New York prison for murder under what prosecutors say was a stolen identity? The mystery of the bizarre identity case that spanned the Eastern seaboard is a step closer …
Read More »The Point, Feb. 21, 2023: GPD K-9 unit back on duty
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • Mainstreet Daily News: GPD K-9 unit resumes regular duty. “In a GPD press release sent Monday, the unit resumed duty after being moved to patrol duty on Jan. 9.” • The Alligator: …
Read More »The Point, Feb. 20, 2023: Alachua County approves surtax plans
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: Alachua County Commission moves forward with plans for surtax revenue. “Alachua County’s elected leaders have approved two new plans on how they will use $188 million in taxpayer money.” • …
Read More »Five years and 17 lost lives: South Florida still mourns the MSD shooting
Gina Montalto lost her life five years ago during the Majory Stoneman Douglas school shooting. Her father, Tony, said on Tuesday during the five-year memorial of the event that she was loving, caring, kind and compassionate. She was a straight-A student, a girl scout, and a member of the color …
Read More »Former UF football player dies from self-inflicted gunshot near campus
Editor’s note: If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources. Kaleb Boateng, a walk-on player for the University of Florida football team until last year, died of a self-inflicted gunshot …
Read More »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 wake of an inmate’s death at the Alachua County Jail in late January. The vigil began Thursday at 7 p.m. in Downtown Gainesville to remember Marcus Goodman, a man who spent more than …
Read More »Community holds vigil for Alachua County Jail inmate who died while in custody
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Members of the community gathered at Bo Diddley Plaza on Thursday for a night of mourning, remembrance and protest over the death of 32-year-old Marcus Goodman, a Gainesville resident who died at the Alachua County Jail last week. His entire family was present – still visibly hurt …
Read More »