GAINESVILLE, Fla. – On the last day of college classes after her freshman fall semester, Maggie Paxton began drinking with friends in the dorms at the University of Florida – students call it “pre-gaming” – before hitting Gainesville’s popular Midtown bars across a busy street from campus. She was 18. …
Read More »Gainesville residents hopeful of University Avenue becoming safer after $8M grant
Addison Sutton, 22, was making her way to Midtown for a night out with friends one evening in 2022. While waiting at the intersection of Southwest 13th Street and West University Avenue, she saw lights from a private ambulance service heading west on University Avenue. She stopped and waited to …
Read More »Solar-powered trash cans are coming to Gainesville city streets
Gainesville’s city commissioners have something up their sleeve to combat litter – and residents may be surprised to see their solution: Solar-powered trash recycling bins, which will be deployed beginning in 2023. Big Belly Inc., a Needham, Massachusetts, waste and recycling company, has been awarded the contract to bring its …
Read More »Chef at popular Midtown Tijuana Flats near UF campus arrested on child pornography charges
A chef at the Tijuana Flats in Midtown just north of the University of Florida campus was arrested Friday afternoon on charges of possessing and distributing child pornography. Devon Gregory Jackson, 32, was arrested by Gainesville police officers following an investigation that began with a tip over half a year …
Read More »Barktober Fest brings a paw-ty to reopened Swamp Restaurant
On Wednesday, The Swamp hosted its first Barktober Fest since reopening, raising money for Faithful Friends Pet Rescue and Rehoming and giving out prizes. With a grand prize for the costume valued around $175, according to Swamp owner Ryan Prodesky, the competition proved ferocious.
Read More »The Point, Oct. 21, 2022: Civil rights groups call for change after voting fraud arrests
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: Gov. DeSantis’ presence at Republican fundraiser draws protests by progressive advocacy groups. “About 30 protestors from a coalition of progressive activist groups protested Gov. Ron DeSantis’ positions on abortion and …
Read More »Gainesville businesses experience ups and downs of hurricane prep
Heather Halak, the owner of Third House Books in Gainesville, was among the many Florida business owners preparing for Hurricane Ian this week.
Read More »The Point, Sept. 21, 2022: Florida’s governor sued over migrant flights
The people flown from Texas to Massachusetts filed a class-action suit on Tuesday against Ron DeSantis.
Read More »No evidence that widely circulated report is true about fentanyl stabbing near UF campus
Authorities at the University of Florida say there is no evidence that a report circulating across UF’s campus is true, that a young woman was jabbed with a needle and unwittingly exposed to a high dose of the dangerous drug fentanyl. City and university police said they are aware of the report, which is spreading widely over social media and word of mouth. They are trying to identify its origins. The incident purportedly took place inside a popular Midtown bar across the street from campus last week. The bar’s manager and both police agencies said there were no reports of such an attack.
Read More »Gainesville fugitive spends birthday in jail after high-speed pursuits
A man wanted on felony battery and robbery charges is spending his 37th birthday in the Alachua County Jail after he is accused of leading deputies and police on an impromptu, high-speed tour of west Gainesville early Monday, court records show.
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