In pursuit of winter cranes, bird enthusiast Tom Jackson drove from Tallahassee to Gainesville. His destination: Sweetwater Wetlands Park, renowned for its unique array of birds. When the 72-year-old walked into the park he was treated to a surprise. Right away, he noticed a sign about tram tours. “It looked …
Read More »Gainesville residents want state investigation into GRU; city credit rating gets downgraded
Members of a Gainesville Facebook group described the relationship between Gainesville Regional Utilities and the people of Alachua County as toxic. The comparison was made last month at a legislative delegation meeting between the Gainesville City Commission and members of the public. Angela Casteel, 47, the administrator of the group, …
Read More »Alachua County Forever eyes new property in Lochloosa Creek Flatwoods
“I love headwaters and sand,” Kristen Young said. To most, this is an odd remark about environmental features. But to Young, the newly elected secretary of the Alachua County Land Conservation Board (LCB), it was good reason for Alachua County to purchase the Lochloosa Creek Flatwoods property, “Sherouse and Flowers.” …
Read More »The Point, Jan. 31, 2023: Stranded orca buried in Gainesville
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: Stranded killer whale to be buried in Gainesville. “However, the skeleton of the killer whale found at Palm Coast will not remain in Gainesville. Instead, after the tissue decomposes, the …
Read More »Stranded killer whale to be buried in Gainesville
WUFT · The whale that came to Gainesville The last place you would expect to find a killer whale is the University of Florida. Nevertheless, one was laid to rest at a secret location on the campus in Gainesville. The killer whale was found on Jan. 11 in Palm Coast, …
Read More »Do you have what it takes to join the Alachua County Crisis Center?
From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, Lindsey Jones oversees the funding of University of Florida research projects as a grant administrator. Back in December of 2021, she would set aside four hours at home and wait for the phone to ring, ready to help the distressed person who …
Read More »Year starts with high numbers of manatee deaths across Florida
TAMPA, Fla. – Lluvia and her calf Morado glide to the bottom of their habitat to munch on romaine lettuce; this is hour one of the eight they spend eating daily. They are the lucky ones, survivors from what wildlife experts are worried could be another year full of unusually …
Read More »How one fisherman is sustaining his livelihood through environmental advocacy
Steve Friedman, 52, always thought he’d spend his days in a cubicle surrounded by buttoned up shirts and staplers. Instead, he passes the time in a rash guard and polarized sunglasses on the waters of the Florida Keys. After growing up in what he calls “John Hughes-Landia,” or Chicago, Illinois, …
Read More »The Point: Your 2022 news year in review
Take a walk back through all of the Florida storylines we covered for you this year.
Read More »Growing, growing, gone: Marion County residents bemoan development surge
The air in McPherson Complex Auditorium in Ocala, once stale with bureaucracy, surged with something much more urgent upon the introduction of Item 7. Items 1-6 on the Marion County Commission planning and zoning agenda – ensnared in traps of technical jargon and dusted with mundane details – didn’t hold …
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