Lots of children call her “grandma.” She gets recognized outside of the classroom, like when she’s out doing her grocery shopping. Youngsters run up to her in public, sometimes to the shock of their parents, who don’t recognize the person their child is hugging tightly. Belinda Williams, 68, has grown …
Read More »The Rise of the Red: The story behind the transformation of Williston’s football team
The Williston Middle High School Red Devils football team went 1-8 in the 2021 football season. They also averaged about 30 fans a game, defensive end Reyce Knauff sarcastically mentioned. “Nobody was hype last year. Everyone was drowsy before the games,” senior offensive lineman Wyatt Woodford said. In the 2022 …
Read More »Hidden violence: Elder abuse was already hard to track – then a pandemic made it more difficult
Amy Thomas wasn’t new to social work. She had been helping vulnerable children and adults for more than 20 years when she started working at Elder Options, a Gainesville-based nonprofit designated by the government to serve elders in 16 north-central Florida counties. What was new to Thomas was the COVID-19 …
Read More »FBI, sheriff’s offices in central Florida team up to help prevent elder fraud
Federal data show Florida’s older population is susceptible to internet scams. In 2021, the state ranked second in the nation with 9,645 victims of elder fraud. Combined, those individuals lost $224,205,716. The FBI, along with state and local law enforcement agencies in Central Florida, are joining forces to educate local …
Read More »The Point, April 17, 2023: Fort Lauderdale deals with aftermath of flooding
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: GRU, Gainesville City Commission work to find way out of debt issues. “GRU General Manager Tony Cunningham opened the meeting by stating that he and other utility officials had worked …
Read More »As Tax Day nears, free help is available through AARP and United Way
Tax Day is next Tuesday, April 18, and for seniors and other residents with modest income there’s free help available for filing those federal income taxes. The IRS teams up with nonprofit organizations like the United Way and AARP to assist taxpayers through Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling …
Read More »The Point, March 21, 2023: UF President Ben Sasse discusses strategic plan
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 »Senior Valentine’s Day Ball hosts friends and couples of all ages in High Springs
More than 40 North Central Florida residents of all ages attended the Annual Senior Citizens Valentine’s Day Ball organized by Deeper Purpose Community Church in High Springs.
Read More »A 40-year career as the rat catcher at the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire
For three weekends in January, Jim Greene smears his face in green paint, adopts medieval inflections and transforms into Emrys Fleet, the Rat Catcher at Hoggetowne Medieval Faire in Gainesville.
Read More »The American Dream goes to the mat in “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity,” Friday at the Hippodrome
The knockout production, “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity,” takes the stage at the Hippodrome Theatre in downtown Gainesville Friday, Jan. 27 , through Feb. 12. The play uses professional wrestling as a comedic analogy for sophisticated themes of stereotyping and capitalism in America.
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