Ben Sasse, the former Republican U.S. senator for Nebraska, was formally inaugurated Thursday as the 13th president of the University of Florida during a ceremony full of pomp and symbolism that dated to the Middle Ages. Sasse said he was focused on the future of higher education – and the …
Read More »Live Updates: Ben Sasse’s inauguration as UF’s new president
Newly inaugurated UF president describes some goals Thursday, 4:20 p.m.: Newly inaugurated UF President Ben Sasse shared some goals for his presidency Thursday. Practical college majors will be even more practical, as the university refines its core curriculum classes so that students “wrestle with big questions,” he said. He also …
Read More »The Point, Nov. 2, 2023: GRU Authority meets for second time
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority approves bond validations and trunked radio sale. “Members of the Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority (GRUA) said they were happy to get the approval for bond validations …
Read More »Florida law making gun carry permits optional leads to dramatic drop in safety classes
Floridians no longer need a permit to carry a concealed firearm, and gun owners are overwhelmingly opting out of the safety and educational training once required for a license. Firearms instructors are seeing a dramatic drop in student sign ups for such courses, which teach safety and explain the state’s …
Read More »Florida attorney general urges Supreme Court Justices to reject abortion measure
Attorney General Ashley Moody late Tuesday urged the Florida Supreme Court to reject a proposed constitutional amendment that seeks to ensure abortion rights, describing the measure as an effort to “hoodwink” voters. Moody filed a 39-page brief contending that the proposal should be kept off the 2024 ballot because the …
Read More »School bus driver shortages persist in north central Florida. Here’s how some districts are responding
In his 11 years driving a school bus for Marion County, Glenn Cremeans said he’s never seen students behave so poorly as they do today — the primary reason he believes the district suffers from a bus driver shortage. “They say if you take all the miles that we drive …
Read More »“Do you know the muffin man?” Visitors at Haile Plantation Farmers Market answer yes.
On Saturday mornings, nearly 300 visitors at Haile Farmers Market line up for one vendor. Each customer shares a slice of information: They know the muffin man. He arrives in Gainesville once a week and can be found running the vendor stand for The Gourmet Muffin, a Stuart-based bakery. After …
Read More »The Point, Nov. 1, 2023: What happens to books after the Friends of the Library book sale?
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: A difficult path: How volunteers, waste workers save old books from going to the landfill. “It’s been almost a week since Alachua County’s Friends of the Library fall book sale …
Read More »Ghosts and ghouls fight hunger at ‘Boo at the Zoo’
A can of Campbell’s tomato soup is handed to Bluey the Dog. Bluey goes to the Boo at the Zoo food drive at the Santa Fe Teaching Zoo. He hands it to Sabrina Miller, director of emergency assistance at Catholic Charities. The can is now on its way to fight …
Read More »The Point, Oct. 31, 2023: Long COVID support group brings hope
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: North Central Florida support group brings hope to people with long COVID. “Severe fatigue, shortness of breath, brain fog, depression and anxiety are some of more than 200 symptoms in …
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