Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: Florida Gators backup quarterback faces child pornography charges, suspended from team indefinitely. “Gainesville police said Kitna, 19, of Burleson, Texas, shared two illegal images with other internet users over the …
Read More »Data do not account for families experiencing homelessness in Alachua and surrounding counties
An accurate record of the number of families experiencing homelessness in Alachua County and surrounding areas is nonexistent. According to Patrick Dodds, the director of Continuum of Care in Gainesville, there are currently about 10 homeless families in the coordinated entry system in need of housing assistance. “I think the number’s probably 10 times that,” Dodds said. “Families are often kind of the invisible homeless.”
Read More »Gainesville music teacher reinvents how to love music
If you walk past Nellie ‘Sunshine’ Eshleman home this holiday season, you’ll hear the strum of a cello, a piano to the tune of ‘Carol of the Bells’ and the timbre of violins. You’ll also hear her cheers, reassurances and laughs. Her home, Sunshine Music Studio, is the musical escape …
Read More »Chomping Hate: UF’s approach to antisemitism following hateful remarks
Members of the Jewish community at the University of Florida are standing together with support from peers, parents, faculty and alumni in the weeks after an antisemitic message was displayed at a football game. Rabbi Jonah Zinn said he received texts from many disturbed students on Oct. 29. That night, …
Read More »The Point, Nov. 30, 2022: Voters unclear on Gainesville’s Complete Streets program
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: Voter clarity on Gainesville’s Complete Streets program still evolving post-election. “Gainesville’s Vision Zero program, a part of the national Complete Streets movement, was introduced to the city commission in 2018, …
Read More »Marion County deputies are searching for two missing children
Two children were reported missing by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Twelve-year-old Arissa Johnson and 11-year-old Nariah Johnson were last seen Monday at 18722 Southeast 93rd Place, according to the media release. The Department of Children and Families said it believes the children were picked up by their biological mother, Amanda Via. The 38-year-old is court-ordered to have no unsupervised contact with the children, according to police. She has a criminal record and spent time in jail for multiple theft convictions. She was most recently arrested on a battery charge in 2020, which violated her probation, but the charge was later dropped. Arissa is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds, and Nariah is 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds. Anyone with information regarding their location should call 911.
Read More »Marion County judge helping Ukraine start a Veterans Treatment Court
A Marion County judge is working with experts around the country to aid veterans in Ukraine. For 20 years, Judge Jim McCune has served on the bench in Marion County. His effort to help veterans in the court system has had a positive impact on the local community and is now reaching the global scale. McCune and a team around the country are working to provide a Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) for soldiers in Ukraine.
Read More »Voter clarity on Gainesville’s Complete Streets program still evolving post-election
Gainesville’s Vision Zero program, a part of the national Complete Streets movement, was introduced to the city commission in 2018, and the city implemented many of its major components in 2021. The Nov. 8 election results indicate that the plan will likely maintain support over the next electoral term. But many people seem not to know what the program entails.
Read More »The Point, Nov. 29, 2022: Gainesville City Commission struggles to fill officer positions
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: Gainesville City Commission struggles to fill officer positions. “The Gainesville City Commission currently has five of its six charter officer positions vacant.” • Gainesville Sun ($): Gainesville police investigating fatal …
Read More »Reading mentorship program aims at growing skills and love for reading in Alachua County
A shout of joy echoes through Idylwild Elementary School’s media center every Thursday afternoon, as anywhere from 15 to 20 kids run into the room. Fifteen minutes before the double doors burst open, Alexa Tierney, Holly Buss and the rest of Eastside High School’s ReadSquad are setting up shop. The …
Read More »