Kirsten Chuba

Gainesville Police Department announced Thursday that they are retiring their unit of horses, known as the Mounted Patrol Unit, after 20 years of serving in downtown Gainesville.

A man wearing a swastika armband was met by a crowd of 200-plus protesters Thursday at the University of Florida.

Gainesville came together Sunday to hula hoop, skateboard and dance down streets as part of Active Streets Gainesville, hosted by Active Streets Alliance.

A district-wide robotics competition held at Lincoln Middle School Thursday had more than 200 competitors, showcasing robots they've worked on throughout the school year. Winners from the competition will go on to compete nationally and globally.

UF researcher Treavor Boyer has devised a system that could cut up to 20 percent of UF's water usage. The system involves reducing the amount of water needed to fertilize Florida Field — by swapping nitrogen fertilizer for human urine.

A K-12 Christian private school located in Gainesville called The Rock School has hosted international students from 40 countries around the world. The school has given students from other countries, who have left their homes, a chance at attending a university in the U.S.

Actors' Warehouse, a local theater company in Gainesville, Florida, recently won four awards at the Florida Theatre Conference. The theater will continue to represent the state at the Southeast Theatre Conference in March.

Alan Bushnell, the previous owner of the Hardback Cafe, has decided to reopen the locally famous venue 15 years after its closing. The Hardback brought in both national and local acts and played a big role in Gainesville's music and arts culture in the '90s. Bushnell closed the cafe to attend law school but is now ready to reopen and bring the atmosphere back to Gainesville.

UF is celebrating international students during the week of Nov. 16 through events, speakers, presentations and an awards ceremony. The International Education Week shines a spotlight on international students and educators at UF, helping to show the importance of a global campus.

The Doris has settled into its new location on South Main Street after being closed for two years. It opens on Friday and will feature its "Artist Naturalists in Florida: Then and Now," exhibit.