METRO
Gainesville honors end of slavery in Florida
By Jackson Reyes | May 20, 2022Friday kicks off the city’s second annual “Journey to Juneteenth,” a monthlong celebration honoring the end of slavery.
Metro
METRO
Gainesville parents scour for baby formula amid nationwide shortage
By Carissa Allen | May 16, 2022Feed Gainesville Babies, a Facebook group, helps moms organize swaps and find the specific formula brands they need amid the national formula shortage.
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CITY COUNTY COMMISSION
Gainesville to demolish historic recreation center
By Mickenzie Hannon | May 16, 2022Twenty-one days after city commissioners voted 6-0 to demolish and replace the historic Thelma A. Boltin Center, Mayor Lauren Poe deemed “People Saving Places” as Gainesville’s theme for National Preservation Month 2022. Residents are confused with the conflicting decisions.
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CITY COUNTY COMMISSION
County Commissioner resigns after residency investigation
By Mickenzie Hannon | May 16, 2022County Commissioner Mary Alford plans to resign after a May 13 Gainesville Sun investigation found her in violation of residency requirements.
METRO
Gainesville community rallies for reproductive rights
By Fernando Figueroa | May 16, 2022A part of Planned Parenthood’s string of organized protests across the nation, the Bans Off Our Bodies march was the second Gainesville protest advocating for abortion rights this month after Politico published a leaked draft ruling that would overturn Roe v. Wade.
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POLITICS
Gov. Ron DeSantis institutes Victims of Communism Day
By Jackson Reyes | May 16, 2022HB395 will require U.S. government teachers to cover communism and those who suffered under it for at least 45 minutes on Nov. 7, “Victims of Communism Day.”
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Fort Clarke student arrested after bringing loaded gun to school
By Omar Ateyah | May 16, 2022A Fort Clarke middle schooler was arrested after he brought a loaded gun to campus Friday. Jaylan Hillman, a Gainesville resident, stole a handgun from his mother before bringing it to school, according to an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office press release.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Gainesville man sentenced to 24 years in prison for child pornography
By Omar Ateyah | May 14, 2022Travonta Rivers was sentenced to more than 24 years in prison on child pornography charges Wednesday.
METRO
GPD investigating Cinco de Mayo altercation at The Social
By Sandra McDonald | May 13, 2022According to an Instagram story posted May 6 by Carlos Zaragoza, 22, he and his partner, Christian Acevedo, 27, went into the same stall in the men’s bathroom the evening of May 5. Security assaulted them after forcefully removing them from the stall, he said.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Motorcyclist dies in crash on Northwest 39th Avenue
By Omar Ateyah | May 12, 2022A motorcyclist died Wednesday afternoon after crashing into another vehicle on Northwest 39th Avenue.
METRO
Remembering “Miss Joni" Messler
By Jackson Reyes | May 9, 2022Gainesville dance teacher "Miss" Joni Messler, known for creating the ballet “The Little Match Girl,” died of natural cause April 15. She was 85 years old.
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CITY COUNTY COMMISSION
East Gainesville residents weigh effects of proposed sports complex
By Carissa Allen | May 9, 2022A proposed sports complex in East Gainesville has reignited a fiery decades-long political debate on how to spur economic activity in the area.
METRO
County celebrates halfway point in sports complex construction
By Namari Lock | May 9, 2022The county hosted a topping off ceremony Friday to honor the installment of the final steel beam of the Alachua County Sports Event Center. The $38 million center, set to open early 2023, reached its halfway checkpoint.
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CITY COUNTY COMMISSION
Gainesville to restrict public drinking
By Mickenzie Hannon | May 6, 2022City Commissioners voted 4-3 Thursday to repeal the open container policy which allowed individuals to drink and carry alcoholic beverages on public property and authorized businesses to serve alcohol in public, outdoor spaces..
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POLITICS
Gainesville residents stand up for abortion rights
By Namari Lock | May 4, 2022Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida organized a protest outside Judge Stephan P. Mickle, Sr. Criminal Courthouse Tuesday, one day after Politico published an article including a leaked draft ruling that would overturn Roe v. Wade.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Gainesville Police still searching for shooter in downtown shooting
By Omar Ateyah | May 3, 2022GPD continues to search for a suspect in a downtown parking garage shooting around 2 a.m. Sunday at 105 SW 3rd St. The shooting stemmed from an argument between two groups.
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POLITICS
Alachua chosen for federal support to revitalize energy efficiency
By Lucille Lannigan | Apr. 13, 2022Alachua county was chosen to participate in the US Department of Energy’s Communities Local Energy Action Program at the end of March — a huge leap in the direction of equitable sustainability. The county is one of 22 participating communities and the only Florida recipient to participate in the program, which aims to help low-income and energy-burdened communities experiencing environmental justice or economic impacts.
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BUSINESS
Mimi the mortician: Gen-Z in death care
By Jiselle Lee | Apr. 13, 2022Miranda “Mimi” Mythen wants to revive the dying deathcare industry. Under her TikTok account @mimithemortician, Mythen has more than 1.3 million likes and 59.8 thousand followers. She has been interviewed by Allure and Refinery29 and she has been featured in the DailyMail and the New York Post about her viral videos on funeral service.
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K-12 EDUCATION
Alachua County Public School’s racial achievement gap persists
By Emma Behrmann | Apr. 8, 2022ACPS has the state's widest achievement gap between white and Black students in both English language arts and mathematics. Segregation met its end in 1970 for Alachua County Public Schools, but disparities between Black student and white student performance afflict the district today. This district serves more than 30,000 students, 33% of which are Black and 41% of which are white. ACPS officials acknowledged this gap and crafted an equity plan in 2018, promising to eliminate the disparity by 2028, but the plan failed to narrow the difference in student performance.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE
One dead after a shooting at Wawa
By Troy Myers | Apr. 8, 2022A shooting Tuesday night at Wawa on 1007 E. University Ave. left one man dead. At about 9 p.m., Gainesville Police Department officers responded to the gas station about a person being shot. Wallace Lee, a Gainesville resident, was found by officers lying on the ground with what looked like a gunshot wound to the head.
