Year in Review: The Alligator’s top read stories of 2018

From the Florida Gators running up to a bowl game to the saga of the midterm election, here are The Alligator’s most viewed stories of 2018.

News

No. 5: UF horticulture chair resigns 

Kevin Folta, a professor and the former chairman of the horticultural sciences department at UF, said in May that damaging attacks from activist groups caused him to resign from his chairman position.

No. 4: Self-proclaimed ‘50 Billion Dollar Man’ threatens UF student 

Dan Pena verbally attacked a 22-year-old UF public relations senior during a Q&A session hosted by the UF Entrepreneurship Club in April. The student questioned the existence of Pena’s companies and called him a fraud. A video published on Lozano’s Youtube channel shows Pena approaching Lozano and saying, “Now before I snap your neck, kid, put the f------ microphone down.”

No. 3: No joke: UF to forgive parking tickets for food donations 

UF President Kent Fuchs is known for pulling April Fool’s jokes on the university population every year. However, in 2018, he did it with a twist. What everyone thought was a joke was true: UF excused parking tickets to students who donated five items to the Field and Fork Pantry.

No. 2: UF football players accused of harassment 

A group of UF football players were accused of harassing a Santa Fe College student and other Gainesville residents this summer at a nightclub.

No. 1: UF student found dead at Social28 

A 20-year-old UF history junior died at a Gainesville apartment complex toward the end of 2018. There were no signs of foul play.

[Related: The Alligator's Top Photos of 2018]

Sports

No. 5: Biggest takeaways from Mullen’s press conference 

This sports piece gave a breakdown of Florida Gators football coach Dan Mullen’s press conference before the season started. At the time, there was no clear starter at quarterback. Mullen had incumbent Feleipe Franks, Kyle Trask and Emory Jones vying for the job.

No. 4: This was a different kind of win for Florida 

One of The Alligator’s football writers talks about what makes football wins great: The people.

No. 3: UF reveals depth chart ahead of season opener 

The Alligator’s sports staff gave a rundown of the Florida Gators football team’s depth chart before the season opener against Charleston Southern.

No. 2: What if the Gators run the table? 

The Alligator’s sports editor pondered the idea “What if Florida goes undefeated until the SEC Championship game?” in this column.

No. 1: Who are possible bowl opponents for Florida?

A few of The Alligator’s sports staff gave a rundown of UF’s possible New Year’s Six bowl opponents.

The Avenue

No. 5: Mermaids take over Ginnie Springs

About 100 mermaids held a Mermaid Meetup at Ginnie Springs in August, Avenue Writer Lindsey Breneman wrote. From ages 6 to 60, the swimmers get together to achieve their dreams of being mermaids. Their motto? “You can swim with us.”

No. 4: UF undergraduate rocks vintage style all day, every day

Vintage clothing made a comeback, and it’s even better than ever, wrote Avenue Writer Emma McAvoy. She wrote a story about UF graduate Nicole Cannon and her vintage 1940s-1950s style.

No. 3: Three chart-topping artists who we need albums from in 2018

Chart-topping artists were overdue for some new albums, wrote Avenue Writer Emma Witmer. Here’s what she wanted to see in music from 2018.

No. 2: A slice of life with Mora Pizza

Mora Pizza takes a twist on the classics. That’s what Avenue Writer Vanessa Blakenship portrayed in her story on the new pizzeria. The restaurant even offers vegan pizza options.

“Mora learned his special dough-making recipe from his grandfather, who at one point owned 40 pizzerias in the northeastern region of New York. This crisp, chewy yet thin crust can make pizza lovers, like myself, question why pizza crust is so underrated,” Blakenship wrote.

No. 1: Review: Netflix’s “The Hollow”

With the release of “The Hollow” on Netflix in June, Avenue Writer Tranelle Maner wrote about the complexities of the show, despite it being geared toward kids.

“It’s a kid a show, right? That question could be all the assurance one needs to not watch the new Netflix original series ‘The Hollow,’ but then you would be missing out on a crime series almost as great and timeless as ‘Scooby-Doo.’”

Opinions

No. 5: Why I can’t support Andrew Gillum

Alligator columnist Eduardo Neret gave a rundown of the reasons why he wouldn’t be voting for Andrew Gillum, the former Democratic Florida gubernatorial candidate.

“I always have an open mind when it comes to elections. I’m not a partisan. I want to hear from all the candidates and give them a chance to present their ideas. I recently gave this chance to Andrew Gillum, the Democratic nominee for governor, but I cannot and will not be supporting him this November,” Neret wrote.

No. 4: Finishing the academic year with success and sun

While students were busy turning in final projects and gearing up for finals, UF President Kent Fuchs wrote a monthly column in May wishing students luck. He also gave a taste to readers on what to expect from the Spring commencement ceremony.

No. 3: Does Greek life have a future at UF?

In UF President Kent Fuch’s monthly column in March, he addressed hazing, deaths and suspensions of Greek activities around the nation. Fuchs said Greek life can ensure its future at the university by “being a model for the elimination of all alcohol and substance abuse, hazing, sexual assault, sexual harassment and racism.”

No. 2: Letter to the Editor from Chris Chiozza’s grandmother

When Chris Chiozza, a UF men’s basketball player, was poised to graduate in May 2018, his grandmother, Mary (Bunny) Chiozza wrote a letter thanking UF for supporting her grandson.

“He has grown into an exceptional young man due to all of you who have supported him,” she wrote.

No. 1: Election prep: part four

Before midterm primary elections kicked off, The Alligator provided information on each of the candidates running for public office. In August, The Alligator gave a rundown for the Alachua County Soil and Water Conservation District and the state commissioner of agriculture.