2 - The Independent Florida Alligator

Groundhog Club co-handler John Griffiths, center, holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 133rd celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa. Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019. Phil's handlers said that the groundhog has forecast an early spring. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Groundhog Day is the only non-problematic holiday of the year

Feb. 3, 2019

One of the weirdest days of the year passed Saturday when America stopped and waited upon the actions of a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil to play the role of meteorologist. And somehow nobody has questioned this tradition in the nearly 150 years that Groundhog Day has existed. In fact, in Pennsylvania, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club celebrated Groundhog Day from Sunday, Jan. 27 to yesterday, nearly the same number of nights dedicated to Hanukkah — an entire religious holiday.

Kyle Cunningham, an Alligator columnist, and UF President Kent Fuchs, who has never had an iced coffee before, enjoy coffee together.

NEWS | CAMPUS UF ADMINISTRATION

Coffee with Kent: A delivery to the UF President

Feb. 3, 2019

It was 3:45 p.m. on a Tuesday. The air was cold, rushing against my cheeks, warning of the imminent downpour. For January in Gainesville, this was the best weather I could hope for. As I began the journey from Library West to Tigert Hall gripping two iced coffees, I contemplated the whirlwind that my life had become in just a couple of hours.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter to the Editor: UF’s racial equality problem should be acknowledged and fixed

Feb. 3, 2019

OPINION | COLUMNS

City plastic ban is admirable, but there are better ways to reduce plastics

Feb. 3, 2019

OPINION | COLUMNS

Talking trash about your professor won’t get you that A

Feb. 3, 2019

In the wake of the statistics exam came a slew of angry messages. It was another test that hundreds of students spent hours studying for, starting early in the day and ending late in the night. The material wasn’t meant to be easy, but many felt that it wasn’t meant to be so hard.

Robert Mounts, 77, of Gainesville, filed to run for the District 4 Gainesville City Commissioner position Friday morning, the last day to qualify to run for commission.

METRO | POLITICS

Last minute candidate challenges city commission seat

By Karina Elwood | Feb. 3, 2019

Commissioner Adrian Hayes-Santos was running unopposed until now

A four vehicle crash on Interstate 75 at mile marker 394 caused seven deaths and a diesel fire Thursday afternoon.

METRO | CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Federal investigation of January I-75 crash begins

By Katherine Wallace-Fernandez | Feb. 2, 2019

The National Transportation Safety Board sent a team to Gainesville Thursday to investigate the January Interstate 75 crash that killed seven.

METRO | CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Gainesville baby dies in Marion County crash

By Katherine Wallace-Fernandez | Feb. 2, 2019

A 6-week-old Gainesville baby was killed and five others were critically injured Friday in a multi-vehicle crash near Silver Springs.

Senior guard Jalen Hudson's 11 points in the Gators' 65-54 loss to Kentucky were his highest total since Butler (Dec. 29) and the first time this year he'd reached double figures in SEC play.

SPORTS | MEN'S BASKETBALL

Gators fall to Kentucky despite aggressive play

By Jake Dreilinger | Feb. 2, 2019

All Florida could do was watch as Kentucky guard Tyler Herro drained an open three-pointer from the right corner.

UF gymnast Trinity Thomas earned her second-straight SEC Freshman of the Week honors following her performance at LSU. She recorded an all-around score of 39.650, including  a 9.950 on her floor routine.

SPORTS | GYMNASTICS

Oklahoma defeats UF, hands Gators first loss

By River Wells | Feb. 1, 2019

Senior Alicia Boren was ready for her beam routine. The Gators were neck and neck with the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners heading into the last rotation.

Asian and Latin American first-generation students speak about their experiences at UF during a discussion panel Thursday night.

NEWS | CAMPUS

First-generation students speak about their UF experience

By Alyssa Varas | Feb. 1, 2019

Attendees were given advice and helpful resources

Florida sophomore Taylor Ault notched two second-place finishes in both the 500 free (4:48.38) and the 1,650 free (16:29.57) in her last meet.

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS SWIM AND DIVE

Gators set to compete on Senior Day

By Evan Lepak | Jan. 31, 2019

The Florida Gators swimming and diving teams will be in the O'Connell Center Natatorium this weekend, looking to send 12 seniors out the right way by winning their final home meet of the season.

Junior Grant Holloway started the season with a national No. 2 long-jump ranking at 8.02 meters, a national first place 60 meter hurdle time of 7.49 seconds and a national fourth-place 200 meter dash ranking with a time of 20.69 seconds.

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS TRACK

UF to compete at Virginia Tech Elite

By Graham Marsh | Jan. 31, 2019

The field eventers will bring their sprinters with them this time around when they head to Blacksburg, Virginia, for the second time in two weeks.

Georgia Bianchi, 41, and her children Eva Bailey, 9, and Christopher Bailey, 4, look at photos Wednesday by Venezuelan photographer Andres Avellaneda on display in the Santa Fe College Fine Arts Hall. The gallery was arranged by various Santa Fe clubs to raise funding for Avellaneda’s U.S. visa application fees.

METRO

Santa Fe College raises money for Venezuelan photographer’s visa

By Christina Moutter | Jan. 31, 2019

Ninety-three photos of Venezuelans marching and crying covered the wall in the Santa Fe Fine Arts Hall Wednesday evening.

UF men’s tennis player Johannes Ingildsen won his match against UCF’s Trey Hilderbrand 6-4, 7-5 on Friday night.

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS TENNIS

Riffice leads Gators in rout of Knights

By Brendan Farrell | Jan. 31, 2019

The doubles tandem of freshman Sam Riffice and sophomore Oliver Crawford walked into the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Florida, fresh off a couple of wins at the ITA Kickoff event where it dropped just one point.

Gainesville Police officers look on as Gainesville Fire Rescue workers enter a building on Northwest 13th Street late Tuesday night.

METRO | CITY COUNTY COMMISSION

City and county will update emergency radio system

By Karina Elwood | Jan. 31, 2019

The Gainesville and Alachua County commissions decided to update the public safety radio system Thursday night.

Vincent Tate, 51, receives a haircut Tuesday from Edward Young, 64, at the Clean Cut Barber Shop on Northwest Fifth Avenue. Tate moved from Alabama to Gainesville for a fresh start, and he has worked for the Alachua County School Board for 25 years.

NEWS | FEATURES

‘The true natives of Fifth Avenue’: Preserving the culture of Pleasant Street Historic District

By Josephine Fuller | Jan. 31, 2019

A look at Gainesville’s oldest black residential area

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speaks to the media after an NFL owners meeting, Tuesday, May 23, 2017, in Chicago.

SPORTS | COLUMNS

Goodell, stop painting the NFL as one, big, happy family

By Alanis Thames | Jan. 31, 2019

Maybe Roger Goodell is delusional.

Florida guard Funda Nakkasoglu dropped a team-high 18 points in UF’s 67-50 loss to Tennessee on Thursday in Knoxville.

SPORTS | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Florida drops to Tennessee in Knoxville for fourth straight loss

By Dylan Rudolph | Jan. 31, 2019

The Gators walked into the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee, without one of the most important elements in the game of basketball: height. The team was down its starting 6-foot-1 forward, Kristina Moore, after she injured her arm Sunday against Arkansas, and her absence was evident from the first whistle to the last.

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF 2023 applicant pool breaks previous record

By Brittney Miller | Jan. 31, 2019

Admissions will be announced next Friday

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