However, its frequent location changes in recent years have made the 55-year-old Gainesville resident question whether her city has the space for such events.
Pickleball, a sport very similar to tennis, has taken the world by storm. First originating from boredom and badminton equipment in 1965, pickleball has now emerged as the fastest-growing sport with a 40% increase in popularity in recent years.
However, Matthew Lewey, an unknown name to most, is an important part of Florida’s history, said renowned author and historian Paul Ortiz.
As more residential developments are constructed, Bittner is worried about how the city’s culture and social dynamics will change. Many recently constructed residential buildings do not fit the historical aesthetic of Gainesville, she wrote in an email.
Hundreds of Alachua County residents took to the streets Monday, commemorating the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. through a series of county-wide celebrations. Jan. 15 marked the 40th anniversary of Gainesville's celebration honoring King, and Micanopy’s first annual march. The events were filled with signs, speeches, awards and hotdogs.
Gainesville bicyclists often face concerns of distracted or impaired drivers, paths in poor condition and limited bike lanes.
Defense attorney Eric Atria applied to fill this vacancy. Atria, known across Florida for being “sucker punched,” by his defendant in 2022, hit the ground running with his judicial campaign by seeking endorsements from county commissioners.
Despite consistent rain, community members gathered on the corner of University Avenue and Northwest 13th Street to protest for Palestine on Thursday evening. Over 100 community members attended the event organized by the Gainesville Solidarity Network, Students for Justice in Palestine, Party for Socialism and Liberation and Jewish Voice for Peace.
Pocketalk was installed into Alachua County’s three tax collector locations in September. The two-way translation device, resembling a cell phone, requires the user to speak into the device, which then translates speech verbally.
New Alachua County Sheriff Emery Gainey has spent his first month combatting staff shortages and advocating for increased funding from the state and county.
When he’s not busy driving fire trucks for the Alachua County Fire Rescue, 54-year-old Patton, who goes by “JJ” with his friends, runs Wildlife Transitions Taxidermy, a company that grew from his passion for taxidermy.
Michael Duane Zack III woke up Tuesday morning at 5:30 a.m. and met with his first wife, Ann-Kristin. He declined a last meal, met with his spiritual advisor and died by lethal injection by 6:14 p.m. that same day.
Emery Gainey, a Republican veteran of sheriff’s duties across Florida, will ascend into the role of Alachua County Sheriff Monday following his appointment to the position by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Senate Bill 1718 took effect July 1 and is among the strictest immigration laws in the country. One of the controversial aspects of the law is the provision requiring any hospital that accepts Medicaid to ask about patients’ immigration status. Local advocacy organizations, health care workers and community members worry about the impacts the law could have on immigrant households across Alachua County.
Emery Gainey will take over the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office beginning Oct. 2, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ press release Thursday.
As Florida’s Big Bend communities recover from the devastating impacts of Hurricane Idalia, the Alachua County community is grateful to not have met the storm's eye. Alachua County suffered minor damages. Several trees and power lines came down across Gainesville, and some roadways were blocked.
In Alachua County, emergency services responded to 1,451 overdose calls in 2022. The previous year there were 1,405 overdose calls with 62 fatal overdoses. In an effort to combat overdoses, Alachua County and the city of Gainesville have implemented multiple services to assist people with addictions seeking help and recovering addicts like the now 51-year-old farmer who requested anonymity.
The food insecurity rate in Alachua County has remained higher than the overall rate in Florida since 2014. A 2021 report from the city based on USDA data identified 11 food deserts — low-income areas where a substantial number of residents have low access to a supermarket or large grocery store — in Gainesville.
Alachua County resident Catherine McGuire dreamed of living the ‘van life’ since van lifestyles videos started trending on TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic.
NKwanda Jah never obtained a degree or had Black female role models throughout the majority of her life. Yet today, she leads the non-profit organization Cultural Arts Coalition, which serves disadvantaged Gainesville residents' needs through summer employment, cultural enrichment programs and after-school programs.
Solutions by The State News
