Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
We inform. You decide.
Sunday, December 28, 2025

Metro

METRO  |  POLITICS

Alachua chosen for federal support to revitalize energy efficiency

Alachua 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.


METRO  |  BUSINESS

Mimi the mortician: Gen-Z in death care

Miranda “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.


METRO  |  K-12 EDUCATION

Alachua County Public School’s racial achievement gap persists

ACPS 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. 


crime
METRO  |  CRIMINAL JUSTICE

One dead after a shooting at Wawa

A 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. 


METRO

Gainesville activists condemn Florida’s 15-week abortion ban bill

This bill bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy and has raised alarm among people with reproductive capabilities. The ban would allow for exceptions involving “serious risk” to the pregnant person and fetal abnormality with no exceptions for rape or incest.  Now, the closest place for Floridians to access abortion after 15 weeks is North Carolina.


Becky Fields, a teacher at Talbot Elementary School, and Fields' two children hold a "We Say Gay" sign to protest Florida's Don't Say Gay bill at Heartwood Soundstage on Saturday, March 19. The bill has passed the state legislature and is on the governor's desk.
METRO

Gainesville activists rally against Don’t Say Gay bill

The Pride Community Center of North Central Florida, the Unspoken Treasure Society and PFLAG Gainesville hosted the We Say GAYnesville Rally Saturday at the Heartwood Soundstage in downtown Gainesville. Over 20 organizations participated in the rally, PCCNCF President Tamára Perry-Lunardo said. 


Gainesville High School students protest outside their school's campus, waving their flags for oncoming traffic in opposition to Florida's ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, which would effectively ban discussion of LGBTQ+ issues in elementary schools and stigmatize it in upper grade levels.
METRO  |  K-12 EDUCATION

High school students protest ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill with walkout

Honks, cheers and rainbow-decorated signs accompanied 30 Gainesville High School students as they walked down Northwest 13th Street Thursday afternoon. Hundreds more stood in protest on the baseball fields. GHS students joined Buchholz and Eastside High and students across the state in a walkout to protest the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, which passed its final state senate committee Monday and awaits a final vote and signature from the governor. Officially known as the Parental Rights in Education Bill, the legislation would bar state educators from discussing LGBTQ+ topics that are not “age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.” 


Powered by SNworks Solutions by The State News
All Content © 2025 The Independent Florida Alligator and Campus Communications, Inc.