METRO
40th Annual Alachua County Youth Fair and Livestock Show Held in Newberry
By Ben Crosbie | Mar. 11, 2021The event featured shows where children ages 8 to 18 presented animals they raised.
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CITY COUNTY COMMISSION
Voting precinct changes for the Gainesville Regular Election
By Jack Prator | Mar. 10, 2021The Alachua County Supervisor of Elections sent an email Wednesday reminding voters of polling place changes for the election on March 16.
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CITY COUNTY COMMISSION
Early voting begins for the 2021 Gainesville Regular Election
By Jack Prator | Mar. 8, 2021Voters can go in person to vote early from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at four locations: the Supervisor of Elections Office, the Millhopper Branch Library, the Reitz Union and the Martin Luther King Jr. Multipurpose Center.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE
One dead following shootout with Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies
By Chasity Maynard | Mar. 5, 2021The deputies involved in the shooting have been placed on paid leave per department policy, Alachua County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Art Forgey said. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the ACSO Office of Professional Standards will investigate the deputies’ actions.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE
UF student injured in deadly University Avenue crash files lawsuit against Uber and drivers
By Anna Wilder | Mar. 5, 2021Michelle Berglass, a 19-year-old UF student, filed a lawsuit against Uber and the owners and drivers of the cars that hit her and four other students as they stood on a sidewalk near West University Avenue. She is seeking more than $100,000 in damages.
![Photo of the missing Leachianus “Leachie” gecko. [Photo courtesy of Mike Southwick]](https://snworksceo.imgix.net/ufa/907bd92a-0b29-40eb-a5fb-d7db7cf98b2f.sized-1000x1000.jpg?w=1500&ar=4%3A3&fit=crop&crop=faces&facepad=3&auto=format)
METRO
Gecko goose chase: Police can’t confirm if Facebook sleuths found missing $1,800 gecko
By Lucille Lannigan | Mar. 5, 2021Chantz Chick, the owner of the shop, had recently purchased two $1,800 geckos — one male and one female Leachianus “Leachie.” They lived comfortably in the store for about two months, hiding in greenery and eating fruits, before the female went missing one day.
METRO
Downtown Gainesville nonprofit aims to inspire Florida prisoners through literature
By Alan Halaly | Mar. 3, 2021A donation of $20 sends books to six prisoners, according to the organization's Instagram page. The nonprofit has fulfilled more than 60 requests during its first few months back in operation.
METRO
Local Asian Americans react to national increase in anti-Asian hate
By Jiselle Lee | Mar. 3, 2021Some Asian Gainesville residents feel safe in the college town, others feel aggressions due to cultural and racial discrimination.
![Boy Scout Troop 125 places invasive plants into a plastic trash bag for proper disposal. [Photo courtesy of Rich Bennett]](https://snworksceo.imgix.net/ufa/d5ac8652-350f-4fe9-afb5-348ba0823188.sized-1000x1000.jpg?w=1500&ar=4%3A3&fit=crop&crop=faces&facepad=3&auto=format)
METRO
Great Invader Raider Rally removes invasive plant species
By Alexandra Harris | Mar. 2, 2021Instead of working in locations scattered throughout the city as done in previous years, organizers encouraged people to remove invasive plants in their own yards and neighborhoods, said Geoffrey Parks, Nature Operations Supervisor for the Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department.
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BUSINESS
Wigs, false eyelashes and hair bundles available in new Oaks Mall vending machine
By Lucille Lannigan | Mar. 1, 2021The machine’s opening comes as Thomas celebrates the anniversary of her business, Gurl U Cute Inc. Hair Boutique, in Jacksonville, which she opened after struggling to purchase wigs in the past.
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K-12 EDUCATION
Eastside High School alumni band members carry on distinctive high-energy style
By Alan Halaly | Mar. 1, 2021Since former Eastside High School band director Richard E. Parker's death in 2016, former band members have come together every few months to honor and educate people about the marching band’s old style and community impact through performances at community events and street parardes.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Campus Security Authority reports rape at UF fraternity house
By Jiselle Lee | Mar. 1, 2021On Friday, UF issued a timely warning email to notify the campus community of the incident, which took place at an unknown fraternity house Feb. 20.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Families of UF students killed on West University Avenue filed lawsuits for wrongful death
By Anna Wilder | Feb. 26, 2021One of the main attorneys representing both families said the cases involved drivers who were violating a variety of laws and regulations. The lawsuits are seeking over $100,000 in damages. Lambert’s case also lists Uber as a defendant, as one of the drivers was on a Uber Eats delivery trip at the time of the crash.
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CITY COUNTY COMMISSION
Community grocery store may be built in East Gainesville following City Commission vote
By Alan Halaly | Feb. 25, 2021Commissioner Gail Johnson, policy experts and community activists proposed a plan for the city to look into creating a community grocery store in East Gainesville, where several neighborhoods qualify as food deserts. The commission unanimously passed the plan.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Man jumps from Millhopper Bridge into I-75 traffic
By Michelle Holder | Feb. 25, 2021At 3:35 p.m. the 911 communication center operator received a call about a disturbed and upset person on the bridge. The center received several calls after, and an ACSO officer was sent to the scene before the man jumped.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Three-year-old struck and killed by a truck in Gainesville
By Emil Munksgaard Grosen | Feb. 25, 2021Following the crash, the toddler was rushed to UF Health Shands Hospital in critical condition, according to a Gainesville Police Department press release. He died as a result of his injuries shortly after arriving there.
![Lisa Blum and Jenice Bushnell stand in front of Gator Mania with their 12-foot fiberglass alligator. [Photo courtesy of Lisa Blum]](https://snworksceo.imgix.net/ufa/030d181d-991e-4c6e-85cd-195ee5129aac.sized-1000x1000.jpg?w=1500&ar=4%3A3&fit=crop&crop=faces&facepad=3&auto=format)
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BUSINESS
Family-owned UF apparel store Gator Mania goes out of business
By Jiselle Lee | Feb. 25, 2021Gator Mania was one of the last local family-owned UF merchandise stores in Gainesville. In the last year, the city has seen the closing of many other staple businesses near the university, such as The Swamp restaurant and Daybreak Pleasant Street.
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CITY COUNTY COMMISSION
Gainesville will take over control of a stretch of West University
By Jack Prator | Feb. 24, 2021Gainesville City Commissioner and MTPO Chair David Arreola exchanged excited glances with the other commissioners in the room upon hearing this news. Gaining jurisdictional control over the taste road has been a priority of Gainesville's for the past month.
METRO
Gainesville’s first soil collection ceremony memorializes city’s lynching victims
By Alan Halaly and Emil Munksgaard Grosen | Feb. 22, 2021About 100 community members, Gainesville residents and local officials gathered Saturday for a soil collection ceremony planned by the Gainesville Subcommittee of the Alachua County Community Remembrance Project and the Equal Justice Initiative at the Alachua County Administration Building.
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CITY COUNTY COMMISSION
Gainesville City Commission drops proposal of a mask mandate in local businesses
By Jack Prator | Feb. 22, 2021On Jan. 4, the commission approved the drafting of an emergency order to enforce mask-wearing inside businesses. The order would have required patrons to stay seated while eating and drinking in bars and clubs, similar to a Hillsborough County order from December.
