Metro - The Independent Florida Alligator

METRO | CITY COUNTY COMMISSION

Gainesville City Commission responds to traffic safety concerns

By Jack Prator | Feb. 22, 2021

Commissioners believe there are a number of immediate changes that can be made to stretches of the state highway inside the city, such as lowering the speed limit, equipping sidewalks with better lighting and increasing traffic enforcement. In order to move forward with some of these changes, the commission is wrestling for control over the road with the Florida Department of Transportation.

Photo of the the welcome center sign for proposed Springs County. The county would incorporate Newberry, High Springs, Alachua, Archer and Lacrosse in its territory.

METRO | CITY COUNTY COMMISSION

Is a new Florida county likely? Here's Springs County explained

By Jack Prator | Feb. 19, 2021

If residents successfully secede, Springs would form the first new Florida county in almost 100 years. The last time it happened was in 1925, when Gilchrist County split from Alachua.

METRO | CRIMINAL JUSTICE

A man wanted for battery at FSU has been spotted in Gainesville Bars

By Anna Wilder | Feb. 19, 2021

The battery occurred Jan. 29, and the FSU Police Department has since issued an arrest warrant against Vincent Steven Mickelsen, 36. Mickelsen was then spotted by UF students near Midtown Feb. 12.

Tequila McKnight, 44, who is a friend and former neighbor of Julius Irving holds a sign in support of Irving at a rally outside of the Alachua County Criminal Justice Center on Monday, Feb. 8, 2021.

METRO | CRIMINAL JUSTICE

‘I walked out with a great appreciation of life’: Gainesville resident accused of attempted murder found not guilty

By Anna Wilder and Jiselle Lee | Feb. 17, 2021

Julius Irving anxiously waited for a jury with only one Black woman on it to decide his fate. After more than a year and nine months awaiting trial, he would either be freed or be sentenced to life in prison.

METRO | CITY COUNTY COMMISSION

With City Commission's help, UF student marketing campaign promotes mask-wearing in bars

By Jack Prator | Feb. 17, 2021

Students at The Agency, UF’s student-led marketing firm, paired up with the city to launch a marketing campaign aimed to encourage students to wear masks in public inside bars during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Healthy Gainesville Initiative was presented to and approved by the City Commission Jan. 21 and cost the city $87,500.

Screenshot of the false message on Instagram [Courtesy of Jackie Johnson]

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

Fake message about Alachua County Public Schools posted on Instagram

By Emil Munksgaard Grosen | Feb. 17, 2021

A fake Instagram account posing as Alachua County Public Schools spread a false message late Saturday night that schools would switch to remote learning. The school district plans to contact Instagram with hopes of getting the account taken off the platform.

METRO | CITY COUNTY COMMISSION

Gainesville won’t ‘free the nipple’ following proposal to de-gender toplessness

By Michelle Holder | Feb. 15, 2021

The city commission voted 3-3 against the proposal at a Feb. 11 meeting, halting the “Free the Nipple" movement in Gainesville but passing a plan to begin drafting language changes to de-gender city codes.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

Eastside High School Alumni Association to mentor current students

By Alan Halaly | Feb. 15, 2021

The goal of the organization is to guide current students while also funding school programs and scholarships. It is one of the few high school alumni associations in the Alachua County Public School system.

Tyson Torchia (left) and Nathaly Barrantes (right) hold their new kitten, Silas, at Alachua County Animal Services.

METRO

Valentine’s Day adoptions were $14 at Alachua County Animal Services

By Amy Dunn | Feb. 15, 2021

The shelter, located at 3400 NE 53rd Ave., held its Valentine’s Day adoption event from Feb. 9 to Feb. 13. Though adoption fees are normally $20 for cats and $40 for dogs, all fees were $14 for both animals during the weeklong event.

METRO

‘Felt a moral obligation to help’: Gainesville’s Firefighters took part in Moderna vaccine trial

By Jiselle Lee | Feb. 13, 2021

In August, about 10 members of the Gainesville Fire Rescue team volunteered to become a few of the 30,000 nationwide participants in Moderna’s Phase 3 COVE vaccine trial.

A fire engine sits under a newly constructed shed at the Alachua County Fire Rescue Station 25 on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. The station didn’t have an enclosed space for the engine and was not recognized as a fire station when it opened last January, despite being on call and operating as one.

METRO

Newly finished Fire Station construction could reduce homeowner’s insurance

By Lucille Lannigan | Feb. 11, 2021

Homeowners within 5 miles of Fire Station 25 can receive lower insurance rates and an advanced life support response following renovations at the station.

Photo of GRACE Marketplace sign at 3055 NE 28th Ave. in Gainesville, FL.

METRO

Grace Pharmacy is giving away $600,000 worth of insulin to the public

By Lucille Lannigan | Feb. 10, 2021

The pharmacy, located at the GRACE Marketplace homeless shelter, started filling free prescriptions about three years ago and began giving away $600,000 worth of insulin to the public on Jan. 29. The free insulin will last until supplies run out.

Denise Garcia and Jeffery Davis wear face masks in downtown Gainesville.

METRO

Gainesville City Commission moves forward on emergency order on bar and restaurant restrictions

By Jack Prator | Feb. 8, 2021

The order, which passed 4-3, comes after a monthlong debate about a possible shutdown in the city and county commissions as students returned to UF campus. While the emergency order passed, the policy itself is still under development.

Gail K. Watson (left) and Brenda Whitfield (right) scoop dirt into glass jars at the soil ceremony for the Newberry Six on Friday, Feb. 5, 2021. Whitfield spoke during the ceremony before the crowd began adding earth to the containers.

METRO

Newberry honors lynching victims in soil collection ceremony

By Lucille Lannigan | Feb. 8, 2021

The soil ceremony, originally planned for April 2020, is a step in the county's path to address and reconcile with its history of racial violence.

Marion Broadaway smiles as she tells stories of her life to family members and reporters at her 100th birthday celebration on Friday, Feb. 5, 2021.

METRO

Gainesville resident celebrates 100th birthday

By Michelle Holder | Feb. 8, 2021

Joining the world’s less than 1% centenarian population, Broadaway lived through World War II, the moon landing and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.

METRO

New Hampshire Man passes through Alachua County on cross-country walk to help prevent suicide

By Michelle Holder | Feb. 5, 2021

Since January 2020, the 47-year-old carpenter from New Hampshire has been walking from sunrise to sunset across the country with his great dane named Watonga, a backpack and a yellow sign reading “don’t kill yourself.” He walks everyday to raise awareness for suicide prevention.

METRO

Establishing a connection with listeners: Celebrity host Elvis Duran’s radio show comes to the Ocala-Gainesville station

By Emil Munksgaard Grosen | Feb. 5, 2021

Recently, Ocala-Gainesville’s Q92.9 aired his show for the first time. The show airs Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.

METRO | CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Former UF professor indicted for scheme to defraud the National Institutes of Health and UF

By Anna Wilder and Juliana Ferrie | Feb. 5, 2021

Lin Yang, a former researcher and associate professor in UF’s biomedical engineering department, was charged with six counts of wire fraud, or internet fraud, and four counts of making false statements to a U.S. agency, according to the Department of Justice.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a news conference at Halifax Health Medical Center Sunday, May 3, 2020, in Daytona Beach, Fla. Business owners across much of Florida were busy Sunday preparing to reopen Monday under new restrictions. Gov. Ron DeSantis said he’s deliberately taking things slowly during re-opening. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

METRO | POLITICS

Gainesville activists travel to Tallahassee to speak out against Gov. DeSantis’ protest bill

By Alan Halaly | Feb. 1, 2021

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ House Bill 1 would increase criminal penalties for participating in a “riot,” defined as a “tumultuous disturbance of the peace by three or more people.”

METRO

Gainesville Names New Fire Chief

By Michelle Holder | Feb. 1, 2021

Dixon, who most recently served as fire chief of Goldsboro, North Carolina, will begin with Gainesville Fire Rescue March 15. He said he is glad to represent African Americans and all members of the Gainesville community.