![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)
Instead 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.
The 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.
Since 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.
On 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.
One 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.
Commissioner 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.
At 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.
Following 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)
Gator 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.
Gainesville 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.
About 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.
On 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
![[Courtesy of The Agency]](https://snworksceo.imgix.net/ufa/aeceb1c3-dda2-479b-986c-24363ea3a2e1.sized-1000x1000.jpg?w=1500&ar=4%3A3&fit=crop&crop=faces&facepad=3&auto=format)
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]](https://snworksceo.imgix.net/ufa/b27ebf8a-e120-431b-97d6-c3bf394beedc.sized-1000x1000.jpeg?w=1500&ar=4%3A3&fit=crop&crop=faces&facepad=3&auto=format)
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.
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.
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.
Solutions by The State News
