Gainesville sister city program pursues statue construction after initial rejection
By Antonia LaRocca | May 26, 2021Students from Gainesville and Duhok, Iraq, worked together on an art submission through a virtual exchange program.
Students from Gainesville and Duhok, Iraq, worked together on an art submission through a virtual exchange program.
A motorcyclist died after crashing into a car at the intersection of Northeast 13th Street on East University Avenue on Sunday.
Gainesville’s City Commission approved a motion that will allow two nonprofits and the city attorney to draft a formal complaint against Florida’s House Bill 1. The complaint could lead to a lawsuit that would challenge the bill in court.
The neighborhood, located at 1717 SE Eighth Ave., consists of 34 single-family homes and sits near Depot Park. Team Dynamo at Keller Williams Realty announced May 14 the sales for the houses will begin June 30.
A car plowed through the front entrance of Sohao Street Fare Cafe, leaving three people with minor injuries, one of whom was taken to the hospital. The driver had barreled directly into the cafe and was wedged between tables and booths.
Grace Pharmacy, also known as the “pharmacy without a cash register,” announced May 10 it has insulin for people with Type 2 diabetes. While Humulin-R and Humulin-N supplies last, anyone can come by the pharmacy as long as they know the type of insulin they need and how to use it.
Last October, the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners approved $500,000 for body cameras, ACSO spokesperson Art Forgey said. Deputies who do not wear body cameras when they are supposed to can face penalties. There is currently not a set date for the body camera requirement.
In Alachua County, panic buying caused a gas shortage. Though county officials said the fears are unfounded, consumers continued to hoard gasoline and drive up demand.
Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery, one of four conservation burial grounds in the United States, hosted a Community Planting Day in the wide-open meadow area where patches of native wildflowers brighten the land and the sun beats down on dead natural wreaths.
When city mosques like the Hoda Center closed at the pandemic’s start, plans for Eid were uncertain for weeks. A year later, the center is excited to attempt a return to normalcy.
Despite thunderstorms, Gainesville community leaders walked through Forest Pines. The Duval neighborhood was chosen after violence among youth and gunfire in the area became a concern.
The speed tables are a temporary solution to the issue of speeding, and their installment will act as a test to determine if other safety improvements, such as lowering the speed limit or redesigning the road, will be needed in the future.
The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in March disrupted daily in-person classes and introduced new safety regulations such as temperature screenings and mask mandates in Alachua County Public Schools. ACPS teachers adjusted to smaller class sizes, instructing on Zoom and changing mask mandates all while trying to ensure students were still learning.
Farmers and volunteers harvested hundreds of unused crops at Siembra Farm in East Gainesville. The event began at 6 p.m. on May 4 and volunteers stayed until 8:30 p.m. to pick and wash vegetables and create 110 community-supported agriculture boxes.
Gov. DeSantis signed an executive order invalidating local emergency COVID-19 orders requiring masks and social distancing around the state, but Alachua County will not be affected by the change.
Community members and advocates gathered downtown on the corner of North Main Street and Northwest Second Avenue at 4:30 p.m. Monday to protest what the Alachua County Labor Coalition called discriminatory housing practices at Bivens Cove.
Beginning this summer, masks will be optional indoors on ACPS campuses as well, ACPS Director of Communications Jackie Johnson said. The county will also no longer require temperature checks, but social distancing will still be enforced.
At about 2:14 a.m., a vehicle traveling west at a high speed hit a raised median near the intersection of West University Avenue and 34th Street, according to a Gainesville Police Department press release.
In Gainesville, a college town where the median age is about 26, organized demonstrations occur frequently. Although Gainesville protests almost never descend into violence, some students and local activists are worried about the precedent the legislation will set.
After about 2,000 people gathered at the T.B. McPherson Center on April 4 to celebrate Easter and participate in Peaceful Sundays, a weekly gathering for the community, residents sent complaints to the city.