1 - The Independent Florida Alligator

Former UF quarterback Malik Zaire wore a Schutt AiR XP Pro helmet with a basic, single-bar facemask. “It was all about simplicity,” Zaire said. “And it looked the best, in my opinion.”

SPORTS | FOOTBALL

Ever wonder how football players choose their facemasks? It’s a little more complicated a process than you’d think

By Ethan Bauer | Jan. 7, 2018

The average football game only features about 11 minutes of actual football, according to the Wall Street Journal, with the other 49 lost to runoff between plays. So tonight, when Alabama plays Georgia in the College Football Playoff National Championship, take one of those dormant 49 minutes of replays, huddle shots and sideline views to inspect Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts and his Bulldogs equal, Jake Fromm.

Florida guard Chris Chiozza is averaging 14 points and six assists per game in SEC play this season. "I think he's one of the most underrated guys in the country," UF coach Mike White said.

SPORTS | MEN'S BASKETBALL

Chiozza, Hayes propelling Florida to top of the SEC standings

By Skyler Lebron | Jan. 7, 2018

Three games into conference play, the Florida men’s basketball team’s identity is beginning to take shape.

Alicia Boren's 39.575 in all-around was a Gators gymnastics opening-day record on Saturday. Boren and the No. 2 Gators are set to take on the No. 3 LSU Tigers on Friday.

SPORTS | GYMNASTICS

UF moving on after season-opening win against WVU

By Alana Gomez | Jan. 7, 2018

The moment junior Alicia Boren’s feet hit the mat at the end of her uneven bars routine, her face transformed into a smile as bright as the sparkles on her uniform.

Coach Mike Holloway's men's (No. 1) and women's (No. 4) indoor teams will look to capitalize on a fast start to their seasons. “We always talk about leaving your failures (and) successes in the building,” Holloway said. “Our mindset is always that we’re just trying to get better.”

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS TRACK

Gators place first in five events at Orange and Purple Classic

By Andrew Huang | Jan. 7, 2018

Ten Gators made their collegiate debut and the Florida men’s and women’s track and field teams won five events to kick off their indoor seasons on Saturday at the Orange and Purple Classic in Clemson, South Carolina.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Set realistic goals

Jan. 7, 2018

It’s that time of the year again. The gym is filled to capacity, the library is surprisingly full and the rude classmate you’ve dealt with for the past three semesters is suddenly rather friendly. It’s a new year, a new semester and a new chance for people to change for the better — or at least for them to pretend to.

NEWS | FEATURES

‘Dancing for the King’: A UF student honored

By Christina Morales | Jan. 7, 2018

Lisa Ly's passion for dancing started when she was 5.

METRO

Macy’s at The Oaks Mall closing. Here's how long everything will be on clearance.

By Amanda Rosa | Jan. 7, 2018

As Paula Delpech searched for a new pair of ankle boots at Macy’s, she worried about what the store closure means for the stores' employees and the economy.

New scooter parking is being constructed near the Chemistry Lab Building and is supposed to be open for the first day of classes, according to student body president Smith Meyers, to provide additional parking to the Library West scooter area.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Here's where you can find new scooter parking on campus starting Monday

By Christina Morales | Jan. 7, 2018

Finding scooter parking on UF’s campus for Daniel Chalco proved to be a challenge. Scooters bumped together, parked over the lines and in the middle of the road were a common sight every morning before class.

METRO | CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Man arrested for cyberstalking woman on Facebook

By Meryl Kornfield | Jan. 7, 2018

A Gainesville man was accused of calling a woman 50 times and telling her coworkers he would come visit their office, Gainesville Police said.

NEWS | CAMPUS

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gives UF-run project $8.7 million grant

By Elliott Nasby | Jan. 7, 2018

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation granted a UF-run project $8.7 million for a five-year research project on food security and poverty alleviation efforts in Africa.

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF alumnus to launch sustainable development organization

By Christina Morales | Jan. 7, 2018

A UF alumnus has created an organization to help solve issues of sustainability and urban development around the world.

Dyandria Anderson scored 12 points, including the final bucket in regulation, in a double-overtime thriller against Ole Miss.

SPORTS | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Gators climb back from double-digit deficit but fall to Ole Miss in double OT

By Justin Ahlum | Jan. 7, 2018

After receiving an inbound pass at the top of the key, Florida forward Paulina Hersler pulled up with five seconds left in the fourth quarter. Down by two, Hersler missed a shot to the right of the rim, but guard Dyandria Anderson pulled down an offensive rebound and scored a layup with less than one second remaining to send the game to overtime.

METRO | CRIMINAL JUSTICE

It took three officers, a Taser and police dog to detain this Florida man

By Meryl Kornfield | Jan. 7, 2018

A Florida man, with the words “candle” and “light” tattooed on his eyelids, was arrested after three police officers, a Taser and a police dog were used to detain him on Monday, Alachua Police said.

NEWS | CAMPUS UF ADMINISTRATION

Universities are being targeted by an extortion scam. UF is one of them.

By David Hoffman | Jan. 7, 2018

Along with more than a dozen other universities, UF received an anonymous email Tuesday that threatened violence on campus unless the writer received a payment of 1.2 bitcoin, or about $19,735, police said.

The outer lanes on both sides of U.S. 441 through Paynes Prairie are still closed nearly four months after Hurricane Irma. Flooding from heavy rainfall and a collapsed levee caused the lane closures.

METRO

Some Paynes trails Prairie remain flooded after Hurricane Irma

By David Hoffman | Jan. 7, 2018

Hikers looking to enjoy some of Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park’s most popular trails could get their feet wet on the journey, park officials warn.

A copy of the front page of The Independent Florida Alligator from Jan. 19, 1977.

NEWS | CAMPUS

Snow in Gainesville? Here's what it looked like in 1977.

By Alligator File Story | Jan. 7, 2018

Editor's Note: Over winter break, meteorologists said a temperature drop and expected rain could cause snow to fall in Gainesville. Though that didn’t come to pass, we at the Alligator wanted to take you back to Jan. 19, 1977 when snow did fall.

Jessica Socorro, a UF digital arts and sciences graduate student, received an email from a ufl.edu address on Nov. 21 advertising a part-time personal assistant position for “Dr. Floyd Andrews.” The email didn’t list his position or college and included a misspelled word.

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF student loses money to email scam from ufl.edu address

By Elliott Nasby | Jan. 7, 2018

Jessica Socorro didn’t expect to lose $1,610 when she answered an email from a ufl.edu address offering a job.

Caeleb Dressel won the 200 fly Saturday afternoon against FAU. His win was one of seven consecutive victories for the men's team to start the event.

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS SWIM AND DIVE

Florida defeats FAU for second win in two days

By River Wells | Jan. 6, 2018

If the Florida men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams were tired after their dual meets against Florida State on Friday, they showed no signs of it against FAU on Saturday.

SPORTS | MEN'S BASKETBALL

Chiozza beats buzzer again to lead Florida past Missouri

By Andrew Huang | Jan. 6, 2018

Chris Chiozza saw it coming the whole way.

NEWS | CAMPUS

Part of UF’s campus lost power Saturday morning, causing outages in some buildings

By Meryl Kornfield | Jan. 6, 2018

As students moved back to campus for the semester, UF Housing and Residence Education notified those who live on campus of a three-hour long power outage that affected parts of campus.

El Caimán