El Caimán

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THE AVENUE  |  FASHION

E-retailer visits UF campus: Students flock to pink truck for fashion and freebies

By Emilia Cardenas-Perez | Apr. 15, 2024

On Saturday morning, hundreds lined up outside the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, with some arriving as early as 9 a.m. to make the two-hour long wait. Although there was a football game later in the day, the students were not there for sports. Instead, they were crowded around a pastel pink truck, eager to win free merchandise from popular e-retail brand Edikted.

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THE AVENUE  |  MUSIC

Big: Culture and Arts Festival transforms downtown Gainesville into artistic epicenter

By Benjamin Miller and Alexandra Burns | Apr. 15, 2024

Gainesville residents and music enthusiasts gathered outdoors at a renovated lot between Porter’s Community and South Main Street Saturday to celebrate “Big: Culture and Arts Festival.” Produced by How Bazar and Dion Dia Records, the festival featured local businesses and more than 50 solo artists and musical collectives playing between two individual stages. 

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS

New amendment to change civic literacy requirement for Florida university students

By Zoey Thomas | Apr. 15, 2024

A regulation amendment traveling through the Florida Board of Governors will increase students’ options to complete the civic literacy requirement added in 2017 to state education statutes.

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RACE AND EQUITY  |  ENTERPRISE

Alachua County’s vision impairment resources expand into North Central Florida regions

By Nicole Beltran | Apr. 15, 2024

North Central Florida’s disability resources are scattered across the region and are becoming more accessible to underserved communities through outreach and partnerships. Despite a majority of counties carrying low numbers of visually impaired children in comparison to their populations, counties like Putnam, Bradford and Levy are seeing larger numbers. 

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THE AVENUE  |  FASHION

UF psychology senior set to debut How Bazar’s first interactive runway

By Tanya Fedak | Apr. 15, 2024

The “Noah Aaron Sams Supernova Runway Extravaganza” is an interactive runway event hosted by Sams, a 21-year-old UF psychology senior and aspiring clothing designer, at How Bazar. Inspired by his time in Gainesville, the event will feature a culmination of Sams’ fashion creations he made during his time studying at UF. 

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NEWS  |  SFC

Santa Fe College hosts 52nd annual Spring Arts Festival

By Sara-James Ranta and Annie Wang | Apr. 15, 2024

Couples walked hand in hand and children sat on their parents’ shoulders as gusts of wind blew past, lending a reprieve from the hot sun. While they strolled past the art festival booths, wind chimes rang and live music played. Santa Fe College hosted its 52nd annual Spring Arts Festival April 13 and 14, which featured planetarium shows, a zoo booth and works from local artists.

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS

Students investigate murders over meals in new UF mystery club ‘A Private Inn’

By Zoey Thomas | Apr. 15, 2024

Heavyweight boxing champion Sid Foreman was murdered the night of the party at 6:48 p.m. At 6:52 p.m., partygoers ran out of napkins to go with their pizza.  Both catastrophes were treated with similar levels of concern by the group of 30 UF students who gathered in a lecture hall classroom for a Great Gatsby-themed murder mystery dinner. 

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Uncovering my generation’s silent addiction

By Sabrina Castro | Apr. 15, 2024

One of the most prominent addictions among my generation these days isn’t one of the things my parents warned me about becoming addicted to before coming to college: drugs, alcohol or sex. It is something normalized by friends and peers at all hours of the day, in public, during class and on holidays. 

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METRO  |  CRIMINAL JUSTICE

UF student held without bond after stabbing mother 70 times

By Megan Howard | Apr. 15, 2024

Emmanuel Espinoza first appeared in court April 7 for the charges. His bond for destroying or tampering with evidence is set to $5,000, and he received no bond for first degree murder.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Imposter syndrome: Why we never feel enough

By Morgan Vanderlaan | Apr. 15, 2024

“I do not deserve this.”

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ENVIRONMENT  |  ENTERPRISE

Proposed RTS cuts could impact future Gainesville, UF climate action plans

Apr. 15, 2024

The RTS system was established in 1974, and much of its history has been entwined with UF. For the 2024 fiscal year, UF contributed $13.7 million out of the total $28.5 million in RTS funding — making up about half of the program’s total revenue. Under the newly proposed plan, UF would switch to a contract of monthly payments and reduce its total funding to $6.8 million annually. This reduction of more than 50% would be detrimental to the RTS system, the city said. 

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THE AVENUE  |  FOOD

PrimoHoagies opened a Gainesville location in March, now hopes to attract college students

By Molly Seghi | Apr. 15, 2024

PrimoHoagies, specializing in Philadelphia-style Italian sub sandwiches, hosted a grand opening of its Gainesville location at 211 S Main St. March 21. The event attracted hundreds of people with its opening day special where more than 250 customers indulged in a free hoagie. 

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SPORTS  |  GYMNASTICS

Off the gymnastics mat, Leanne Wong inspires gymnasts with ‘Bowtique’ business

By Alyssa Britton-Harr | Apr. 15, 2024

Florida gymnast Leanne Wong started her Bowtique as a fun hobby. Now, her bows have united young girls and other gymnasts nationwide.  

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SPANISH

‘Los Republicanos han tenido la ventaja’: los votantes latinos de Florida no responden a las apelaciones de los demócratas

By Eluney Gonzalez | Apr. 15, 2024

  Señalado por la elección de Jair Bolsonaro de Brasil en 2018, una serie de populistas de derecha han asumido la presidencia en América Latina. Javier Milei en Argentina en 2023 y Nayib Bukele en El Salvador son las incorporaciones más recientes a esta tendencia, mientras que la popularidad de José Antonio Kasta en Chile solo aumenta para las elecciones en 2025. En toda Latinoamérica, parece que los partidos de izquierda han sido incapaces de captar la atención popular en la manera que Milei, Bukele y Bolsonaro han hecho. 

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SPANISH

‘Republicans have had the upper hand’: Florida Latino voters are unresponsive to Democrats’ appeals

By Eluney Gonzalez | Apr. 15, 2024

  Signaled by the election of Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro in 2018, a slew of right-wing populists have assumed the presidency across Latin America. Argentina’s Javier Milei in 2023 and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele are the most recent entries into this trend, while Chile’s José Antonio Kast popularity only increases for the 2025 election. Across Latin America, it seems left-leaning parties have failed to capture the popular imagination in the way Milei, Bukele and Bolsonaro have. 

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THE AVENUE  |  FOOD

Gainesville mourns closure of gourmet chicken shop Birdie Box Sando 

By Alexandra Burns | Apr. 15, 2024

The opportunity to eat a dripping hot chicken sandwich in a light pink double-decker bus has come to an end. After three years in Gainesville, Birdie Box Sando, located at 2216 SW 13th St., announced April 2 it is permanently closing its doors in Gainesville. The closure was effective immediately following the announcement. 

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SPORTS  |  BASEBALL

Despite snapping six-game losing streak, Florida baseball’s season hanging by a thread

By Luke Adragna | Apr. 14, 2024

Despite snapping a six-game losing streak Sunday, Florida baseball's season may be hanging on by a thread. 

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SPORTS  |  SOFTBALL

Rothrock delivers, helps Gators take Game 3 over Missouri

By Max Bernstein | Apr. 14, 2024

The No. 9 Gators softball team was able to grab the final game of its series against Missouri 3-1. 

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SPORTS  |  OTHER SPORTS GOLF

Florida women’s golf fails to qualify for match play in SEC Championship

By Hannah Getman | Apr. 14, 2024

Entering the third round of stroke play six shots back from the top-eight, Florida women’s golf was prepared to make a run in the final 18 holes. After two up-and-down rounds in the days prior, the Gators were hoping to turn their play around and qualify for the match play quarterfinals.

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SPORTS  |  OTHER SPORTS TENNIS

No. 25 Gators men’s tennis sweeps No. 21 South Carolina in final regular season match

By Chandler Hawkes | Apr. 14, 2024

Sunday, the Gators men’s tennis team swept No. 21 South Carolina in its final regular season match.