Avenue Editor Juliana is a second-year journalism student and the Spring 2026 Enterprise environment reporter. This is her fourth semester on The Alligator, and she previously served as an Avenue reporter and the Fall 2025 Avenue editor. In her free time, she loves reading, updating her Letterboxd account and doing crosswords.
When Jeff White moved to Newberry 16 years ago, he and his wife planned to stay for the rest of their lives. They used to joke that the noise from the nearby cement plant was the beach making ”a little breezy noise,” despite living two hours from the nearest ocean.
As more South Florida residents are priced out of the area and climate threats loom, Central and North Florida are changing to accommodate emerging migration patterns.
Cars are now the leading danger to panthers, accounting for 466 deaths since 1978, according to data from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Since Beaten Path’s city contract ended, a new compost company has entered the area — partnered with Alachua County, rather than the city of Gainesville. O-Town Compost, based in Orlando, launched its rural collection center program Jan. 3.
The project would remove an estimated 947 trees, including 67 designated as heritage trees. The designation applies to trees of notable size, shape or importance.
The Bird Window Collision Project advocates for bird-friendly building techniques, especially when it comes to windows like that of the HPNP building, which is just one of many potentially harmful areas on campus.
After he caught word of the lesser nighthawk sighting in Alachua County, Tim Hardin went to see it for himself. It took him three days to finally catch a glimpse of the speckled bird, with its small pointed beak and sharp eyes, against the backdrop of Sweetwater Wetlands Park Dec. 19.
The Hippodrome’s screening of the 2025 documentary “The Librarians” on Sunday, held in collaboration with The Lynx bookstore, brought a crowded theater. The local bookstore joined organizations like the Freedom to Read Project in promoting the film during its Jan. 10-18 run at the Hippodrome.
As the semester winds down, the Avenue desk wanted to reflect on some of our favorite films from throughout the year.
This story has been corrected to better reflect Bobby Mermer’s statements. It has also been updated with a statement from GRU CEO Ed Bielarski.
Solutions by The State News
