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WUFT | News and public media for north central Flo •

Alachua County’s School District: what it means to lose and keep a superintendent

The process of losing and finding superintendents is something with which the Alachua County School Board is all too familiar. The school district’s top position has been a revolving door for over a decade.Interim, resigned, and fired has been the fates of the past half-dozen Alachua County superintendents, each of whom have had relatively short tenures. This has left promises unfulfilled, money spent on rising superintendent salaries and severance pay, and more time spent on politics than thing...
WUFT | News and public media for north central Flo •

A Micanopy woman’s initiative to feed the hungry suffers an unexpected setback

When Bethanne Blinder moved to Micanopy from Gainesville in 2015, she became one of many community members to get free uncooked food from a local pantry. She could make her own meals with it at home, but she noticed that many other people could not.“They look at it,” Blinder, 62, said of the various uncooked items offered, “and you could tell by their face, ‘Oh gosh, I wish,’ and they’d put it back.”She added: “That’s when it dawned on me – these people probably have no way to cook it, or they d...
WUFT | News and public media for north central Flo •

How crafting cards is helping women in Clay County connect and recover

Recovering from a serious automobile accident, Shannen Schmidlin wanted an activity that would not only help lift her spirits, but also help reclaim use of her hands and wrists.Schmidlin, 53, who moved to Clay County with her family in 2018, went browsing on social media and asked around before finding Julia Gorham’s “Therapy Card Nite” workshops.The workshops have given her a new sense of freedom, said Schmidlin, who recently moved to Green Cove Springs and works as a client manager at a securi...
WUSF •

Here's how the Rays and St. Petersburg got to the historic redevelopment vote

In 2022, newly elected St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch announced he was going to start from scratch with a plan to redevelop the Historic Gas Plant District and build a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays to replace Tropicana Field.Welch scrapped the almost two years of planning led by previous mayor Rick Kriseman, leaving the city and developers to start from ground zero. But after the Pinellas County Commission approved the plan Tuesday, the proposal will now start to become a reality.Here is a...
WUSF •

'Our Changing State' Vote 24: What to expect on Florida's primary ballot

With all the drama and turmoil surrounding the upcoming presidential election, it might be easy to forget that Floridians have a primary vote on Aug. 20. Matthew Peddie, host of "Florida Matters" and the podcast "Our Changing State," speaks with WUSF reporter and producer Steve Newborn about what to expect on the upcoming primary ballot.There are several important elections.One is a school board measure. This August might be the last time Floridians get to vote in all the school board primaries...
WUSF •

Our Changing State Vote 24: What school board issues are at stake?

School board elections have been nonpartisan in Florida since 2000. That’s because voters here approved a constitutional amendment on the issue in 1998.But now there’s a proposal to make school board races partisan again — a constitutional amendment to reverse the one decided 25 years ago. Floridians will get to vote on Amendment 1 in November.One reason may be that in the past four years, school board meetings have gotten a lot more polarized. And these county level government agencies are gett...
WUSF •

Largemouth bass no longer. The fish now bears Florida’s name

Florida’s state freshwater fish just got a makeover. Instead of being considered a largemouth bass, it is now the Florida bass.The largemouth bass is the most popular game fish in North America and has now been found to be different in Florida waters.A recent study published by Yale University confirmed that the Florida bass is its own species, and The American Fisheries Society has also established the fish as a separate species.The study included the use of genetic analysis and also found that...
WUSF •

How to decipher political ads this election season? Here's a primer

It takes a savvy voter to separate fact from fiction when it comes to making sense of political advertisements. Matthew Peddie, host of "Florida Matters" and the podcast "Our Changing State," interviewed Alex Mahadevan, the director of MediaWise — the Poynter Institute’s digital media literacy project — to talk about what voters need to know to make informed decisions. Voters can expect to see an influx of new and different political advertisements this election season. From AI to social medi...
WUSF •

USF launches a remotely operated vehicle for deep-sea exploration

More than 80% of the ocean remains unexplored by humans.With the help of a new remotely operated vehicle (ROV), researchers at the University of South Florida and Florida Institute of Oceanography hope to lower that percentage.Taurus will be able to sink down to depths of up to 2.5 miles while capturing 4k imagery.According to a news release, USF is the only university in the continental U.S. to operate a vehicle with these capabilities.Monty Graham, the director of FIO, said this ROV will bring...
WUSF •

USF launches a remotely operated vehicle for deep-sea exploration

More than 80% of the ocean remains unexplored by humans.With the help of a new remotely operated vehicle (ROV), researchers at the University of South Florida and Florida Institute of Oceanography hope to lower that percentage.Taurus will be able to sink down to depths of up to 2.5 miles while capturing 4k imagery.According to a news release, USF is the only university in the continental U.S. to operate a vehicle with these capabilities.Monty Graham, the director of FIO, said this ROV will bring...
WUSF •

Here are the Tampa-area athletes competing for Team USA in the Paris Olympics

The 2024 Summer Olympics are just three weeks away, and Florida is set to make a significant mark with an impressive number of athletes heading to the games in Paris.In all, 35 athletes from Florida will be on Team USA, with a dozen coming from Tampa Bay and surrounding areas.Among them is Nelly Korda, who won gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and reached No. 1 in the Women’s World Golf Rankings.Korda, a Bradenton native and daughter of former Czech tennis players, has had 14 LPGA tour wins and tw...
WUSF •

Here's how fans are reacting to Steven Stamkos' departure from the Lightning

Steven Stamkos, the longtime Lightning captain who helped lead the team to two Stanley Cups, has said goodbye to Tampa Bay after 16 seasons. Stamkos was drafted by the Lightning in 2008 when he was 18 years old as a saving grace for the team. He quickly became a symbol not only for the team but also the Tampa Bay area. His face could be spotted on bus stops and at Amalie Arena throughout the NHL season.Stamkos signed a four-year, $32 million deal with the Nashville Predators after he could not c...
WUSF •

The Tampa City Council is giving themselves a $20,000 pay raise

Tampa City Council members have voted to give themselves a pay raise.The annual salary for council members will go from $54,000 to $75,000 – an almost 40% increase.Mayor Jane Castor’s administration proposed the raises two years ago. Council members at that time voted 4-3 against them.Council member Gwen Henderson voted in favor of the raise at a workshop Thursday.“If you looked at it from if this was a full-time job, can a person afford to live in the city that they’re actually governing,” Hend...
WUSF •

Tampa will host Red Bull Flugtag for the first time in 13 years

Red Bull Flugtag participants will challenge gravity on Nov. 9 at the Tampa Convention Center.After a 13-year break, Tampa will host Red Bull Flugtag for the first time since 2011.Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said that this event will be an exciting time for the Tampa Bay region and will draw over 100,000 spectators.“The laws of gravity says what goes up must come down,” Castor said. “Flugtag is an example of an incredible event that tries to destroy that theory.”Red Bull Flugtag is a challenge for p...
WUSF •

Here's how to celebrate the Fourth of July across the Tampa Bay area

A variety of events are taking place throughout the greater Tampa Bay region to celebrate the Fourth of July. They include fireworks shows, patriotic picnics, and live entertainment — both in the days leading up to the holiday, and on the Fourth itself.For folks heading to downtown Tampa to check out the fireworks, there's one noticeable difference.The city moved its Boom by the Bay event at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park to Thursday, July 4, as opposed to the weekend, as was the case last year....
WUSF •

Margaritaville at Sea cruises could be a boon for Tampa's tourism economy

A cruise ship that brings the island spirit of the late singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett is now calling Port Tampa Bay home.Starting with a maiden voyage Friday, the Margaritaville at Sea Islander will sail year-round from Tampa.The ship, which accommodates 2,650 guests, will offer four- and five-night trips that include stops in Key West and Mexico. Six- and limited edition seven-night trips will be offered in 2025.Christopher Ivy, the CEO of Margaritaville at Sea cruise lines, said adding Tampa...
WUSF •

St. Petersburg police warn teens, and parents, over gel pellet gun shootings

A number of teenagers in downtown St. Petersburg went on a gel pellet gun shooting spree this weekend.According to the St Petersburg Police Department, at least three people were arrested. More than 200 teens gathered downtown and several of them fired gel pellet guns in or at the crowd.Gervaris Small, 22, allegedly drove a group of teens along Beach Dr. NE and a 14-year-old allegedly shot a gel gun from the vehicle at the crowd.The pellets struck two police officers, a police horse and a couple...
WUSF •

Floridians don't seem overly concerned about a predicted active hurricane season

A majority of Floridians have the same level of concern despite what forecasters say could be an extremely active Atlantic hurricane season.Those were the findings of a survey conducted by AAA.AAA on Thursday released the 2024 Q2 AAA Consumer Pulse Survey, which asked questions regarding severe weather by state.Questions concerned matters over severe weather and natural disaster preparation, and residents were surveyed using a proprietary online research panel.A total of 5,000 residents in The A...
WUSF •

St. Petersburg Police are looking for a driver who damaged the Pride street mural

UPDATE: Christian Maier, 18, was arrested on July 1. He is charged with felony criminal mischief and racing on a street.ORIGINAL STORY:St. Petersburg Police are looking for the drivers of two different vehicles that recently damaged the Progressive Pride street mural.Officials say the first incident was at 9:36 a.m. on Friday, May 17, when a truck accelerated through the mural, which is in a roundabout at 2500 Central Ave. Then, at 2:41 a.m. on Wednesday, May 22, a blue two-door vehicle spun out...
WUSF •

The Tampa Bay area will mark Memorial Day at a number of events this weekend

Memorial Day weekend is coming up and there is a variety of activities and events being held in commemoration.From ceremonies to potlucks and festivals, there are many different options to choose from around the greater Tampa Bay area to honor fallen military service members.Memorial Day Pinning Ceremony: Friday 12-1 p.m.The pinning ceremony will take place at the Florida Blue Center – Tampa. Veterans will be pinned in a ceremony to honor their service and bravery.201 North Westshore Boulevard,...
The Gainesville Sun •

Best kept secret: Fresh resource largely untapped by UF students

University of Florida students have access to fresh produce grown and harvested at Field & Fork Farm and Gardens, a small farm on the outskirts of UF’s campus − but few seem to know about the resource.

All produce that is grown on-site is sent to the Alan and Cathy Hitchcock Field & Fork Pantry, where food-insecure students can get their next meal.

The farm and gardens are operated by UF faculty, student interns and volunteers. The farm and gardens currently have 12 interns, mostly from the UF
WUSF •

Why several Florida universities will face challenges in the search for a new president

Three public Florida universities have openings for a new school president.The University of Florida, Florida A&M and Florida Atlantic University are conducting searches after they were left without a president for different circumstances.UF is searching for a new president after Ben Sasse resigned in July, citing his wife's health. Former President Kent Fuchs is now serving as interim president.UF came under scrutiny for its lack of transparency when it hired Sasse 17 months ago.Jeff Brandes, a...
WUFT News •

Marion County residents celebrate farmland heritage, vow to halt developments

Marion County residents have been celebrating all month long, thankful for the ground beneath them.

In 2007, county commissioners officially declared April as Marion County Farmland Preservation Month. For Sara Fennessy, the executive director of Horse Farms Forever, the awareness lasts all year.

“It’s reassuring to see that the county recognizes the importance of the industry,” Fennessy said. “It recognizes the importance of our farms, and we’re able to shine a bright spotlight on all of thos
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