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Artist and residents create HeART Wall across from Depot Park
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - An artist in brought hundreds of residents together to create a heart mural. It’s located across the street from Depot Park and is meant to be a symbol of unity. “We call this project a love letter to Gainesville from Gainesville because I definitely couldn’t...
Florida men’s tennis hauls in 5 individual, All-SEC Academic Team honors
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced the 2024 Division I Men’s ITA Scholar-Athletes and All-Academic Teams on Monday. The Florida men’s tennis program was awarded an All-Academic Team recognition while five individuals were honored as 2024 ITA Scholar-Athletes. Gators academic standouts Henry Jefferson, JanMagnus Johnson, Kevin Edengren, Mattia Akcan and Nate Bonetto are the five ITA Scholar-Athletes representing the Orange and Blue in the announcement. The women’s team had six individuals honored as 2024 ITA Scholar-Athletes while the program also earned All-Academic Team recognition. Those results were also announced on Monday. Requirements for awards qualification For individuals: Have a student grade point average of at least 3.5 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year; Be listed on the institutional eligibility form ITA All-Academic Team: Have a team grade point average of 3.2 or above (on a 4.00 scale); All student-athletes included should be listed on the institutional eligibility form; All varsity letter winners should be factored into the cumulative team GPA for the current academic year Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Ridaught: Guess who’s back, back again
Last year, two area football coaches returned to their respective schools after a brief hiatus. In 2021, Columbia (Lake City) football coach Brian Allen announced his resignation, stepping down after 10 seasons as the head coach of the Tigers. He made the postseason every year and finished with double-digit wins...
Fan poll: Biggest rival for Florida football. Is it Georgia, FSU or someone else?
When it comes to Florida football, there's no shortage of rivalries inside and outside the SEC. The Florida Gators play Georgia annually in Jacksonville in a border skirmish that was dominated by UF from 1990-2010 before turning the way of the Bulldogs the last decade. Florida and Tennessee engaged in...
Florida Football QB Graham Mertz has been embracing his leadership role
Florida quarterback Graham Mertz is embracing his role as a team leader heading into the 2024 season. The sixth-year senior wasn't necessarily a fan favorite when it was announced he would be transferring to Florida from Wisconsin, but his overall play, combined with his grit and determination, quelled most fear Gator fans may have had.
Pastor accused of raping juvenile girl
Christopher Robin Whitehead, 35, was arrested yesterday morning and charged with sexual battery on a victim between the ages of 12 and 18. The post Pastor accused of raping juvenile girl appeared first on Alachua Chronicle.
Blue-chip safety recruit to make verbal commitment this weekend
The coming weekend is another big one for the Florida football program as four-star safety Lagonza Hayward out of Lyons (Georgia) Toombs County in the 2025 cycle gets set to make his verbal commitment. The 6-foot-1-inch, 200-pound defensive back made an official visit with the Gators in mid-June and is zeroing in on his final decision. “On my birthday, July 27, between Florida and South Carolina,” Hayward revealed as his decision date after his Florida OV. However, he has changed things a bit since that announcement. “The offers came in, I had a lot of choices and I had to make a tough decision....
Can Florida football get more consistent play from its linebackers in 2024?
Florida football will bring back a pair of veterans and add some promising newcomers to its linebacker position group in 2024. There's also a new coach — Rob Roberts — who will primarily work with linebackers as Florida Gators co-defensive coordinator with Austin Armstrong., Roberts, the defensive coordinator at Auburn last season, replaced...
Florida football staffer seeks greener pastures with sports agency
The Florida football program recently has seen some shifting off the field with its staff, including the recent departure of the assistant for college personnel and on-campus recruiting Chase Clark. According to a report from Gators Online’s Keith Niehbur, Clark is leaving the Gators to pursue a career as a sports agent with the William Morris Endeavor after five seasons in Gainesville. He first arrived in the Swamp in 2019 under Dan Mullen as an assistant director for player personnel and represents one of the few members of the program to have still been with the program since turning the page to...
'This has to be the best year yet': Johnson embracing critical role ahead of 2024 season
Florida didn't necessarily have trouble generating momentum in 2023. Sustaining it, though, was a different story. After winning five games in a seven-week stretch to open their season, the Gators stumbled across the finish line with five-straight losses, a slide that sticks with Montrell Johnson — Florida's senior running back and head coach Billy Napier's longest-tenured player — when he thinks back on his second year in Gainesville.
Going Gator opens pathways from community colleges to UF
While community colleges have opened the door to higher education for many by providing a lower-cost entry to a more advanced four-year degree, the path forward is not always clear — a hurdle the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Florida is working to remove.
Off-field staffer returns to Florida after brief stint at TAMU
Off-field staffer Joe Hamilton has returned to the Florida football program after a brief stint with the Texas A&M Aggies. The former Gators analyst had accepted a position in College Station back in February, but reported back in his previous office in Gainesville, according to a Swamp247 report. Hamilton joined...
Professional Development Scholarship Fund Now Open Until Aug. 19
July 22, 2024 – The Professional Development Scholarship Fund (PDSF) program at Santa Fe College is now accepting applications until Monday, Aug. 19 at 11:59 p.m. This program includes the UF/SF Employee Exchange Program (UF Waiver) and the Professional Development Scholarship Reimbursement Program. The UF/SF Employee Exchange Program (UF...
New principal takes over St. Patrick Interparish School in Gainesville
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - Dr. Christine Higgins has taken over as the new principal at Saint Patrick Interparish School. Higgins assumed the role of principal on July 1. The principal will be tasked with cleaning up the school’s image and reassuring parents after a scandal involving inappropriate touching of students and the failure of administrators to act.
UF Board of Trustees set to meet Tuesday after Sasse resignation
Three days after UF President Ben Sasse abruptly resigned, the university’s board of trustees quietly scheduled a meeting for Tuesday. No details were included in the meeting’s agenda, but the board is expected to name an interim president before Sasse steps down July 31. Sasse’s predecessor, Kent Fuchs,...
Keep Alachua County Beautiful names new executive director
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - Gainesville resident Carlos Gonzalez was named the executive director of Keep Alachua County Beautiful (KACB). This announcement comes after the organization re-located in April, and kicked out their former director Tyler Smith. KACB moved into an office after the city kicked them out of their previous...
Gainesville Teen Charged in Hit-and-Run that Seriously Injured 8-Year-Old Girl
A Gainesville teenager is now facing charges after his car smashed into an apartment building, seriously wounding an 8-year-old girl, and then fleeing the scene. Erickson Mondesir, 19, has been charged with hit and run, and serious injury by vehicle following the incident, which occurred at Lenox Park Apartments on Tuesday. As reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, authorities surmise the collision was inadvertent, yet they condemn Mondesir's choice to evade the scene without providing assistance to the injured child.
Inaugural Black Business Expo held in Gainesville on Saturday
Business owners received mentorship from panelists and networked with community members to promote their services and products over the weekend. The networking event was part of Carolyn’s Heart Inc. and Gainesville Black Professionals inaugural Black Business Expo on Saturday at Santa Fe College’s gymnasium at 3000 NW 83rd St.
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