UF

Mick Hubert -- the unmistakable “Voice of the Gators” who has excited Florida fans for more than three decades with his signature “Oh, my!” -- is retiring.

Former University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, who went on to play professional football and baseball and is known for his philanthropy and motivational leadership, will serve as UF’s university-wide commencement speaker this spring in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the university announced.

Health experts are quickly denouncing Florida’s plans to issue guidance urging parents not to vaccinate healthy children against COVID-19. They say the policy is dangerous for our children.

Russian troops on Friday seized Europe’s largest nuclear power plant after an overnight attack.

Not even a day after authorities said a University of North Florida student threatened a mass shooting on social media, another threat was made on the same app. This time, it was at the University of Florida.

University of Florida President Kent Fuchs announced Wednesday he plans to step down and transition to a professor.

Located in the Nocatee Town Center, the wine bar was started by two UF students with a passion for travel and nature.

A large lizard that is sometimes kept as a pet is wreaking havoc on Florida’s native wildlife and scientists at the University of Florida are working on a solution.

At the halfway point of the season, the Gators sit 4-2 and quarterbacks Emory Jones and Anthony Richardson are showing growth according to Dan Mullen. Heading into the two biggest tests remaining on the schedule in LSU and Georgia, Florida needs that growth to continue.

Mosquitoes. The good news, there are some devices that promise to keep them at bay, and one that’s about to hit the market is designed to be unlike any other.

The University of Florida is among the top five public universities in the nation, according to the annual rankings released Monday by U.S. News & World Report.

A high school lesson more reliable way of estimating the size of megalodon shows the massive extinct shark may have been bigger than previously thought.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Republican state lawmakers are putting pressure on the University of Florida after it suspended three conservative student organizations for allegedly violating COVID-19 rules at an on-campus event. YAF, along with the Network of Enlightened Women and Turning Point USA, were the three organizations suspended by the university. He’s tweeted photos of other UF students that he claimed are evidence the rules aren’t being uniformly applied. Sponsor state Rep. Spencer Roach, R-Fort Myers, said the bill creates protections for students and students government officials facing disciplinary action. The student groups said they hope they’ll be able to work with UF to resolve the issue soon.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida has temporarily suspended three student groups for violating policies on event and pandemic practices, according to a statement posted on the college’s website Sunday night. These groups are Turning Point USA, Young Americans for Freedom and the Network of Enlightened Women. The statement accused the groups of planning an organized event, but failing to register it with the university. UF goes on to explain they have photographic evidence of the event failing to follow these pandemic policies. “In accordance with our standard practice, the university has not taken, and would not take, action against a student or registered student group based on the viewpoint they represent or the content of their speech,” the statement read.

In another indicator of the push to restore pre-pandemic higher education norms, FSU and the University of Florida will hold in-person graduation ceremonies for spring-semester graduates. Both institutions have announced a series of upcoming reduced-capacity commencements that will mark the universities’ first in-person graduation ceremonies since December 2019. The “condensed” graduation programs will make social distancing possible, university officials said in a press release issued Thursday. As with the plan to reintroduce in-person instruction, FSU is leaving open the possibility that the face-to-face graduation ceremonies could change. “There will be no processional, nor recessional, no platform party, and college deans will not be shaking hands with students,” the university wrote in a news release outlining changes from previous in-person graduation ceremonies.

Dr. Garrett Fraess attempts to remove a shoe by accessing it via the crocodile's esophagus. Earlier this month, a 10.5-foot Nile crocodile from the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park stopped by the UF Veterinary Hospitals to have a shoe removed from her stomach. The crocodile, named Anuket, swallowed the sneaker in December when it fell off a zipliner at the Alligator Farm and into the reptile’s habitat. The 341-pound crocodile was seen eating the shoe and regurgitating it before gobbling it back up. AdThe UF College of Veterinary Medicine reports that the Anuket returned home after an overnight stay and has been recovering at the Alligator Farm -- hopefully without any stomachaches!

The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury on Dec. 15, 2020, was unsealed today. “The FBI will always investigate those who break the law by taking federal money while hiding their foreign business and government ties. Among other things, Yang was required to disclose his foreign research support and financial conflicts of interest, including his ownership of, or interest in, a foreign company. Yang traveled to China in August of 2019 and has yet to return to the United States. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen M. Kunz for the Northern District of Florida is prosecuting the case with assistance from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence & Export Section.

The Gainesville Police Department responded around 7:30 p.m. to the crash at West University Avenue and Northwest 17th Street, near UF’s Fletcher Hall. Police said a Honda Civic traveling east on West University Avenue and a Honda Accord attempting to turn south from westbound West University Avenue collided. Police said the Civic then skidded sideways, striking a pole and five pedestrians -- all UF students. Later that night, one of the pedestrians -- Sophia Lambert, a 19-year-old from Miami -- died, police said. The statement said the university is providing counseling services, outreach and other support for the students and communities affected.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Located in the Nocatee Town Center, Coastal Wine Market and Tasting Room -- your choice for Jacksonville’s best wine bar -- was started by two UF students with a passion for travel and nature. In 2006, Steve lived in Los Olivos, California, where he fell in love with the wine tasting culture. As written on the wine bar’s website, Shaun spent time in Italy and Spain, and shared a similar wine affinity. You’ll find it at the Coastal Wine Market. Runners up:2) The Wine Bar 3) Vito’s Italian Restaurant

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Consumer confidence in Florida is falling ahead of the holiday season, a study from the University of Florida found. After the largest one-month gain in consumer confidence since the pandemic started in September, the study found that consumer sentiment among Floridians dropped 2 points in October to 84.4 from a revised September figure of 86.4. “The two components reflecting Floridians' views about current economic conditions weakened in October,” UF researchers wrote in a press release. “Views of personal financial situations now compared with a year ago dropped 3.7 points from 71.1 to 67.4. Sandoval said November’s consumer sentiment reading will be important to gauge Floridians' opinions and expectations about their economic prospects after the presidential election.

Another limitation was the researchers only reviewed the records of patients at UF Health. More investigation is needed to confirm the findings, but if confirmed they would be a boost for flu vaccination efforts, said Arch G. Mainous III, the study’s senior author. It’s not clear why a flu vaccination could potentially be beneficial for COVID-19 patients. One theory is that cells the influenza vaccine primes to kill the flu virus could also destroy the novel coronavirus. Another theory is that components, or “adjuncts," are added to the flu vaccine to make it more effective.

Researchers are actively enrolling eligible patients at UF Health Jacksonville in COVID-19-related research studies. The efforts contribute to important work being conducted around the world to help researchers and clinicians better understand and more effectively target treatment options for COVID-19 patients. “UF Health emergency medicine is leading the way around COVID-19 research on our campus. An additional study involves enrollment in the Indiana University COVID-19 Registry to allow UF Health Jacksonville to share information on COVID-19 patients, containment and care escalation efforts. “Our team of emergency medicine physicians engaged in COVID-19 studies exemplifies the spirit of our division and our commitment to contributing to the greater good of the medical community,” said Hendry, associate chair of emergency medicine research at the UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A researcher at the University of Florida College of Nursing has been awarded a $2.6 million grant to determine whether relaxation therapy can help reduce pain and manage stress for patients with sickle cell disease, negating the need for opioids. “Historical and contemporary prejudices and stereotypes are associated with those who suffer from sickle cell disease because of their racial background,” Ezenwa said in a prepared statement. “Stress from sickle cell disease symptoms and social factors have been magnified by the public health crisis related to the opioid overdose epidemic in the United States.”Studies indicate as many as 100,000 people could be living with sickle cell disease in the United States. According to a June 2019 report from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health, 55,349 Medicaid beneficiaries nationwide had sickle cell disease in 2012, the latest available data. With 5,395 Medicaid beneficiaries with the once-fatal disease, Florida had the second-largest sickle cell Medicaid population behind New York.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The University of Florida and Florida State University remained ranked among the top 20 public universities in the country Monday, as U.S. News & World Report released annual ratings that have become a closely watched scorecard for colleges. UF tied with the University of California-Santa Barbara for sixth in top public universities, after being ranked seventh last year. UF also was tied for 30th among national universities, the top ranking of Florida public or private schools. The University of South Florida tied for 46th among public universities, while the University of Central Florida tied for 77th and Florida International University was in a tie for No. Among national universities, the University of Miami was tied for 49th, the second-highest ranking in the state behind UF.

A small fire billowed black smoke into the air Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, causing a brief stir near the University of Florida campus. Firefighters had it doused in less than 15 minutes, according to UF Police Lt. Jake Pruitt. Pruitt said a small tractor parked on a ramp on the south side of the stadium caught fire. Police got the call at 3:25 p.m., and the fire was out less than 15 minutes later, Pruitt said. The only damage was some black soot that was left on nearby columns of the stadium, Pruitt said.

The discovery, published Wednesday in Physical Review Letters, identifies an intermediate-mass black hole. The discovery serves as a connector, the missing link, between known categories of black holes: smaller black holes known as stellar-mass black holes, and the largest black holes known as supermassive black holes. Researchers observed the black hole using twin detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and the Virgo gravitational-wave detector in Italy. In the five years since the LIGO project discovered gravitational waves, scientists across the world have fine-tuned instruments measuring these gravitational waves to find new phenomenon in space. The gravitational waves help reveal what happens in the universe and can tell us about how black holes are formed.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. University of Florida Health announced Tuesday it enrolled two patients in a national clinical trial about convalescent blood plasma and whether it can reduce the effects of COVID-19. UF Health is one of 50 medical centers nationwide participating in the clinical trial, which is expected to enroll 600 patients. Enrolled patients must have a mild form of COVID-19 but be at risk of developing more severe cases because of immunity issues, their ages, lung disease or diabetes, Lisa H. Merck, a physician who is vice chair of research in the UF College of Medicines Department of Emergency Medicine and site principal investigator, said in a prepared statement. Researchers are interested in how patients respond in the first two weeks of their illness but will track patients for a month. It is a blind clinical trial, meaning patients wont know whether they have been given convalescent blood plasma or placebos.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. Florida coach Dan Mullen had several players miss the teams opening training camp practice Monday. We had a couple guys not practice today, but well see how that goes moving forward for us, Mullen said during a Zoom call with reporters. His father, Frank Carter, told Rivals that his son has significant concerns. First of all, hes my son and I support him, Frank Carter told the recruiting website. I think its the team thats able to adapt best to whatever situation theres a lot of moving parts and the team thats able to adapt will end up holding up that national championship trophy at the end of the season."

GAINESVILLE, Fla. Jasmine Bowers has made history as the first-ever African American student to receive a doctorate degree in Computer Science from the University of Florida. On July 15, I became the first black woman to defend a dissertation in computer science at UF, Bowers said. Bowers double majored in Math and Computer Science at Fort Valley State University and earned her masters at North Carolina A&T before receiving his doctorate, Black News said. Click here to read more.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. A major organization for higher education employees is calling for all Florida institutions to transition to remote learning for at least the fall 2020 semester. The United Faculty of Florida (UFF) made the announcement Monday, having sent letters to Gov. We all want to reopen our campuses but, more importantly, for them to remain open in the long term. If our institutions become hot-spots due to early reopenings, closing campuses mid-term once again would do real harm, mentally, physically and economically, Morian said. The union added that all of these shortcomings will very likely lead to lawsuits.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. The University of Florida on Friday announced that it will increase the number of online classes and move some classrooms outdoors to prevent the spread of COVID-19 this fall. There will be more online classes, and some will be hybrids of both in-person and online. Given the current incidence of the virus, we cannot count on that happening, but the option to convert to face-to-face is there throughout the Fall semester, UF said. The entire campus community is expected to continue the standard practices of wearing face coverings required in all UF facilities. UF also will be expanding enhanced cleaning and safety protocols in residence halls, dining facilities and classrooms with the arrival of the fall semester.

The 12 state universities continue to work on plans, which they are supposed to present June 23 to the Board of Governors. The plans will flesh out details about issues such as student housing, academics, health protocols and athletics. The universitys draft reopening plan, released on Monday, notes that students and faculty members returning to classrooms will be required to wear face masks. However, Nelson said the school will try to offer tests to people who express concerns about exposure to the virus. And the goal, along those lines, is to accommodate as many fans as our health leadership deems appropriate, Stricklin said.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - With the big October gauntlet looming, the Gators get a tune up game vs Towson. LISTEN: Catch up on previous episodes of Gators BreakdownDavid Waters is joined by Olivia Granaiola, UF student and Read and Reaction contributor, to preview the match-up and the on campus buzz behind Kyle Trask. Follow @GatorDave_SEC to stay plugged in, or click one of the following to tune in:Megaphone | A pple Podcasts | YouTube | Google PlayCopyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.