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GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Below are the updated City of Gainesville traffic impacts scheduled for January 13-20, 2023. 

 New Notices

NW Fifth Ave.: Northwest Fifth Avenue will be closed from Northwest 14th Terrace to Northwest 15th Street for curb and gutter repairs from Monday, Jan. 16-Monday, Jan. 23 (7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.). 

Continuing Notices 

SW Ninth Terrace: Southwest Ninth Terrace will be closed between Southwest First Avenue and University Avenue due to the construction of a new development. Construction is expected to last through August 2023.

 Note: All lane and road closures are subject to change due to unforeseen conditions, such as inclement weather.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla.,Jan. 13, 2023 - Scientists have discovered a way to alter the chemical properties of fentanyl, offering a safer alternative to the powerful pain reliever.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid similar to morphine but up to 100 times more potent. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is among the most abused pain relievers in the U.S. and the leading cause of overdose deaths. More than 80,000 Americans died from an opioid overdose in 2021.

In a study published in the journal Nature, a team of scientists from the University of Florida, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Southern California and Stanford University, report how they modified fentanyl’s chemical structure to maintain its pain-relieving properties while reducing harmful side effects.

“Fentanyl is one of the world’s most powerful, yet dangerous pain-relieving medications,” said study co-author Jay McLaughlin, Ph.D., a professor of pharmacodynamics in the UF College of Pharmacy, part of UF Health, the University of Florida’s academic health center. “A team of multidisciplinary scientists from some of the nation’s leading universities came together to gain a new understanding of how the opioid receptor works, and from that research, we sought to generate a new medication that will be a safer pain reliever.”

Pain-killing drugs like fentanyl and morphine bind to the mu-opioid receptor on nerve cells. The interaction triggers a series of responses — from beneficial pain relief to serious side effects like respiratory distress, sedation, addiction and even death.

By applying new insights into the receptor structure, researchers designed a medication that binds to the established site of activity on the outside of the mu-opioid receptor, while also engaging a binding site for sodium ions that exists deep within the receptor. McLaughlin described these receptor sites as switches that turn on and off to control the drug’s effect on the body. Researchers found that when the new drug interacts with both sites on the mu-opioid receptor, it maintains its painkilling effects while reducing harmful side effects.

“The newly designed fentanyl medication is engineered to work as a partial agonist, which are drugs that bind to and activate a receptor but only have partial efficacy,” McLaughlin said. “When the drug binds to the mu-opioid receptor site, the interaction triggers pain relief, but the engagement with the sodium ion essentially turns the receptor off before the adverse effects can occur.”

Susruta Majumdar, Ph.D., led a team of scientists at Washington University to design the new fentanyl drug. Other researchers provided computer modeling support and studied it in cell assays before animal studies began at the University of Florida. McLaughlin tested the altered fentanyl drug in mice and found it provided pain relief without causing respiratory depression or other opioid side effects.

“The more we can learn about how opioid receptors work, the closer we get to developing safer pain medicines,” McLaughlin said. “We can expand this research to target other receptors and see if similar results may improve medications for substance abuse, mood disorders and other health conditions.”

Other scientists contributing to the study included Nobel Prize winner Brian Kobilka, M.D., Ph.D., and Georgios Skiniotis, Ph.D., from Stanford University; Vsevolod Katritch, Ph.D., from the University of Southern California; and Tao Che, Ph.D., from Washington University.

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Collaborative lab space enables the development and growth of the next generation of life science companies in the greater Gainesville region

ALACHUA, Fla - As part of its efforts to support emerging biotechnology companies with addressing key challenges of bringing new therapies to market, Thermo Fisher Scientific today announced it has become a founding sponsor of Momentum Labs in Alachua, Fla. Momentum Labs will serve as a collaborative laboratory and office space for growing biotech businesses in the greater Gainesville region.

“From a regional and state perspective, Momentum Labs provides critical infrastructure and business development resources to support the growth of life sciences in Florida, giving the ecosystem the opportunity to retain companies rather than losing them to other communities,” said Abhinav Akhoury, vice president, corporate accounts, Thermo Fisher Scientific. “Through our sponsorship, Momentum Labs has the ability to provide the latest innovative technologies to high-growth life science companies that are developing tomorrow’s life-changing medicines.”

The North Central region of Florida is one of the largest biotech clusters in the state, home to over 100 life sciences companies and supporting around 1,200 jobs. Despite this established footing, there is a lack of flexible growth space, making it difficult for emerging companies to succeed. Momentum Labs will be the first space of its type in the region, providing growing life science companies with the ability to scale without having to move to other markets.

Companies that receive support from incubator programs are 87% more likely to survive after five years. Upon graduation, 84% of those companies stay in the communities where they received their support and funding. In partnership with Thermo Fisher, members of Momentum Labs will have access to innovative life science instruments and state-of-the-art lab equipment, infrastructure and resources within the region to support their growth.

“It’s challenging for growing companies to stay ahead of their space needs,” said Brian Crawford, chief executive officer at Concept Companies. “Not only is there a large expense for all the equipment needed, but there are also often extraordinary lead times associated with the acquisition and installation. Partnering with Thermo Fisher Scientific gives us the ability to offer the latest innovative instrumentation and equipment to our members allowing them to leverage their capital for growth.”

“By developing a purpose-built facility for emerging science in the Gainesville community, Momentum Labs is providing critical lab space, access to quality equipment, instrumentation and services, and tailored business development support these companies need for continued exponential growth,” said Kyla Frye, director of science and technology ecosystems and lead for Momentum Labs. “This ultimately helps us retain growing life sciences companies and their talent in the region while giving them the vital resources to advance their therapies from research to the clinic.”

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue of approximately $40 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, increasing productivity in their laboratories, improving patient health through diagnostics or the development and manufacture of life-changing therapies, we are here to support them. Our global team delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services, Patheon and PPD. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Kat Cammack announced the introduction of the Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2023.

This bill would reassert Congress' legislative authority and prevent excessive overreach by the executive branch in the federal rulemaking process. It would require every new "major rule" proposed by federal agencies to be approved by both the House and Senate before going into effect. The bill would also preserve Congress' authority to disapprove of a "nonmajor rule" through a joint resolution.

The REINS Act would define a "major rule" as any federal rule or regulation that may result in: an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more; a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, government industries, government agencies, or geographic regions; or significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or the ability of U.S.-based enterprises to compete with foreign-based enterprises.

"During the first year of this administration, the Biden White House added more than $200B in new regulatory costs," said Rep. Cammack. "These new regulations cost the American taxpayers over $2T per year in compliance costs and economic losses without the proper oversight from the legislative branch. The REINS Act is a core part of House Republicans' mission to reintroduce government accountability and to restore Congress' role to check the regulatory actions of federal agencies. I'm grateful to the overwhelming support of my colleagues on this bill and look forward to seeing it pass the House this Congress."

"For too long, Washington bureaucrats have been empowered to create rules that cost our nation hundreds of millions of dollars," said House Majority Whip Tom Emmer. "We are proud to join Representative Cammack in this effort to make these unelected regulators answer to Congress."

"For the last two years, President Biden and progressive Democrats have imposed harmful regulations on the American people," said Rep. Jim Jordan, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. "The REINS Act will place a much-needed check on unelected bureaucrats. It's time for Congress to reclaim its lawmaking authority, and this bill is an important first step toward ending the Biden Administration’s radical overreach."

"Unnecessary government regulations and excessive red tape impose crushing economic burdens on Kentuckians and Americans across this country," said Rep. James Comer, Chairman of the House Oversight & Accountability. "Since President Bide took office, his administration and unchecked bureaucrats are full steam ahead on enacting a radical, far-left agenda through executive action. I am proud to support Representative Cammack and her legislation to ensure federal rulemakers no longer bypass Congress. Americans deserve a voice in the federal rulemaking process and have suffered from significant and costly regulations for far too long."

Rep. Cammack first introduced this bill in March 2021 during the 117th Congress. You can read more about the bill in the exclusive Fox News article by Brianna Herlihy here.

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ALACHUA COUNTY, FL - Keep Alachua County Beautiful is putting high school students at the forefront of community cleanup efforts. The nonprofit organization was awarded the $10,000 Keep America Beautiful MLK Jr. Neighborhood Building Grant, which is designed to help local organizations beautify and improve their communities. The cleanups will focus on improving the MLK corridor adjacent to NW 13th St./U.S. Highway 441 in Gainesville and the city of Alachua.

KACB was one of 11 projects awarded nationally. The proposed program will employ 10-12 high school students to lead cleanup projects involving their peers. The program is designed to help high school students meet their community service requirements while also building an appreciation for the natural environment. Team leaders are responsible for recruiting peers, classmates, family members, associates, etc. to join the cleanup.

Each week, student team leaders will work with peers for three hours on a scheduled cleanup. The job requires another two hours dedicated to recruiting volunteers, planning logistics, and receiving job training. Staff members from KACB will collaborate with the team leaders and provide supervision and mentoring.

KACB University of Florida student staff members will serve as supervisors and mentors to the high-school-aged team leaders. These staff members come from all over Florida and have diverse backgrounds, and will share their experiences and knowledge with the local students to build a greater sense of community between “town and gown.”

KACB is excited to engage the youth, create job opportunities, and beautify Alachua County. “This grant will allow us to provide mentorship and job training to our youth, while also making a positive impact on the environment,” said Executive Director Gina Hawkins. “It's a win-win situation for everyone." For more information about Keep Alachua County Beautiful or to apply for a position with the program, please visit www.kacb.org.

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Ocala, FL—Charlie Chappel, owner of Ocala Heating and Air Conditioning was recently honored with an Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Patriot Award. The award was presented for Chappel’s extraordinary support for his employees, Florida Army National Guard (FL ANG) Spec. Mike Atchley and Marine Corps Reserve Lance Cpl. Jeremy White.

“The Patriot Award was created by ESGR to publicly recognize individuals who provide outstanding patriotic support and cooperation to their employees who have answered their nations call to serve,” said ESGR Florida State Chair Rita Broadway. “Supportive employers are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation’s Guard and Reserve units, Broadway continued.

“National Guard and Reserve members are bringing tremendous skills and capabilities to our workforce, and employer support for their military service is critical to maintaining the strength of our Guard and Reserve units,” said Tim Lambert, ESGR Florida Vice Chair. “By valuing the military service of their Guard and Reserve employees, employers are directly supporting the retention of our All-Volunteer Force, and our National Defense,” Lambert continued.

“Mr. Chappel has given me great support in meeting my military obligations. I was called on very short notice to report on State Active Duty because of Hurricane Ian. He continued to check on me and my family throughout my entire absence from work telling me not to worry about my job or family,” said Atchley. “When money got tight for bills, he made sure I received pay from the Company to get me through until I received my military pay. Without his support, I would never be able to continue my military obligation to our State and Nation without great financial and emotional suffering for my family,” Atchley continued.

“Running a business is challenging for a small business owner, I know that it must be tough to have two employees away from work because of military duty. Mr. Chappel certainly deserves the Patriot Award,” said White.

ESGR is a Department of Defense program that develops and promotes supportive work environments for service members in the National Guard and Reserve through outreach, recognition, and educational opportunities that increase awareness of applicable laws. ESGR also aids in resolving conflicts between Service members and their employers.

For more information about ESGR outreach programs of volunteer opportunities, call (800) 336-4590 or visit www.ESGR.mil/FL

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