Local

GAINESVILLE, FLA. - The Eighth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission has selected applicants for interviews for the vacant Alachua County Judge seat created by the retirement of Judge Walter Green. The interviews will be held Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, beginning at 9:00 am, at the Alachua County Criminal Courthouse, Gainesville, Florida.

The applicants selected for the interviews are as follows:

Time Slot Applicants
9:00 – 10:00 Katherine Floyd, Jonathan Ramsey, Shawn Thompson
10:15-11:15 Eric Atria, AuBroncee Martin, Adam Lee
11:30-12:10 Cary Torres, Dorene Inkeles
1:00 – 2:20 Adam Hapner, Yolanda Means, Adam Stout, Evan Gardner
The interviews are open to the public. Deliberation sessions, which generally occur before the
interviews begin, during breaks, and at the conclusion of the interview session, are confidential.

JNC Commissioners

Rebecca Shinholser, Candice Brower, Christopher Elsey Brent Siegel, Norm D. Fugate, Chair, Lindsey Turner, Vice Chair, Brian Kramer and Robert Woody.

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com

 GAINESVILLE, FL: Celebrate the last full moon of the winter with the FULL MOON BRUNCH BASH at Curia’s beer garden. Enjoy brunch, mimosas and select coffee brews from Sweetwater Organic Coffee, shop local vendors, and be entertained by drag performances - - all while supporting The Road to Rachel fundraiser. All proceeds will benefit rare cancer research and support services for young adult cancer survivors.

Where: Curia’s on the Drag, 2029 NW 6th St, Gainesville, FL 32609

Date: Saturday, Feb. 24, 2004

Time: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

.Tickets: $40 (includes brunch, coffee tasting and raffle tickets)

This fundraising event is hosted by Kyle Giest, who graduated from UF in 2014. In 2018, while living in Gainesville, Kyle was diagnosed with a rare soft tissue cancer called Ewing’s Sarcoma and was treated at UF Shands hospital. After 3 years in remission, Kyle’s cancer returned and he moved to Pittsurgh to live with his mom and receive treatment. “At this point it was really scary,” explains Giest, “as treatments for metastasized sarcomas haven’t improved for decades.”

While going through treatment in Pittsburgh, Giest discovered the 37-mile, one-day Rachel Carson Hiking Challenge, which he tackled in June, 2023. This year, Giest will be back on the trail, this time raising money for much-needed rare cancer research (Pittsburgh Cure Sarcoma) and support services for young adults with cancer (Young Adult Survivors United.)

Giest will be returning to Gainesville for the first time since being re-diagnosed in 2022 to kick off The Road to Rachel Fundraiser. April Williams of Curia on the Drag is happy to work with Kyle on the fundraiser. “Kyle is an amazing and positive human that I got the opportunity to meet here in Gainesville and work with for a short time at Curia. I’m honored to have Curia be part of this fundraiser and to have the support of so many other local businesses that have jumped at the chance to be involved as well.”

Link to the event and tickets

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Science lovers are invited to attend the free Girls Do Science event at the Florida Museum of Natural History on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Hosted in celebration of the United Nations’ declaration of Feb. 11 as International Women and Girls in Science Day, the museum will host a plethora of fun and engaging activities with local scientists. These include interactive games, biology lessons featuring real specimens and displays of research equipment.

“I’m very excited about all the new tablers we are having this year,” said Janelle Peña-Jiménez, the Florida Museum’s public programs coordinator and Girls Do Science organizer. “Each tabling organization showcases achievements of women in science, which promotes the idea that science is for everyone, regardless of gender. By providing opportunities for girls to engage with female scientists, this event hopes to inspire more girls to pursue careers in STEM fields and to help close the gender gap in these fields.”

Along with participating in activities, attendees will have the opportunity to see live critters and meet people representing a variety of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics organizations like the University of Florida Thompson Earth Systems Institute, the UF department of anthropology, the museum’s McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity and the UF College of Veterinary Medicine’s Aquatic Animal Health program. Each group will bring a unique set of knowledge and activities for all ages.The McGuire Center will bring tools for attendees to build their own device to capture small insects, also known as aspirators, as well as drawers of butterflies and insects.

“We hope to inspire people to stop and take a closer look to appreciate the insects around them,” said Kristin Rossetti, conservation coordinator at the McGuire Center. “Lepidoptera researchers are excited and passionate about their work, and when you get to speak to other people who are interested in what you do, it allows that excitement to spread!”

In honor of her recent retirement and monumental career, this year’s event will be dedicated to emeritus Allyn curator of lepidoptera for the McGuire Center, Jacqueline “Jackie” Miller. An internationally recognized researcher, Miller has authored or co-authored three books and more than 158 papers. She served as the first female president of The Lepidopterists’ Society in 1989 and is a fellow and honorary life member of the Entomological Society of America.

“Jackie is such an inspiration,” Peña-Jiménez said. “I can’t wait for this event to happen already!”

For those who cannot attend the in-person event, the Florida Museum has developed a Girls Do Science! activity book, which is free and available for download online. The book was created by scientists and includes projects for a variety of ages. Activities range from coloring pages highlighting influential female scientists to a step-by-step strawberry DNA extraction guide.

While Girls Do Science hopes to inspire female engagement in science, the event is open to all. The Florida Museum invites anyone interested, regardless of age, gender or background, to attend the festivities.

For more information on the event or to download the activity book, visit www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/event/women-girls-in-science-day.

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com

HIGH SPRINGS, FLA. – Just after 3 P.M. on Tuesday, Feb. 6, firefighters from High Springs, Alachua County, and Newberry were dispatched to the 20600 block of Norothwest 138^th Avenue in unincorporated Alachua County for a reported building fire.

Upon arrival of Alachua County units, firefighters reported a one-acre grass fire, that was threatening a mobile home, but had not yet caught the home on fire, moving south towards into a pasture and other homes.

Three brush trucks, specialized four-wheel drive trucks designed for fighting grass fires, responded to the scene to extinguish the blaze, while fire engines protected the mobile home that was threatened by the fire.

Multiple Deputies from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office notified neighbors threatened by the fire to evacuate their homes or monitor the situation, based on the fire’s direction of travel.

After 30 minutes of intense firefighting efforts, the fire was contained to approximately three to four acres. Thanks to the quick efforts of homeowners and firefighters, the fire was stopped just a few feet from the home, saving the structure. Two residents were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

The fire is believed to have started from a small burn pile in the backyard that spread into the adjacent pasture on the property.

The High Springs Fire Department reminds the public to exercise extreme caution when burning outside. Pay attention to weather conditions and have a water source nearby. Burn piles must be 8 feet in diameter or less, 25 feet from your home, 25 feet from any wildlands or brush, 50 feet from a public road, and 150 feet from other occupied buildings. To learn more about burning outdoors in Florida, visit FloridaForestService.com

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com

Life Story of Buddha, Shakyamuni, Tibet; 19th century, Pigments on cloth, Rubin Museum of Art, Gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin, C2006.66.164 (HAR 157)

GAINESVILLE, FL, Feb. 6, 2024—The Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida is presenting Gateway to Himalayan Art, a traveling exhibition organized by the Rubin Museum of Art that introduces the main forms, concepts, meanings and traditions of Himalayan art and cultures. The exhibition features 110 objects from the Rubin Museum’s collection as well as multimedia elements—audio, videos, essays, maps and more—from the Rubin’s recently launched educational initiative, Project Himalayan Art, a resource designed to support the inclusion of Tibetan, Himalayan and Inner Asian art and cultures into undergraduate teaching on Asia. The exhibition will be on view from Feb. 13 to July 28, 2024.

“The Harn is the only Southeastern US venue for the exhibition,” said Harn Museum of Art Director Dr. Lee Anne Chesterfield. “We are excited to bring the exhibition and its extensive learning opportunities not only to our local and academic audiences but to be a draw for new visitors within Florida and those who live beyond the state.”

Gateway to Himalayan Art, which is modeled on the Rubin Museum of Art’s cornerstone exhibition of the same name, invites visitors to engage with the art and cultures of the greater Himalayan region—Indian, Nepalese, Bhutanese, Tibetan—and the interrelated Mongolian and Chinese traditions. Much of Himalayan art is informed by Buddhist, Hindu and indigenous religions, and images play a prominent role in cultural practices.

The exhibition explores the fundamental visual language and meanings of Himalayan art, the materials and techniques used, and the purposes for the creation of these objects, often in the context of religious and secular well-being. Gateway also includes voices from Himalayan artists and contemporaries, along with connections to related digital content to expand visitors’ knowledge of the works of art on view.

The exhibition features traditional scroll paintings (thangka), sculptures in various media, medical instruments and ritual objects. Among the featured installations are in-depth displays that explain the process of Nepalese lost-wax metal casting and the stages of Tibetan thangka painting. 

Gateway to Himalayan Art is an integral component of the Rubin Museum’s Project Himalayan Art, a three-part initiative that also includes the publication “Himalayan Art in 108 Objects” and a digital platform, a hub for the study of Himalayan art. Together they provide introductory resources for learning about and teaching Himalayan art, with focus on cross-cultural exchange with Tibet at the center, and Buddhism as the thread that connects these diverse cultures.  
 
For more information visit www.harn.ufl.edu/gatewaytohimalayanart. Admission is free.  

Programs 

The Harn will offer programs related to the exhibition that are free and open to the public. Some highlights include:

Curator Talk and Exhibition Celebration at Art After Dark 
Thursday, Feb. 29, 6 p.m.  

The organizing exhibition curator, Elena Pakhoutova, Senior Curator of Himalayan Art, Rubin Museum of Art, will discuss Storytelling in the Himalayan Cultural Sphere. After the talk, visitors can browse the exhibition while enjoying musical entertainment, light bites and wine. 
 
Museum Nights 
Thursday, March 14, 6 – 9 p.m. 
Visitors will experience art and culture from the Himalayas through tours and activities related to the exhibition. This is an ongoing program made possible by the generous support of UF Student Government and the Office of the Provost. Sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts.  
  

Museum Days 
Thursday, March 30, 1 – 4 p.m. 
Participants of all ages are invited to take a family-friendly tour of the exhibition and join in an art activity.

Harn Eminent Scholar in Art History (HESCAH) Talk 
Of Mothers, Wives, and Goddesses: Looking for Women in the Art of the Himalayas 
Thursday, April 18, 6 p.m. 
Speaker: Dr. Jinah Kim, George P. Bickford Professor of Indian and South Asian Art, Harvard University 

Support 
Leadership support for Project Himalayan Art is provided by the Henry Luce Foundation. 

Project Himalayan Art has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.

This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-253379-OMS-23.

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Lead support is provided by the Ellen Bayard Weedon Foundation, Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, Noah P. Dorsky, Fred Eychaner, Christopher J. Fussner, the Estate of Lisina M. Hoch, Matt and Ann Nimetz, The Randleigh Foundation Trust, Shelley and Donald Rubin, and Jesse Smith and Annice Kenan.

Major support is provided by Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Stephen and Sharon Davies, the Edward and Elizabeth Gardner Foundation, Mimi Gardner Gates, Hongwei Li, Max Meehan, the Monimos Foundation, Edward O’Neill, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Sarah and Craig Richardson, Rossi & Rossi, the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation, Namita and Arun Saraf, Eric and Alexandra Schoenberg, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, UOVO, Sandy Song Yan, and the Zhiguan Museum of Art.

This exhibition is sponsored locally by the generous support of Ken and Laura Berns; Visit Gainesville, Alachua County; and other generous donors.

Special Support for Project Himalayan Art is provided by:

Dr. Bibhakar Sunder Shakya, to honor the memory and legacy of Professor Dina Bangdel, art historian, curator, cultural activist, and educator from Nepal. 

Samphe and Tenzin Lhalungpa, to honor the memory and works of L.P. Lhalungpa, Tibetan scholar, broadcaster, and educator.

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com

BRONSON, Fla. – Construction will begin this week on a resurfacing project along approximately one mile of State Road 500 from west of State Road 24 to east of NW 75th Street in Bronson.

The resurfacing project includes removal and replacement of the upper layers of asphalt, drainage improvements, sidewalk rehabilitation and driveway rehabilitation throughout the project limits.   

Traffic will be maintained in accordance with FDOT standards. Drivers can expect lane  closures and flagging operations during off-peak hours, seven days a week. 

 FDOT selected Anderson Columbia Construction Inc. to complete this $3.5 million project by late 2024, weather and unforeseen circumstances permitting.   

Drivers seeking real-time traffic alerts are encouraged to visit www.FL511.com or download the FL511 app prior to their journey. Stay informed about lane closures and roadwork in your area by following FDOT District 2 at @MyFDOT_NEFL on Twitter, at MyFDOTNEFL on Facebook or by visiting nflroads.com.

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com