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VOLUME 113 ISSUE 70
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2019 Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida
Not officially associated with the University of Florida
Mayor Lauren Poe dominates in race MAYOR LAUREN POE AND COMMISSIONER ADRIAN-HAYES SANTOS WILL REMAIN IN OFFICE Staff Report Gainesville knew who was going to win the election. With three mayoral opponents and a commissioner opponent who had never been elected to a government office, the chances of incumbent candidates Lauren Poe and Adrian Hayes-Santos losing was slim. The landslide wins for mayor and District 4 City Commissioner mean nothing will change in local government leadership. Poe beat Jenn Powell, Jennifer Reid and Marlon Bruce for Gainesville Mayor by 61.82 percent of the vote, according to the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections office. Incumbent Hayes-Santos beat Robert Mounts by 73.68 percent
of the votes for the District 4 City Commission seat, according to the elections office. Along with the official positions, the creation of the charter review commission passed with 62.96 percent. The charter review will consist of 11 registered voters elected by the city commission. It will review the city charter and propose amendments every decade. Of the 89,777 active registered voters, the regular election saw a 12.95 percent voter turnout, which includes the 2,869 people who voted early at polls. This was a decrease in voter turnout from last year’s local election, which decided the city commission At-large 1 and District 1 seats and had a 13.53 percent turnout. The turnout this year was
SEE VOTING, PAGE 3
Aaron Ritter / Alligator Staff
Lauren Poe speaks to a crowd of reporters and about 100 supporters Tuesday at the Public and General restaurant, at 1000 NE 16th Ave. Poe beat three opponents to win his second term as mayor of Gainesville.
UF mourns loss of 50 victims in Menstrual products lacking Christchurch mosque shootings in local homeless shelters About 150 people attended the vigil By Kelly Hayes Alligator Staff Writer
Daniel Khokhar was on his way to Friday prayer with his friends when a feeling of uneasiness swept over him. A gunman had just opened fire on two mosques in New Zealand, killing 50 and injuring dozens. He broke the silence in the car to express his anxiety. His friend responded, validating his feelings, but insisted it was safe to practice Islam in Gainesville. “He stated that, ‘You know, it’s justified for you to feel uneasy, but the people of Gainesville are good,’” Khokhar said. Khokhar, looking around at the crowd at the Christchurch memorial Monday night, felt his friend’s statement was affirmed by the appearance of community members. “This gathering right here is just a reassurance to me that no matter how we look on the outside, we all bleed red, and we’re all
Gators revive offense in win over JU
Freshman Jacob Young reached base four times in UF’s 13-8 win over the Dolphins, pg. 14
human,” the vice president of external affairs of UF Islam on Campus said. Khokhar’s story was just one of several told at the flower memorial hosted by Islam on Campus. About 150 people gathered to remember the lives lost in the mosques of Christchurch, New Zealand. The event featured prayers, five speakers and flowers to honor the victims. Members of the Gainesville community who attended the event included students, community religious leaders, local residents and several members of Moms Demand Action, an anti-gun violence organization. Sana Nimer, the Islam on Campus president, stood tall on Turlington Plaza on a concrete table wearing a salmon-colored headscarf with a microphone in her hand. She started the vigil off with a speech about the victims of the tragedy, the youngest of whom was 3. Despite tearing up occasionally in the speech, she spoke eloquently as she
SEE VIGIL, PAGE 4
By Dana Cassidy Alligator Staff Writer
Three nearly empty large glass jars sit atop tables in a hidden room of Grace Marketplace, a Gainesville homeless shelter. Inside these cylindrical containers lie tampons and sanitary napkins — but so few of them, they barely cover the bottom. Shortages of menstrual items, diapers and basic hygienic products are common in shelters across Gainesville, said Jayne Moraski, the executive director of Family Promise of Gainesville, a shelter and housing program for families with children. “It’s still something taboo for people to talk about,” Moraski said. “It shouldn’t be.” There were 641 documented homeless people on the streets and in shelters in Alachua County in 2018, according to
Always thank your bus driver
UF students show appreciation for RTS bus drivers, pg. 5
the North Central Florida Coalition for the Homeless and Hungry. In 2014, The Alachua County Coalition for the Homeless and Hungry opened Grace, which annually receives about $1.4 million split between the city of Gainesville and Alachua County. Monica Love, 25, a homeless woman who has been in and out of Grace Marketplace over the past four years, recalls a time when she did not have access to menstrual products. It was last month when she interviewed for a job at Sonny’s BBQ. Love said she felt uncomfortable, and it affected her confidence at the time, a concern she believes other people typically don’t have. “When you have all those things in order, you know just about nothing can go wrong,” she said. “People just don’t really think about it as well.” At Grace Marketplace, Love said
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A documentary on MLK
More than 50 years after MLK’s death, the Harn will show a documentary on how his efforts led to today’s activism, pg. 5
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SEE HOMELESS, PAGE 4