June 20, 2019

Page 1

www.alligator.org

We Inform. You Decide.

VOLUME 113 ISSUE 97

THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2019 Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Gainesville mom, chronically ill child star in docu-series

JAILED DAD FREED FOR FATHER’S DAY

“Real Moms” hopes to serve as a resource to other parents Lindsay Ritenbaugh Contributing Writer

Nate Ferrell’s sister Abby thinks he should be a narwhal for Halloween. Nate laughs and dances in the seat of his mom’s Honda Pilot to a song about the horned sea animal. The 11-year-old picks his nose. Nate’s mom, Amber Ferrell, 37, hands him a Chick-fil-a meal from the drive-thru. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. Moments later, an “Oh, crap” is heard from the backseat. Nate has poked a hole in his styrofoam cup, and his drink is flowing all over the moving car. He frantically sticks a straw into a puddle of lemonade and drinks from the cup holder. His mother is mortified — and the cameras have captured it all. Nate is more than just a kid who spills lemonade. Shortly after his first birthday on Feb. 24, 2008, Nate was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease and started receiving treatment at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals hired a camera crew to follow the Ferrell’s and nine other families in October for an 11-episode unscripted series called “Real Moms.” According to Amber, the group of moms in the show share one common bond: raising a child with an incurable disease and hope to serve as a resource to other moms who can identify with their stories. New episodes will air Fridays at 9:00 a.m. on both realmoms.org and the nonprofit’s YouTube channel through July 19. Nate said his favorite part of being in a reality show was the craziness of cameras following him in his home, car and at the hospital. “It’s chaos, but it’s kind of fun,” Nate said. Chaos entered the Ferrell family’s life well before the camera crew arrived. Since his diagnosis, Nate has under-

SEE MOMS, PAGE 3

EVALUATING FLORIDA’S SECONDARY

Florida has some of the best defensive backs in the SEC, pg. 11

Sam Thomas / Alligator Staff

Gerald Bell hugs Karrie Ford, a member of Fight Toxic Prisons, on Tuesday after being bailed out of Alachua County Jail as part of FTP’s 352 Father’s Day Bailout event. FTP crowdfunded money to pay for Bell’s $7,000 bail. “I’m gonna take care of my kids better than I was before,” Bell said, “and I’m gonna follow God more closely than I did before.”

Two SG senators forced to resign their seats following Tuesday’s meeting THE SENATE VOTED ON APPOINTMENTS AND LGBTQ+ ACCOMMODATIONS By Charlie Daffron Staff Writer

Tuesday’s UF Student Government Senate meeting began in debate and ended with two senators losing seats.

Senate Minority Leader Ashley Grabowski (Inspire, Graduate) and Senator Ben Lima (Inspire, District D) were notified via email Wednesday night they lost their seats from past absences. Despite being present at the meeting, they were deemed constructively absent after warnings from Senate President Libby Shaw, (Independent, Journalism and Communications).

Two arrested in bail protest

Two protesters were arrested at Alachua County Jail on misdemeanor charges on Monday, pg 5

This put them over the limit of unexcused absences, so they will be forced to resign. “Senators Lima and Grabowski violated several procedural rules and failed to maintain decorum,” Shaw said. “They were given two warnings each to correct their behavior before being ruled constructively absent.”

FOLLOW US ONLINE FOR UPDATES

Q&A with On the Cinder

The Buffalo-based punk trio spoke with The Alligator ahead of its show at the Hardback Cafe on Friday, pg 7

@FloridaAlligator @TheAlligator_ @TheAlligator

SEE SG, PAGE 3


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.