UF urges Krishna Lunch to clarify meals are free, prices are suggested donations
THE TENTATIVE AGREEMENT COMES AMID A PERIOD OF FINANCIAL STRAIN FOR KRISHNA LUNCH
By Grace McClung Alligator Staff Writer
UF is working to form its first-ever official agreement with Krishna Lunch, requiring the religious organization to clarify that its advertised meal prices are only suggested donations — not mandatory payments.
The agreement, which aims to formalize UF’s relationship with Krishna
Lunch, would ensure the continued offering of free meals while allowing voluntary contributions. But Krishna leaders worry increasing transparency about the donation-based model could discourage contributions, jeopardizing the program’s long-term survival.
Krishna Lunch, which has served lowcost vegetarian meals to UF students since 1971, reported a $75,000 shortfall in revenue last year amid rising food costs. The organization temporarily raised its suggested donation per meal from $6 to $8, prompting complaints from students
Remembering UF student Nyla Holland
She was known for her bright smile, outgoing nature and dedication
By Shaine Davison & Garrett Shanley Alligator Staff Writers
Nyla Holland did a little bit of everything.
Acting onstage. Playing saxophone. Crocheting with her grandma. Weightlifting. Throwing javelin and shot put. Serving in UF’s Reserve Officer Training Corps. Riding horses — and teaching kids to do the same. But more than the sum of her talents, Holland was a radiant extrovert whose warmth and openness made people feel at ease.
Holland, a UF animal sciences sophomore, died in Gainesville March 2. An oncoming car struck Holland while she was driving her moped into the parking lot at Southwest Recreation Center, where she exercised daily. She was 20 years old.
She is survived by her parents, Jaime Holland and Rebekah Santiago, her 21-yearold brother, Jaime Jr. and 16-year-old sister, Moriah.
Family and friends remember Holland as a resilient, energetic and loving jack-of-alltrades. Santiago, Holland’s mother, said her drive to explore new passions was rooted in her love for people.
“When people think of her, I hope that they treasure their connections,” Santiago said. “That is what she loved.”
Humor, too, was one of Holland’s strong suits. Her stories always had “color and pepper and salt,” Santiago said.
“Sarcasm was her native language,” she said. “She saw things for what they were. They were not romantic at all — it had so much humor.”
Born on Sept. 14, 2004, in Lake Worth, Florida, Holland graduated from Park Vista Community High School before attending UF. There, she became a dedicated member of the university’s ROTC program and at-
tained a three-year U.S. Army scholarship. She planned to follow in the footsteps of her father, Jaime, and enlist in the Army after graduation, with dreams of becoming a military veterinarian.
Holland’s passions were diverse, but her heart belonged to animals — especially horses and dogs. Her love began early, with relentless requests for a dog. One Christmas, her parents gave her a toy dog, but that didn’t quite “quench her thirst,” Santiago said.
So once the Hollands replaced their home’s carpets with hardwood, they adopted Lexi, a boxer whom Nyla loved dearly.
Her bond with animals only grew as she got older. As a teenager, Holland began volunteering at Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Loxahatchee Groves, Florida, the largest cage-free, no-kill dog rescue organization in the United States.
“She was at peace when she was with an animal,” said Jaime Holland.
“If you asked her to clean her room, that was torture. But if you asked her to bathe 10 dogs, she’d do 30,” Sanitago said.
Holland also loved riding and taking care of horses, even if it caused her physical harm from time to time. Up until her death, she excitedly recollected when a horse stepped on her foot, showing the scar off to her mother.
Her passion for animals carried into her studies at UF, where she recently earned a certification in artificial insemination. She had plans to start a club aimed at reducing mistreatment and stigma toward pit bulls, especially prevalent near her home in South Florida.
After Lexi, the Hollands’ dog, passed away several years ago, Nyla urged her parents to adopt a rescue. The Hollands ended up taking in Sephora — a shar pei-pitbull mix.
Courtesy of Rebekah Santiago
Nyla Holland was a 20-year-old animal sciences major at UF.
Today’s Weather
Renter versus algorithm: Software shakes up Florida housing market
REAL ESTATE TECHNOLOGY CENTER OF PRICE-FIXING, TENANT DISCRIMINATION LAWSUITS
By Natalie Kaufman Alligator Staff Writer
Loud. Dirty. Expensive. Those are some ways Devin Kinnally described off-campus housing.
The 20-year-old UF economics junior said she’s been through the wringer hunting for an affordable dwelling close to her classes. Kinnally lived in a Beaty Towers dorm her freshman year before venturing off campus.
Kinnally said she didn’t reap much value from a unit she leased for $1,100 monthly at UFORA, an apartment complex on Southwest Fifth Avenue.
“[It was] kind of ridiculous in the first year considering how much we were paying,” she said. The possibility of algorithmic pricing software contributing to her troubles never occurred to Kinnally.
However, as more developers adopt automated property management tools, they’ve faced challenges with their renters and the law. A handful of real estate software companies and their users are now involved in lawsuits alleging foul play for their application of the technology.
Lawyers argue the companies’ services facilitated schemes that enriched developers at the expense of renters. Of the six landlords named in a federal price-fixing lawsuit, one, Camden Property Trust, operates nearly 23,000 apartment homes in Florida as of the end of 2023.
How did we get here?
Homeownership in the U.S. is becoming increasingly out of reach for most Americans as shelter costs rise faster than incomes. Developers, looking to extract as much profit from their properties as possible, have limited incentive to build low-cost housing. That’s created an overabundance of luxury complexes and a shortage of lowcost alternatives, The Wall Street Journal reported in January.
In the 1970s, there were three affordable apartments for every person looking, said Anne Ray, a researcher with UF's Shimberg Center for Housing Studies. A decade later, that trend had flipped.
As an influx of Baby Boomers entered their prime home-buying years between the 1980s and 1990s, demand for homes soared, driving up costs. People who would have settled in a modest starter house could no longer afford to buy, so they leased instead, straining the rental supply, Ray said.
Fast-forward about thirty years and the COVID-19 pandemic plunged the market into further
tumult. Between 2020 and 2022, home and rent prices spiked, per a Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland analysis. Residents in Florida metros took a devastating hit and haven’t quite recovered, Ray said.
A little over 56% of Florida renters were cost-burdened in 2023, meaning they spent more than 30% of their income on housing costs, including rent and utilities. That’s higher than any other U.S. state, surpassing the national average of 48%, five-year data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey shows.
Rents and home prices have since stabilized, but they’ve done so at high levels. Tenants must cope with the new normal.
“People are going to figure out a way to make that work, whether it's having more roommates or really stretching their budget further than they're comfortable with,” Ray said. “So until there's enough modest options out there, people are stuck paying higher rents.”
AI sets the terms
Landlords typically calculate rent by weighing their property's value, mortgage rate and expected maintenance costs. They also consider rates at nearby complexes and assess what residents in their area can afford.
For example, in Gainesville, median rent in the area including predominantly low-income Lincoln Estates and Springhill neighborhoods is over $1,000 cheaper than in portions of the high-income Haile Plantation community on the city's western outskirts.
Ultimately, though, prices flex to demand, according to Margo Utter, a development manager at Stiles, a commercial real estate firm with a property in Gainesville.
“Sometimes we get demonized a little bit as developers, like, ‘Oh, how dare you open this brand new building and charge $5,000 for a month for rent,’” Utter said. “What they don't realize is that basically all of that rent is dictated by our competition and what the [tenant] is willing to pay.”
The market conditions renters have gotten used to, however, may not be totally organic.
The software company RealPage uses artificial intelligence to help landlords set rates. Users plug data like unit prices and vacancies into RealPage’s platform. Its YieldStar algorithm, which also knows what competitors charge, crunches the numbers and generates price suggestions. RealPage’s website claims the tech can outperform the market by 3% to 7%, meaning when implemented, YieldStar’s rates can garner more return for landlords than the average asking price.
In August, the U.S. Department of Justice and eight state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against RealPage, alleging the company
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enabled collusion, or illegal cooperation, among its clients to raise rents.
The amended complaint, filed Jan. 7, cites six large landlords — with properties in 43 states and Washington, D.C. — as potential participants.
“Now that everyone has access to this tool, it’s causing every building to have access to being even more aggressive with their rents,” Utter said.
Before tools like RealPage, landlords had to strike backroom deals to fix prices. Competitors would agree to charge the same inflated rate and promise not to undermine each other with discounts. The DOJ argues they can now accomplish the same thing, shielded behind an algorithm.
Nine in 10 RealPage recommendations seem reasonable, Utter said, but her company doesn’t adopt them unquestioningly. Instead, its asset management team adjusts the rates as needed based on independent market assessment.
That’s not the case for every landlord. The DOJ contends RealPage forces compliance with its recommendations through an “auto-accept” feature that discourages users from rejecting the generated rates. Utter’s employer, Stiles, is not named in the lawsuit and hasn’t been accused of impropriety.
Renee Tapp, a UF assistant professor of urban and regional planning, said the government is primarily concerned RealPage's sprawl could trigger a national price convergence. If enough landlords use RealPage’s price-recommendation services, she added, few would have reason to offer lower rents, standardizing high housing costs across states.
Antitrust law doesn’t distinguish between old-fashioned price coordination and the AI equivalent.
“The issue is not the technology itself,” Tapp said. “It is what it is enabling the industry to do.”
Nearly 30% of multifamily housing units in the Greater Orlando area use management from companies named in rent-setting lawsuits, according to a Washington Post analysis.
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@Nat_Kauf nkaufman@alligator.org
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Krishna Lunch feels impacts of inflation
KRISHNA, from pg. 1
on social media, with some accusing Krishna of exploiting its customers and the university.
Sruti Sagar, president of Krishna House — the local Hare Krishna organization running the lunch program — said the backlash put Krishna Lunch on UF's radar and prompted administrators to seek an official agreement, known as a memorandum of understanding.
The price for a lunch has always been a suggested donation, and students can contribute what they can or volunteer in exchange for a meal. But the donation-based model isn’t advertised on the program’s website, and some students unaware of the policy may feel an expectation to pay.
The agreement to make the donationbased model more explicit could dissuade students from paying at all, and fewer contributions could shut down the lunch program, Sagar said.
“We’re trying to tell the students and the university… if the students pitch in, we are able to produce this meal; if students don’t pitch in, we could close very soon,” Sagar said. “We might be gone by next year.”
Sagar said he hopes the agreement, which is still in its early stages, can strike a balance between transparency and showing students their donations are needed to sustain the program.
Economic pressures have compounded
Krishna’s challenges. Krishna’s auto and property insurance costs have doubled over the past two years, according to Sagar, and rising food prices have pushed annual expenses to nearly $830,000 in 2024 — down from over $1 million in 2023 when Krishna was preparing more meals.
Krishna has lost over $89,000 in the past two years, according to Sagar. To keep up with the costs, Krishna will be holding a fundraiser in May.
“It’s only adding up every year, and everything is getting expensive,” Sagar said. “If students stop giving, that’s actually a bigger threat to Krishna Lunch.”
Still, he said the agreement is a good thing because it solidifies the relationship between UF and Krishna, and he’s optimistic the shutdown won’t happen.
“I have faith that the University of Florida will keep the lunch program going,” he said. “We would like to go on forever. We just really want to be there, contributing to student life and to the university to the best of our capacity.”
Bob Cohen, a former Krishna board member, said Krishna’s agreement with UF is primarily intended to formalize long-standing unofficial arrangements, particularly regarding insurance requirements. There is no “disagreement or discrepancy” between Krishna and the university, Cohen said. The agreement could be completed by this summer, he added.
The university didn’t answer The
Alligator’s questions about the agreement’s terms and why it was drafted. Business Affairs Director of Communications Amy Armstrong wrote in an email that UF “values its long standing association with the Hare Krishna organization” and “[looks] forward to this tradition continuing.”
Jonathan Knapp, Krishna Lunch’s plaza manager, is less optimistic about the agreement. Knapp said some of UF’s proposed terms, including banning meal ticket bundles, could make it “almost impossible” to keep serving meals five days a week.
“They pretty much are trying to ask us to be just an open free-for-all — anybody [can] just come and eat and isn't expected to give any type of compensation,” he said. “I want the university to understand how valued we are by the students, because I don't think they get that. …We're there to try to serve [the students] and sustain ourselves in our service.”
Several students said they would continue to pay for Krishna meals even if it became explicitly free. Others saw UF’s call for transparency as a much-needed change to Krishna Lunch’s business model.
Vidyanand Pasunuri, a 23-year-old information systems graduate student from India, said he eats Krishna lunch every day because the food “feels like home.” He said he’d continue to donate even if it were more clear that the meals are free.
“It’ll actually help them in putting up
good food if we donate more,” he said. “I’m not the only person who eats here every single day. If it shuts down, it’s gonna affect everyone’s meal prep.”
Sydney Hinton, a 19-year-old art sophomore, said Krishna provides students with a convenient, affordable meal option, and she’d be “really sad” if Krishna shut down. She said, like Krishna, students have been affected by inflation, too.
“It’s really nourishing food, and it’s so cheap,” she said. “I feel like in college, it’s hard to get a good meal even if you want to. It’s so expensive to go and get good groceries.”
Hinton said initially, she didn’t understand the price of a meal was only a suggested donation since it felt like she had to pay. She said clarifying that aspect “would be cool” but noted aside from taking the occasional free meal, she’d probably still donate.
Lauren Manganiello, a 26-year-old UF medical school fourth year, said tighter control of the organization by the university could help keep the suggested donation price fair. She said she was upset by the price increase earlier this year, arguing it should be $5.
“Eight's too much for beans and rice,” she said. “You can’t be taking advantage of people.”
@gracenmclung gmcclung@alligator.org
Thursday, March 13, 5 – 9 pm
Kaleidoscope of Experiences
Immerse yourself in the rich cultural contributions of the Asian Diaspora with gallery talks, performances by Harn Choreographers-in-Residence, and newly installed vibrant exhibitions.
image: Otsuki Masako, Leap, 1998, Museum purchase, funds provided by the David A. Cofrin Fund for Asian Art
mother gathers with students and ROTC members to honor her life. Holland died on Sunday, March 2, 2025, while riding her moped on Hull Road. A candlelight vigil was held outside Southwest Recreation Center on Monday, March 3, 2025.
UF community remembers late student
NYLA, from pg. 1
Holland was also deeply rooted in her Christian faith. She attended Salt Church and participated in several Bible studies at UF. Moriah, Holland’s younger sister, will inherit a cross her parents gifted her in high school.
“She knew Jesus. He was in her heart,” Santiago said.
Faith was a source of friendship for Holland, who regularly attended YMCA camps. Vanessa Marguex, a 20-year old health and society sophomore at University of Texas at Austin, said when she met Holland at camp in 2023, it felt like she’d known her for years.
“Nyla was the kind of person who could light up any room just by walking into it,” Marquex said. “She had a warmth and energy that made everyone around her feel at ease.”
For Elizabeth Schellhase, a 19-year old early childhood education freshman at Penn State, meeting Holland at a YMCA camp was “a breath of fresh air.” First-day campers were nervous to meet each other, but Holland quickly brought them out of their shells, dancing and singing to old music camp counselors had put on.
“Soon after, none of us were shy and we were all singing and
dancing at the top of our lungs,” Schellhase said. “She simply was the embodiment of Jesus Christ on Earth.”
Holland never failed to make people laugh or cheer them up, whether that was at camp, college or home.
Journey Gordon, a 20-yearold UF construction management sophomore, said Holland was like a sister to her. The two were “bus buddies” in middle school and lived together for the past two years at UF.
Gordon recalled one night last year in their dorm, when she broke down in tears at 2 a.m. Despite the late hour, Holland woke up and took Gordon on a walk to calm her down and talk.
“Her presence was just always so comforting,” Gordon said. “She just always did things to help people.”
J’nyah Brooks, a 20-year-old UF biology sophomore, met Holland during her first night at UF. Brooks was walking around campus when Holland introduced herself to her and her friends during a group conversation.
“Her energy was indescribable,” Brooks said. “After that day, we were inseparable.”
Brooks described Holland as resilient and always putting her best foot forward. She woke up at 5 a.m. for ROTC every day and
continued working out into the night. The two went together to some of those workouts, where Holland constantly encouraged Brooks and strengthened her confidence. On top of her resilience, Holland was extremely caring.
“She never missed a phone call or text message,” Brooks said. “If you needed something, she would be sure that you would get it.”
The night after Holland’s death, more than 200 people gathered in a field near Southwest Recreation Center for a candlelit vigil in her memory. Family, friends and fellow ROTC cadets circled around a table decorated with bouquets and stuffed animals.
“We will see Nyla again,” Jaime Holland told the crowd. “She is in the arms of God, and there's no better place.”
Holland’s family is holding a memorial service March 13 at Christ Fellowship South Campus in Palm Beach Gardens. They are inviting people to donate to Big Dog Ranch Rescue in her honor. You can donate at https://www. bdrr.org/donate.
Michael Angee contributed to this report.
@shainedavison sdavison@alligator.org @garrettshanley gshanley@alligator.org
The club behind Marston’s swimming showstoppers
UF Florida Aquaculture and Aquarium Club cares for finned friends
By Pristine Thai Alligator Staff Writer
Thousands of students walk past the aquarium by Marston Science Library’s third-floor elevators every week. Some worn-out studiers pause to appreciate the creatures’ calming presence before getting to work, but few know the fishes’ stories or who ensures the ecosystem runs swimmingly.
Rainbow fish, tiger barbs, corydoras and a small army of snails call the 150-gallon Marston tank home. It’s one of three on campus installed and maintained entirely by UF students in the Florida Aquaculture and Aquarium Club. Every two weeks, members of the club maintain the tanks, sometimes partnering with community service organizations to get more students involved.
At one hands-on cleaning demonstration Feb. 24, some members siphoned about a quarter of the tank’s water into a nearby sink, while others used toothbrushes to scrub excess algae off of the water filter and aquatic plants. One volunteer used a magnet to drag a paper towel along the tank’s glass, wiping away grime.
As the tank was refilled with new tap water, Ariella Jacobson, a 20-year-old UF natural resource conservation junior and president of FAAC, rummaged through a plastic bin of aquarium maintenance supplies. She fished out a garnet-and-white bottle labeled “Prime” and held it up in the air.
“This is the most important thing in this whole box,” she said. Jacobson explained
Prime is a water conditioner, which makes tap water habitable for the fish by neutralizing chemicals like chlorine and killing potential parasites.
“Fish are not just picky about the water,” she said. “They die if there’s one thing wrong with it.”
Jacobson knew nothing about fishkeeping before joining FAAC. She was primarily interested in working with turtles and seals for her career, but “fell in love with fish” once she learned how to care for them.
“They’re very diverse,” she said. “We’re getting up to 36,000 described fish species — it’s more than any other vertebrate in the world… You can learn a lot about other vertebrates by studying fish.”
Jacobson used to own four goldfish and four cherry barbs (a vibrant red, minnow-like fish), but she realized she didn’t have enough room for them in her own apartment. Now, they live in the 75-gallon Health Science Center Library tank.
“I go and visit them, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I remember you! Spartacus, my good friend!’” she said.
Servicing the tank takes about an hour, and supplies are bought with FAAC’s club funds. Jacobson estimates supply costs to be $200 to $250 a year, which is mostly covered by a pool of funding from UF Student Government. Paperwork issues have held up student government funds for the past two semesters, she said, so FAAC has recently relied more on fundraisers to pay for supplies.
The club’s most popular fundraiser is the once-a-semester “jarquarium” sale. Jarquari-
ums are repurposed glass jars containing plants, substrate and the occasional snail, offering adopters a simple way to appreciate an underwater ecosystem within their own home.
Aspiring fish keepers should be mindful of the minimum space requirement for their aquatic friends, said Hannah Hellein, a 20-yearold marine sciences junior and FAAC’s secretary. Proper aquariums are often too bulky for student housing, even for seemingly small fish.
“I have pea puffers, which are the size of your fingernail,” she said. “You’d think, ‘No, they don’t need a lot of room.’ One pea puffer needs five gallons.”
Among the Marston tank’s tenants, only one of the scaled residents has an official name: My Guy.
According to the story behind the name, a student came up to the aquarium to take a video on his phone a few years ago.
“Ayo, this is my guy,” the student allegedly said while filming, referring to an angelfish who had a particular habit of following spectators around from behind the glass. “He comes up to me every time I come over here.”
And so, the fish was dubbed My Guy.
My Guy, a 6-year-old freshwater angelfish, loves the camera and knows his angles. Yellow-crested with stylish black spots, he invariably shows up in social media posts of the aquarium.
“He’s kind of a survivor,” Chloe Lynn said, her goldfish earrings catching the light. The 20-year-old UF biology junior is FAAC’s vice president. She helps maintain the Marston aquarium in addition to tanks at the Health Science Center Library and Florida Sea Grant,
a UF-based coastal conservation program. Out of several angelfish the FAAC ordered for the Marston tank, only My Guy arrived alive — and with a fighting spirit to prove it.
“See how fat he is?” Lynn said during the volunteer cleaning session, pointing at My Guy. “It’s because he scares away all the other fish to get his food,” adding that he likely lost one of his bottom fins battling another fish for dominance.
“He’s kind of an a**hole, honestly,” Lynn said, shaking her head.
In addition to taking care of the fish, FAAC decorates the tank throughout the year according to various holidays. Members drew on paper hearts that adorned the tank’s exterior for Valentine’s Day. Upcoming ideas include fourleaf clovers for St. Patrick’s Day and a fish-safe pumpkin placed inside the tank for Halloween.
FAAC installed the Health Science Center Library’s aquarium in 2019 and Marston’s in 2021. The club was originally founded to install an aquarium at the Reitz Union Bookstore before drafting proposals for tanks at other locations. However, the bookstore tank was never filled with fish.
“Over the years, somehow we lost hold of it,” said Lynn, the club’s vice president. “It’s not ours anymore.” Lynn believes the tank will be destroyed soon as part of a rehaul to the bookstore.
“I would love to get control of it again,” she said. “It would be awesome.”
@pristinethai pthai@alligator.org
Noah Lantor // Alligator Staff
Nyla Holland's
The Florence Landfill: a stark divide in the Kincaid Loop community
THE ALACHUA COUNTY COMMISSION GUNS FOR EARLY CLOSURE
By Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp Alligator Staff Writer
In her home nestled on Southeast 23rd Lane, Conjwanna Robinson had a family and three decades of history — but the Florence Landfill was enough to make her want to pack up her life and leave. She wasn’t alone.
A now-resolved legal challenge over the site arose by 2023, delivering an unlikely messenger to her doorstep. Former Alachua County Commissioner Robert Hutchinson, another neighbor, had come knocking, sent with a letter and an objective from the site’s owner, Paul Florence.
They hoped Robinson would withdraw her name from the challenge in exchange for a favor.
Run by Paul Florence, the landfill arose from the tumultuous history of two previous owners prone to illegal dumping. It dated back to the 1960s, long before the site took on its current name. Residents of the Kincaid Loop — a rectangle formed by Southeast 15th Street, Southeast 41st Avenue and Southeast 27th Street — were united against the hazardous waste next door.
By 1994, Alachua County officials had cast out the site’s previous owner, Renfroe, and tapped Paul Florence to handle the mess. His special use permit, or SUP, awarded him five years and two additional feet of dirt and debris.
Now, over two decades later, the 35-foot-tall construction and demolition, or C&D, landfill has shrouded the Kincaid Loop in a divisive shadow.
Though it houses the Florence site, Southeast Gainesville is also the center of the city’s multi-generational Black community. For some residents, the dumping signifies a pillar of environmental injustice, spurring the now-resolved legal challenge and protests from the “Dump the Dump” movement.
However, the conservation-minded locals of Woodbine and Flamingo Hammock have grown close with Paul Florence. They say he’s responsible compared to Renfroe, and to them, a good neighbor.
An ‘adversarial situation’
Robinson learned of the landfill after settling into her home three decades ago. Since then, her sister’s car was nearly backed over by a
Florence truck, and Robinson developed sinus problems.
A thick layer of dust from unpaved roads coated every structure near her home, including a neon “Dump the Dump” sign. It’s unclear how much of that dust originated from the landfill just south, but the 57-year-old still saw her repeated infections as a sign something was amiss.
“I had all kinds of thoughts going through my head once I found out,” she said, fiddling with her gold rings. “What am I breathing?”
The county commission greenlit Paul Florence to double the mound’s height to 70 feet in 2018, but he withdrew the application in response to resident outcry. He refiled again in 2021. When the FDEP indicated it would give Paul Florence the final go-ahead, Robinson was among 14 residents who launched a legal challenge against the state permit.
It wasn’t long before the letters arrived.
Some of the petitioners said a manila envelope arrived by mail, but Robinson, like several others, was met with Hutchinson at her front door.
The envelope he handed her included a letter signed by Paul Florence dated May 5, 2023. It also contained a list of “things done to help others without charge” and a legal withdrawal form pre-filled with Robinson’s name, she said.
“We would much rather fund community projects and provide services to the people living in our own area than spend many thousands of dollars on lawyers and consultants,” the letter read.
Paul Florence declined to comment.
The letter offered 30 numbered favors, including internet installation, linking homes to city water, paving streets and donating “funds, equipment and hauling” to Showers of Blessings Church, which also neighbors the landfill.
Four bullet points highlighted the nonprofit Alachua Conservation Trust, for which his team demolished buildings and cleared debris, accepted trash, hauled roll-off dumpsters and helped fund a Brush Fire Truck for controlled burns.
Robinson said she snatched the envelope and turned Hutchinson away, watching him head straight to another petitioner’s home. It was a “scare tactic” and bribery, she said, which six petitioners succumbed to.
“What else would you call it? ” she laughed grimly. “Call a snake, a snake.”
The nine remaining challengers reached a settlement with Paul Florence last June, knocking the landfill’s permitted height to 65 feet and
adding an 8-foot strip of land to buffer noise and dust. It allowed residents to directly contact Paul Florence with complaints of a rotten egg odor — hydrogen sulfide gas likely seeping from decomposing drywall — and provided funds for well water filtration systems on four different properties.
Those wells, along with Boulware Springs, will also undergo private water tests annually.
When told the petitioners felt intimidated by the letter of favors, Hutchinson, a Flamingo Hammock resident, was taken aback. Paul Florence’s intentions were positive, he said, an effort to assuage the residents’ concerns outside an “adversarial situation.”
He described his relationship with Paul Florence as “whatever one friend would do for another” and, during his three terms on the county commission, voted to renew the landfill’s SUP at least twice.
Following years of scrutiny toward the site, Hutchinson said its owner has an unwarranted bad reputation. Paul Florence maintains close communication with Woodbine and Flamingo
Hammock residents, who Hutchinson described as “relatively wealthy, white, educated environmentalists.”
“Who else would you want to have living around a dump than us?” he said. “We watch that thing like a hawk.”
A ‘decent businessman’ Off Southeast 32nd Place, the sandy path through Sherri Boyd Amundson’s property wound past cabbage palms and “tortoise crossing” signs. It was a tract of land dedicated primarily to longleaf pine restoration, a shared goal among her neighbors.
Her property also spans most of the Florence site’s southern border, but beyond the hill-like embankment that blocks most sound and sight of “the action,” only the low hum of dump trucks rings through her trees.
Read the rest online at alligator.org. @rylan_digirapp rdigiacomo-rapp@alligator.org
‘I feel like I’m mourning a death’: Joann is closing its doors after over 80 years
GAINESVILLE LOCALS
REACT TO THE CLOSURE OF JOANN’S REMAINING STORES
By Annie Wang Alligator Staff Writer
Lizzy Boroski discovered her passion for crocheting when she started college. Now, her go-to craft store, Joann, is closing its doors for good.
“I was really bummed, because I just started all this a couple years ago, so I was like ‘Oh no, where am I going to go?’” said Boroski, a 26-year-old UF archaeology graduate student.
Joann, a Hudson, Ohio-based retail chain known for its fabric and craft supplies, is shutting down after more than 80 years in business. The Gainesville location has served customers for over 11 years.
The company, formerly known as Jo-Ann Fabrics, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January for the second time within a year.
Chapter 11 allows businesses to initiate a plan of reorganization while continuing to operate under court supervision.
On Feb. 12, the company announced its plans to close around 500 of its approximately 850 locations across the U.S., but by Feb. 24, it confirmed all locations across 49 states would be closing.
Joann’s manager laments loss
At first, Sarah Burroughs, a 33-year-old manager at Gainesville’s Joann, was relieved to hear the Gainesville store wasn’t on the list of initial closures. However, she said her optimism quickly faded when she learned every location would be shutting down.
Burroughs was told the location is expected to close by late April or May, depending on how quickly inventory is sold, she said.
“The whole reason I started here was because I love sewing,” Burroughs said. “I love working with
fabric. So I was like, ‘This would be perfect. I can help people with their projects. I can get fabric for my own projects.’ And now, I’m like, ‘Where am I gonna get my fabric?’”
Joann was more than just a workplace, Burroughs said — it had become her hangout spot. Many of her coworkers would spend time there on their days off, she said, and the store provided a space to connect with like-minded individuals who shared her passion for crafting.
The closure is not just the loss of a store, but a blow to a tight-knit community, she said.
“I kind of grew up in Jo-Ann Fabrics,” Burroughs said. “My mom used to make wedding dresses, so we’d always get our fabrics [there]. So it’s like, now that it’s not gonna be here, I don’t know what to do.”
The store has been somewhat chaotic recently, especially with the constant implementation of new rules leading up to the closure, Burroughs said.
Recent policy changes include enforcing a 2-yard fabric minimum, discontinuing gift card usage and eliminating product returns, Burroughs said. The rewards system and loyalty discounts were also recently terminated.
While some customers have expressed frustration at the changes, others have been remarkably empathetic, she said. One customer even brought in snacks for the staff, a gesture Burroughs said she deeply appreciated.
Employees will likely receive a small severance in addition to their regular pay to account for the closure, Burroughs said. While she has plans moving forward, she said she’s really going to miss the job and the people.
“I feel like I’m mourning a death,” she said.
Michaels ties up loose ends
A short six-minute walk from Joann’s Gainesville location is Mi-
chaels, another popular arts and crafts retailer. While Joann primarily specializes in fabric and sewing supplies, Michaels offers a broad range of general crafting and fine arts materials.
Scott Berman, the 60-year-old manager of Michaels’ framing department, has been with the company for 12 years. He was shocked to learn Joann was unable to find a buyer for its remaining stores, he said.
A lot of Joann’s customers are coming in because Michaels carries a lot of the same products, he said.
“We’re doing great,” Berman said. “We’re happy, but of course, we feel bad for everybody over there. We’ll hire as many [Joann employees] as we can.”
Read the rest online at alligator.org.
@wynwg awang@alligator.org
Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp // Alligator Staff
The 35-foot Florence Landfill is visible beyond the barbed wire fence on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025.
MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2025
www.alligator.org/section/the_avenue
FOOD & DRINK
Inside the Gainesville chocolate chip cookie scene
THE BEST LOCAL PLACES TO FIND THE BELOVED TREAT
By Corey Fiske Avenue Staff Writer
Nothing comes close to the comfort offered by a fresh chocolate chip cookie. What started by Ruth Wakefield at the Toll House Restaurant in 1930s Massachusetts has since spread across the country, leaving its mark on sweet treat lovers in Gainesville.
Many local shops, restaurants and bakeries have their own recipe for chocolate chip cookies, creating vastly different results.
Here’s five Gainesville stores offering chocolate chip cookies, judged by their size, thickness, taste, texture and price.
Afternoon
The casual brunch restaurant, located at 231 NW 10th Ave, has a to-go window where customers can order its nearly 4-inch-wide housemade chocolate chip cookies for just $2.75 each.
The Afternoon cookie is easily the
MUSIC
thickest out of the five cookies offered. Its marbled golden brown and chocolate exterior is adorned with what appears to be a heavy amount of salt. However, the cookie does not taste nearly as salty as one would expect. The cookie has a delicate chocolate flavor that’s not overpowering.
The to-go window is open Thursday through Tuesday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Brother Cookie Brother Cookie, located at 401 NE 23rd Ave, advertises its cookies in two sizes: “Giant,” which is 4 to 5 inches wide, and “Mini-Giant,” which is half the size, according to the Brother Cookie website. The “Giant” chocolate chip cookie sampled for this list was actually almost 6 inches. The “Giants” sell for $4, and the “Mini-Giants” sell for $2.25.
These cookies master the art of having crispy edges while still managing to be soft in the center. It’s on the thinner side, but the chocolate is well distributed and present in each bite.
“I’ve become more of a cookie person recently, and I would definitely recommend this place! The cookies are very buttery, gooey, and perfectly sweet,” read a Google review
from Chad Jones.
Brother Cookie is open Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday from noon to 8 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from noon to 11 p.m.
Uppercrust
Located at 4118 NW 16th Blvd, its chocolate chip cookie is the priciest, offered at $4.95, and is about 5 and a half inches wide. Uppercrust usually sells 24 to 36 chocolate chip cookies a day, Trip Davis, the general manager, said.
This cookie is very large and thin with a golden brown crust. It’s a little chewy, a little crispy and its moistness makes it a little soft. The chocolate is closer to chunks than chips. Because of the thinness, the chocolate takes up a lot of space.
“They’re salty,” Davis said. “They’re sweet. The brown butter gives them sort of a nuttiness. They’re soft, and there’s a lot of chocolate.”
The bakery is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Midnight Cookies
Midnight Cookies is the only shop on this list that bakes each cookie to order. A chocolate chip cookie costs
$2.29 and is about 4 inches wide.
This cookie is simple and classic. It has a quiet crunch where the outside is slightly crisp and the inside is soft. The exterior is closer to pale than golden brown. This was the only cookie on the list actively served warm, which is what sets it apart from others. The cookies are also packaged in pizza boxes.
“It’s a damn good cookie,” Gianluca Medigovic, a UF biology senior, said.
Midnight Cookies is located at
3345 SW 34th St and is open 6 p.m. to midnight Wednesdays and Thursdays; 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and 4:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Sundays.
BakerBaker
BakerBaker, a bakery at 407 SW 4th Ave in 4th Ave Food Park, offers vegan chocolate chip cookies. Even though the bakery is only open from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tuesday to Saturday, the shop regularly sells out of its cookies before closing, the owner of the bakery, Amanda Bowers, said.
BakerBaker had the cheapest cookie in this list, coming in with the low price of $1.50 and sitting around 3 inches wide.
“We make everything from scratch with good ingredients, and we don’t charge a premium for that,” Bowers said.
BakerBaker’s chocolate chip cookie is decorated with large chocolate chips and has an attractive golden brown crust. It’s chewy and is more salty than sweet. Although the chocolate is not well-distributed, the bites containing chocolate are exceptional.
@coreyfiske7 cfiske@alligator.org
Jonah Marais reflects on boy band fame, mental health and self-discovery
AS HIS FORMER BAND’S COURT CASE REACHES ITS VERDICT, MARAIS FINDS HIS IDENTITY AFTER LAUNCHING SOLO MUSIC CAREER
By Tanya Fedak Avenue Staff Writer
Jonah Marais has navigated the complexities of fame and identity since his time in the boy band Why Don’t We. The group, which played venues like Madison Square Garden and continues to hold over 6 million listeners on Spotify, announced their hiatus in 2022. Since then, Marais embarked on a solo career, using music as a means of rediscovery.
But while he was searching for his voice as an artist, he also found himself in Orlando, entangled in a legal battle involving his former management company, Signature Entertainment.
The case, stemming from accusations of breach of contract and defamation, finally came to a close on Feb. 27, with the jury issuing a mixed verdict. Marais and three of his bandmates were fined $1 each for breach of contract and $400,000 for defamation, accord-
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ing to Rolling Stone, but it was canceled out after the management company was ordered to pay $400,000 for breach of fiduciary after acting in their own interest as opposed to the band’s.
Moving forward, they will no longer be able to utilize the band’s name.
But as Marais continued to fight and testify against his band’s former management, he refrained from seeing the situation as a mentally taxing few weeks. He saw an open window of opportunity to not only connect with a Southern fanbase, but to also promote his new music. Embarking on a series of pop-up concerts across Florida, including Depot Park in Gainesville, Marais opened up about his journey with mental health and self-discovery.
Finding himself after “Why Don’t We”
Since Why Don’t We announced their hiatus in 2022, Marais jumped into his solo career ready to get to work. On June 7, he released his first single since the band, “Twisted Lullaby,” which is a vulnerable encapsulation of his doubts as a solo artist.
The song opens with Marais comparing himself to the other four members of the band, hinting at a now-competitive relationship.
“As we were coming out of the band into this time, I think there was a little bit of a com-
petitive nature to it, because we’re all coming from the same space,” Marais said.
It’s now been almost a year since the song was released, and as time has passed, Marais said the competitiveness has lessened. All that remains is what he calls a “supportive lovefest.” Even in the early moments following the band’s hiatus, he said, the love between him and his bandmates never truly dwindled.
As Marais reflected on his life since Why Don’t We, he said he’s seen a lot change, and it isn’t just in the music or how he presents himself; it’s in how he prioritizes his values.
Growing up, Marais always had good morals and would lead with positivity. He’d even be one of the social students and go through his yearbooks, calling old classmates to see how they’re doing. But then he was indoctrinated into the entertainment industry, where his morals were tested underneath the public eye.
Along with the pressures of dealing with attention, Marais said one of the things he struggled with most was having to keep his relationships private, which was at his management’s discretion. He wasn’t allowed to talk or post about any of his relationships, and while he was with his girlfriend at the time, he was told they couldn’t be seen together. If they were in public, there were Instagram accounts solely
Como una delicia suramericana está trayendo sabores nativos. Leer más en la página 11.
dedicated to posting Why Don’t We drama and updates, notifying fans of the band’s every move.
“We’d be trying to sneak out of the back doors of hotels because there’s fans in the lobby, and we knew that those update and drama pages were going to post about it,” Marais said. “It was a very serious thing because if it did get posted, I would get a crazy long text from management being like, ‘What the f**k is going on?’”
Since seeking new management, Marais has been able to freely post about his new relationship with no “big ruler” dictating his social media content. Although people will continue to comment on his love life, it got to him more back then, he said. Now, he’s content with knowing where his intentions are and doing what makes him happy.
Journey with mental health
Although Marais always prioritized positivity, he’s simultaneously struggled with mental health in ways he didn’t share with the public.
Read the rest online at alligator.org/ section/the_avenue.
@ttanyafedak tfedak@alligator.org
Trenton Bardi // Alligator Staff A cookie from Brother Cookie on Sunday, March 9, 2025.
Caimán
Students camp out for final game in the Florida men’s basketball season
STUDENTS BROUGHT TENTS AND CHAIRS TO WAIT IN LINE FOR GATOR VICTORY
By Rachel Mish Avenue Staff Writer
Armed with a folding chair, umbrella and noise-cancelling headphones, Theo Endrud arrived at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center nine hours early to wait in line for the last game of the season.
The 20-year-old UF economics sophomore arrived at 9 a.m., taking over for his friend who arrived at 3 a.m. Endrud said although camping out every week is not ideal, largely because of lack of sleep, it’s definitely worth the experience. His time camping out for the University of Georgia game prepared him for this last ride, and his group of friends planned days in advance to take shifts waiting in line, mentally preparing for the rain — and the boredom.
Endrud was motivated to sit outside in the cold and the rain for junior forward Sam Alexis. He finds joy in cheering for the forward, a tradition he and his friends concocted earlier in the season.
“He only gets a few minutes every game, so every time he scores, it’s special,” Endrud said.
On March 8 and many game days in the past, UF students crowded next to the streets of Stadium Road, decorating the sidewalks with tents and folding chairs. Among the most interesting items brought were fake plants, a blow-up couch that pulls out to make a bed and a full sized TV to watch other basketball games.
With the three star guards — Will Richard, Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin — leaving this season, students like Endrud crowded the stadium, wondering if the Florida Gators will ever be this good again. Endrud said he attended games to ensure he witnessed this season’s success, but even if the team is a little worse next year, he’d still be there.
On this particular gameday, Nick Urhausen, the event coordinator for the Rowdy Reptiles, UF’s club for sports fans, was proud of the turnout. At about 9:30 a.m., he said there were about 600 people in line, not to mention those who dragged tents out of their homes and arrived the previous day at 5 p.m. The 21-year-old UF information systems junior was a part of the decision to give away 10 seats to a knowledgeable UF basketball student, though he said it was all because of Tristan Bukow’s idea, a 21-year-old UF finance junior and the club’s treasurer.
Urhausen said he was appreciative to every single person who showed up not
only for the last gameday, but every week. There are a lot of regulars that often camp out overnight, he said, spending 12 to 24 hours waiting in line and showing their passion for the game.
Although people camped out for hours before the doors opened, some students worked to bypass the crowds. Will Allen, a 20-year-old applied physiology and kinesiology sophomore at UF, slid into line just before the doors opened, a privilege he earned by winning a trivia competition the Rowdy Reptiles held.
The prize for the Gators basketball Kahoot was 10 front row seats, reserved without having to wait in line. Typically, the sophomore and his friends were camped out in front of the O’Connell Center with
the rest of the basketball fans. But on this particular Saturday, they avoided the weather in the comfort of their homes.
“We know a lot about Gators basketball,” Allen said. “We’re big fans.”
Allen and his friends weren’t the only fans proud of their efforts to support the Gators. Wesley Wolfe, a 20-year-old UF finance sophomore, said every student should camp out for at least one game. It was a bucket list item for Wolfe to make the lower bowl, and his band ensured him a spot in the student section holding just 700 seats. Many students vie for a front row seat, but Wolfe said as long as he’s close enough to the court, he’s happy.
Like many other fans, Wolfe came to the game with one particular name in mind.
Wolfe said junior guard Denzel Aberdeen “brings the fire.”
“I’ve seen him from the upper bowl, the nosebleeds, on TV — it’s just not the same,” Wolfe said. “I gotta see him in person.”
Wolfe said waiting in line is a must-do activity every student should complete at least once. He said arriving at 7 a.m. was worth it, because he will get to brag to his Ole Miss friends after they lose.
“They came down here for a football game,” he said. “We whooped them in that. We’re gonna whoop them in this, too.”
The Gators defeated Ole Miss 90-71.
@mish_rache62827 rmisch@alligator.org
Morgan Waters/ / Alligator Staff
Student fans camp out for the basketball game on Saturday, March 8, 2025.
www.alligator.org/section/opinions
How excessive pressure is killing youth sports
Sports are woven into the fabric of our lives — whether we play them, watch them or simply grow up surrounded by them. Yet for many young athletes, what should be an exciting introduction to physical activity is now becoming a pressurefilled experience.
Youth sports participation is undeniably on the decline. This decline, mainly fueled by the rising focus on competition, could have lasting repercussions for future generations.
Participation in core team sports among children aged 5 to 17 dropped by 6% from 2019 to 2022 — or roughly 1.2 million fewer children playing sports, according to Project Play. While factors such as gender, income, time management and race or ethnicity contribute to this trend, parents and coaches of youth sports participants consistently point to pressure as the primary factor behind the decline.
The Gainesville community is a dynamic sports hub, with local athletic role models perfecting their craft just around the corner. This proximity can create an unspoken pressure for parents, who may view enrolling their children in sports not just as an opportunity, but as a potential ticket to future success.
And who can blame them? The dream of making it big is a powerful motivator for any aspiring athlete. However, when that ambition overshadows the enjoyment of the game, for both your child and their peers, it risks hindering the broader development of young athletes.
Rebecca Gibson, assistant director of youth programs at RecSports, emphasized that to fix this problem, we, as a community, need to create a no-pressure, stress-free environment within youth sports programs. To do this, we need to, “get back to the roots of what drives athletics — the desire to play,” she said.
Sometimes, activity can become too competitive, with overzealous parents pushing their children to win at all costs, rather than fostering a love for the game. This pressure can undermine the true value of sports, which should be about enjoyment, teamwork and personal growth, not just outcomes.
As travel ball organizations are recruiting younger and younger players, creating a steeper learning curve for children just starting out, parents are increasingly sharing
these concerns.
Faced with adversity at such an early age, many kids struggle to overcome the mounting pressure, leading them to question whether they want to continue.
Isis Snow opinions@alligator.org
For some parents, balancing a competitive nature within children while trying to foster love of the game is difficult.
Marty Dempsey, a 40-year-old Gainesville resident and parent of two youth athletes, said he does his best to ensure his kids have opportunities to be competitive with peers, but also that they don’t feel this common pressure to excel at all costs.
“Younger kids rely on their parents for a lot of things, including encouragement,” he said. “Try not to put this pressure on them to be super competitive.”
It’s challenging to navigate the everevolving landscape of youth sports, especially when traditional sports are no longer as central to American culture, and many are discovering new ways to prioritize wellness and personal growth.
Despite these shifts, sports are necessary as they instill values in children that are much different from things taught inside classrooms, Dempsey said.
“I’ve learned so much in the sports environment compared to the classroom,” he said. “It’s hard to find that in every other field — sports grow with you, so the competition never stops. You never reach the end point.”
This constant challenge is what makes sports not only a vehicle for physical growth, but for personal development as well — teaching perseverance, teamwork and resilience in ways few other pursuits can.
While youth sports face growing pressure, it’s crucial to refocus on its true values of enjoyment, personal growth and life skills. By creating supportive, low-pressure environments, we can help young athletes develop resilience, teamwork and perseverance, setting them up for success both in sports and life.
Isis Snow is a UF journalism and sports media junior.
Looking to the future of climate action
In late October among the bustling students and coffee mugs at Pascal’s Coffeehouse off of University Avenue, I had the privilege of attending the CLEO Speaker’s Network Training run by the CLEO Institute, an organization dedicated to climate education and advocacy.
The institute, run by Climate Speaker Specialist Ellen Siegel, aims to increase climate communication skills while also developing ideas for community-based solutions and action.
During this seminar, participants were taught lessons about climate science, developed their own climate action plan based on their skill set and most importantly built connections with community members outside of their everyday routine.
This community was filled with diverse voices and represented participants of varying experience, knowledge and involvements. In an age where intergenerational connections are hard to come by, and often result in disagreement, the training’s commitment to fostering these connections was refreshing, providing a baseline for future climate action and political spaces.
In light of recent events, most prominently the Jan. 20 executive order from President Donald Trump withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, an international treaty on climate change, this kind of grassroots effort is essential for navigating future reversals of climate policy.
This decision, along with many other first-day executive orders, was a revealing beginning of this administration’s term.
Withdrawing from the Paris Agreement and removing the U.S. from global climate initiatives such as the agreement’s long-term temperature goal was a careless choice, but not a surprising one.
Looking to the future, this legacy of isolating the United States from global climate discourse seems both unfortunate and inevitable, especially when the
The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Alligator.
United Nations reports that in less than ten years, we will reach an irreversible temperature threshold that will make climate change even more of a challenge in our everyday lives.
These setbacks, although discouraging, make our actions even more important. Leaning into these changes and accepting that our past methods will not be enough is the first step, along with making sure we allow voices of all ages to be heard and that they are all attuned to their own strengths and skill sets, much like the activities presented at the training.
Reflecting on this experience over four months later, it feels difficult to hold the same hope that I and many participants clung to before the inauguration of a president who not only pushes climate change to the back-burner, but actively decides to work against organizations aiming to make positive change in the sector. It’s easy to feel discouraged by the onslaught of damaging decisions enacted by the Trump Administration and expedited by like-minded GOP members of congress when climate-related natural disasters affect more Americans every day.
We should be worried, but it shouldn’t push us to fall into being passive or apathetic.
Be the catalyst for change in your communities, have those hard conversations and make sure that no voice is left behind. It’s easy to push off action, but it’s more difficult to reckon with that choice when it doesn’t work out the way you want.
The Alligator encourages comments from readers. Letters to the editor should not exceed 600 words (about one letter-sized page). They must be typed, double-spaced and must include the author’s name, classification and phone number. Names will be withheld if the writer shows just cause. We reserve the right to edit for length, grammar, style and libel. Send letters to opinions@alligator.org, bring them to 2700 SW 13th St., or send them to P.O. Box 14257, Gainesville, FL 32604-2257. Columns of about 450 words about original topics and editorial cartoons are also welcome. Questions? Call 352-376-4458.
Gracie Adams is a UF environmental science freshman.
Gracie Adams opinions@alligator.org
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1. TELEVISION: Which 1960s sitcom was about a TV comedy writer, his job and his family?
1. MEASUREMENTS: How many inches are in a mile?
2. AD SLOGANS: Which candy slogan urges consumers to "Taste the rainbow"?
3. COMICS: Which superhero gets his power from a ring?
4. GEOGRAPHY: Which country has the most islands?
2. ASTRONOMY: What does the acronym SETI mean to the scientific community?
5. MEASUREMENTS: How many cups are in a pint?
3. LANGUAGE: What does the Latin prefix “sub-” mean in English?
6. MOVIES: Which scary 1980 movie contained the phrase "red rum" and what does it mean?
7. ANATOMY: What is the outermost layer of human skin called?
4. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Who was the only president to serve two nonconsecutive terms?
8. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Who was the first president to ride in a car to his inauguration?
9. HISTORY: When did India gain its independence from Great Britain?
10. CHILDREN'S LITERATURE: Who lives at 32 Windsor Gardens?
5. LITERATURE: Which 20th-century movie star penned the autobiography “Me: Stories of My Life”?
6. HISTORY: What was the first National Monument proclaimed in the United States?
7. GEOGRAPHY: Where is the island of Luzon located?
8. MOVIES: Which sci-fi movie has the tagline, “Reality is a thing of the past”?
1. Tommie Aaron, brother of Hank, hit how
1. Nino Salukvadze, who at age 55 competed in her 10th Olympics at the 2024 Paris Summer Games, participates in what sport?
2. The Conerly Trophy has been awarded annually since 1996 to the best college football player in what U.S. state?
9. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What was the name of the United States’ first nuclear-powered submarine?
3. Steve Phoenix, a pitcher for the Oakland Athletics in 1994-95, was born in what Arizona city in 1968?
10. GAMES: What are the four railroad properties in Monopoly?
4. What U.S. athlete won a gold medal in the 4x100 meter relay at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics and then was awarded the Bronze Star while serving with the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War?
Answers
5. Rosey Rowswell was the play-by-play radio voice of what Major League Baseball team from 1936 until his death in 1955?
1. 63,360 inches
6. Name the member of the 2006 NBA champion Miami Heat who won the NBA All-Star ThreePoint Contest two straight years from 2007-08.
2. Search for extraterrestrial intelligence
3. Below or insufficient
7. What Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback retired after the 2013 season with an NFL career record 203 pass deflections?
4. Grover Cleveland
5. Katharine Hepburn
6. Devils Tower, 1906
7. The Philippines
8. “The
Shooting.
Mississippi.
Phoenix.
Melvin Pender Jr.
The Pittsburgh Pirates.
Jason Kapono.
Champ Bailey.
"The Dick Van Dyke Show."
Skittles.
The Green Lantern.
Sweden.
Two.
"The Shining." It's the word "murder" spelled backward.
Epidermis.
Warren Harding (1921).
1947.
Paddington Bear and the Brown family.
Sudoku solution
El Caimán
LUNES, 10 DE MARZO DE 2025
www.alligator.org/section/elcaiman
La Cocina de Abuela: Un sabor de Colombia para llevar
ABUELAS TRAE SABORES AUTÉNTICOS COLOMBIANOS PREPARADOS Y SERVIDOS AL ESTILO DE LÍNEA DE ENSAMBLAJE
Por Gabriella Chavez
Escritora de El Caimán
En La Cocina de Abuela, un restaurante familiar y vibrante, los sabores tradicionales colombianos se encuentran con la conveniencia de un servicio de comida al mostrador. Con una configuración de estilo línea de ensamblaje, los clientes están invitados a crear su plato perfecto, saboreando comidas frescas y hechas desde cero que cuentan la historia de generaciones de herencia colombiana.
Sara Puyana, una de las copropietarias de Abuelas, con 43 años, comentó que se inspiró para abrir el restaurante debido a sus propias experiencias buscando un restaurante latino que ofreciera una comida rápida, en contraste con la mayoría de las experiencias de cenar.
“Lo que teníamos aquí eran restaurantes de estatus más alto, pero no podías encontrar un lugar fácil y rápido, ¿sabes? Solo quiero un sándwich, solo quiero un plato”, dijo. “Tenías que sentarte, y para los estudiantes eso es inaccesible”.
Tomando inspiración de uno de sus restaurantes favoritos de la infancia, llamado Chico’s en Hialeah, Florida, Puyana abrió La Cocina de Abuela en 2018.
Aunque el objetivo principal del restaurante es ofrecer comidas de buena calidad que sean fáciles y convenientes de obtener, Puyana también expresó su deseo de crear un espacio inclusivo y amigable para la familia, donde personas de todas las edades puedan sentirse bienvenidas y disfrutar. Abuelas cuenta con un espacio al aire libre que incluye un patio de juegos para que los niños y los padres disfruten.
“Cuando abrimos Abuelas, estaba embarazada con mi tercera hija, y abrí Abuelas para poder tener un lugar donde ella pudiera jugar”, dijo. “La razón principal fue por mis hijos.”
Con su visión de crear un espacio para su familia en mente, el nombre “La Cocina de Abuela” fue una elección natural, considerando que el restaurante se basa en las recetas y platos creados por la madre de Puyana, Marta Puyana.
Tomando inspiración de su ciudad natal de Barranquilla, ubicada en la costa de Colombia, Puyana y su madre ofrecen platos como Arroz con Coco, un arroz de coco sabroso, y Ensalada de Repollo, una ensalada vibrante hecha con zanahorias, repollo y tomates.
El restaurante también sirve un plato tradicional colombiano llamado Bandeja Paisa, que a menudo se describe como una comida completa que generalmente incluye una variedad de ingredientes como carne asada, chicharrón, huevo frito, arroz, frijoles, aguacate, arepas y plátanos. Los martes y jueves, sirven una versión colombiana de rabo de vaca como parte de los especiales del restaurante.
Además de los consejos y recetas de su madre, otros miembros de la familia de Puyana también contribuyen al negocio familiar.
Su padre se encargaba de administrar las cajas registradoras y hacer los depósitos para todos los locales, pero cuando su hermana se mudó a Gainesville en julio, ella asumió las responsabilidades de la cuentas bancarias y las cajas registradoras. Su hermano hornea el pan que se vende en el restaurante.
Con varios miembros de la familia contribuyendo en las operaciones del restaurante, La Cocina de Abuela se ha convertido en algo más que un negocio; también ha llegado a ser un lugar de gran significado para la comunidad latina local. Puyana explicó que para muchos en la comunidad latina, encontrar un lugar que les recuerde a su hogar es importante.
“Si eres latino y te hace falta algo de donde eres, intentas encontrar un lugar que te lo recuerde”, dijo. “Hemos tenido la oportunidad de conocer a tantas familias a través de ser dueños del restaurante. Tengo muchos amigos que fueron clientes al principio”.
La atmósfera familiar va más allá de la propiedad; también se extiende al personal.
“Es un ambiente bueno, siento que estoy en casa aquí", dijo Luis Angulo, un cajero de 26 años del restaurante. Angulo es hijo de la gerente del restaurante y trabaja junto a su madre. Angulo mencionó que el restaurante tiene tanto clientes frecuentes como nuevos, y ambos grupos realmente disfrutan de los platos que se venden en Abuelas.
“Nuestra comida tiene un sabor que realmente no encuentras en ningún otro lugar de Gainesville”, dijo Angulo.
Las opiniones de Angulo sobre la comida son compartidas tanto por visitantes de primera vez como por clientes habituales. Jaela Auguste, una estudiante de kinesiología de 18 años en la UF, dijo que Abuelas tiene un estilo especial que no se encuentra en ningún otro lugar de Gainesville.
“La comida es realmente, realmente sabrosa, tiene buen sabor”, dijo. “Regresaría a comer aquí”.
La combinación de sabores colombianos auténticos, tradiciones familiares y una atmósfera acogedora de La Cocina de Abuela no solo la ha convertido en un favorito entre los locales, sino que también ha permitido que la familia Puyana cree un espacio que se siente como en casa para todos los que cruzan sus puertas. Ya sean visitantes de primera vez o clientes recurrentes, el restaurante sigue siendo un pilar en la comunidad latina local, donde la comida no es solo una comida, sino una manera de conectar con la cultura, la familia y entre ellos.
@gabriellach19 gchavez@alligator.org
La Cocina de Abuela: A taste of Colombia on the go
ABUELAS BRINGS AUTHENTIC COLOMBIAN FLAVORS
PREPARED AND SERVED IN ASSEMBLY LINE STYLE
By Gabriella Chavez Alligator Staff Writer
At La Cocina de Abuela, a vibrant familyowned restaurant, traditional Colombian flavors meet the convenience of counter-service dining. With an assembly line-style setup, guests are invited to build their perfect bowl, savoring fresh, made-from-scratch dishes that tell the story of generations of Colombian heritage.
One of the co-owners of Abuelas, 43-yearold Sara Puyana, said she was inspired to open the restaurant due to her own experiences of looking for a Latin restaurant that would serve a quick meal in contrast to most sit-down dining experiences.
“What we did have here was sit-down, higher-end, but you couldn't find an easy, quick spot, you know? I just want a sandwich, I just want a bowl,” she said. “You had to sit down, and for students that's inaccessible.”
After taking inspiration from one of her childhood staple restaurants named Chico’s in Hialeah, Florida, Puyana opened La Cocina de
Abuela in 2018.
Although the main goal of the restaurant is to provide good quality meals that are easy and convenient to obtain, Puyana also expressed her desire to create a family-friendly and inviting space where people of all ages can feel welcomed and enjoy themselves. Abuelas has an outdoor space featuring a playground for children and parents to enjoy.
“When we opened Abuelas, I was pregnant with my third daughter, and so I opened Abuelas so that I could have a space where she could hang out and play,” she said. “The whole reason is for my kids.”
With her vision of creating a space for her children and family in mind, the name “La Cocina de Abuela” felt like a natural choice, considering the restaurant is based on the recipes and dishes crafted by Puyana’s mother, Marta Puyana.
Drawing inspiration from their hometown of Barranquilla, sitting on the coast of Colombia, Puyana and her mother feature dishes like Arroz con Coco, a flavorful coconut rice, and Ensalada de Repollo, a vibrant slaw made with carrots, cabbage and tomatoes.
The restaurant also serves a traditional Colombian dish named a Bandeja Paisa, which is often described as a hearty, one-plate meal that typically includes a variety of ingredients such as grilled steak, fried pork belly (chicharrón), a fried egg, rice, beans, avocado, arepa (a corn-
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meal flatbread) and plantains. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, it serves a Colombian version of oxtail as part of the restaurant’s specials.
In addition to her mother’s council and recipes, other members of Puyana’s family contribute to the family business as well.
Her father had been in charge of managing the registers and making the deposits for all the stores, but when her sister moved to Gainesville in July, she took over the bank account and register duties. Her brother bakes the bread sold in the restaurant as well.
With various family members contributing to the restaurant's operations, La Casa de Abuela has become more than just a business; it has also grown to hold significant meaning for the local Latin community. Puyana explained that for many in the Latin community, finding a place that reminds them of home is important.
“If you’re Latino and you’re missing something from where you're from, you try to find a place that reminds you of that,” she said. “We’ve had the chance to meet so many families through owning the restaurant. I have so many friends who were customers at first.”
The family-oriented atmosphere extends beyond just the ownership; it also translates to the staff.
“It is such a good environment, I feel like I’m at home here,” Luis Angulo, a 26-year-old cashier at the restaurant, said. Angulo is the
son of the restaurant’s manager and works alongside his mother in the family-focused atmosphere.
Angulo noted the restaurant has an equal amount of frequent clientele and newcomers, and both audiences really enjoyed the dishes sold at Abuelas.
“Our food has a flavor that you can't really find anywhere else in Gainesville,” Angulo said.
Angulo’s thoughts on the food are shared by both first-time visitors and returning customers. Jaela Auguste, an 18-year-old UF kinesiology sophomore, said Abuelas has a special style that can’t be found anywhere else in Gainesville.
“The food was really, really tasty, it's flavorful,” she said. “I would come back.”
La Cocina de Abuela’s blend of authentic Colombian flavors, family traditions and welcoming atmosphere has not only made it a favorite among locals but has also allowed the Puyana family to create a space that feels like home for everyone who walks through its doors. Whether it's first-time visitors or returning customers, the restaurant continues to be a cornerstone of the local Latino community, where food is not just a meal, but a way to connect with culture, family and each other.
@gabriellach19 gchavez@alligator.org
Síganos para actualizaciones Para obtener actualizaciones de El Caimán, síganos en línea en www.alligator.org/section/elcaiman.
MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2025
www.alligator.org/section/sports
MEN'S BASKETBALL
No. 5 Florida primed for deep runs in SEC and NCAA Tournaments
THE GATORS CAPPED OFF THEIR REGULAR SEASON WITH A SENIOR NIGHT WIN OVER OLE MISS
By Max Tucker Sports Writer
It’s an emotional moment for a college basketball player when they walk off their home court for the final time. Coaches and teammates hugging them while thousands of fans rise to their feet to cheer is enough to make even a fearless competitor a bit misty.
That’s precisely what happened when UF’s dynamic backcourt trio stepped off the Stephen C. O’Connell Center hardwood one last time after defeating Ole Miss in Gainesville on March 8. However, when senior guards Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard were asked after the game who was more emotional during their senior night curtain call, they jokingly bantered back-andforth.
“He’s talking about you,” Richard said. To which, with little hesitation, fellow senior guard
LACROSSE
Clayton Jr. responded, “I ain’t shed no tears.”
Regardless of who may have cried, the Gators will have their hands full as postseason play begins. Various media outlets have already slated Florida as a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament. However, if UF can notch a win or two in the SEC tournament, the Gators would likely solidify a spot along the top-seed line in The Big Dance.
“We have a lot of work left to do and a lot of things left to still accomplish,” Florida head coach Todd Golden said. “We'll get back together on Monday, have a great week of practice and get ready to play next Friday in Nashville."
Florida had claimed a top-4 seed in its conference tournament prior to its 19-point beat down over the Rebels on senior night. Though, when the calendar turns to March, it’s pivotal for teams with national championship aspirations to play their best basketball.
It’s difficult to tell if the Gators are peaking at the perfect time, largely because of how dominant they’ve been all season. UF has
three wins over top 10 teams, with two of those coming against the No. 1 team in the nation.
“Obviously a great regular season,” Golden said. “Twenty-seven wins. To go 14-4 in the league and to finish the regular season the way we did today, just can't say enough about the job our players did this year.”
The Gators are a 2-seed, and with a double-bye in the SEC Tournament, await either Missouri or the winner of Mississippi State and LSU for their matchup in the quarterfinals.
One of UF’s four losses this season came at the hands of Missouri on Jan. 14, marking the only time the Gators lost a game on their home court this season. If it comes down to a rematch with the Tigers, Golden knows his team can’t take them lightly.
“They played harder than us,” he said. “They were more ready to play than we were, obviously jumped on us in the first half and we were not ready for it. And obviously it starts with me. I need to do a better job making sure that we're ready to go and making sure that we understand what's
in front of us.”
Perhaps Missouri has flown under the radar in the SEC this season, entering the conference tournament as the No. 7 seed. However, UM’s No. 15 ranking in the AP Poll proves how tough of an opponent the Tigers could be in the postseason.
Moreover, Missouri is anything but top-heavy, with three players averaging double-digit scoring marks and eight who average at least five points per game. Junior guard Mark Mitchell and graduate student guard Caleb Grill lead the way with 14.3 and 14.2 points per game, respectively. Mitchell also averages nearly five rebounds per contest, while Grill scored a team-high 22 points with six 3-pointers in Missouri’s road win at the O’Dome.
"I would say the lack of urgency and effort [was the difference] in the first half,” Richard said. “We can't let that happen in this [league]. I feel like we should have been ready to go from the jump."
Florida senior guard Alijah Martin has been invaluable to its prolific backcourt this season
alongside Richard and Clayton Jr. The FAU transfer was a starter in the 2023 Men’s Final Four and has the experience and skills needed for a deep run in March. Martin has always wanted to compete in the SEC. He even said he’s loved performing in front of chaotic road environments with opposing fans heckling him.
But with SEC play in the rearview mirror, Martin will now have the opportunity to guide a Power 4 program to a place of prominence, much like he’s always dreamed about. Amid all the talk from national media regarding the Gators being one of the favorites to cut down the nets in San Antonio, Martin knows being awarded a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament doesn’t make the dream a guarantee.
“It’s not the finish line,” Martin said. “You still got to get there and perform and you [have to] perform with your best abilities because it could be anybody’s night. So we just can’t overlook anybody when we go there.”
@Max_Tuckr1 mtucker@alligator.org
Hahn sisters’ bond grows as they share the field together at Florida
BOTH SISTERS HAVE BEEN KEY PLAYERS FOR THE GATORS IN 2025
By Max Bernstein Sports Writer
Just over two minutes into the second quarter of Florida lacrosse’s matchup against North Carolina on Feb. 15, a play years in the making took place.
UF redshirt freshman attacker Frannie Hahn had the ball in her stick on the left corner of the 8-meter arc. She ran away from the net, turned and spotted an opportunity: her older sister, senior midfielder Josie Hahn, sprinting towards the net.
“Seeing her cut, she was really covered,” Frannie Hahn said. “But I have so much trust in her. I just threw it, knowing 100% she was gonna catch it and score.”
As soon as the pass reached Josie Hahn’s stick, the ball found its way into the back of the net. For the first time in their collegiate careers, the Hahn sisters connected for a goal. Despite Florida’s 14-9 loss in the match, the goal was a memory neither sister would ever forget.
“We’ve always talked about that as we were growing up, getting to play together and
what it would be like in a real game and what we would do," Josie Hahn said. “And now it’s actually coming true, which is awesome.”
The sisters, who have a two-year age gap, grew up in Catonsville, Maryland, a state where lacrosse is massively popular. But playing the sport wasn't just a hobby for them – it was a way of life. They played in their backyard almost every day for years, pushing each other to improve.
Frannie and Josie Hahn eventually played together for St. Paul’s School for Girls and the Hero’s Tournament Lacrosse Club – one of the top-ranked women’s lacrosse club teams in the country.
The older Hahn then arrived at UF in 2022 and immediately made an impact. She started in 14 games during her freshman campaign, all while scoring 16 goals in the season. She earned second-team All-AAC honors for her first-year performance in the process.
Though her role with Florida shifted during her sophomore and junior campaigns, the older sister has had a more prominent role as a senior, starting five of Florida’s first six games in 2025.
“We’ve asked a lot of her [Josie]... and a lot of times, it’s the dirty work,” Florida head coach Amanda O’Leary said. “She’s not always reaping the benefits of seeing her name
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in the box score, but if you were to stat her and see how many times she’s involved in getting somebody else in the box score, I think it’d be pretty impressive.”
Josie Hahn has also embraced a leadership role, serving as one of UF’s team captains this season. It's been a challenge, she said, but one she has enjoyed through her first four weeks. Her younger sister, however, said she has excelled in her new position.
“She’s always at the field, doing extra reps and watching film,” Frannie Hahn said. “She’s doing everything she can to be a great leader for everyone.”
Frannie Hahn chose to join UF’s lacrosse team in 2024, feeling as if she and her sister had unfinished business as she wanted to play with her best friend again. However, an injury to her sesamoid bone in her foot required surgery, forcing her to redshirt her freshman year.
“She committed here my freshman year, so we had to wait two years for her to get here, and then she’s injured last year,” Josie Hahn said. “We've been building it up so much.”
Still, she remained an active member of the team, studying film and analyzing what it takes to succeed at the next level. Her dedication earned her a “student of the game” moniker from O’Leary.
“It’s not easy being on the sideline, but I
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think she [Frannie] made the most of it,” O’Leary said. “She wasn’t able to be on the field, but what she did off the field has now paid off in dividends with what she’s doing now on the field.”
The younger Hahn has emerged as one of UF’s top offensive contributors, leading the Gators in both assists (12) and points (26) through six games. On March 1, she became just the sixth player in program history to record 10 or more points in a game, tallying seven goals and three assists in Florida’s 17-16 loss to James Madison.
“This Fall, I was so happy to be back,” Frannie Hahn said. “My teammates were so happy for me, and my coaches were so supportive, which gave me all the confidence this season.”
Now reunited on the field, the bond between the Hahn sisters has never been stronger. They live together, spend nearly every day side by side and cherish each moment of their final season together.
“Everything that we did growing up together… has finally made it to the real world, and now we can actually do it for Florida,” Josie Hahn said.
@maxbernstein23 mbernstein@alligator.org
Follow us for updates For updates on UF athletics, follow us on Twitter at @alligatorSports or online at www.alligator.org/section/sports.