Newberry Mayor demands traffic study, threatens to block Oak View Middle School expansion

Newberry Mayor Tim Marden sent a letter to the Alachua County School Board demanding a traffic study and additional documentation before granting city approval for the expansion of portable classrooms at Oak View Middle School, warning the school could miss its Fall 2026 opening if the requests go unmet. Alachua County Public Schools is pushing back on those demands, saying it intends to proceed with converting Oak View into a pre-K through 8th-grade campus. The expansion stems from district-wide school closures and the conversion of the former Newberry Elementary School into a charter school — Newberry Community School — which city leaders have supported and which is also set to open this fall.

Read both sides →

Sources: Mainstreet Daily News · WCJB TV20 · The Independent Florida Alligator

UF engineers create world’s first DNA-guided CRISPR system for RNA editing

University of Florida researchers have developed a novel form of CRISPR technology that uses DNA, rather than the conventional RNA, to guide its editing enzymes to their targets. Because DNA is naturally more stable and easier to manufacture, the approach could lead to safer, more precise, and less expensive diagnostic tools and medical treatments. The UF team worked in collaboration with researchers at UT Austin, and published a structural analysis of the system in a preprint earlier this year.

Sources: UF News

Mental health stigma remains a barrier for Hispanic students and immigrants

Hispanic students and immigrants in Gainesville continue to face cultural stigma that discourages them from seeking mental health support, according to reporting by the Independent Florida Alligator. The persistence of this stigma presents ongoing challenges for university and community health outreach efforts targeting the Hispanic population.

Sources: The Independent Florida Alligator