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All Alachua County Articles

Bryan Eastman: GRU Authority Updates

Submitted by Alachua County in May 2024.

News

Two big changes will be coming to GRU in May, one from the Governor and one from the Gainesville City Commission. Read on to learn more...

Four clip art hands of various sizes with heart cut outs over text

Submitted by Alachua County in April 2024.

News

Volunteers are the heart and soul of any volunteer organization, and the League of Women Voters of Alachua County (LWVAC) is no exception.

Submitted by Alachua County in April 2024.

Blog Post

Dear Members,
It’s an exciting time to be a League member. The stature of the League shows itself at the national, state and local levels. One of my proudest moments, both personally and as League president, was speaking before the city commission on March 21, citing the breach of democracy and home rule when the state imposed the GRU Authority on our city. I stated “We have an opportunity to regain democratic processes and home rule in Gainesville. Let's do this...

Title Slide for Media Literacy presentation

Submitted by Alachua County in April 2024.

News

At their April 9th meeting, the Oak Hammock Committee heard from April Hines, the UF College of Journalism and Communications librarian, who presented a program on Media Literacy: Evaluating and Finding Quality News. A recording is now available.

Bryan Eastman: Repeal of the GRU Authority

Submitted by Alachua County in April 2024.

News

At our March 21st meeting the City Commission voted to move forward with putting the GRU Authority on the ballot for a full repeal this year. This came after a packed room of community members from the League of Women Voters, NAACP, the AFL-CIO, Labor Coalition and the Sierra Club came to the meeting asking for the voters to decide.

Submitted by Alachua County in March 2024.

News

On March 21, 2024, I was privileged to represent the LWV of Alachua County at an important city commission meeting. A coalition of local leaders and organizations, including the League, the Alachua County Labor Coalition, Gainesville Residents United and unions worked together to pose an ask of the city commission. As the LWVAC president, I made the initial speech and asked the commissioners to create a referendum that would repeal Article VII, thus returning governance of GRU to local leadership.

Photo collage of 9 photos from the Spring Party

Submitted by Alachua County in March 2024.

News

On Friday, March 22, LWVAC members gathered at Jon Reiskind’s home in Gainesville to celebrate the Spring Equinox and our 2023 accomplishments. While the weather thwarted plans for a holiday party last fall, the Spring Equinox party went off without a hitch.

Submitted by Alachua County in March 2024.

News

By Stefanie Gadalean: I had the amazing opportunity to go with the League of Women Voters to Alabama the first weekend in March to commemorate the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. During that time, we had the pleasure of attending the Martin and Coretta Scott King Jubilee Breakfast, the NAACP Bridge Crossing Banquet, a Southern Poverty Law Center event with John Lewis‘ nephew and Congresswoman Nikema Williams, and the Equal Justice Initiative's museums and memorials. I had the opportunity to speak at a joint event with the Alabama League of Women Voters and the NAACP on youth civic engagement.

Submitted by Alachua County in March 2024.

Blog Post

Dear Members,
A friend asked recently how it feels to be president of the League — whether it feels worthwhile. Absolutely! Politics can be pretty ugly; people, in some cases, have gotten rancorous and democratic principles have been tarnished. But. The principles of the League stand firm and it feels good to be part of that. As election season unfolds, we will engage and inform voters based on facts, sound reasoning and a commitment to a more perfect democracy. Yes, it feels worthwhile to be a Leaguer. I hope you...

Library bookshelf image with gold overlay and white writing

Submitted by Alachua County in February 2024.

News

During LWVAC's 2024 Get Out the Vote (GOTV) Campaign for the 2024 Election Season, the Voter Services team is organizing multiple Alachua County Library tabling events. The goal is to have a table at each of the 12 libraries once a month for 2 hours at peak times until November. We hope to increase League visibility and engage with current and potential voters, especially young people.