Sunset viewers at Paynes Prairie getting younger
King heard about Paynes Prairie for the first time in 2017, though she says the sunset-watchers were mostly older people back then. Now, she says, most are students.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the area has become even more popular.
Students itching to spend more time outside while staying safe have flocked to Paynes Prairie, with many sitting on the roofs of their cars while they watch the golden-pink sun dip below the horizon.
“You’re really spaced out,” said freshman microbiology major Amy Fagan. “The sunsets are really pretty, and this is one of the best places to watch that. It’s a nice break from campus and studying.”
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MusicGNV’s goal is to promote local artists through booking shows, hosting livestreams and creating featured artist compilations, of which the latter two can be found on the organization’s website. With this grant, they hope to expand musicians reach.
“If you ve never had the opportunity to record, or if getting in the studio is a hardship for you, then that s just one way in which folks are kept out of music promotion and building their audience,” Telg said. “We re hoping that this recording grant will help to build up artists profiles, but then also at a larger level, remove one of the barriers to entry for the Gainesville music community.”
Reopening schools was among the loudest and most emotional debates in the country since COVID-19 began. Teachers and parents alike protested the reopening, fearing it would put their lives at risk. Nevertheless, in-person classes resumed in Alachua County in fall 2020.
Many expected the reopening would cause a teacher exodus,” but as the end of the school year gets closer, opinions on how much of an impact the virus had on teacher departures differ.
Alachua County Public Schools spokeswoman Jackie Johnson said the departure rate is in the range it s been in recent years.
“Our retention rate this year for teachers is about 84%,” Johnson said. “The previous year it was 86%, and the year before that it was 83%.”