The public is invited to view some of the world’s smallest horses this weekend. It’s being called the “Last Chance” show because it’s the last in a string of three shows intended for miniature horse exhibitors to qualify for the World Championships of the American Miniature Horse Association scheduled for this fall in Fort Worth, Texas.
The free competition runs both Saturday and Sunday at the Ocala Equestrian Center.
Florida’s 89.1, WUFT-FM’s Donna Green-Townsend talked with the show manager, Ruth Owen, about the event.
Research on a disease outbreak in a private collection of pythons in Australia has led to the discovery of a deadly new snake virus. Assistant Professor in Zoological Medicine at the UF College of Veterinary Medicine, Jim Wellehan has been working with colleagues in Australia and Germany on the discovery. Wellehan’s research will be published in the October journal, “Infection, Genetics and Evolution.” Wellehan says understanding the ecology and diversity of infectious diseases of wildlife is critical. He talked with Florida’s 89.1, WUFT-FM’s Donna Green-Townsend about his latest research on the snake virus and why it has an important tie to human health.
Alachua County officials are monitoring the mosquito population after one of the county’s sentinel chickens was found to have eastern equine encephalitis. Florida’s 89.1, WUFT-FM’s Donna Green Townsend spoke with Environmental Health Director for the Alachua County Health Department, Anthony Dennis, who says the situation is not critical, but wants the public to be aware of the issue so they can prevent any future problems.
Saturday night from 8 p.m. to midnight the Civic Media Center and the Harvest of Hope Foundation will present the North Florida Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration. Florida’s 89.1, WUFT-FM’s Donna Green-Townsend talked with Civic Media Center Founder and Board Member, Joe Courter and President of the Harvest of Hope Foundation, Phil Kellerman about the special night of music for a cause.
The special Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration gets underway tomorrow night at 8 p.m. at the Repurpose Project on South Main Street in Gainesville.
Details are continuing to surface in the late night shooting spree at a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado. During the midnight premier of “The Dark Knight Rises” a lone gunman entered the theatre, hurled a gas canister and then began shooting using an assault rifle, a shotgun and two pistols killing 12 and injuring 59 people. Police officers were able to take the shooting suspect, 24-year old James Holmes into custody. Holmes is a graduate student at the University of Colorado in Denver. The motive has not been identified.
President Barack Obama has ordered flags to be put at half staff in memory of the victims. In a morning press conference in Fort Myers, President Barack Obama said he was saddened by the “horrific and tragic shooting,” pledging that his administration was “committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice, ensuring the safety of our people, and caring for those who have been wounded.”
Dade City, Florida resident Jan Glidewell has been spending the summer in Colorado. Glidewell is a retired newspaper columnist for the St. Pete, now Tampa Bay Times. Though he’s several miles away from Aurora he had considered going to the midnight premier of the new batman movie. Glidewell talked with Florida’s 89.1, WUFT-FM’s Donna Green-Townsend about the shooting and his thoughts about the role of journalists in covering such tragedies:
The health of Silver Springs and Silver River has been at the heart of recent debate over water permit requests in Marion County. The Silver River which flows into the Ocklawaha River has also been a part of a century old debate. More than a 100 years ago early Spanish explorers and Florida businessmen had big dreams to put in a cross-the-state barge canal from the Gulf Coast to the St. John’s River to allow for more commerce. The Nixon administration put a stop to the project because of budget and environmental concerns. Nevertheless, remnants of the original barge construction remain with the Inglis Lock and dam on the west coast and the Kirkpatrick Dam and Rodman Reservoir in Putnam and Marion Counties. Florida’s 89.1, WUFT-FM’s Donna Green-Townsend talked to Steven Noll, one of the two local historians who has captured the controversial history of the project in the book called: “Ditch of Dreams: The Cross Florida Barge Canal and the struggle for Florida’s future.”
(This program originally aired on WUFT-FM in late fall of 2010)
As each day passes various disaster relief teams are able to move into areas most impacted by flooding issues from Tropical Storm Debby. As flood waters recede many homes need material removed such as ruined dry wall and mud. Meanwhile, many personal wells have been tainted by septic tanks from flood waters. Florida’s 89.1, WUFT-FM’s Donna Green-Townsend talked with an administrator with the Suwannee County Health Department, Pamela Blackmon about the current situation there.
While river flooding is causing problems for homeowners and putting a damper on recreational businesses and parks near the Santa Fe, Ichetucknee and Suwannee River areas, there is a river event in Marion County area that is offering people a chance to go kayaking or boating all for a cause. The group Water Action Team is sponsoring a Adena Protest flotilla and “stand up for Silver Springs” event from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. River activist Karen Ahlers says the event will include a presentation on historic Silver River photos as well as music and river boating opportunities on the Silver River. Saturday’s protest flotilla will be at Wayside Park on SR 40 about 4 miles east of the Silver Springs attraction. She talked with Donna Green-Townsend) about the event:
Water Action Team supporter, Karen Ahlers. Saturday’s Adena protest flotilla is at Ray Wayside Park on SR 40, about 4 miles east of the Silver Springs attraction.
Residents in North Central Florida and the Panhandle are continuing cleanup efforts from all the rain dumped from what was Tropical Storm Debby. Some parts of the state received up between 25 to 30 inches of rain from the slow-moving tropical system. Before Debby, Florida was experiencing drought conditions, and though so much rain fell recently, Alachua County Director of Environmental Protection, Chris Bird, told WUFT-FM’s Donna Green-Townsend that Florida still faces water woes.
Nearly five years ago Mark Stephan from suffered a horrific spinal cord injury in a bicycle accident in Chicago. Though he was told he would be a quadriplegic and never walk again, the determined athlete went into six months of intensive therapy with personal trainers. The grueling work culminated in his most recent accomplishment —climbing 103 floors to the top of the tallest building in North America. Now Stephan is cycling across the country to bring awareness to the issue of spinal cord injuries and to raise money for a new specialized hospital to treat patients with such injuries. He’ll arrive in Alachua tonight and leave for Palatka and St. Augustine tomorrow. Stephan talked with Florida’s 89.1, WUFT-FM’s Donna Green-Townsend about his message:
Stephan is inviting other cyclists to join him on his ride. He should be leaving from the Quality Inn in Alachua at around 8:30 a.m. For more information his project coordinator Lincoln Baker at 406-546-9317. To learn more about Mark Stephan go online to http://www.stephanchallenge.com
The public is invited to view some of the world’s smallest horses this weekend. It’s being called the “Last Chance” show because it’s the last in a string of three shows intended for miniature horse exhibitors to qualify for the World Championships of the American Miniature Horse Association scheduled for this fall in Fort Worth, Texas.
Florida’s 89.1, WUFT-FM’s Donna Green-Townsend talked with the show manager, Ruth Owen, about the event.