Category Archives: Features

U.S. Senator Nelson says public should eventually see pictures of slain Osama bin Laden (05/12/2011)

May 12, 2011NewsDonna Green-Townsend, Navy SEALS, Osama bin Laden, U.S. Senator Bill NelsonDonna Green-Townsend

Aired on WUFT on May 12th, 2011

U.S. Democratic Senator from Florida Bill Nelson says photos of slain Osama bin Laden should eventually become part of the public record. Senator Nelson today reviewed the still-classified photographs showing the deadly wounds inflicted by Navy SEALS during their mission eleven days ago. Nelson is a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He viewed several of the photos at the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia. In a press release issued today, Nelson stated:

“There is no doubt in my mind nor should there be in anyone else’s that we got the terrorist who orchestrated the insane and murderous acts that took place on September 11, 2001.”

Nelson adds he agrees with President Obama’s decision not to release the pictures right now.

“Satisfying skeptics and conspiracy theorists isn’t worth inflaming radicals or putting our troops in even more danger,” says Nelson.

Nelson added he felt releasing the pictures at some point should be part of the free flow of information that is tantamount to the country’s democracy. He also encouraged the public to be vigilant at home and abroad.

UF awarded $5.4 million for biomass research and development (05/05/2011)

May 5, 2011NewsBiomass Research and Development project, Department of Energy, Donna Green-Townsend, Steven Chu, Tom Vilsack, U.S. Energy Secretary, University of Florida, USDADonna Green-Townsend

Aired on WUFT on May 5th, 2011

In an effort to reduce America’s reliance on imported oil, the University of Florida has been awarded $5.4 million from the USDA and Department of Energy for Biomass Research and Development Projects. According to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, the funding is designated to help develop sustainable, renewable biofuels in the U.S. and is considered part of President Obama’s comprehensive plan to address rising gas prices.

The University of Florida’s share of the funds will go towards research on ways to improve the production and sustainability of sweet sorghum as an energy crop. Seven other organizations and institutions have received part of the overall $47 million dollars available for the production of biofuels, bioenergy and high-value biobased products from a variety of biomass sources. The projects are funded through the Biomass Research and Development Initiative and will help increase the availability of alternative renewable fuels and biobased products to diversify the nation’s energy resources. Funding is provided through USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and DOE’s Biomass Program. Each award was made through a competitive selection process.

Grant recipients are required to contribute a minimum of 20 percent of matching funds for research and development projects and 50 percent of matching funds for demonstration projects. Awardees must pursue projects that integrate science and engineering research in three areas: feedstocks development, biofuels and biobased products development, and biofuels development analysis.

Here is the list of funded projects around the country:

• Cellana LLC, Kailua Kona, Hawaii, $5,521,173. Cellana will work to develop a protein supplement from algae as a byproduct of algal biofuels production, by demonstrating its nutritional and economic value in livestock feeds. The project will characterize types of algae, assess the nutritional values of algal proteins, assess the potential for algal proteins to replace soybean meal, and develop algal protein supplements.

• Domtar Paper Company, LLC, Fort Mill, SC, $7,000,000. This three-year project will work to build a demonstration plant using two technologies to convert low-value byproducts and wastes from paper mills into higher-value sugar, oil, and lignin products.

• Exelus Inc., Livingston, N.J., $5,185,004. Exelus will work to develop energy crops with improved tolerance to drought and salt stress to enhance yields on marginal lands. The project will also redesign a process to make hydrocarbon fuels using new catalysts and chemistry that avoids the high temperatures and large energy inputs required by current processes.

• Metabolix, Inc., Cambridge, Mass., $6,000,001. Metabolix will enhance the yield of bio-based products, biopower, or fuels made from switchgrass. The project will use high temperature conversion to produce denser biomass and other products that can be further processed to make fuels such as butanol, chemicals such as propylene and other materials to improve the economic competitiveness of future biorefineries.

• University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., $5,430,439. The purpose of this project is to improve the production and sustainability of sweet sorghum as an energy crop. The University will identify genetic traits in sorghum associated with drought tolerance through genetic mapping and will select strains that produce high biomass yields and can be easily converted to fermentable sugars.

• University of Kansas Center for Research, Lawrence, Kan., $5,635,858. The purpose of this project is to demonstrate a novel, sustainable technology at a pilot scale that produces diverse products, including advanced fuels, industrial chemicals and chemical intermediates.

• University of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky., $6,932,786. The purpose of this project is to improve the economics for biorefineries by using on-farm processing to convert biomass to a mixture of butanol, ethanol, acetone and organic acids. The product can then be easily transported to a biorefinery for further processing. The project will integrate input from experts in a variety of disciplines, including plant and soil scientists, horticulturists, chemical engineers, and economists.

• U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Missoula, Mont., $5,309,320. This project will develop an integrated approach to investigate biomass feedstock production, logistics, conversion, distribution and end use centered on using advanced conversion technologies at existing forest industry facilities.

More information is available at the Biomass Program website at www.eere.energy.gov/biomass

Hippodrome improvisational theatre students hold relief drive for tornado victims (05/05/2011)

May 5, 2011NewsDonna Green-Townsend, Hippodrome State Theatre, tornado relief, TuscaloosaDonna Green-Townsend

Aired on WUFT on May 5th, 2011

The Director for Education at the Hippodrome State Theatre, Kim Berry, says she and her husband will be driving a truck full of relief items to an emergency shelter in Tuscaloosa for victims of the recent devastating tornado. Items can be dropped off at the box office at the Hippodrome State Theatre until 6:00 tonight in downtown Gainesville. The emergency shelter is being run by the Tuscaloosa Parks and Recreation Authority. Berry talked with WUFT-FM’s Donna Green-Townsend about what items are needed.

Bob Graham gives his outlook on U.S. national security and the future of al-Qaida with the death of Osama bin Laden (05/03/2011)

May 3, 2011NewsDonna Green-Townsend, Osama bin Laden, Senate Intelligence Committee, U.S. Senator Bob GrahamDonna Green-Townsend

Aired on WUFT on May 3rd, 2011

Former U.S. Senator from Florida Bob Graham chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee during Nine-eleven. He has closely monitored the latest developments in the killing of Osama bin Laden….the mastermind behind the plan to bring down the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11th. Graham talked with WUFT-FM’s Donna Green-Townsend about national security in light of bin Laden’s death and what he expects will happen with al-Qaida now

Osama bin Laden killed in Pakistan (05/01/2011)

May 1, 2011NewsOsama bin Laden killed, PakistanDonna Green-Townsend

White House sources report ground troops in Pakistan have killed Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the plan to fly jets into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Bin Laden is responsible for the deaths of 2,974 Americans nearly a decade ago. He’s been called the number one enemy of the United States and a face of evil. Reports from Washington indicate the United States has his body and his identity has been confirmed through DNA tests.

President Obama addresses the nation about the operation which killed Osama bin Laden (05/01/2011)

May 1, 2011NewsDonna Green-Townsend, Osama bin Laden death, President Barack ObamaDonna Green-Townsend

U.S. President Barack Obama told the families of the victims of September 11, 2001 that he never forgot who was responsible. He says with the killing of Osama bin Laden, one of the top 10 fugitives in the world, justice has been done. Bin Laden is blamed for the murders of thousands of people in the United States and around the world. The President said since taking office it has been his goal to disrupt, dismantle and defeat bin Laden, but bin Laden has avoided capture for nearly a decade. The President says through a successful operation, U.S. military personnel engaged in a fire-fight at a compound deep in Pakistan and killed the leader of Al-Qaeda operations and took custody of his body. In his televised speech just after 11:30 EST, the President said the U.S. is not at war with Islam, but with Al-Qaeda. He asked everyone to remain vigilant at home and abroad because of possible retaliation from other Al-Qaeda operatives.

Crowds begin to gather outside the White House (05/01/2011)

May 1, 2011NewsDonna Green-Townsend

Singing “God Bless America” and shouting “U.S.A.” thousands of people are pouring into the streets around the White House in Washington D.C. and Ground Zero in New York. They’re celebrating the news that Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the events of September 11, 2001, has been killed in a U.S. military operation at a compound in Pakistan.

Michael Smith

April 29, 2011ArtsAcoustic guitar, acoustic music, Donna Green-Townsend, folk, Michael Smith, The Dutchmanadmin

Michael Smith performs at the Shake Rag Art and Culture Center in Melrose

Aired on WUFT April 29th, 2011 and August 31st, 2012

Nationally acclaimed singer/songwriter Michael Smith is bringing his original music to the Shake Rag Art and Culture Center in Melrose tonight at 8 p.m. Smith has at least 500 songs under his belt on more than a dozen CDs. Numerous artists have recorded his songs. Smith sat down with Florida’s 89.1, WUFT’ s Donna Green-Townsend. He shared how he picked up the guitar at 15 and one of his first songs was about his first love.

Here’s the entire song, “The Dutchman” by Michael Smith recorded in the WUFT studios the day of the interview.

Dance Alive National Ballet gets help from sales of ‘Big Bunny’ (04/11/2011)

April 11, 2011ArtsDance Alive National Ballet, Donna Green-Townsend, Gainesville, Judy Skinner, Pofahl Dance StudioDonna Green-Townsend

Aired on WUFT on April 11th, 2011

What do you get when you take a childrens’ book about a “Big Bunny” and blend it with a national ballet company? That’s what is happening this afternoon at the Pofahl Dance Studio where local author and illustrator Colleen Rand is signing copies of her new children’s book and donating proceeds to the Dance Alive National Ballet organization. WUFT’s Donna Green-Townsend talked with the resident choreographer for Dance Alive, Judy Skinner about the book and the effort to keep Dance Alive going.

‘Passport to Cowboy Florida’ Saturday event will raise funds for programs at the Florida Musuem of Natural History (03/18/2011)

March 18, 2011NewsChris Machen, Donna Green-Townsend, Eileen Silverman, Five Centuries of Cracker Cattlemen, Florida cowboy exhibit, Florida Museum of Natural History, Passport to Cowboy FloridaDonna Green-Townsend

Aired on WUFT on March 18th, 2011

The community is invited to “mosey on down” to the Florida Museum of Natural History tomorrow evening for a fundraising event called “Passport to Cowboy Florida.” Coordinators hope folks will dress in blue jeans and bandanas and plan to kick up their heels and pony up some dollars to support the museum’s year long activities. WUFT-FM’s Donna Green-Townsend talked with coordinators Chris Machen and Eileen Silverman about how the fundraiser is in conjunction with the current exhibit “Five Centuries of Cracker Cattlemen.”