Author Archives: Jessica

Help! Tents needed for cold weather

Posted on January 9, 2017 | Leave a comment

The HOMEVan project is again in need of tents to help those without housing during the cold weather.

We want to thank you again for your generosity the last time we did this fundraiser. Since then, due to storms that have destroyed some of the older tents, and the influx of people that find themselves newly homeless, we are once again in need. Many of our clients are elderly and disabled and it is unbearable to know that they have no roof over their heads at all.

Tents cost approximately $40, so we are trying to raise money for 25 tents this time.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in Articles, January/February 2017

Celebrate Bulla Cubana!

Posted on January 9, 2017 | Leave a comment

Gainesville’s first-ever Cuban arts and culture festival, Bulla Cubana (boo-YA-coo-BAH-na), aims to share international talent with the community. As the first-ever festival of its kind, Bulla Cubana will feature a dynamic and diverse line-up of more than 20 events starting in January, hosted by more than a dozen iconic Gainesville cultural institutions.

The collection of Cuban fine artists, muralists, dancers, musicians, authors, photographers, academics and filmmakers to be featured from January through March marks the first large-scale, cross-collaboration of Gainesville’s arts leaders, coming together in order to promote the exchange of culture between Cuba and North Central Florida.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in Articles, January/February 2017

From the publisher … Don’t Mourn, Organize!

Posted on January 9, 2017 | Leave a comment

by Joe Courter

So here we are. As I write this we are two weeks from swearing in a man totally lacking the temperament and knowledge to hold the highest office in the land.

Many activities are planned to protest, to build solidarity and resistance, but it is hard not to be in fear anticipating what is to come. It goes much deeper than just Trump. The Cabinet he has put together (see “Editors Picks,” pg. 24) is way worse than anyone would have imagined. Couple that with an evangelical wing nut as Vice President (and who very well may be much more involved in governing than most VPs) and the prospect of the judicial appointment which will serve beyond the Trump administration’s term and things can look pretty bleak.

Well, I don’t do bleak, I don’t do hopeless. This was not the outcome I would have preferred in the election, but here it is and we need to deal with it.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in Articles, January/February 2017

GOP looks to phase out Medicare, repeal ACA: House Speaker Paul Ryan, incoming Republican Congress plan to take away benefits

Posted on January 9, 2017 | Leave a comment

Special to the Iguana, by Mary Savage

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and the Republican Congress want to phase out Medicare as well as repeal the Affordable Care Act. They want to replace Medicare with vouchers ($5,000 for seniors) to buy private insurance from for-profit companies.

Ryan claims Medicare is going broke and that “privatization” is the answer. But the respected Kaiser Foundation deemed that by 2022, the so-called Ryan Plan would mean half of a 65-year-old’s Social Security check would be gone when compared to traditional Medicare’s cost today.

This is bad for seniors.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in Articles, January/February 2017

Paul Ortiz at Pulse Commemoration and United Ceremony

Posted on July 3, 2016 | Leave a comment

Below are remarks from UF Professor Paul Ortiz from the Pulse Commemoration and United Ceremony held at UF on June 28. The event was organized to mourn and stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ community after the mass shooting in Orlando earlier in June.

Tonight, we honor the victims and the survivors of one of the most terrible massacres in American history.

We send our thoughts and our prayers to the LGBT community in Orlando and we also send our apologies.

Yes, our apologies. For we must recognize that all of us play a role in a society where violence and hatred have too often become standard operating procedure. In Florida, we have too often elected or anointed leaders who spout hatred against Trans People, the LGBT community, against immigrants, against people of color.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in Articles, July-August 2016

Tagged lgbtq issues, paul ortiz, pulse

Power to the People! Labor Daze Fest

Posted on July 3, 2016 | Leave a comment

Literally. This Labor Daze Fest is all about that. We are working on a living wage for ALL. We are supporting local responsible businesses. (Come see who wins the Labor Daze Local Responsible Business award!) And this year we are putting our money where our mouth is: one lucky raffle winner will have their power bill paid by Labor Daze Fest! So come support local business, listen to some great music, climb the free rock wall, and get some serious empowerment this Labor Day Weekend. Power to the People. Pass it on!

Labor Daze Fest (info on facebook) is SUNDAY, SEPT. 4 (the day before Labor Day), from 4–10 PM at The Bo Diddley Plaza (111 E. University Ave.). Mama Trish is a local musician, activist, and Mother of Labor Daze.

Leave a comment

Posted in Articles, July-August 2016

Bradford County Phosphate Mine is Lunacy

Posted on July 3, 2016 | Leave a comment

by Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson and Jim Tatum

Confusion and animosity have reigned for some time in Bradford County, due to the county commissioners not listening to the people. However, as time goes by, there is less confusion and more animosity apparent at each meeting of the commissioners.

It all started when a group of landowners joined together to form HPS II Enterprises with the intent of mining phosphate on a large tract of land adjacent to the Santa Fe River, and straddling New River, a tributary dividing Bradford and Union counties.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in Articles, July-August 2016

A New Turnpike Through Alachua County?

Posted on July 3, 2016 | Leave a comment

by Kayla Sosnow

Governor Scott’s Florida Department of Transportation wants to build a new, high-capacity high-speed toll road, traversing the state from Tampa to Jacksonville, purportedly for “regional connectivity” and to relieve I-75 congestion between Wildwood and Gainesville. But demand has never been demonstrated for a Tampa-Jax corridor, and the proposal does little to solve I-75 congestion.

In April FDOT finally revealed swaths under consideration for potential future corridors. Towns and villages impacted include High Springs/Alachua, Tioga, Jonesville, Newberry, Haile Plantation, Gainesville, Archer, Williston, Ocala, Rainbow Springs, Dunnellon, Citrus Springs, Lecanto and Hernando. (See swaths on map.)

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in Articles, July-August 2016

A Contest for the Future of Alachua County

Posted on July 3, 2016 | Leave a comment

by James Thompson

In the August 30th Democratic primary for the Alachua County Commission races, the people get to decide who runs our community–Chamber of Commerce candidates supported by PAC money, or locally grown grassroots issue-based progressives. As sitting Commissioner Robert Hutchinson has acknowledged alongside his own race for re-election, the more difficult challenge is getting his colleague Mike Byerly to keep his seat against the charismatic Jacksonville transplant, Pastor Kevin Thorpe. If Thorpe wins, Plum Creek (now Weyerhaeuser) will resubmit its plans to undermine our Comprehensive Plan and build a city on the wetlands in Eastern Alachua County, and we will see a decline in the focus on social services and a County living wage. The primary is the sum of the election, since no Republican is running, and you must be registered as a Democrat to vote in it. You can do this and request a mail-in ballot at www.votealachua.com. Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in Articles, July-August 2016

Tagged mike byerly, plum creek, robert hutch hutchinson

May-June 2016 Gainesville Iguana

Posted on May 22, 2016 | Leave a comment

The May-June 2016 issue of the Iguana is now available! If you want to get your hands on a hard copy, check out our distro locations here.

Leave a comment

Posted in May-June 2016

Music fest coming to St. Augustine, Gainesville, Cedar Key

Posted on May 3, 2016 | Leave a comment

Follow the Sun is a three-day music festival traveling from coast to coast in Florida, and featuring 22 of the region’s most talented musicians and national bands.

This year’s dates are Friday, May 27 in St. Augustine, Saturday, May 28 in Gainesville, and Sunday, May 29 in Cedar Key. In each of the three towns, bands will play in two locations.

This is the third year of this migratory festival. Much like a mini version of the annual Halloween weekend FEST put on by No Idea records, Follow the Sun is a chance to get a a big dose of a lot of top bands playing back-to-back – in one city, two, or, if you are a real glutton – all three.

Three-day tickets cost $40 each; one-day tickets in St. Augustine and Gainesville are $15 each, and one-day tickets in Cedar Key are $10 each. For a band listings, a schedule and to purchase tickets, go to: followthesunfest.com.

Leave a comment

Posted in Articles, May-June 2016

City eliminates Memorial Mile location

Posted on May 3, 2016 | Leave a comment

After nine years of a (sadly) ever-growing display of tombstones honoring the US soldiers who died in the post-9/11 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Gainesville Veterans for Peace chapter and community volunteers will not be putting up the “Memorial Mile” display on NW 8th Avenue in 2016.

The reason is the City of Gainesville’s decision to eliminate the grass strip along the south side of 8th Avenue to widen the sidewalk. This came after the decision to not have NW 8th Ave be single traffic lanes with a center median and bike lanes, and revert to a higher speed two lanes each way, a curb-to-curb cars and trucks speedway.

To many people involved in Gainesville’s annual Memorial Mile Project, that grass strip had become a sort of sacred ground They feel it was painful to see it torn up.

Leave a comment

Posted in Articles, May-June 2016

History and the people who make it: Genevieve Payne Benson

Posted on May 3, 2016 | Leave a comment

Transcript edited by Pierce Butler.

This is the 35th in a series of transcript excerpts from the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program collection at the University of Florida.

Genevieve Payne Benson [B] and Alvester Duckworth [D] were interviewed by Ryan Morini [M] in 2012.

M: What was your date of birth?

B: December 22, 1927 [in] Naciemento Coahuila, Mexico. I was born at home. My mother had twelve children and never had a doctor. Tia Panchita was the midwife, the señora partera. My daddy’s aunt. She delivered the whole Naciemento.

My grandfather was named Isaac Gardner and he and two brothers escaped from slavery from Georgia. They came to Florida. Then they escaped to Texas and in Lockhart, Texas, they put ‘em in jail.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in Articles, May-June 2016

Support WGOT, Gainesville’s community radio station

Posted on May 3, 2016 | Leave a comment

Community radio is a vital local media lifeline in many communities. Gainesville is no exception.

WGOT-LP began broadcasting on 94.7FM in January of 2008 as a broadcast media service of the Civic Media Center and continues to provide a cornucopia of local music, news, and public affairs programming to the Gainesville community. This programming is augmented by regional and national programs via the Pacifica Radio Network.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in May-June 2016

Election preview

Posted on May 3, 2016 | Leave a comment

by Joe Courter

As some of you have seen from various candidates and their supporters who are out getting signature cards signed, the fall elections are gearing up. Although actually, since the primaries for the Nov. 8 general election are on Aug. 30, it is technically summer still. And there will be some hot races which will be decided right there in August in the Democratic Primary.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in May-June 2016

Award-winning author David Swanson speaks on ‘War is a Lie’

Posted on May 3, 2016 | Leave a comment

Veterans for Peace presents author David Swanson speaking about his highly acclaimed book, “War is a Lie” which recently went into its second printing. Swanson is on a national book tour to promote War is a Lie with scheduled book readings in Berkeley, St. Paul, Minnesota, and Sarasota, Florida among other locations.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in May-June 2016

Gainesville Girls Rock Camp returns for 4th year

Posted on May 3, 2016 | Leave a comment

by Chelsea Carnes, Director of Gainesville Girls Rock Camp

GGRC is a summer camp that uses music and performance as a platform to promote self-esteem, community, and creative self-expression in girls aged 9-17 in Gainesville.

The Girls Rock Camp began on the west coast in 2000 and has spread around the world with hundreds of camps as far away as Brazil and Sweden. The Gainesville Girls Rock Camp got rolling in 2013 by local musicians Chelsea Carnes and Jennifer Vito. The camp is volunteer run by an entirely woman and trans-identified cast of talented musicians, artists, and community activists, many hailing from local bands such as No More, The Ones To Blame, As Is, SODA, Goss, and Wax Wings. Each summer, they create a week of music and feminism meant to rock the world of the girls who attend.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in May-June 2016

ACLC joins ‘Fight for $15’ Orlando protest

Posted on May 3, 2016 | Leave a comment

by Paul Ortiz, Alachua County Labor Coalition

On Thursday, April 15, the Alachua County Labor Coalition brought two vanloads of activists from Gainesville to join a rally in support of the Fight for $15 campaign at the world’s largest McDonald’s on International Drive in Orlando.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Central Florida boasts “the lowest median wag of any major metropolitan area in the country,” so this demonstration was desperately needed by area workers who face a skyrocketing cost of living and stagnant wages.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in Articles, May-June 2016

From the publisher: Thank you, Bernie Sanders

Posted on May 3, 2016 | Leave a comment

This is a Presidential election like no other, the culmination of years of actions by both major parties in conjunction with a revolution in media, both in coverage and choices available. As of press time in mid-May, the two major parties have as their front runners two of the most unpopular candidates ever to be in that position.

On the Repub side Trump is the last man standing for a party that is reaping the harvest of their own making. Commentators were laughing a year ago at the notion of a President Trump. No more.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in May-June 2016

Alachua County Labor Coalition updates

Posted on May 3, 2016 | Leave a comment

by Jason Fults

It’s been an exhilarating month for the Alachua County Labor Coalition (ACLC). On April 12, the Alachua County Commission voted unanimously to pass the strongest Living Wage Ordinance in the state of Florida. This victory was possible because of months of hard work by our members and a few very progressive County Commissioners.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in May-June 2016