Week in Review View Comments The city of Gainesville has put in motion plans to tear down the "Sad Sisters," four hard-luck houses on E. University Avenue that have sat empty for nearly 20 years. Last month, the city's Codes Enforcement Department ordered owner Giovanna Holbrook to either fix or tear down the houses, City Manager Wayne Bowers said. It costs the city $2,500 to $3,000 to tear down a house. The homeowner is billed for the demolition, but the city maintains a lien on the property and can sell it if the cost is not repaid. The city likely won't be able to demolish the houses until next year because of a mandatory three-month waiting period after a demolition permit is submitted. During that time, the Historic Preservation Board has to approve the demolition. At Gainesville High School on Thursday night, hundreds of parents turned out to speak for their children, the students who could be asked to attend different schools under the comprehensive rezoning of school attendance boundaries the Alachua County school district is considering. The messages from parents and residents varied, but by and large parents pleaded with the School Board to let their children continue to attend the schools they're now attending. The School Board is scheduled to adopt a new set of zoning lines Dec. 2. The goal of rezoning is to address the existing imbalance, where many schools on the western side of the area are so overcrowded that the district has to lease portable classrooms even though several eastside schools are underenrolled. Santa Fe Community College English professor Ward Scott launched his campaign for the District 1 seat on the Alachua County Commission on Thursday from the steps of the new criminal courthouse. Scott, 61, will vie for the spot now held by Mike Byerly, who has not said if he plans to run again. Both are Democrats. As a four-term president of SFCC's faculty senate, Scott sees himself as a consensus builder, one to bring competing ideologies together. He said he will emphasize "reason and balanced government." To solve the problem of public schools becoming overcrowded with students, all the people involved in the decisions on development planning and schools should sit down at a table and hash the issues out. That was one conclusion reached after a number of those people sat around a table Thursday at a joint meeting of the Alachua County School Board and County Commission on how to better plan development around the location of public schools. The County Commission and School Board informally agreed with a proposal from Commission Chairman Rodney Long to form a 25-member committee that is composed of "all stakeholder groups needed for successful implementation of school concurrency in Alachua County." Already in the midst of a presidential transition, the University of Florida also will be getting a new chairman of its board of trustees. On Friday, Gov. Jeb Bush appointed trustee Chairman Marshall Criser to an oversight board of the new Scripps Florida Research Institute in Palm Beach County. A news release said Criser would resign from UF's board to join the board overseeing the state's $310 million investment in the biomedical research concern. For the week of Nov. 8 - Nov. 14 View Comments View Comments Careers Staff Directory Accessibility Site Map Legals Public notice certification Our Ethical Principles Terms of Service Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Info / Cookie Policy Contact Us Support Local Business Advertise Your Business Advertising Terms and Conditions Buy and Sell Licensing & Reprints Help Center Subscriber Guide My Account Give Feedback Subscribe Today Newsletters Facebook Twitter eNewspaper Archives Instagram Jobs Cars Homes Classifieds Reviewed.com 10Best Reach Local USA TODAY Sports+ © 2022 www.gainesville.com. All rights reserved. |styles|[data-g-s=nav_ao] .gnt_n_dd_bt_svg{transform:rotate(180deg);background:currentColor;fill:#303030}.gnt_n_dd_oy{display:none;left:0;right:0;height:calc(var(--gnt-vh,100vh) - 100px - var(--gnt-sh,0px))}.gnt_n_dd{overscroll-behavior-y:contain;overflow:auto;overflow-x:hidden;box-sizing:border-box;display:none;width:385px;height:calc(var(--gnt-vh,100vh) - 100px - var(--gnt-sh,0px));margin:0 0 0 -20px;padding:7px 20px 0 32px;border-top:5px solid #0098fe;background:#303030;color:#fff}[data-g-s=nav_ao] .gnt_n_dd__sz{display:block;position:absolute;z-index:1} |styles|.gnt_n_se_fm{display:none;align-items:center;justify-content:center;position:absolute;z-index:1;left:0;right:0;height:180px;padding:0 0 15px;border-top:5px solid #0098fe;background:#303030}[data-g-s~=nav_ao] .gnt_n_se_fm{display:flex}.gnt_n_se_fm_qr{width:492px;height:46px;padding:0 50px 0 0;border-style:solid;border-width:0 0 2px;border-color:#fff;border-radius:0;outline:0;background:0 0;color:#fff;font:700 28px 'Unify Sans','Helvetica Neue','Arial Nova',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif}.gnt_n_se_fm_qr::placeholder{opacity:1;color:#fff}.gnt_n_se_fm_qr:-webkit-autofill{box-shadow:inset 0 46px #303030;-webkit-text-fill-color:#fff}.gnt_n_se_fm_sm{width:60px;height:50px;border:0;margin:0 -15px 0 -45px;padding:0;outline-offset:-8px;fill:#fff;background:0 0;touch-action:manipulation;cursor:pointer}.gnt_n_se_fm_sm:hover{fill:#e0e0e0}.gnt_n_se_fm_sm_svg{width:42px;height:42px;margin-top:3px;stroke:#303030;stroke-width:.5px} eNewspaper Newsletters Email Preferences Crossword Pay Bill Report Delivery Issues Pause Delivery Help Center Sign Out Have an existing account? Sign In Already have a print subscription? Activate account Don't have an account? Create account |styles|.gnt_n_us_a_w{position:relative}.gnt_n_us_dd{display:none;position:absolute;z-index:1;top:28px;right:25px;padding:14px 0 14px 15px;border-top:5px solid #0098fe;background:#303030}[data-g-s~=nav_ao] .gnt_n_us_dd{display:flex}.gnt_n_us_dd_u{display:flex;flex-direction:column;min-width:165px;padding-right:15px}.gnt_n_us_dd_a{margin:3px auto 4px 3px;padding:0 2px;color:#fff;font:700 14px/18px 'Unify Sans','Helvetica Neue','Arial Nova',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap}.gnt_n_us_dd_a:hover{color:#e0e0e0}.gnt_n_us_dd_ac{padding:0 15px 0 19px;border-left:1px solid #626262}.gnt_n_us_dd_lbl{margin:5px 0 0;color:#fff;font:700 12px/16px 'Helvetica Neue','Arial Nova',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif}.gnt_n_us_dd_ba{display:block;width:192px;margin:3px 0 19px;padding:9px 1px 8px;border:3px solid #1665cf;outline-offset:-1px;color:#fff;font:700 14px/17px 'Unify Sans','Helvetica Neue','Arial Nova',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;text-align:center}.gnt_n_us_dd_ba__hl{padding:12px 4px 11px!important;border:0!important;background:var(--gnt-bc,#1665cf)}.gnt_n_us_dd_ba:hover{padding:8px 0 7px;border-width:4px;--gnt-bc:#0A32A0}.gnt_n_us_dd_a__li{margin-bottom:6px} See what people in your community are saying with a free account. Create Account What's included? |styles|.gnt_ss_ct{display:none}[data-g-s=nav_ao] .gnt_ss_ct{isolation:isolate;transform:translate3d(0,0,0);box-sizing:border-box;display:flex;flex-flow:row wrap;position:absolute;bottom:41px;left:3px;width:325px;min-height:86px;padding:10px 48px 14px 13px;background:#0a852b;-webkit-font-smoothing:antialiased;-moz-osx-font-smoothing:grayscale;user-select:none;cursor:default}.gnt_ss_ct::after{content:'';position:absolute;bottom:-10px;left:12px;width:0;height:0;border-top:12px solid #0a852b;border-right:12px solid transparent;border-left:12px solid transparent}.gnt_ss_ct_hl{content:attr(data-c-th);color:#fff;font:700 14px/16px 'Unify Sans','Helvetica Neue','Arial Nova',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;-webkit-user-select:none}.gnt_ss_ct_ds{content:attr(data-c-td);color:#fff;margin:2px 0 6px;font:12px/14px 'Helvetica Neue','Arial Nova',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;-webkit-user-select:none}.gnt_ss_ct_bt{contain:layout size;isolation:isolate;width:114px;height:24px;border-radius:2px;background:#fff;color:#1665cf;font:700 12px/24px 'Unify Sans','Helvetica Neue','Arial Nova',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;text-align:center}.gnt_ss_ct_bt:hover{color:#0a32a0}.gnt_ss_ct_a{align-self:center;margin-left:10px;padding-top:1px;color:#fff;font:10px/13px 'Helvetica Neue','Arial Nova',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;text-underline-offset:1px}.gnt_ss_ct_a:hover{color:#e0e0e0}.gnt_ss_ct_cb{contain:layout size;position:absolute;top:8px;right:7px;margin:0;padding:11px;border:0;background:0 0;-webkit-font-smoothing:initial;-moz-osx-font-smoothing:initial;touch-action:manipulation;cursor:pointer}.gnt_ss_ct_cb::after,.gnt_ss_ct_cb::before{content:'';position:absolute;top:10px;left:4px;transform:rotate(45deg);width:14px;height:2px;background:var(--gnt-tphc,#fff)}.gnt_ss_ct_cb::after{transform:rotate(-45deg)}.gnt_ss_ct_cb:hover{--gnt-tphc:#E0E0E0} See what people in your community are saying with a free account. Create Account What's included? |styles|.gnt_ss_ct{display:none}[data-g-s=nav_ao] .gnt_ss_ct{isolation:isolate;transform:translate3d(0,0,0);box-sizing:border-box;display:flex;flex-flow:row wrap;position:absolute;bottom:41px;left:3px;width:325px;min-height:86px;padding:10px 48px 14px 13px;background:#0a852b;-webkit-font-smoothing:antialiased;-moz-osx-font-smoothing:grayscale;user-select:none;cursor:default}.gnt_ss_ct::after{content:'';position:absolute;bottom:-10px;left:12px;width:0;height:0;border-top:12px solid #0a852b;border-right:12px solid transparent;border-left:12px solid transparent}.gnt_ss_ct_hl{content:attr(data-c-th);color:#fff;font:700 14px/16px 'Unify Sans','Helvetica Neue','Arial Nova',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;-webkit-user-select:none}.gnt_ss_ct_ds{content:attr(data-c-td);color:#fff;margin:2px 0 6px;font:12px/14px 'Helvetica Neue','Arial Nova',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;-webkit-user-select:none}.gnt_ss_ct_bt{contain:layout size;isolation:isolate;width:114px;height:24px;border-radius:2px;background:#fff;color:#1665cf;font:700 12px/24px 'Unify Sans','Helvetica Neue','Arial Nova',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;text-align:center}.gnt_ss_ct_bt:hover{color:#0a32a0}.gnt_ss_ct_a{align-self:center;margin-left:10px;padding-top:1px;color:#fff;font:10px/13px 'Helvetica Neue','Arial Nova',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;text-underline-offset:1px}.gnt_ss_ct_a:hover{color:#e0e0e0}.gnt_ss_ct_cb{contain:layout size;position:absolute;top:8px;right:7px;margin:0;padding:11px;border:0;background:0 0;-webkit-font-smoothing:initial;-moz-osx-font-smoothing:initial;touch-action:manipulation;cursor:pointer}.gnt_ss_ct_cb::after,.gnt_ss_ct_cb::before{content:'';position:absolute;top:10px;left:4px;transform:rotate(45deg);width:14px;height:2px;background:var(--gnt-tphc,#fff)}.gnt_ss_ct_cb::after{transform:rotate(-45deg)}.gnt_ss_ct_cb:hover{--gnt-tphc:#E0E0E0}