GAINESVILLE, Fla. — With $1 million in support from University of Florida President Ben Sasse’s strategic funding initiative, investigators at the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute will launch a new project that combines basic and clinical research with artificial intelligence to improve stroke treatments.

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and the No. 1 cause of disability in the United States, and it presents a growing health care challenge among Florida’s aging population.

“We are grateful for these strategic funds, which will further propel our multidisciplinary research efforts in stroke prevention and treatment,” said Jennifer Bizon, Ph.D., the director of the McKnight Brain Institute and the chair of the UF College of Medicine's Department of Neuroscience. “This project, under Dr. Brian Hoh’s leadership, exemplifies our mission to build research collaborations among clinical and basic science investigators across our UF and UF Health campuses to improve outcomes and change lives.”

The Transforming Stroke Care initiative will unite investigators across disciplines and colleges who will benefit from UF and UF Health’s exceptional resources, including the HiPerGator supercomputer, the UF Health Shands Comprehensive Stroke Center, the OneFlorida+ Clinical Research Network, and the McKnight Brain Institute.

“We are thrilled that President Sasse has given us this opportunity and the resources to transform stroke research and care for the future,” said Hoh, a UF Health neurosurgeon and chair of UF College of Medicine’s Lillian S. Wells Department of Neurosurgery. “As the flagship university in the state, where stroke is particularly prevalent among Florida’s aging population, the University of Florida is uniquely positioned to lead the nation in stroke research.”

By forming teams of investigators (studying all aspects of stroke, from prevention and treatment to rehabilitation and imaging) and pairing them with experts in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science, the project will provide a multidisciplinary learning experience for students. This will position UF as a leader in training the next generation of stroke researchers.

“We need more experts to specialize in stroke research, and the Transforming Stroke Care project is illuminating that need,” Sasse said. “We want this initiative to help create training pathways for UF students to become stroke AI researchers, and that is a critical step toward innovation.” 

UF Health recently became the first in Florida to launch a Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit program, featuring state-of-the-art stroke ambulances equipped with a computed tomography (CT) scanner and clot-busting drugs to save lives and reduce disability. Hoh — who is also leading the Comparison of Anticoagulation and anti-Platelet Therapies for Intracranial Vascular Atherostenosis (CAPTIVA) stroke-prevention clinical trial — believes the new research project will help propel UF’s stroke research efforts to new heights.

“Our vision is to create the top stroke AI research center in the country,” Hoh said. “It will expand UF Health’s reach and impact to patients, clinicians, and researchers throughout the world, and attract the top scientists and faculty for the future.”

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OCALA, Fla.- Last week, three vehicles were involved in a hit-and-run crash with serious bodily injury in Marion County. In the early morning of Saturday, November 18, 2023, a Ford Mustang and a Chevrolet Corvette were traveling west on State Road 200, operating their vehicles at a high rate of speed, making multiple lane changes, and driving recklessly for the purpose of racing.

In the area of Southwest 80th Street, the Corvette struck a Toyota Prius that was also traveling west. The Corvette then traveled off the roadway before hitting a utility pole and a tree; the Prius remained in the median.

The driver of the Ford Mustang briefly parked, concealing his car in a local business parking lot. At the same time, he checked the injury status of the driver of the Corvette, who had been ejected, before fleeing the scene. The driver of the Corvette, a 38-year-old male from Ocala, was seriously injured.

At the time of the crash, Florida Highway Patrol (F.H.P.) investigators released images of the Ford Mustang driver to the public in hopes of identifying him. The male driver appeared to be a heavy-set white male with tattooed arms, wearing a baseball hat and a beard. The Mustang was also described as a silver-in-color 2020-2023 model with tinted windows. Anyone with information was asked to contact F.H.P. or their local Crimestoppers to provide tips.

Through investigative efforts and help from the public who volunteered tips following the crash, the suspect driver of the Mustang was identified as white male Jacob Steven Michael Carmack, 23, of Ocala.

Carmack was arrested on Tuesday, November 27, 2023, and booked into Marion County Jail on the following charges:

• Reckless Driving which resulted in serious bodily injury to another- 1 count (Felony) F.S.S. 316.192.3a2
• Crash Involving Death or Personal Injuries for the failure to remain on scene of a crash which resulted in the serious bodily injury to another- 1 count (Felony) F.S.S. 316.027.2b
• Racing on Highways-1 count (Misdemeanor) F.S.S. 316.191.2a

This investigation remains active and ongoing. To learn more about the dangers of street racing and how you can report information on upcoming events or identify participants, visit Street Racing/Takeovers, Stunt Driving - Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (flhsmv.gov).

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GAINESVILLE, FLA. – Santa Fe College (SF) will celebrate Fall 2023 graduates with in-person commencement ceremonies that will be held in the SF Gymnasium on the Northwest Campus, 3000 N.W. 83rd Street, Gainesville.

The pinning/graduation ceremony for Nursing program graduates is Thursday, Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. No tickets are required to attend this ceremony.

Students earning a bachelor’s, A.A., A.S., A.A.S. or certificate degree will be recognized at the ceremony on Friday, Dec. 8 at 3 p.m. Students who are walking in the Friday ceremony will receive four tickets each. Only people with tickets will be admitted.

Doors to the gym will close once the procession begins. On Friday, guests arriving late and/or without tickets can view the ceremonies on the big screen inside the Fine Arts Hall. Seating in both the gym and the Fine Arts Hall is provided on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Everyone should plan their travel routes accordingly. North Road at the gym intersection will be closed at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 7 and 8.

Visit the graduation website for parking information and more.

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ALACHUA ‒ Alachua Boy Scout Troop 88 and the Alachua Lions Club broke ground on a new scout hut Nov. 10, 2023 at the site of the existing scout hut, located on N orthwest142^nd Terrace across from the Alachua Post Office. Chartered in 1912, and one of the oldest Boy Scout troops in the United States, Troop 88 has a long history in Alachua and with the Alachua Lions Club.

After the Alachua Lions Club was chartered in 1931, it began sponsoring Troop 88. According to Alachua Lions Club records, the first scout hut in Alachua was built in the 1930s with the assistance of the Alachua Lions Club but was burned down in 1983 as result of arson.

Continuing its dedication to Boy Scout Troop 88, Alachua Lions Club members, headed by Lion Gil Whitman, spearheaded the construction of a new scout hut to replace the one that burned down. Funds were raised by the Lions and many “man-hours” were donated to construct the new building, Lions Club records state.

In February 1984, the concrete slab for the current scout hut was poured and the building began to take shape. The building was enlarged from the original size, giving the troop a chance to grow and include more scouts into the scouting program. Upon the completion of the building, Boy Scout Troop 88 decided to dedicate the new scout hut in memory of Lion Gilbert Whitman who was killed in a car accident on Feb. 14, 1984 after spending the day pouring the concrete for the hut.

In 2017, Alachua Lions Club member Gib Coerper began heading up an effort to raise money for a major expansion and renovation of the scout hut. The expansion comes with a price tag of about $185,000. All of the construction and design costs and efforts have been donated either in cash or in-kind.

The project will be a complete renovation of the existing building, plus a major expansion increasing the scout hut by two-thirds. The existing restroom will be renovated, and an additional wheelchair accessible restroom will be constructed. The expansion also includes an entirely new HVAC system and a covered front porch.

Coerper said he expects construction on the project to move at a fast face, with completion as early as mid-December. While the scout hut undergoes the renovations, scouts will utilize the Alachua Lions Club building next door.

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