As 2023 draws to a close, Mainstreet Daily News staff has selected some of our top feature stories from the year. 

We write these stories to showcase interesting events and people that can get lost in the flood of daily news. This year we looked into the city of Gainesville’s plans for the future, we learned about unique education programs and we sat down with local leaders as they reached milestones.  

Now, at the end of the year, we are highlighting these features again, because we think they are worth your time, and we want to make sure you don’t miss the people and places that make our community great.  

Superintendent aims for impact in second year 

Shane Andrew became superintendent of Alachua County Public Schools on an interim basis, but fall 2023 was the start of his second school year in the position. It was also the first time a superintendent has returned for a second year since 2019, and Andrew said he was taking it one day at a time. 

AMIKids uses positive reinforcement with troubled teens 

The Gainesville location of a national program functions on a tight budget, but staff stretches to create as much opportunity as possible for the students with disciplinary records who come through the doors. AMIKids uses rewards systems to teach students they can succeed.  

Local horse, Tonka, tries new device for swelling 

A retired police horse at Mill Creek Farm dons a new compression device for swelling every day. Tonka is the oldest and largest horse to try the device, of the 20 across the United States and Europe. 

Ward, new commission draws close to 100th day  

When he took office, Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward and an inexperienced city commission jumped into filling charter officer positions, a state audit, a traffic violence crisis and multiple city projects. 

New Alachua County sheriff talks goals, challenges 

Alachua County Sheriff Emery Gainey worked in the ASCO for 25 years before retiring in 2007 to join the Attorney General’s Office, then to serve as sheriff for Marion County. Now he is back in Alachua County, appointed Sheriff by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Gainey said he will address staffing shortages, gun violence and domestic violence. 

Aging Matters: Love the second time around 

Now more than ever, age does not stop people from enjoying life. Seniors are seeking companionship and finding love for the second time. Couples from Gainesville share how they found love the second time around, from meeting for the first time in the assisted living facility to high school sweethearts reuniting.  

GRU preps wastewater response to storms 

As Florida prepared for hurricane season, Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) readied itself for storm wastewater response. GRU preps all year to ensure that wastewater does not overflow into homes and businesses across Gainesville.  

Bishop Middle builds community through exploration 

Middle school students who attend Bishop middle gathered for an after-hours event that celebrated the five disciplines guiding modern education: science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM).  Demonstrators included representatives from the University of Florida, Santa Fe College, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Hands on Gainesville, who all came out to help inspire a new generation of inquisitive minds.    

Gainesville startup aims to teach students inquiry skills 

AskMeno is a software developed for children in pre-K, kindergarten and first grade to teach them how to ask questions and the software has the response capability to answer over 56,500 questions.  The software was implemented in Alachua County schools during the fall semester.  

Revamping Gainesville’s ‘Field of Dreams’ 

Citizen’s Field has hosted many football games for Gainesville High School, Eastside High School and Buchholz High School. Cynthia Chestnut, since rejoining the City Commission, has made it her goal to revamp Citizen’s Field to be a place for east and west Gainesville to come together as well as be a place for tournaments from out-of-state for the growing sports tourism industry.