Not officially associated with the University of Florida
Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida
We Inform. You Decide.
Alachua County
native Grant Murray
is performing with
his Wheel of Death in
Tampa.
See pages 8 and 9
for the photo story.
WWW.ALLIGATOR.ORG
VOLUME 107 ISSUE 107
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013
UF student
arrested for
threatening
roommate
KATHRYN VARN
Alligator Writer
A UF student was arrested early Saturday morning after she allegedly stabbed her
roommate’s door with a knife and threatened to kill her.
Gainesville Police charged Jessica Gordon, 21, of 612 NE 10th Ave., with aggravated assault and simple battery, according to a
GPD arrest report.
The incident started at about 3:30 a.m.
Saturday when Gordon returned home
with her roommates from a club, said GPD
spokesman Officer Ben Tobias.
Earlier in the night, Gordon saw her exboyfriend dancing with another woman, Tobias said. When Gordon returned home, she
wanted to go see him.
Sarah Margio, one of Gordon’s roommates, didn’t want Gordon to drive because
she had too much to drink, so she called
Gordon’s current boyfriend to pick her up,
Tobias said.
Gordon, however, left anyway but returned 10 minutes later. Tobias said she went
back inside and started banging on Margio’s
door, accusing Margio of ruining her relationship with her current boyfriend, Tobias
said.
When Margio opened her door, Gordon
pushed her to the ground. Margio then ran
back into her room and locked the door, Tobias said.
Gordon then grabbed a knife from the
kitchen and started stabbing the door, yelling “I have a knife, and I am going to kill
you” to Margio, Tobias said.
After police arrived, Gordon told officers
she intended to use the knife to pick Margio’s lock to speak with her, according to the
report. Gordon added she only threatened
Margio figuratively.
Police arrested Gordon and booked her
into the Alachua County Jail on Sunday afternoon. She was released at about 1 p.m.
Monday on her own recognizance.
Margio declined to comment. Gordon
couldn’t be reached for comment.
Tobias said Margio wanted to withdraw
the complaint against Gordon, but because
she committed a felony, GPD couldn’t drop
the charges.
Contact Kathryn Varn at kvarn@alligator.
org.
Today
FORECAST
OPINIONS
CLASSIFIEDS
74/52
2
6
10
CROSSWORD
SPORTS
11
13
Aundre Larrow / Alligator Staff
HiiiPower
Rapper Kendrick Lamar performs to an audience of about 10,000 at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Monday night
as part of Black History Month. Melanie Fiona opened the show.
CAMPUS
Miss UF pageant evacuated after power loss
ALEXA ASENDORF
Alligator Contributing Writer
A blackout temporarily dulled the sequined gowns of the 14 Miss University of
Florida contestants Monday night at the
Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
About 500 people attended the event
sponsored by Florida Blue Key.
“It’s our 57th year putting on the pageant
and our first blackout,” said Florida Blue
Key President Dana Somerstein.
The pageant started out as planned. The
Q-and-A segment went without a hitch, as
did several competitions including a swim-
suit and fitness showcase, a talent portion
and an eveningwear segment.
While the judges were tabulating the results backstage, Sabor Latino took the stage
for a surprise performance when the Phillips Center lost power.
At first, the crowd thought it was part of
the performance.
“Once we realized the power wasn’t going to come back on, we quickly evacuated
the building,” said Matt Cox, the operations
director for University of Florida Performing Arts.
UPD arrived to make sure people evacuated safely. The audience then stood outside
in the rain.
Dance Marathon members raised morale
by pulling up a car, blaring a mix through
the stereo and performing a choreographed
dance.
The cause of the power outage could not
be determined, but the generator provided
emergency lighting for the remaining audience members to gather in the lobby of the
Phillips Center. The 14 contestants flanked
the double staircase while winners and runners-up were announced.
Rachel Hart, an advertising and business
freshman, won. She will continue on to the
Miss Florida pageant.
Project Makeover revamps Idylwild Elementary
� THE SCHOOL RECEIVED A NEW PLAYGROUND.
SHANNON KAESTLE
Alligator Contributing Writer
A sense of excitement hung in the air as Idylwild Elementary
School students filed into the school’s cafeteria Monday morning.
After a three-day wait, the students finally had a chance to take
a tour of their renewed school. Over the weekend, volunteers with
Project Makeover worked to beautify the school, painting murals on
the school walls and cleaning up the grounds.
Temporarily blind monkey regains vision
Wendell couldn’t see for four days, pg 3.
Students may find Vitamin D pills hard to swallow
Some pills provide as little as 9 percent of claimed potency, pg 5.
Principal Daniel Ferguson said because his school’s grade jumped
from a D to a B last year, he wanted to reward his students with a
surprise: a new playground.
“It symbolizes a place where the kids can just simply let loose
and have fun,” he said.
About 80 percent of Idylwild’s 676 students are on the free and
reduced lunch program, said Kelley Kostamo, partnership specialist
for Alachua County Public Schools.
The improved grade motivated the school to raise money for the
new playground, which cost about $21,000, Ferguson said.
SEE MAKEOVER, PAGE 4
Gators dealing with shorthanded roster
Injuries to Michael Frazier II and Will Yeguete
have forced Florida to tweak its lineup ahead of
tonight’s game against Tennessee at 9, pg 13.