When Gainesville first announced it would meet future energy needs with a biomass electrical generating plant, the decision didn’t draw extensive concern. But the closer the plant gets to groundbreaking, the more controversial it becomes. Will the biomass plant be a boondoggle, or will it secure our energy future?

Grooveshark, the Gainesville music-streaming service started by two University of Florida freshmen, hit a major milestone last month by registering its two millionth user.
The site now has users all over the world except, Spain and Japan because of their strict ISP laws. Its biggest cities are London, Sydney, New York, Chicago and Istanbul.

Nearly 10 million people a year fall victim to identify theft. It’s so widespread that celebrities, senators and even Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke have been swindled. That’s bad news for consumers. But if your business is the source of the information those identity thieves are exploiting, it could be bad news for you too.

These days, if consumers in Gainesville open their wallets, chances are the credit card slots will be crammed with a colorful array of restaurant and retail membership cards, rewards and coupons.
From the classic buy-one-get-one offer to membership clubs and frequent shopper reward cards, businesses are offering more and more enticements to get new customers to visit their doors. Here are some specific programs that local businesses have been using successfully: