Erika's News and Media Blog

This week I was able to cover a story that I absolutely loved. I got to work with some adorable furry friends! Senator Kevin Rader is attempting to pass a bill that would make shelter animals the official "State Pet." I went to Alachua County Animal Services to ask what their opinion on this was. I spoke with the shelter director, Ed Williams about the bill. He said he was ecstatic to hear more attention would be brought to these sweet animals. Williams said, "Anything that increases foot traffic to our shelters, and increases adoptions is a wonderful idea." The shelter has tens of hundreds of dogs, and Williams said he hopes that many of them will find a home. "We have a whole lot of dogs that need homes...People should realize that even though the dogs are from shelters, they're not damaged goods." This statement was very accurate after I was able to sit down and play with a few of the dogs myself. Pictured below is Emily, a 9-month-old Rat Terri

                                                                                                                                                                        Hi! My name is Erika Stallings, I am a 21-year-old Telecommunications student at the University of Florida. I was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida (Go Jags!). I am currently studying to become a news reporter and am practicing my skills as a reporter for WUFT News. I am excited to say that I will graduate in August of 2020. Since I was 12, I knew I wanted to work in some form of media. Whether it be on radio or television, I had a passion for current events and celebrities. At 14, I began competing in pageants to help tone my speaking and interviewing skills. I ended up winning the title of Miss Florida Teen in 2016, and went on to place 2nd Runner-Up at Nationals. In this new journey of blogging I hope to share my interest in current and local events on the news. Hopefully this is as entertaining and fun