Following Alachua County Public School’s first book removal under protocols for challenging school library books, conservative parents are skeptical about whether a formalized system achieves its goal of protecting their children from inappropriate content at a young age.
The plan for the new Ronald McDonald House began seven years ago, when Chief Executive Officer Sherry Houston decided she needed to do something to shorten RMH’s long waitlist. The house was fully booked 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, and turned away 1,962 families in 2021 alone.
Alachua County installed flashing signs indicating to drivers when a pedestrian is crossing the road at three public school crosswalks.
Gainesville Police arrested a man after he allegedly poisoned two of his neighbors cats Oct. 2 after threatening to kill them the day before.
When Emily Westerholm visited the Alachua County Jail Oct. 1, she said the air felt like Christmas Eve. Inmates were excitedly awaiting the implementation of the county’s ordinance — allowing free and unlimited jail phone calls meant to go into effect that day. The excitement, however, didn't last long.
The recent sentencing of a Gainesville man who lost an eye in a mauling by a Gainesville Police Department K-9 has sparked concern among the community about whether justice was served.
In a crowded Gainesville City Hall on Sept. 4, a historical precedent was set as the new governor-appointed Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority board met for the first time. At the meeting, board members established meeting times and location and sought a direction for the future of Gainesville's utilities.
When he’s not busy driving fire trucks for the Alachua County Fire Rescue, 54-year-old Patton, who goes by “JJ” with his friends, runs Wildlife Transitions Taxidermy, a company that grew from his passion for taxidermy.
Michael Duane Zack III woke up Tuesday morning at 5:30 a.m. and met with his first wife, Ann-Kristin. He declined a last meal, met with his spiritual advisor and died by lethal injection by 6:14 p.m. that same day.
Bringing a fiery passion and fierce drive for justice within the Gainesville City Commission, Reina Saco, a 33-year-old city commissioner, carries many identities — notably, her first-generation Cuban background.
Senate Bill 1718 took effect July 1 and is among the strictest immigration laws in the country. One of the controversial aspects of the law is the provision requiring any hospital that accepts Medicaid to ask about patients’ immigration status. Local advocacy organizations, health care workers and community members worry about the impacts the law could have on immigrant households across Alachua County.
Emery Gainey, a Republican veteran of sheriff’s duties across Florida, will ascend into the role of Alachua County Sheriff Monday following his appointment to the position by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Residents suspect dogfighting is what’s causing this surge in mysterious pitbull and mixed breed deaths around the city of Archer.
Nash Cooper doesn’t want his $10,000 donation to be about him. Instead, the 59-year old veteran hopes his contribution to Helping Hands Clinic raises awareness about suicide prevention, especially for youth and those who, like him, have experienced homelessness. Cooper made the donation to the volunteer-based clinic, which delivers health care to the poor and homeless in Gainesville, in honor of former volunteer Eric “Thomas” Anderson.
Robert Godwin, 70, was arrested Thursday morning after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a “CyberTip” from Microsoft Wednesday, according to a Gainesville Police Department arrest affidavit.
The Gainesville man who was mauled by a Gainesville Police Department K-9 in July 2022 while fleeing a traffic stop changed his not guilty plea Tuesday and was sentenced to a year in prison.
Alachua County holds 606 short-term rental units. In The Magnolia Plantation owner Cindy Montalto’s words, “You can’t swing a dead cat in Gainesville without hitting an Airbnb.” Short-term rental (STR) units are residential spaces usually rented for under 30 days at a time and managed through online platforms like Airbnb. The industry is growing in Gainesville. AirDNA, a STR data analysis platform, ranked Gainesville among the top 15 best U.S. cities to invest in vacation rentals in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
A Gainesville mother was arrested after her child had 69 unexcused school absences and nine tardies during the 2021-2022 school year. Forty-two of the absences occurred from August to April of 2021, according to a truancy affidavit from Alachua County Public Schools.
Terwilliger is Alachua County’s first and only public school to offer dual language immersion as a magnet program, with that language being Spanish. The program is in its second year, with its first class of students starting first grade.
Parker Siegel, 19, was charged with sexual assault of a person between the ages of 12 and 18. The woman was 17, according to court records. Siegel previously pleaded not guilty.
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