Eugene Javon Patrick turned himself in to the Alachua County Jail Tuesday, more than a week after fatally shooting 36-year-old Bobby Bernard Hopkins, Jr. in the chest, according to a Gainesville Police Department press release.
Hosted by The Alachua County Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers, 21 vendors sold products ranging from varieties of cheese to succulents. Food trucks supplied global cuisine spanning Cuba to Venezuela and back home with American hot dogs, barbecue and ice cream.
A crowd of about 150 people gathered for the tree lighting, a performance excerpt of Cinderella by Danscompany of Gainesville and some opening remarks.
About 40 people came together to remember those who had lost their lives to transphobic violence worldwide. The annual vigil at Bo Diddley Plaza was hosted by TranQuility, Unspoken Treasure Society, UF LGBTQ Affairs, Pride Community Center of North Central Florida and UF Pride Student Union.
ACPS hosted the event at Eastside High School instead of the usual venue, Buchholz High School. The change of location was meant to tackle disproportionate success and representation among minority students in Alachua County, College & Career Pathways Director Shannon Ritter said .
Neither candidate received more than 50% of the vote, which resulted in a necessary runoff election on Jan. 25. Chestnut received 46% of the votes, with a 560 lead over Howland, who received 41%. More than 13% of the nearly 90,000 eligible Gainesville voters turned out in the election, according to the Supervisor of Elections Office.
The event targeted Black voters in Gainesville and featured many performances, including gospel singer Keyla Richardson as well as speeches from candidates, city commissioners and other community leaders.
More than 100 people attended the event, which lasted from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. State Sen. Keith Perry made a brief appearance, and Gainesville Mayor Lauren Poe made a short, two-minute speech.
The Alachua County School Board voted 3-2 on Wednesday to allow parents to opt their students out of masking from Nov. 12 to Dec. 17. The board also voted to make masking completely optional for students of all grade levels after winter break. The decision is consistent with State Department of Education and State Department of Health requirements.
As of Sunday, almost 8,000 ballots have been cast according to the Supervisor of Elections Office — representing about 8.8% of total eligible voters in Gainesville. More than 6,000 of the ballots have been mailed in.
The Downtown Gainesville Strategic Plan process began last fall when city management and elected officials met to create ways to improve the city.
To honor National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, Oak Hammock Retirement Community at UF hosted a Music & Memory event Nov. 5. The organization uses music to help residents recall specific memories linked to songs that span across every era and genre.
Lightner, a 72-year-old Gainesville resident, united with his half-sister Linda Crosby, a 77-year-old Flagler Beach native, for the first time Nov. 3.
James Dinh, an artist from Los Angeles, spoke at the Veterans Day concert at Evergreen Cemetery.
Antonio Murray, 21, had a warrant for invading a home in Marion County at gunpoint, ACSO spokesperson Art Forgey said. He was booked at Alachua County Jail Monday with a $25,000 bond.
Solutions by The State News
