Alachua County Public Schools will close Tuesday and Wednesday to prepare for Tropical Storm Idalia, according to an ACPS press release.
In Alachua County, emergency services responded to 1,451 overdose calls in 2022. The previous year there were 1,405 overdose calls with 62 fatal overdoses. In an effort to combat overdoses, Alachua County and the city of Gainesville have implemented multiple services to assist people with addictions seeking help and recovering addicts like the now 51-year-old farmer who requested anonymity.
The food insecurity rate in Alachua County has remained higher than the overall rate in Florida since 2014. A 2021 report from the city based on USDA data identified 11 food deserts — low-income areas where a substantial number of residents have low access to a supermarket or large grocery store — in Gainesville.
At UF and surrounding campus areas, rape and sexual assault has fluctuated throughout the years. There have been 67 reported cases of rape and sexual assault on UF campus and six for the surrounding campus areas in the past five years, according to data from the UF Crime Map.
After 12 years of business, The Rowdy Reptile and Fat Daddy’s — located at Midtown on the corner of University Avenue and Northwest 17th Street — announced Aug. 25 they will be closing their doors and reopening under new ownership.
Chef JJ is one of several local restaurants that Chartwells Higher Education, UF’s dining partner since May 2022, brought to campus since launching the Florida Fresh Dining brand in July 2022. The brand was founded with a pledge from Chartwell to invest in local businesses — including launching the Taste of Gainesville section of the Reitz Union, which opened Summer 2022 and features two local eateries per day in a pop-up setting.
Plastic cups of nitro cold brew circulated at a new Opus Coffee cafe Friday, carried by caterers offering free samples to eager coffee drinkers.
The Gainesville Police Department arrested an Ocala man Monday for sexually assaulting his girlfriend's 9-year-old daughter. Nathan Everett Pierson, 28, was charged with sexual battery of a person under 12 and lewd or lascivious molestation, according to a GPD arrest affidavit. He is being held at the Alachua County Jail. Pierson’s bond has not been set yet and he has a no contact order with the little girl.
On the bottom right side of The Alligator website, users will find a new widget that directs them to ufcrime.com. The website features an interactive map of the university, displaying the last 90 days' worth of crimes that have occurred on campus, along with any available court records.
David Emanuel, a 62-year-old Rosewood resident, was convicted on six counts of federal hate crime charges July 26 for a racially motivated attack in September 2022, according to court records. Emanuel, who was Marvin Dunn's neighbor, reportedly yelled the N-word and nearly hit the professor and five other Black individuals with his truck on Dunn's property in Rosewood.
U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL), who serves Florida’s third congressional district and represents Alachua County, failed to submit her annual financial disclosure on time for the second year in a row. Cammack submitted her financial disclosure Aug. 17, 94 days after the May 15 deadline, according to the clerk of the House’s records.
About 1.3% of students in Alachua County were registered for home school from 2021 to 2022. Across Florida, home schooling rates have risen since 2015. The sharpest increase was in 2020 — during the pandemic — with a 35.2% change, according to a Florida Department of Education report.
The Gainesville City Commission voted 4-3 last Thursday to revert the city’s open container ordinance back to how the city regulated alcohol prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. This bans open-canned alcohol outside businesses, as well as parks and streets.
The local homeless population, which often lacks reliable access to resources like air conditioning and water, has become especially vulnerable due to the recent heat waves slamming Florida. GRACE Marketplace is scrambling to address the increased need for its resources.
The Gainesville Police Department arrested a man Thursday in connection to a shooting of a juvenile earlier this month. The investigation is ongoing.
Alachua County School Board members and concerned parents met in a workshop meeting Wednesday to discuss the district's comprehensive rezoning plan.
Alachua County resident Catherine McGuire dreamed of living the ‘van life’ since van lifestyles videos started trending on TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After a two-day quarrel between the Florida Department of Education and the College Board, high school students will get to keep AP Psychology on their class schedules.
A deadly July 30 shooting raised several questions about the future of gun safety around university campuses — particularly in Florida — with the passing of HB 543.
On a hot summer day, Cross Creek residents gathered in front of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ house and celebrated the late author’s birthday.
Solutions by The State News
