Ocala announces road closures for CSX railroad maintenance days after toxic fire in Dunnellon
The City of Ocala has announced that a portion of NE 9th Street will close later this week to accommodate railroad crossing maintenance by CSX, just days after the rail company faced scrutiny by Marion County officials over a massive fire involving chemically-coated railroad ties. According to city officials, the...
Gainesville plans series of events for Black History Month 2026
Gainesville will host free Black History Month events in February 2026 including a step show on Feb. 7 and a poetry showcase the same day. The city will honor Rosa Parks on Feb. 24 and offer a month-long self-guided tour at Evergreen Cemetery highlighting notable Black residents. The city of...
Proposed ACPS zoning changes may discontinue up to 4 elementary schools
This article was updated to more accurately reflect the proposed changes to Williams and Rawlings elementary schools. Alachua County Public Schools shared nine draft school zone boundary maps on its website Monday. The drafts — three for each school level: elementary, middle and high — provide insight into the...
$1.2 milion renovation begins on historic Union County Courthouse
The Union County Courthouse in Lake Butler sees all kinds of legal cases, hearings and appeals. But despite the severity of cases heard in its chambers, the small rural county courthouse has never had the necessary funds to ensure maximum security within the courthouse building. Now, after years of persistence,...
Saint Francis Catholic Academy holds soup tasting competition
Although the Super Bowl is one week out, Gainesville residents had a “souper” Sunday, thanks to Saint Francis Catholic Academy.
Nate Oats gave a surprising – but not inaccurate – reason Alabama lost to...
Nate Oats' reasoning for Alabama's 23-point loss to Florida on Sunday differs from what Tide fans saw.
Firefighters extinguish commercial building blaze on SW 2nd Avenue
No injuries were reported during the incident and Gainesville Fire Rescue reminded residents that a burn ban is in effect due to dry, cold conditions increasing fire risk. Firefighters responded to an exterior fire at a commercial building in the 200 block of SW 2nd Avenue in Gainesville on Monday morning.
Florida HVAC technicians warn about the cold’s strain on heaters
Twin brothers Alex and Andrew Schwartz are 20 years into their careers as HVAC technicians and have spent the last three years as co-owners of Eagle AC, their own HVAC business based in Gainesville. As Floridians battle record-low temperatures this time of year, the brothers are working to keep people...
Gainesville farmers markets have lost the plot
As I visited Haile Farmers Market Jan. 17., I noticed an irony — the word “farmer” in Haile Farmers Market is clearly the least important word in the sequence. An abundance of designer-wearing and eight-dollar-cold-brew-sipping shoppers were buying goods from overpriced sticker shops and artisan carpenters. Virtually...
‘It’s freeing’: All-terrain wheelchairs make the outdoors accessible
For some people like Charles “Chuck” Peck, Florida’s nature and wildlife are very special to him. He loves to spend time outdoors and learn about tree species, but arthritis and macular degeneration, which affected part of his eyesight, made it hard for him to walk down outdoor trails like he used to.
