Alexa Herrera

TAMPA, Fla. – Who was pretending to be Kelvin Johnson, for more than three decades? Even serving 25 years in a New York prison for murder under what…

A former member of the Alachua County Soil and Water Conservation Board agreed to a pretrial diversion Wednesday morning. Daniel “Danny” Gordon, 41, held…

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida is discouraging the use of TikTok and recommends students delete the app.Elias G. Eldayrie, vice president…

When Ginger Stanford threw her graduation cap in the air and earned her high school diploma from Hawthorne High School in 1991, she knew she would come back to her high school after college. But, she didn’t envision herself being the principal. Stanford became the new principal at Hawthorne Middle/High School in September after being a teacher and assistant principal for more than 25 years.

Two children were reported missing by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Twelve-year-old Arissa Johnson and 11-year-old Nariah Johnson were last seen Monday at 18722 Southeast 93rd Place, according to the media release. The Department of Children and Families said it believes the children were picked up by their biological mother, Amanda Via. The 38-year-old is court-ordered to have no unsupervised contact with the children, according to police. She has a criminal record and spent time in jail for multiple theft convictions. She was most recently arrested on a battery charge in 2020, which violated her probation, but the charge was later dropped. Arissa is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds, and Nariah is 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds. Anyone with information regarding their location should call 911.

A 27-year old man is facing charges after police say he vandalized the sign outside the UF Institute of Black Culture. UFPD was notified of the damage to the sign at 1510 West University Avenue. When they checked video surveillance, they saw Marvelle Blair uprooting the sign, according to police. He was arrested Thursday night on charges of criminal mischief, trespass after warning and assault on a law enforcement officer. Blair is not affiliated with the university but was issued two trespass warnings in 2021 and was banned for campus for three years. He also previously damaged the same sign in May and November of 2021 and was found guilty of criminal mischief both times. This is the second incident recently regarding vandalism of signs or monuments related to UF’s Black community. Someone vandalized plaques in the National Pan-Hellenic Council Garden but police do not believe the incidents are related.

The smell of various foods filled the air, pans of grilled chicken sizzled on the stove and inmates wearing aprons, hats and chef’s coats rushed around the industrial kitchen at Lowell Correctional Institution as they worked with their team to win the gold trophy. Wendasia Gipson, an inmate, kept her cool as she moved through the kitchen calling out “behind” to her teammates warning them not to bump into her as she helped prepare a dish called “Not the Taco." Four teams of male and female inmates from across the state competed in the first Culinary Arts Training Competition hosted by Lowell Correctional Institution Wednesday.

Write-in candidate Gina Capone is challenging incumbent Kathy Bryant in the Marion County Commission District 2 race. Here is what voters need to know about the candidates as they prepare for Election Day on Nov. 8.

A teacher is facing felony criminal charges after deputies say she had a loaded handgun in her car at Chiefland Elementary School. Paige Ehlers, a first-year teacher, sent two fourth-grade students to her car to get her medication Monday. The Levy County Sheriff’s Office said when the students went into the car they saw a gun and told school staff who contacted the school’s resource deputy. The school board said Ehlers was placed on administrative leave because having the loaded handgun is a violation of school policy. While it is legal for a person to carry a concealed firearm in a vehicle, school districts can have policies negating the law. Ehlers is facing charges of child endangerment. She was released from jail Tuesday and was not required to pay bond.

A 38-year-old man ignored signs warning of “deadly poison” as he broke into an apartment building tented for pest fumigation and stole shoes from a man’s…