Christian David Vargas, 22, did not appear in Alachua County Eighth Judicial Circuit Court on Monday, May 4 for his first arraignment on charges of lewd or lascivious battery involving a victim between the ages of 12 and 16, a second-degree felony.

Spanish speakers in Alachua County received a bit of hope amid the stress of area wildfires this week: the first countywide text alert in their native language.

When officials say a wildfire is “100% contained,” it does not mean the fire is out.

In Levy County, the Cow Creek fire has now grown to 1,600 acres and is 30% contained.

While online phishing scams aren’t new, they’ve become more pernicious. That’s largely thanks to artificial intelligence.

Gainesville’s latest response to gun violence looks like laptops, internet access, after-school programs and community partners trying to reach young people before they show up in police data.

The University of Florida announced the suspension in response to a Krishna box truck hitting a student on a Buckman Drive crosswalk. This marks Krishna Lunch’s first suspension from campus since it started serving lunch at Plaza of the Americas in 1971.

Anti-death penalty advocates gathered at Florida State Prison in Raiford to protest the execution of Michael King on Tuesday.

As reports of indecent exposure surge in Alachua County, experts say knowing how to respond in the moment can help people protect themselves and support law enforcement.

Criminal cases involving indecent exposure in Alachua County more than doubled from 25 to 53 between 2024 and 2025, according to data from the Office of the State Courts Administrator. Indecent exposure cases have climbed statewide every year since 2020, and jumped from 1,592 to 1,755 during the same one-year period.