WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville
Rainbow Family members and Marion County sheriff's deputies on Tuesday bowed heads in prayer at a vigil for Larry “Frank” Dugger.
Read More »Rainbow Family members and Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods pray for resolution in murder case
The opioid epidemic continues to plague north central Florida communities
Since 2018, the Ocala Police Department has responded to over 1,000 overdose incidents, which have resulted in the deaths of 139 Ocala residents.
Read More »Gainesville police are looking for volunteers to help limit violent crime
The Gainesville Police Department is looking for volunteers to join its Violent Crime Workgroup, it announced Thursday in a news release.
Read More »Fire investigators work to determine what caused the fire at Alachua County Feed & Seed store
The feed business has been on its grounds since 1985, and the Rogers family bought the business in 2005.
Read More »Prosecutors charge prominent real estate brokers with racketeering, stealing trade secrets
State prosecutors on Tuesday formally charged two prominent real estate brokers with felony criminal charges of racketeering, fraud and stealing trade secrets as part of a long-running investigation into a business dispute with their former employer. The men, Daniel James Drotos, 34, and Michael Steven Ryals, 65, were the same …
Read More »Alachua County introduces new 24-hour fire rescue unit
Amid an uptick in reported emergencies, Alachua County Fire Rescue Station 80 has added a second rescue crew and additional emergency response equipment. The new crew, called Rescue 36, is a 24-hour rescue unit. Its addition in January to Station 80 aims to relieve the preexisting crew’s (Rescue 80) workload, …
Read More »Florida Supreme Court says former Alachua County sheriff failed to seek approval for budgetary changes
In 2016, Darnell moved about $840,000 between objects, or certain lines under the sheriff’s budget, without the county’s approval. About $700,000 of that money was transferred from jail personnel expenditures to her operating expenses and capital spending.
Read More »Sheriff’s office names new bloodhound Miss Peggy after beloved employee who died from COVID-19
A sheriff’s office in Florida’s Panhandle is naming its new bloodhound puppy “Miss Peggy” in a heart-warming tribute to a beloved, longtime office employee who died after battling COVID-19. Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford over the weekend asked for the blessing of the family of Margaret “Peggy” MacDonald, 63. She …
Read More »Gainesville City Commission intends to reduce speed limit to 30 mph
The Gainesville City Commission voted to set the speed limit to 30 mph on city roads and to 20 mph on neighborhood streets in a meeting Thursday. The discussion followed calls to action by groups across Gainesville following the death of a former University of Florida student. Sabrina Marie Obando …
Read More »Local synagogues reflect on security measures
Following the hostage standoff in Texas, local synagogues are reflecting on security measures. WUFT’s Amy Galo spoke with rabbis about how the local Jewish community has been impacted.
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