Gainesville

Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward and Gainesville Regional Utilities CEO Ed Bielarski held a town hall debate on the GRU Authority on Tuesday. Gainesville residents will vote in a special election on Nov. 4 on whether control of GRU should return to the Gainesville City Commission.

Gainesville residents dropped off their unused or expired prescription drugs at HCA Florida Gainesville Emergency on Saturday as part of efforts to safely dispose of medications.

The Fest, the three-day music festival, continues Sunday. For a full line-up of musicians and the stages where they’ll be performing visit www.thefestfl.com.

Book lovers visited the Friends of the Libray book house on Main Street for the start of the fall book sale on Saturday.

The Friends of the Library fall book sale attracted hundreds of customers on its opening day on Saturday. The five-day event has over 500,000 books, art pieces, vinyl records, games and other merchandise for sale through Wednesday.

Some 60 vendors held a family trick-or-treat event at the Shoppes at Thornebrook on Friday, an effort to introduce the open-air shopping center to a new arrivals and increase business.

More than 1,000 people came together at Celebration Pointe on Saturday for the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk hosted by the American Cancer Society.

After-school programs are when structure, safety, and belonging matter most for children. That was the message the Children’s Trust of Alachua County drove home at Lights On Afterschool, a nationwide initiative that highlights the activities and experiences of children during the crucial time between the end of the school day and dinner.

The Gainesville Circus Center partnered with the Children’s Trust of Alachua County to celebrate and highlight local after-school programs on Thursday. The event is a 20-year nationwide effort to keep children safe and engaged after the final school bell rings.

Bajo la sombra de los árboles del Cementerio Evergreen, los nombres de 33 residentes del condado de Alachua resonaron en el aire. Eran personas que murieron sin que sus cuerpos fueran reclamadas, pero que no fueron olvidadas.