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.
Read More »Judge orders former UF physician to mental health counseling, community service
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with information from an interview with the doctor’s accuser. GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A former osteopathic physician who resigned from the University of Florida College of Medicine during a misconduct investigation has been ordered to attend mental health counseling and perform 15 hours of …
Read More »UK’s Liz Truss quits after turmoil obliterated her authority
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned Thursday — bowing to the inevitable after a tumultuous, short-lived term in which her policies triggered turmoil in financial markets and a rebellion in her party that obliterated her authority. Making a hastily scheduled statement outside her 10 Downing Street office, Truss acknowledged …
Read More »The Point, Oct. 20, 2022: Florida State Board of Education adopts new rules
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: Chuck Clemons and Brandon Peters battle for House District 22 Seat “The Florida House of Representatives recently redistricted, which means the new representative will represent Levy, Gilchrist and the western portion …
Read More »Police K9 that mauled man’s eye quietly placed back on active duty
The Gainesville police K9 that mauled a man who fled a traffic stop and was the subject of warnings that he was prone to bite even fellow police officers has been quietly returned to duty, authorities said.
Read More »New Gainesville policy may be the push aspiring recyclers need
Gainesville's zero-waste initiative reduces single-use plastic accessories like forks and ketchup in restaurants. It also requires apartment complexes to collect discarded but usable furniture and donate them. And it creates an expanded food network to redirect food that is past its sell-by date to Gainesville food pantries.
Read More »Florida wildlife agency expected to shoot down commercialized turtle breeding proposal
The U.S. Association of Reptile Keepers of Florida wants the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to approve captive breeding of Diamondback terrapins. The move would combat declining populations of the species of turtle due to high demand as both low-maintenance pets and poachable commodities. The program will be discussed at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission meeting Wednesday, but FWC’s staff report, slated to be presented during discussion, recommends maintaining current rules.
Read More »Ticketed for speeding 116 mph, UF student tells trooper he didn’t want to be late for class
Ticketed for speeding 116 mph on a crowded stretch of Interstate 75 in this college town, a University of Florida student told the trooper the reason for his fast driving: He didn’t want to be late for class on the first day of the fall semester. Just his luck, he …
Read More »Alachua County candidate faces lawsuit over residency
Alachua County Commissioner Marihelen Wheeler is being sued in Alachua County Circuit Court over questions about her residency following her Aug. 23 victory in the Democratic primary for the District 2 seat. County Resident Eugene Garvin filed a lawsuit against Wheeler Thursday citing an alleged violation of candidate residency requirements. …
Read More »The Point, Sept. 9, 2022: Gainesville police investigations find no policy violations in K9 use that took a man’s eye
Terrell Bradley lost his eye to a Gainesville police K9 after running from a traffic stop.
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