Man wanted on felony grand theft charge arrested for pulling car door handles

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Amy Neshea Booth, 39, was arrested last night and charged with grand theft auto for not returning a rental car that she was scheduled to return on January 4. A Gainesville Police Department officer saw the Kia Soul near Windmeadows Boulevard at about 5 p.m. last...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gainesville Police Department announced today that the families of the victims in a February 2 double homicide have shared photos of the victims, Brittany Avery-Hoisington and Trayvon Henry Sheppard. No updates on the case are available, but GPD is looking for the person of interest in...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Alvin Lee Strain, 56, was arrested last night and charged with trafficking in phenethylamines after allegedly having marijuana and a trafficking amount of “molly” at Northside Park. A Gainesville Police Department officer made contact with Strain at about 10:15 p.m. last night because of...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Michael L. Harrison, 49, was arrested last night after allegedly chasing another man for two blocks, then hitting him with a wooden stick. A Gainesville Police Department officer responded to the 4100 block of SW 17th Place and reported that the victim had allowed Harrison to stay at his home but later decided he wanted him to leave. The victim reported that he changed the locks and began removing Harrison’s possessions from the residence. While he was doing that, Harrison reportedly arrived in a vehicle with his son. Harrison reportedly chased the victim, who was on foot, in his vehicle and then told his son to get out and chase down the victim. After the son caught up with the victim, the victim fell down, and Harrison allegedly hit him in the lower back with a wooden stick. The victim also reported that Harrison hit him in the head with a bottle.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Mandy Lee Carlson, 31, of California, has been sentenced to 364 days in the Alachua County Jail; she was arrested at the Gainesville Airport in 2021 with 62 pounds of marijuana. On May 18, 2021, Gainesville Police Department (GPD) received information from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Local firefighters responded to a working fire at a commercial building on February 6, 2023. At approximately 1:10 a.m., firefighters from Gainesville Fire Rescue and Alachua County Fire Rescue were dispatched to Bear Archery in response to a fire alarm and found a working fire. A total of 24 firefighters responded to extinguish the fire. The fire is currently under investigation to determine the origin and cause.

ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – Alachua County invites the community to vote for the County’s photo submission to the annual Florida City and County Management Association (FCCMA) photo contest. Alachua County submitted a photo (by park-tographer E. Jane Luzar) of “Fred and Lucinda,” our resident sandhill cranes living at...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At the February 2 Gainesville City Commission meeting, commissioners approved contracts for four interim charter officers but asked for more information before approving the contract for Zeriah Folston, the Interim Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. City Manager Cynthia Curry’s contract was approved with a base...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the award of more than $275 million immediately available for 75 resilience projects using already-appropriated funding through the Resilient Florida program to help prepare coastal and inland communities for the adverse impacts of flooding and storm surge. A list of awards can be found here, and the list includes a grant of $239,758 to the City of Gainesville for Glen Springs Creek Restoration.

ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – Over the years, Alachua County has produced many videos highlighting the challenges and contributions of Black Americans. In honor of Black History Month, we will be replaying them throughout February on social media. View some of these videos on the Alachua County Truth and Reconciliation...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Need a memorable way to celebrate Valentine’s Day? The Barbergators Chorus is once again delivering Singing Valentines to your loved one on Valentine’s Day, Tuesday, February 14th. Deliveries are available throughout the Gainesville area. “We will be sending tuxedoed barbershop quartets out delivering love...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The City of Gainesville is making available $7.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to help lower-income neighbors rent or buy affordable homes. In order to receive the funding, developers must commit to build subsidized homes or apartments for families with incomes at or below 65 percent of the Area Median Income or AMI for Gainesville (as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and adjusted for family size) for new rental units, and at or below 300 percent of the Gainesville Federal Poverty Level for for-sale units.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – University of Florida students demanding woke policies and more diversity, equity, and inclusion demonstrated today outside Tigert Hall as President Ben Sasse officially took office. On November 1, 2022, UF’s Board of Trustees unanimously voted to make Ben Sasse the University of Florida’s 13th president. Sasse...

HAWTHORNE, Fla. – The College Board, which runs the prestigious international Advanced Placement program (AP), has awarded Hawthorne Middle/High School its Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in AP Computer Science Principles during the 2021-22 academic year. Only 832 schools nationwide have earned that distinction.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – celebrateGNV, startGNV’s annual event, took place at the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention on February 2, 2023, to a sold-out audience of over 200 attendees. The event featured a happy hour, networking, dinner, and a presentation that culminated in the 2nd annual Innovation Ecosystem Awards hosted by Cox Business.