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Vol. 1 · No. 34 · Wednesday, June 3, 2026

The Gainesville Ledger

Education

Alachua County schools to provide free summer meals at 70 locations starting June 8

Alachua County Public Schools will offer free breakfast and lunch to children and teens at approximately 70 sites beginning June 8, with the program running through July 24 at most locations. Twelve of the sites will distribute to-go boxes containing a week’s worth of frozen meals for families who cannot eat on-site. The effort is funded through the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program.

Sources: The Gainesville Sun · WCJB TV20 · Mainstreet Daily News

City

East Gainesville gets nearly mile-long multi-use trail along NE 31st Avenue

A new 10-foot-wide asphalt trail running along the north side of NE 31st Avenue between NE 15th Street and NE Waldo Road is now open to pedestrians, cyclists, and others. The nearly one-mile path connects residential neighborhoods, schools, and commercial areas to Unity Park, Flatwoods Conservation Area, and an existing trail along Waldo Road. The $1.5 million project, funded entirely through the Wild Spaces & Public Places surtax including a $333,333 Alachua County allocation, broke ground in October 2025 and is envisioned as part of a broader Eastside Loop Trail network.

Sources: City of Gainesville · Mainstreet Daily News

Education

School Board Tables Citizens Field Vote, Cites Last-Minute Document Delivery

The Alachua County School Board unanimously delayed a vote Tuesday on a proposed agreement with the City of Gainesville that would eventually transfer sole ownership of Citizens Field to the school district for $500,000. Several board members said they had received the agreement documents only about an hour before the meeting and needed more time to review them. District estimates put the cost of fully demolishing and rebuilding the stadium at between $22 million and $25 million. The board also approved principal reassignments during the same meeting.

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Sources: WCJB TV20

City

In Brief

Education

In Brief

Public Safety

Alachua County deputies arrest convicted felon after traffic stop yields drugs and firearm

Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Carlos Gonzalez, 38, early Sunday after a vehicle search uncovered methamphetamine, a loaded handgun, 110 rounds of ammunition, and counterfeit currency. Gonzalez, described as an eight-time convicted felon, had consented to the search after deputies observed nervous behavior during the traffic stop. He faces three possession charges and is held in the county jail on a $260,000 bond.

Sources: WCJB TV20

FBI, Alachua deputies arrest man in $495K gold-bar scam targeting elderly Gainesville woman

A 20-year-old Indian national flew from California to Gainesville in late May to collect gold bars an elderly woman had been tricked into purchasing through a phishing scheme, according to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. Scammers contacted the woman via email, falsely claiming her credit card and Social Security number were compromised and persuading her to convert more than $101,000 into gold bars, with demands for an additional $400,000 to follow. FBI and IRS agents intervened before the larger payment was made, setting up a sting that led to the arrest of Gurpinder Singh.

Sources: WCJB TV20

In Brief

Sports

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Arts & Culture

In Brief

Environment

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Community

In Brief

State & National

Florida executes man convicted of killing infant in 1996

Andrew Richard Lukehart, 53, was executed Tuesday evening at Florida State Prison near Starke for the 1996 murder of his girlfriend’s five-month-old daughter, Gabrielle Hanshaw. He was pronounced dead at 6:19 p.m. following a lethal injection, nearly three decades after his conviction on first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse charges.

Sources: WCJB TV20

In Brief

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