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Wednesday, June 24, 2026
Fisher Watts, accused of fatally shooting Koty Stewart at Ginnie Springs on Memorial Day 2024, is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing Wednesday in Gilchrist County. A judge previously rejected Watts’s Stand Your Ground self-defense claim and on Monday denied a motion to expand the jury from six to twelve members. The trial is currently set to begin the week of July 6.
Sources: WCJB TV20
The Florida Department of Health has confirmed the first human West Nile virus case in Alachua County this year, with health officials stating the person contracted the illness locally. Authorities are coordinating with mosquito control programs in the county and in Gainesville, Alachua, and Newberry to treat retention basins and conduct targeted spraying. No vaccines or treatments exist for the mosquito-borne disease, which can cause severe illness requiring hospitalization.
Sources: Alachua County · Mainstreet Daily News · WCJB TV20
A 40-year-old Chinese national residing in Apopka was sentenced Tuesday to 27 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to a scheme targeting elderly victims across Florida, including a senior at a Gainesville assisted living community. Xin Liu traveled to at least six locations in late July 2025 to collect money from fraud victims, with the total attempted take exceeding $95,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.
Sources: WCJB TV20
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