Bradford County arms school staff as added layer of campus security

Bradford County sheriff’s officials say their school guardian program equips trained staff members with firearms to supplement existing School Resource Deputies on campuses. Each participating staff member must complete extensive firearm training, a psychological evaluation, and a background check before being authorized. The program grew out of discussions that began the day after the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, when county officials abandoned prior plans and pivoted to developing the guardian model.

Sources: WCJB TV20

Alachua County Reports Confirmed Local West Nile Virus Case

The Florida Department of Health in Alachua County has confirmed a locally acquired human case of West Nile Virus, prompting coordinated mosquito surveillance and spraying efforts across county retention basins by county, city, and state health partners. The county’s June 24 community newsletter also noted that Alachua County Animal Resources has temporarily suspended cat and kitten adoptions through June 30 due to a surge in upper respiratory infections at the shelter. Additional items in the update include the launch of a new county Community Hub website and the completion of a solar lighting project at the Cuscowilla Nature and Retreat Center in Micanopy.

Sources: Alachua County

Judge rejects plea deal in Ginnie Springs shooting, orders Fisher Watts to trial

A judge declined to accept a proposed plea agreement that would have reduced Fisher Watts’s second-degree murder charge to manslaughter with a 15-year sentence in the 2024 Memorial Day weekend shooting death of Koty Stewart at Ginnie Springs. The decision came after Stewart’s wife addressed the court on behalf of herself and the couple’s two children during a pretrial hearing. Watts’s brother, Dallas Watts, is already serving a five-year prison sentence on related charges.

Sources: WCJB TV20

Alachua County Sheriff creates Special Event Zone around Hawthorne Homecoming

The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office has designated a Special Event Zone in parts of Hawthorne from Saturday evening through early Sunday morning to curb traffic problems and illegal activity that have historically arisen on the fringes of the annual Hawthorne Homecoming celebration. Sheriff Chad Scott approved the measure, which is not aimed at the official 94-year-old community event near Shell Elementary but at the unsanctioned gatherings that form after dark in surrounding roadways. Deputies will use the designation to address crowd control and enforce traffic laws in the affected area.

Sources: WCJB TV20

Gainesville mother accused in toddler’s death ordered held pending trial

A Gainesville woman charged in connection with the beating death of her 2-year-old daughter will remain jailed until her trial after a judge granted a pretrial detention motion at a Wednesday hearing. The woman was arrested last week, and court records indicate she did not contact emergency services because she feared the consequences of doing so.

Sources: WCJB TV20

Massage therapist arrested on sexual battery charge at Gainesville chiropractic office

Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Jason Michael Vigliotti, 55, on a charge of sexual battery after a client reported being inappropriately touched during after-hours massage appointments at Affordable Chiropractic in northwest Gainesville. The investigation, which began in April, also revealed that detectives uncovered a history of similar inappropriate conduct during sessions. Vigliotti was booked into the Alachua County Jail on Tuesday.

Sources: WCJB TV20

Environmentalists petition to block UF tree removal at campus conservation area

A local group called Friends of Natural Areas Incorporated has filed a petition for an administrative hearing with the St. Johns River Water Management District, challenging that agency’s approval of a University of Florida plan to remove trees at the Thomas J. Walker Conservation Area. UF says the removals — affecting 30 trees, five of them designated heritage trees — are needed to install storm drainage infrastructure to address flooding. Activists argue that removing even a portion of the forest undermines the area’s ecological function, including its natural capacity to manage stormwater.

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Sources: WCJB TV20

17 states sue California to block stringent plastics packaging recycling law

A coalition of 17 states and a wholesale trade group filed a federal lawsuit Monday seeking to stop California from enforcing a law that would require companies to phase out single-use plastics and ensure all packaging is recyclable or compostable. The plaintiffs argue the regulations amount to burdensome mandates that would drive up consumer prices on everyday necessities. Nebraska’s attorney general, who led the coalition, contends the rules would extend California’s regulatory reach across the entire country.

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Sources: WCJB TV20