GRU transformer work to cause brief traffic delays at Archer Road and SW 34th Street Saturday

Gainesville Regional Utilities will perform transformer maintenance at the intersection of Archer Road and SW 34th Street on Saturday, July 25, with two one-hour work windows scheduled at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Gainesville Police officers will manage traffic flow during both periods and are urging drivers in the area to exercise extra caution.

Sources: WCJB TV20 · The Gainesville Sun

High Springs commissioners put city manager on leave, weigh termination

High Springs commissioners voted to place City Manager Jeremy Marshall on administrative leave following dozens of public comments at a commission meeting, with a final decision on his potential firing expected at the next session. Commissioners cited deteriorating city finances during Marshall’s tenure. The meeting also drew public debate over Police Chief Antoine Sheppard, who had earlier been placed on paid leave after an investigation found he improperly assigned and overpaid extra work details; he was issued a warning and must repay the city an amount to be determined by audit.

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Sources: WCJB TV20

Fort White clerk’s assistant fired for insubordination days after council scrutiny

Town Clerk Glenn Hunter terminated Kelly MacPherson, assistant to the Fort White town clerk, on Thursday, citing insubordination. The firing came less than two weeks after town officials assigned her the additional duty of handling payroll during the search for a permanent clerk, and just days after council members and residents raised doubts about her qualifications at a public meeting.

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Sources: WCJB TV20

City approves $460K loan for 96-unit affordable housing project in northeast Gainesville

Gainesville city commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to approve a $460,000 loan from the city’s ConnectFree grant program to support a proposed affordable housing development in northeast Gainesville. The project, called Hope at Debra Heights, would construct 96 apartments across four three-story buildings on a six-acre property along Northeast Second Street, serving residents earning up to 70% of the area median income. The roughly $31 million development’s local funding contribution is intended to bolster its application for low-income housing tax credits at the state level.

Sources: WCJB TV20

Oil spill funds fuel $1.9M effort to restore Gulf oyster reef near Florida

A community-led restoration project is working to revive a once-thriving wild oyster reef in one of the Gulf’s last remaining natural fisheries, backed by $1.9 million in oil spill recovery funding. Locals are driving the effort to bring back a habitat and way of life that has largely vanished within living memory.

Sources: WUFT News

Florida Supreme Court rejects reprimand deal for judge who made cotton remark

The Florida Supreme Court refused to accept a negotiated agreement that would have resulted in a public reprimand for Orlando Circuit Judge John E. Jordan, who made a comment about chopping cotton to a Black defendant. The court issued a brief order sending the matter back for further proceedings rather than accepting the joint recommendation that had been reached between Judge Jordan and the Judicial Qualifications Commission. Jordan also faces allegations of berating public defenders in open court in a manner deemed unbecoming of a judge.

Sources: WCJB TV20