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Vol. 1 · No. 103 · Saturday, August 15, 2026

The Gainesville Ledger

Environment

Record heat and flash flood threat combine across North and Central Florida this weekend

Forecasters are warning of near-record and potentially record-breaking temperatures across North and Central Florida, the Big Bend region, and major cities this weekend and into early next week, with vulnerable populations facing elevated health risk. Despite the extreme heat, thunderstorms could trigger flash flooding in parts of the state, even as ground conditions remain unusually dry from significant rain deficits.

Sources: WUFT News

State & National

HD-10 Republican candidates field separate controversies before Tuesday primary

The two Republicans competing for Florida House District 10 are each defending themselves against scrutiny as their Tuesday election approaches. Marshall Rawson is pushing back on questions about his past ties to the League of the South, a group the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated a hate group, while Chase Brannan is clarifying a remark he made at a public debate about Alachua County, saying his comments were aimed at local government spending rather than the county as a whole. Both campaigns have faced attack mailers as the primary nears.

Read both sides →

Sources: WCJB TV20 · Mainstreet Daily News

Public Safety

Former UF Health doctor found dead in Alachua County Jail amid expanding charges

Chintan Shah, a 40-year-old former UF Health physician arrested last month on child pornography charges, was found dead inside the Alachua County Jail on August 13. Investigators had been pursuing additional charges against Shah at the time of his death, including allegations involving online grooming and blackmail of a 19-year-old woman. The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed an investigation into his death is ongoing.

Sources: WCJB TV20

City

In Brief

Education

In Brief

Public Safety

Woman arrested nearly 3 years after fatal DUI crash on I-75 in Alachua County

A 45-year-old woman named Tiffany Sams was taken into Alachua County Jail without bond on Wednesday, nearly three years after a crash in which her SUV struck and killed a motorcyclist on I-75 near the Newberry Road exit in August 2023. State troopers say her blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit at the time of the collision. Sams made her first court appearance on Thursday.

Sources: WCJB TV20

In Brief

Business

In Brief

Sports

In Brief

Arts & Culture

In Brief

Community

In Brief

State & National

Florida Amendment 3 ballot language rewritten ahead of November vote

A Leon County circuit judge ruled the original ballot language for Amendment 3, a Florida property tax relief measure, was defective and ordered the Attorney General to rewrite it. The revised language clarifies the timeline, specifying that the homestead exemption would rise to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028 for non-school taxes, replacing earlier wording the court found to contain political rhetoric and inaccuracies. Florida voters will see the updated language on the November 3 general election ballot.

Sources: WCJB TV20

In Brief

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