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Vol. 1 · No. 125 · Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Public Safety
Alachua County deputies discovered a man’s body in a wooded area near Southwest 98th Street in Gainesville on Tuesday night. The death appears to be the result of a gunshot wound, and an investigation is ongoing.
Sources: WCJB TV20
State & National
William Reaves was put to death Tuesday evening at Florida State Prison near Starke, becoming the 18th person executed in Florida this year under Gov. Ron DeSantis. Reaves, 77, had been convicted of first-degree murder for the 1986 killing of an Indian River County sheriff’s deputy. The lethal injection was carried out at 6:12 p.m.
Sources: WCJB TV20
Education
The president of the Alachua County teachers union is backing a recommended written reprimand for Gainesville High School teacher Lauren Watts, who gave a student a “most likely to become a dictator” award. The case drew state attention after the student spoke before Florida’s Board of Education, prompting a complaint from the state’s former education commissioner. The state Education Practices Commission is expected to issue its own ruling on the matter.
Sources: WCJB TV20
Public Safety
A 31-year-old Gainesville man was killed early Tuesday when his motorcycle struck a curb while approaching a roundabout near Southwest 75th Street and Southwest 17th Road, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The impact ejected him over the roundabout embankment, and he died from his injuries. FHP confirmed he was wearing a helmet and that his next of kin has been notified; his identity has not been publicly released.
Sources: WCJB TV20
Local officials in Alachua County are debating the implications of Amendment 3, with discussions centering on what the measure could mean for county tax revenues and residents. The headline suggests a contested conversation among officials about the amendment’s fiscal impact, though specific details are unavailable due to a paywall.
Sources: The Gainesville Sun
The City of Gainesville will hold a groundbreaking ceremony October 23 for a new Regional Transit System transfer station at 614 SE 20th St., with Mayor Harvey Ward and other officials scheduled to speak. The facility will include three covered canopies for six buses, a community room, and staff space, with completion expected in late 2027. The $5.5 million project — funded through two Federal Transit Administration grants — will become the city’s third bus transfer station and a key link between east and west Gainesville routes.
Sources: City of Gainesville
The University of Florida has grown its AI Across the Curriculum initiative — launched in 2020 — to more than 200 AI-related courses spanning all 16 colleges, along with a university-wide AI Fundamentals and Applications certificate open to undergraduates of every major. UF also hired more than 100 new faculty members with AI expertise distributed across disciplines rather than concentrated in STEM fields, and its HiPerGator supercomputer supports more than 800 research projects, with student access available without grants or funding. An annual AI Days competition, running since 2022, has helped launch ventures including Fire Neural Network, whose co-founder won a $12,000 pitch prize as a student and has since built the company into an international operation.
Sources: UF News
In Brief
In Brief
In Brief
In Brief
This date in Gator history
2001
On October 27, 2001, the sixth-ranked Florida Gators handled the 15th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs 24–10 at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, with Rex Grossman throwing two touchdowns to Jabar Gaffney and Reche Caldwell. The win kept Florida perfect in SEC play at 4–0 and extended the Gators’ dominance in the rivalry, which they had owned for over a decade. Florida went on to finish the season ranked 5th nationally and crushed Maryland 56–23 in the Orange Bowl.
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