Saturday, October 31, 2026 · The Gainesville Ledger

Vol. 1 · No. 135 · Saturday, October 31, 2026

Public Safety

1-year-old boy struck and killed by vehicle on West Newberry Road in Jonesville

A 1-year-old boy died Friday afternoon after walking from a nearby home onto West Newberry Road near Northwest 182nd Street in the Jonesville area, where he was struck by a westbound vehicle whose driver did not see him, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The child was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A Gainesville nurse who happened upon the scene stopped to assist in the aftermath.

Sources: The Gainesville Sun · WUFT News · WCJB TV20

Community

Clocks fall back Sunday as daylight saving time ends across Florida

Florida and most of the country will return to standard time this weekend, shifting clocks back one hour. The change brings earlier sunrises and earlier sunsets for residents.

Sources: WUFT News · The Gainesville Sun

Sports

Aaron Philo named starting QB for Florida’s game against Georgia

Florida quarterback Aaron Philo will start against Georgia, head coach Jon Sumrall confirmed. Philo, a junior, had started the Gators’ first six games of the season before Tramell Jones took over at the position.

Sources: The Gainesville Sun · The Independent Florida Alligator

Sports

Cheruiyot wins second SEC cross country title; Gator women finish runner-up

UF’s Kelvin Cheruiyot claimed his second SEC cross country individual championship at this year’s conference meet. The Florida men’s team placed third overall, while the women’s team finished second.

Sources: The Independent Florida Alligator

City

In Brief

Governor DeSantis names two new members to GRU Authority Board — WCJB TV20

Education

UF researcher maps online networks that fuel AI-generated nonconsensual nude images

A University of Florida computer science professor, Kevin R. B. Butler, is leading research into the forums and communities that create and spread AI-generated nonconsensual intimate imagery, finding that sophisticated and novice actors cluster on different platforms. The team analyzed hundreds of thousands of posts from 4chan and Reddit and discovered a shadow infrastructure — including private messaging apps like Telegram — through which tools, tutorials, and generated content are distributed. The paper is set to be presented at an international cybersecurity conference in The Hague in November.

Sources: UF News

In Brief

Eleven WUFT alumni earn three national Edward R. Murrow Awards — WUFT News
Jackie Collins visits Lincoln Middle School to inspire students — The Gainesville Sun
UFPD offers Rape Aggression Defense training for campus community — The Independent Florida Alligator

Public Safety

In Brief

Alachua Police launch interactive crime map for city residents — WCJB TV20

Sports

In Brief

No. 4 Florida volleyball sweeps Auburn behind strong Taylor Parks performance — The Independent Florida Alligator
UF men’s swimming beats Georgia while women’s team falls in dual meet — The Independent Florida Alligator

Community

Micanopy 10-year-old and his dad build paranormal YouTube channel to 207K subscribers

Blaine Pool, a fifth grader at Micanopy Area Cooperative School, and his father Cory have grown their paranormal investigation YouTube channel ‘Hauntcheck’ to more than 207,000 subscribers — a threshold reached by roughly 1.3% of YouTube creators. What started as a casual father-son hobby has attracted a global audience, with the duo exploring reportedly haunted locations around the region.

Sources: WCJB TV20

In Brief

Halloween weekend forecast: warm temps, coastal winds, and storm chances for Florida — WUFT News
Florida’s centenarian voters — more than 5,600 strong — still showing up at the polls — WUFT News
Firefighters rally to support retired Alachua County colleague battling cancer — WCJB TV20
Alachua Farmers Market hosts pumpkin festival with costume contests Saturday — WCJB TV20
Take Stock in Children launches ‘Mentoring Changes Lives’ specialty license plate — WCJB TV20
HCA North Florida NICU nurses hand-craft candy costumes for Halloween — WCJB TV20

State & National

Experts expect Republicans to hold Florida despite Democrat early-voting surge

With four days until election day, early voting data across Florida shows strong Democratic turnout, though political analysts still project Republicans will carry the state. Gov. Ron DeSantis noted that traditionally reliable Republican strongholds such as Polk County are seeing lower early-vote numbers than in past cycles, potentially making results closer than expected.

Sources: WCJB TV20

In Brief

Trump cancels two midterm rallies days before election — The Gainesville Sun