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Updated: 12/11/2023 2:40PM

GAINESVILLE, FL - A release issued by Alachua County Public Schools announced information received Dec. 11, 2023, from the Florida Department of Education.

A majority of the local elementary schools currently in ‘School Improvement’ or SI/turnaround status boosted their grades this year, according to a report released this morning by the Florida Department of Education.

Alachua (D to a C), Idylwild (D to a C), Terwilliger (D to a C) and Lake Forest (F to a D) elementary schools all increased their grades under the state’s revised accountability system, which this year was based on new tests and new cut scores for those tests. In fact, the state is referring to this year’s grades as ‘informational baseline’ grades.

Two other SI schools (Shell and Rawlings) maintained their grades, while Metcalfe fell from a D to an F. However, that grade will not affect Metcalfe’s current SI status.

Because of the testing changes, the new grading system for this year does not reflect student gains (changes from year to year), which are typically a significant element of school grades.

“No negative consequences shall result from these grades, as they are purely informational” said the state’s senior chancellor of the Florida Department of Education Adam Miller in an email to Florida’s superintendents. “However, a school may receive the benefits of these grades, in terms of qualifying for School Recognition and/or exiting turnaround status.” (Schools qualify for School Recognition by increasing their overall grade or maintaining an A grade.)

Alachua, Idylwild and Terwilliger will all move out of SI status as a result of the new grades, while Lake Forest will have an opportunity to move out based on its 2024 grade.

“It’s important to recognize the hard work and commitment of school leaders, faculty, staff, families, district personnel, our community partners and everyone involved in our schools,’ said Superintendent Shane Andrew. “This was a team effort, and we look forward to continued improvement at all our schools.”

Overall, 11 ACPS schools boosted their grades this year, four dropped and 20 remained the same, with 22 earning either an A or B grade. The district’s overall informational baseline grade for 2023 is a B.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. - City of Gainesville officials anticipate severe weather conditions, including temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit during evening hours Sunday, Dec. 10-Monday, Dec. 11. The anticipated temperatures will lead to the activation of the city's Cold Night Shelter (CNS) Program, and it is expected to remain in effect until overnight low temperatures rise above 45 F. The CNS program normally runs from Nov. 1 through March 31.

 St. Francis House and GRACE Marketplace at the Empowerment Center will provide Cold Night Shelter services to people in need of shelter as long as overnight temperatures remain below 45 F. The CNS program providers serve additional persons in need of shelter so that families and individuals desiring shelter will have a warm place to stay. St. Francis House provides temporary shelter that is appropriate for families, women and children. GRACE Marketplace primarily serves individual adults.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Farm Share, Florida’s leading food nonprofit and the state’s largest food bank, is distributing food to food-insecure Floridians in the Gainesville area. Recipients will receive fresh produce and non-perishable canned goods. Distributions are drive-thru only to minimize contact and to help ensure the safety of all parties. Attendees must arrive in a vehicle with a trunk or cargo bed.

With more than 3.9 million families suffering from food insecurity throughout Florida, Farm Share meets the everyday hunger needs of Floridians by working hand-in-hand with local farmers to recover and redistribute produce that would otherwise be thrown away due to aesthetic imperfections. 

Farm Share also distributes food to the community through its network of soup kitchens, food pantries, homeless shelters, churches, and senior centers across Florida free of charge. To find a food pantry near you, please visit www.farmshare.org/food-pantries.

Please find more information about this week’s events in your area below.

Event: Project Youthbuild Free Food Distribution

Date: Friday, December 15, 2023

Time: 9:00 a.m. until supplies last 

Location: 635 NW 6th St, Gainesville, FL 32601

 

Event: Gilchrist Prevention Free Food Distribution

Date: Saturday, December 16, 2023

Time: 9:00 a.m. until supplies last 

Location: Trenton Elementary School, 1350 FL-26, Trenton, FL 32693

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HIGH SPRINGS, FLA. – Just after 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, High Springs firefighters were dispatched to the area of N.W. 142nd Avenue and NW 268th Street, in High Springs’ Oak Meadows neighborhood for a reported brush fire.

Upon arrival, High Springs Engine 29 reported a one-acre, fast-moving brush fire with multiple structures threatened. Fighting a southerly wind, blowing the fire north toward a mobile home, Engine 29 set up structural protection, to prevent the fire from consuming the home, while Brush 29 worked the main grass fire. Additional resources from the Newberry Fire Department and Alachua County Fire Rescue were requested to aid in the blaze.

Thanks to the quick efforts of firefighters, the fire was stopped less than ten feet from a mobile home, saving the structure and its two housebound residents. The cause of the fire is believed to have come from a legally sized outdoor burn pile that spread beyond the fire pit.

The High Springs Fire Department reminds you to exercise extreme caution when burning outside. Pay attention to weather conditions and have a water source nearby. Burn piles must be 8 feet in diameter or less, 25 feet from your home, 25 feet from any wildlands or brush, 50 feet from a public road, and 150 feet from other occupied buildings. To learn more about burning outdoors in Florida, visit FloridaForestService.com

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This information is public record and the booking report is provided by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Department of the Jail.  The charges listed are at the time of arrest and and all suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. For more details on a specific inmate use the Sheriff’s Office inmate search (for inmates currently at the jail). More specific information on charges is available by searching court records.

Jail booking logs are removed from the Alachua County Today website after 30 days.

 ACSO Sheriff Booking Log 12082023 Page 2

 

 

 

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ALACHUA COUNTY, FL - In partnership with the University of Florida’s Museum Studies Program, the Alachua County Community Remembrance Project (ACCRP) is pleased to announce the Alachua County Digital Black Heritage Trail Map and website. 
 
The Digital Black Heritage Trail Map includes 140 community-identified places of significance. It can be viewed independently or by visiting the Alachua County Truth & Reconciliation website. 
AC Black Heritage Trail 1
 
The website is redesigned to feature entirely new content, including ACCRP media and archival resources, trauma-informed resources and curricula for educators, and a custom video animation that honors the victims of racial terror lynching in Alachua County.
 
A print run of approximately 1,600 maps are available for free County-wide distribution. Maps can be picked up at the front desk of the County Commission Office on the second floor of the County Administration Building (12 S.E. 1st Street, Gainesville). A QR code on the map directs users to the updated website. 
 
The Alachua County Digital Black Heritage Trail Map and website highlight the Black community's cultural significance to counter the systematic century-long effort to erase black culture beginning during the Jim Crow era. Demonstrating the importance of Black place-making and institution-building, the map reflects the intergenerational memories of Black culture. With over 140 historical places of significance already identified during phase one of the project, the trail celebrates the resilience of the County’s Black communities. The University of Florida’s Graduate Program in Museum Studies is designing and installing a permanent exhibition in the Alachua County Administration Building in honor of local victims of racial terror and lynching later this spring.
 
ThAC Black Heritage Trail 2e ACCRP is a grassroots community organization dedicated to educating the community about the history of racial violence during the Jim Crow era and its legacies in the persistent racial disparities faced in Alachua County today.
 
For more information, contact Deputy County Manager of Community and Strategic Initiatives Carl Smart at 352-374-5204 or csmart@alachuacounty.us.

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GAINESVILLE, FL - “Commission Meeting Highlights” is a new feature produced by the Alachua County Communications Office. These highlights will give residents a quick review of County Commission meetings and provide video and agenda links. This information is provided by Alachua County. 

Big trucks on small roads
 
During the first special meeting on Tuesday, the County Commission directed staff to work with the Office of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement (CVE) and Florida Highway Patrol to limit large trucks and semi-tractor trailers from traveling along county-owned roads less than 11 feet wide.
 
In May, the commission directed staff to bring back information to help establish a regulated truck routes system for Alachua County. Data shows that 43 roadways that are less than 11 feet wide.
 
Staff will work with CVE and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and bring back options for fines and enforcement to address safety concerns.
 
Procurement for small businesses
 
During the second special meeting, the commission voted to update its procurement process for locally owned small businesses to give them a better chance at being awarded government funds.
 
The county’s Small Business Enterprise (SBE) program, which launched in 2006, fosters growth among small, women-owned, minority-owned, veteran-owned businesses inside Alachua County and its surrounding counties (Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Gilchrist, Levy, Marion, Putnam and Union counties).
 
Qualifying businesses inside the SBE zone can employ up to 25 full-time employees and now have a maximum net worth of up to $5 million.
 
The county will also look to capture data that tracks how SBEs are utilized in county contracts. That includes when contracts are not directly awarded but are used as subcontractors.
 
Eligible businesses can earn an additional 5% discount on their bid price preference for contracts worth up to $50,000. Contractors who use small businesses for 15% of their work can earn 3%.
 
“Having these guidelines allows people access to government contracts,” said Commission Chairwoman Mary Alford. “Giving people the opportunity to get these jobs helps their businesses survive.”
 
The commission also voted to create an emerging small business category and asked staff to bring back recommendations for capacity-building initiatives that could include mentoring and other best practices for potential SBE vendors.
 
Alachua County is home to 6,377 businesses. Of those, 4,366 have 20 or less full-time employees. Last year, the county awarded $56 million in competitive procurement contracts. Roughly $2 million went to SBE vendors. 
 
Agriculture Land Protection
 
The commission also heard an update on an Alachua County Agricultural Land Protection Strategy, which is currently under development through a partnership between county staff, Alachua Conservation Trust, and community members. 
 
The strategy will aid in protecting working agricultural lands and local food production systems while enhancing the mission of the Alachua County Forever program. 
 
Once developed, the strategy will utilize Wild Spaces and Public Places surtax funding to protect agricultural lands through conservation easements with willing landowners as a part of the county’s goal to protect 30% of the county’s land and water by 2030 to protect essential ecosystem services and create a buffer against the worst impacts of climate change.
 
Hunting Business Plan
 
The commission approved staff to work with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and interested community members to develop a new wildlife management area allowing hunting on a portion of Lochloosa Slough Preserve south of Hawthorne. 
 
The county currently has ten properties that allow some form of recreational hunting. 
 
 

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