Editor’s note: This story includes the mention of suicide and its impact on a community. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, you can reach the national crisis hotline at 800-273-8255 or by dialing 988.

A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced a confessed participant to five years of probation in a plot that diverted millions of dollars worth of biomedical drugs, toxins and research supplies from the University of Florida to China over seven years.

The Supervisor of Elections Office said it would formally declare Scott the winner after its next canvassing board meeting to certify the results, which was expected to happen Friday. In the final results, Scott beat incumbent Republican Emery Gainey by 392 votes out of 133,650 total ballots.

The race for sheriff of Alachua County ended Tuesday in a mandatory recount. The final count left Democratic candidate Chad Scott slightly in the lead with 47% of the vote, and Republican incumbent Emery Gainey with 46.7%. No Party Affiliation candidate Pamela Marshall-Koons received 6% of the votes.

The small plane that crashed near the Cross City airport last month, killing two people on board, suffered electrical failures prior to the accident, according to a new National Transportation Safety Board report.

Dozens of Marion County law enforcement made in-person checks with registered sex offenders and predators Thursday to make sure they stayed away from any Halloween celebrations.

In her 42 years of life, Asha has lived in three places: Africa, Virginia and Florida. Now, animal rights groups have requested that the African elephant move again.

Days before the election, a judge on Tuesday sentenced a Gainesville man to five years in prison for selling drugs that led to a fatal overdose by the adult son of the Democratic nominee in the sheriff’s race.

Kayla Shelynn Carter, whose three-year-old son died in August 2022 while playing with his father’s unsecured firearm, was sentenced to 10 years in prison Tuesday morning.