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Your stories to look out for in North Central Florida
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Your stories to look out for in North Central Florida

  • January 12, 2026

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – The Florida State Legislative Session begins on Tuesday. In addition to addressing major statewide issues, we will be monitoring bills that aim to allow racetrack decoupling and restore the Ocklawaha River.

Weeklong Martin Luther King Jr. events in Gainesville will feature a town hall symposium on Wednesday. Sponsored by the Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Florida, this free event will take place at Dayspring Baptist Church.

Court hearings are scheduled for Thursday for two of the three men accused of murdering Christin Cassels of Hawthorne in 2017.

Blake Jackson and Keneth Altidor face charges of first-degree premeditated murder. Nikenson Perrin has another hearing scheduled for next month.

Also on Thursday, Gainesville City Commissioners will consider options for the lots in the Heartwood Subdivision that have not sold.

Transferring these lots to a city trust for building homes would cost the Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area $1.4 million.

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