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Photo by C.J. Gish

A Tuesday morning head-on collision on SW Williston Road claimed the life of I Am Country’s 106.9 FM morning show host Heather Jennings.

According to a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) release, a 30-year-old Gainesville woman was driving a sedan southbound on State Road 121 (Williston Road) just south of SW Wacahoota Road when her vehicle crossed the center line and struck Jennings’ sedan, which was traveling north.

Both drivers were transported to UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville, where they were pronounced deceased.

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Jennings was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident, and the other drive was not, according to FHP.

Jennings started her weekday show on WPLL I Am Country 106.9 FM in November.

MARC Media released the following statement about Jennings:

An hour before sunrise today, I Am Country morning DJ Heather Jennings was driving to work on the country roads of Alachua County when her sedan was met head-on by another vehicle. She did not survive.

We knew something was very wrong at 6 a.m. when patriotic Heather wasn’t standing at her mic, hand over her heart, proudly leading her audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. It was time to begin her signature broadcast, “The Heather Jennings Morning Show,” but instead her booth was silent. Then we got the dreaded phone call confirming that it was indeed Heather in that double-fatality crash. It’s a phone call we’ll never forget. We’re still grappling with the reality of that news, fervently praying for her two daughters, Dixie and Jacy, whom she loved beyond measure.

It was barely a month ago when we welcomed her cheerful, creative personality to the MARC Radio airwaves. Our November 5th company press release, accompanied by a beautiful picture of her in our studio, reflected Heather’s enthusiasm for her first day at the station. It read in part: “You may recognize her as that woman on the Harley cruising down the back roads of Alachua County singing out loud to her favorite musical artists. “Country music is hands-down the soundtrack of my life, and I’ll help you make it yours, too,” said Heather.”

We are having a hard time realizing that the halls of our radio station will no longer reverberate with Heather’s voice singing along, word-for-word, with every song we air. She sang with enthusiasm, and yes, always on key.

We lost Heather this morning. Before we shared our grief with you, we wanted to be certain that Heather’s family and closest friends had been informed first.

Now we’re struggling to find the words to write about this friend we cherished. Not very many people can make the kind of impression that Heather Jennings did in just one short month. But as a professional broadcaster, she quickly made her mark.

We join her family, her friends and her listeners all over Gainesville in the incomprehensible loss of her young life and her distinctive on-air presence.

There was a void on our airwaves this morning. And it will be there again tomorrow and forever after. But we are a company built on faith.

Today the airwaves of heaven got even sweeter. We’ll miss you, Heather.

I Am Country 106.9 is owned and operated by MARC Media Group, which also owns radio stations coast to coast in Florida and in Texas. It also owns Mainstreet Daily News and an outdoor advertising company. The radio stations in the Gainesville market include WXJZ 100.9 The Beach, WTMG 101.3 Magic, WDVH 94.1 R&B and WTMN 103.5 The Shepherd.

Photo by C.J. Gish

A Tuesday morning head-on collision on SW Williston Road claimed the life of I Am Country’s 106.9 FM morning show host Heather Jennings.

According to a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) release, a 30-year-old Gainesville woman was driving a sedan southbound on State Road 121 (Williston Road) just south of SW Wacahoota Road when her vehicle crossed the center line and struck Jennings’ sedan, which was traveling north.

Both drivers were transported to UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville, where they were pronounced deceased.

Become A Member

Mainstreet does not have a paywall, but pavement-pounding journalism is not free. Join your neighbors who make this vital work possible.

See Member Benefits

Jennings was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident, and the other drive was not, according to FHP.

Jennings started her weekday show on WPLL I Am Country 106.9 FM in November.

MARC Media released the following statement about Jennings:

An hour before sunrise today, I Am Country morning DJ Heather Jennings was driving to work on the country roads of Alachua County when her sedan was met head-on by another vehicle. She did not survive.

We knew something was very wrong at 6 a.m. when patriotic Heather wasn’t standing at her mic, hand over her heart, proudly leading her audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. It was time to begin her signature broadcast, “The Heather Jennings Morning Show,” but instead her booth was silent. Then we got the dreaded phone call confirming that it was indeed Heather in that double-fatality crash. It’s a phone call we’ll never forget. We’re still grappling with the reality of that news, fervently praying for her two daughters, Dixie and Jacy, whom she loved beyond measure.

It was barely a month ago when we welcomed her cheerful, creative personality to the MARC Radio airwaves. Our November 5th company press release, accompanied by a beautiful picture of her in our studio, reflected Heather’s enthusiasm for her first day at the station. It read in part: “You may recognize her as that woman on the Harley cruising down the back roads of Alachua County singing out loud to her favorite musical artists. “Country music is hands-down the soundtrack of my life, and I’ll help you make it yours, too,” said Heather.”

We are having a hard time realizing that the halls of our radio station will no longer reverberate with Heather’s voice singing along, word-for-word, with every song we air. She sang with enthusiasm, and yes, always on key.

We lost Heather this morning. Before we shared our grief with you, we wanted to be certain that Heather’s family and closest friends had been informed first.

Now we’re struggling to find the words to write about this friend we cherished. Not very many people can make the kind of impression that Heather Jennings did in just one short month. But as a professional broadcaster, she quickly made her mark.

We join her family, her friends and her listeners all over Gainesville in the incomprehensible loss of her young life and her distinctive on-air presence.

There was a void on our airwaves this morning. And it will be there again tomorrow and forever after. But we are a company built on faith.

Today the airwaves of heaven got even sweeter. We’ll miss you, Heather.

I Am Country 106.9 is owned and operated by MARC Media Group, which also owns radio stations coast to coast in Florida and in Texas. It also owns Mainstreet Daily News and an outdoor advertising company. The radio stations in the Gainesville market include WXJZ 100.9 The Beach, WTMG 101.3 Magic, WDVH 94.1 R&B and WTMN 103.5 The Shepherd.

Gainesville residents are gearing up for the city's A Very GNV Holiday Parade.

The parade, which kicks off at noon on Saturday, will start on West University Avenue at West Sixth Street and end at the Alachua County Public Schools Administration Building, 620 E. University Ave.

Last year’s inaugural parade drew an estimated 5,000 spectators, and participants and organizers are hoping for another well-attended event.

This year's parade features 110 official entries, including marching bands, floats, dancing groups and more.

Seasonal fun:Gainesville and Alachua County packed with magical events this holiday season

Among the expected highlights is four-time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal, who will serve as this year's grand marshal.

O’Neal, a 2016 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, shared a message to residents ahead of the holiday parade from the desk of the Emmy-award winning studio show, "NBA on TNT."

“I can’t wait to ring in the season at A Very GNV Holiday Parade,” O’Neal said. “See you soon.”

The parade will lead into a Kids Dance Party from 1 to 3 p.m. at Bo Diddley Plaza followed by a Holiday Lights celebration at the Thomas Center Garden from 5 to 8 p.m. Horse-drawn carriage rides will be provided by the Duckpond Neighborhood.

Cynthia Chestnut, parade organizer and mayor pro-tem, said she and the planning board received many requests from people who wanted to participate.

“We've been overwhelmed with the number of people who want to be in the parade, and we've had to turn some people down, but overall, people are very excited,” Chestnut said.

She said while people are excited to see O’Neal, they also are excited about seeing the community come together.

“They're excited about Shaq, but I think most of all, it's the community spirit,” Chestnut said. “There's a great community spirit about celebrating Gainesville.”

Aldi, one of America’s fastest-growing grocery retailers, markets itself as an ally for customers.

But, after a Gainesville Winn-Dixie announced its closing to be transformed into an Aldi, some residents see the store as an enemy.

Winn-Dixie, located at 300 SW 16th Ave., will close Dec. 8. It was previously a Pick ‘N Save before it was acquired by Winn-Dixie in 1997. Now, 25 years later, it’s being converted again due to Aldi’s plan to acquire 800 new stores by 2028.

Aldi’s plan, which was announced in March, will expand the grocery store’s reach nationwide and will be accomplished through an acquisition of Southeastern Grocers, a supermarket company that owned both Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets.

After gaining Southeastern Grocers, Aldi officials decided which stores to convert to an Aldi format and which to remain open as a Winn-Dixie or Harveys Supermarket. In the southeast United States, including Florida, Aldi hopes to open 400 of these 800 stores.

One of these chosen conversions includes one of Gainesville’s three Winn-Dixie stores, a staple that many residents are sad to see go. With the change, residents will swap out their traditional Gainesville grocery staple of over 25 years for quarter-rented grocery carts, lower prices and warehouse-style shopping.

Patti Webb, a 75-year-old Micanopy resident, was unaware of Winn-Dixie’s closing and only shops there because her city is a food desert, she said.

Webb said she was unaware of the store’s closing and originally went to shop for two cans of cat food. Instead, she emerged with 200, a result of the high sales to clear the shelves, she said.

Other than cat food and a few select items, the store was pretty much vacant, she said.

While customers couldn’t purchase deli or seafood, as the departments had already permanently closed, other store sections and aisles were laid bare as a result of these sales.

When the new, converted Aldi opens in six to eight months, Webb is unsure if she will return due to Aldi’s long checkout lines, she said.

“My time is valuable,” she said. “I think the last time I was in Aldi, I got up there and left my groceries.”

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But Gainesville residents are upset for more than just wait times, some calling for a complete reversal of the decision entirely.

A change.org petition created on Oct. 19 called on Aldi to reverse the decision to close the Winn-Dixie, listen to the local communities' wishes and hire back employees who were either forced to quit or fired due to the closing.

With almost 300 signatures, residents shared their personal experiences, memories and pleas.

But the petition won’t do much, Winn-Dixie employee Watson Chery said.

“It’s not gonna redo anything,” he said. “It’s a little too late for it.”

In the days leading up to the store’s closing, Chery said customers speak of losing access to their main source of groceries, as many walk from local low-income neighborhoods.

“They said they’re gonna figure it out,” he said. “It’s really hard for them.”

When the Aldi opens, Chery will work as an employee there, an option given to all current Winn-Dixie employees as long as they apply, he said.

Because some employees depend on their Winn-Dixie paychecks for necessities, the store has offered “as many hours as possible” to account for the upcoming closure, he said.

In his new position at the converted Aldi, he said he hopes to continue to see regular customers.

“A lot of people really aren’t happy with the Aldi decision, a lot of people don’t even like Aldis,” he said. “Hopefully, if they see familiar faces they’ll be more welcomed.”

While many are opposed to the grocery store’s change, some residents support the conversion and believe that with time, the rest of the community will, too.

“I understand people get emotionally attached, but they’re going to love Aldis,” Paige Anderson, a 61-year-old Winn-Dixie regular, said. “I think it’s gonna be great for the community down here, honestly.”

Stephen Onley, a 58-year-old Gainesville resident, already frequents Aldi along with the 16th Avenue Winn-Dixie and believes that if Aldi provides the good prices they promise, locals will warm up to the new store.

Aldi’s new location is expected to open in 2025, making it Gainesville’s third location, while only two Winn-Dixie stores will remain.

Contact Kairi Lowery at klowery@alligator.org. Follow her on X @kairiloweryy.

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Kairi Lowery

Kairi Lowery is a third-year journalism major and a metro general assignment reporter for The Alligator. When she's not writing you can find her lounging on the beach with a book or collecting vinyls.