Local

Lee Pinchouck, the executive director of The Foundation for Florida Gateway College (right), and Noah Walker, the foundation board’s president presented a check to the college for nearly $1.2 million on Wednesday for scholarships and program enhancement. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Lee Pinchouck, the executive director of The Foundation for Florida Gateway College (right), and Noah Walker, the foundation board’s president presented a check to the college for nearly $1.2 million on Wednesday for scholarships and program enhancement. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

FGC Foundation celebrates donors’ generosity

NEWS STAFF
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
The Foundation for Florida Gateway College wants local students to have the opportunity to get a quality education without creating student debt. A big key to achieving that goal are donors providing scholarship opportunities.
Columbia County Public Works employee Steve ‘Bacon’ Allen carries a sandbag to a pile of bags Tuesday afternoon as the county prepared for the impacts of Tropical Storm Helene, which is expected to make landfall Thursday. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Columbia County Public Works employee Steve ‘Bacon’ Allen carries a sandbag to a pile of bags Tuesday afternoon as the county prepared for the impacts of Tropical Storm Helene, which is expected to make landfall Thursday. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Helene: ‘Barreling at us’

JAMIE WACHTER
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Tropical Storm Helene is expected to develop into a major hurricane today before “barreling” at North Florida on Thursday.
Tropical Storm Helene is expected to develop into a major hurricane before making landfall Thursday. (NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER)

Tropical Storm Helene is expected to develop into a major hurricane before making landfall Thursday. (NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER)

Schools closed Thursday, Friday for Helene

NEWS STAFF
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
School will not be in session the end of this week due to Tropical Storm Helene.
Columbia County athlete Rachel Saye places the torch into a stand during the opening ceremonies Saturday at the Southside Sports Complex. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Columbia County athlete Rachel Saye places the torch into a stand during the opening ceremonies Saturday at the Southside Sports Complex. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Hundreds attend Special Olympics area contest

TONY BRITT
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Armed with determination, courage, and a burning desire to compete, more than 300 Special Olympians from around the region gathered at Southside Sports Complex on Saturday for flag football and softball competitions.
Chris Costello (from left) and Steve Stafford work on making a headboard during the Sleep in Heavenly Peace Bunks Across America event Saturday at the Christian Service Center. Volunteers planned to make 20 beds during the event. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Chris Costello (from left) and Steve Stafford work on making a headboard during the Sleep in Heavenly Peace Bunks Across America event Saturday at the Christian Service Center. Volunteers planned to make 20 beds during the event. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Providing a ‘heavenly’ sleep

TONY BRITT
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
More than two dozen local community members gathered Saturday and utilized their carpentry skills to build beds for area youngsters. There was a national bed build for Sleep in Heavenly Peace over the weekend and the Lake City Chapter built several beds during the event.
Potential Tropical Cyclone 9 is expected to become a hurricane Wednesday and make landfall in the Big Bend or Florida Panhandle by Thursday evening. (COURTESY)

Potential Tropical Cyclone 9 is expected to become a hurricane Wednesday and make landfall in the Big Bend or Florida Panhandle by Thursday evening. (COURTESY)

DeSantis declares state of emergency ahead of storm

NEWS STAFF
Monday, September 23, 2024
A state of emergency has been declared for 41 counties in Florida, including Columbia, Hamilton, Lafayette and Suwannee, ahead of a storm expected to make landfall later this week. Gov.
The front pages of the Lake City Reporter in September 2004 (including Sept. 7 and Sept. 28 above and Sept. 8 below) were all about the impacts Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne made on Columbia County. The two storms, which arrived three weeks apart, were the first direct impacts from a named storm that the county had received in 40 years. (FILE)

The front pages of the Lake City Reporter in September 2004 (including Sept. 7 and Sept. 28 above and Sept. 8 below) were all about the impacts Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne made on Columbia County. The two storms, which arrived three weeks apart, were the first direct impacts from a named storm that the county had received in 40 years. (FILE)

Twenty years ago, Frances and Jeanne left major mark in four-storm month

JAMIE WACHTER
Saturday, September 21, 2024
There haven’t been many times in his four-plus decades as a county commissioner that Ron Williams has felt helpless. However, 20 years ago this month is one of those times where Williams didn’t have many answers for the residents in northern Columbia County.
Columbia County Commissioner Everett Phillips (right) and Kimley-Horn’s Raul Pineda-Mendez look over a map of the Columbia County Comprehensive Safety Action Plan during an open house Thursday. (MORGAN MCMULLEN/Lake City Reporter)

Columbia County Commissioner Everett Phillips (right) and Kimley-Horn’s Raul Pineda-Mendez look over a map of the Columbia County Comprehensive Safety Action Plan during an open house Thursday. (MORGAN MCMULLEN/Lake City Reporter)

County eyes piece of $2B federal traffic pie

MORGAN MCMULLEN
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Columbia County is taking advantage of a federal program to improve traffic safety on some of the most dangerous intersections around. The U.S.
County Attorney Joel Foreman recommended the County Commission suspend the plans to bring back impact fees for transportation infrastructure on Oct. 1 due to legal issues with using the county’s old fee schedule. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

County Attorney Joel Foreman recommended the County Commission suspend the plans to bring back impact fees for transportation infrastructure on Oct. 1 due to legal issues with using the county’s old fee schedule. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

County puts return of impact fees on hold

JAMIE WACHTER
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Columbia County won’t reinstitute impact fees on new developments on Oct. 1 after all.