Local

County Commissioner Rocky Ford said the county needed to give its employees bonuses for going beyond their duties this year due to storm. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

County Commissioner Rocky Ford said the county needed to give its employees bonuses for going beyond their duties this year due to storm. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

County giving employees $1K bonus

JAMIE WACHTER
Friday, December 22, 2023
Columbia County employees received a nice stocking stuffer from the Columbia County Commission. At Thursday’s board meeting, the commission voted unanimously to pay the county employees a $1,000 net bonus.
Santa Claus visits with Adeline Sage, six months old, on Tuesday afternoon at the Pregnancy Care Center. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Santa Claus visits with Adeline Sage, six months old, on Tuesday afternoon at the Pregnancy Care Center. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Cookies — and gifts — with Santa

TONY BRITT
Wednesday, December 20, 2023
Lake City’s Pregnancy Care Center was a little busier than normal Tuesday afternoon. Bags of gifts, toys and packages lined the aisles, there were cookies, sweets and other refreshments on the front porch and inside the building’s lobby — there stood jolly old St. Nick and his wife, Mrs. Claus.
Meally Jenkins (from left), Christmas Dream Machine founder and director, stands amid bags of gifts with volunteers Janet Stanford and Chad Brown on Wednesday afternoon. The Christmas Dream Machine served 616 children this Christmas and was distributing the final bags to families on Wednesday afternoon. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Meally Jenkins (from left), Christmas Dream Machine founder and director, stands amid bags of gifts with volunteers Janet Stanford and Chad Brown on Wednesday afternoon. The Christmas Dream Machine served 616 children this Christmas and was distributing the final bags to families on Wednesday afternoon. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Dream Machine serves more than 600

TONY BRITT
Wednesday, December 20, 2023
It’s become an annual tradition to see bags of toys, clothing, bicycles and other gifts at the site of the Christmas Dream Machine.

Bond proposal for new schools laid out

TONY BRITT
Wednesday, December 20, 2023
The Columbia County School District is forging ahead with plans to construct two new elementary schools. Last week school board members held a workshop where the plan began to emerge to address paying for the new schools with the half-cent sales tax funding. During a Dec.
The Lake City Middle School FFA Tool Identification team, which consisted of members Rylan Moses, Brad Shanaway, Dalton Minton and Landon Harper, recently won the state championship in the event, the program’s first state title. (COURTESY)

The Lake City Middle School FFA Tool Identification team, which consisted of members Rylan Moses, Brad Shanaway, Dalton Minton and Landon Harper, recently won the state championship in the event, the program’s first state title. (COURTESY)

Lake City Middle FFA team wins state title

NEWS STAFF
Wednesday, December 20, 2023
For the first time in chapter history, the Lake City Middle FFA is home to a state champion.
Recruits at the Florida Gateway College Firefighter Program will benefit from the Lake City Fire Department donating 14 self-contained breathing apparatus units to the program. (COURTESY)

Recruits at the Florida Gateway College Firefighter Program will benefit from the Lake City Fire Department donating 14 self-contained breathing apparatus units to the program. (COURTESY)

LCFD donates air packs to FGC

NEWS STAFF
Wednesday, December 20, 2023
The Florida Gateway College Firefighter Program will soon have more crucial equipment for real-world fire training thanks to the Lake City Fire Department.
Todneisha Filer, the mother of Mariah Reginae Smith, stands amid red balloons next to the sign dedicated to her daughter’s memory Monday after she was shot and killed in August. (MORGAN MCMULLEN/Lake City Reporter)

Todneisha Filer, the mother of Mariah Reginae Smith, stands amid red balloons next to the sign dedicated to her daughter’s memory Monday after she was shot and killed in August. (MORGAN MCMULLEN/Lake City Reporter)

Street dedicated to Smith

MORGAN MCMULLEN
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Dozens of red and pink balloons ascended into the chilly evening air on Northwest Long Street Monday night. As they did so, gentle R&B music echoed among the street’s houses.
Jayden Rodriguez, 15, was arrested late Monday morning after he earlier swerved toward a Columbia County deputy while driving a pickup. (COURTESY CCSO)

Jayden Rodriguez, 15, was arrested late Monday morning after he earlier swerved toward a Columbia County deputy while driving a pickup. (COURTESY CCSO)

Schools locked down after assault attempt

NEWS STAFF
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
An incident during drop-off at one Columbia County school on Monday led to two others being locked down while a teenager was arrested.

Henry sentenced to 73 years for murder

NEWS STAFF
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
A Lake City convicted murderer faces 73 years in prison after sentencing Monday. Marquez Henry, 27, who was convicted last month of second-degree murder, attempted manslaughter and assault, was sentenced to 73 years Monday by Judge Leandra Johnson, including a minimum mandatory 50-year sentence.