Local

Jeffrey Moore (standing), a Gateway Art Gallery member, instructs Junior Youth Art League class students during a recent session. (COURTESY)

Jeffrey Moore (standing), a Gateway Art Gallery member, instructs Junior Youth Art League class students during a recent session. (COURTESY)

Gallery setting up for 2024

TONY BRITT
Tuesday, December 26, 2023
From working with water colors, acrylics, pencils or charcoals, local youngsters who are interested in expressing their imagination through art have an opportunity to push their boundaries with classes at the Gateway Art Gallery.
Sen. Jennifer Bradley, speaking at the Columbia County legislative delegation hearing in October, has requested more than $22 million for projects in the county. (FILE)

Sen. Jennifer Bradley, speaking at the Columbia County legislative delegation hearing in October, has requested more than $22 million for projects in the county. (FILE)

Senators seeking $55M in local projects

JAMIE WACHTER
Tuesday, December 26, 2023
When the Florida Legislature convenes next month, legislators will consider more than $55 million in local projects. Sen. Jennifer Bradley (R-Fleming Island) has submitted requests for $22.65 million for eight projects in Columbia County, while Sen.

Tennessee man killed in fiery Christmas crash

NEWS STAFF
Tuesday, December 26, 2023
A Tennessee man was killed early Christmas morning in a fiery crash on Interstate 75. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, both a sedan and a van were headed north on I-75 around 4:45 a.m. Monday when the car ran into the back of the van, which was pulling a trailer, just south of the U.S.
Chris Samson (from left), Exalted Ruler of Lake City Elks Lodge #893, gets help from Brandy Meeks as the two add toys for the Elks Lodge Childrens Christmas Party which will take place Sunday at the building. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Chris Samson (from left), Exalted Ruler of Lake City Elks Lodge #893, gets help from Brandy Meeks as the two add toys for the Elks Lodge Childrens Christmas Party which will take place Sunday at the building. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Elks Christmas tradition continues

TONY BRITT
Friday, December 22, 2023
Christmas is one of the periods of the year where traditions often define a person’s perspective of not just the day, but of the entire season and events associated with the holiday.

Court consolidation plan nixed

JAMIE WACHTER
Friday, December 22, 2023
No changes are coming to the state’s judicial circuits after all. The Florida Supreme Court, which has the authority to make recommendations to the Legislature about changing judicial circuits, issued a unanimous decision Thursday to not alter the current makeup.
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.