Local

Lake City soldiers at Camp Wheeler, Ga., during World War I. (COURTESY)

Armistice Day’s roots in Columbia County

NEWS STAFF

Friday, November 10, 2023

The roots of Veterans Day lay with the end of World War I when an armistice was signed between Germany and the Allied powers ending over four years of bloody conflict that cost the lives of millions of young men.

Haven Hospice is calling on Columbia County residents and asking for support through either donations or time at its Attic Resale Store. (COURTESY)

Haven Hospice asks residents for help

NEWS STAFF

Friday, November 10, 2023

To mark November’s National Hospice Month, Haven Hospice is asking Columbia County residents to support their local Attic Resale Store by donating goods, shopping for bargains and treasures, or even volunteering their time and talent at the store.

Brenda Kennedy (clockwise, from left), Art League of North Florida board secretary, John Larner and Sheila Carr, Gateway Art Gallery Curator, organize entries that have been submitted for the Gateway Art Gallery’s Christmas ornament decoration contest. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Gallery hosting Mistletoe Magic

TONY BRITT

Friday, November 10, 2023

The Gateway Art Gallery is gearing-up for the holiday season and is anticipating several busy days as the site prepares for its annual Mistletoe Magic holiday extravaganza. The gallery will experience a short transition period as preparations are made for the holiday event.

Terry Demott (center), a US Army veteran who served in the Vietnam War, is draped by Dianne Shepherd and Fran Vogt on Wednesday morning at a Quilts of Valor ceremony. The quilts were made by the Lady of the Lake Quilt Guild members. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Guild provides Quilts of Valor to local vets

TONY BRITT

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

What started as a dream by a Delaware mother in 2003 who wanted to give comfort to a service man in battle with a quilt has taken roots in Columbia County.

Meally Jenkins and the Christmas Dream Machine are open for their 35th Christmas season. This year’s location for the Dream Machine is in the Country Club Plaza off of Baya Avenue. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Making Christmas dreams a reality

TONY BRITT

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

The altruistic sense to make sure every child has a wonderful Christmas season has powered Meally Jenkins for more than half a century and the Christmas Dream Machine for more than three decades.

Single-vehicle DUI crash kills one

NEWS STAFF

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

A passenger was killed Tuesday night in a single-vehicle crash caused by a drunk driver. According to a Lake City Police Department release, officers responded around 10:45 p.m. Tuesday to SW Symphony Loop and the Windsong Apartments due to a single-vehicle crash.

Barnett (left) and Salli

Cops: Pair gave minor drugs, alcohol before sexual battery

NEWS STAFF

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

A Lake City man and woman face multiple charges after reportedly sexually battering a juvenile after giving the minor alcohol and drugs and tying them up. A Columbia County deputy responded to the emergency room at HCA Florida Lake City Hospital on Monday to the report of a sexual battery.

McAlpin man killed in crash

NEWS STAFF

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

A McAlpin man was killed Tuesday morning when the vehicle he was riding in failed to stop at a stop sign in southwestern Columbia County.

Interim Lake City Manager Dee Johnson said when the council didn’t support the HAECO grant application that it was ideal to try and secure the funding for restoring Gwen Lake. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

No for HAECO is yes for Gwen Lake

JAMIE WACHTER

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

The City of Lake City is seeking state infrastructure grant funding after all.

School district system hacked

TONY BRITT

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

A weekend cyber hack left the Columbia School District without internet services, a problem which wasn’t fully resolved until Monday around midnight, according to school district officials. “There was a network incident,” Superintendent Lex Carswell said Tuesday. “This is bigger.