Local

Burglar charged for dealership break-ins

NEWS STAFF
Tuesday, January 24, 2023
Some unwanted servicing of vehicles at a Lake City dealership landed a man in jail months later. According to a Lake City Police Department release, 10 vehicles were burglarized at Rountree Moore Ford on the morning of Nov. 3.
Philip Mobley (left), NorthStar Family Resource Center manager, hangs clothing at the facility Monday after with help from Christen Lancaster, NorthStar Community Center Community Research Coordinator. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Philip Mobley (left), NorthStar Family Resource Center manager, hangs clothing at the facility Monday after with help from Christen Lancaster, NorthStar Community Center Community Research Coordinator. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

NorthStar in limbo: Resource Center waiting on RCC uncertainty

TONY BRITT
Monday, January 23, 2023
NorthStar Family Resource Center has continued to provide services to the community for the past few weeks, despite county and city officials discussing changes to the legal ownership of the Richardson Community Center.
Tennessee native Bree Frazier sings during the 2023 Southside Idol competition. (COURTESY)

Tennessee native Bree Frazier sings during the 2023 Southside Idol competition. (COURTESY)

Tenn. teen crowned Southside Idol

TONY BRITT
Monday, January 23, 2023
Singing in only her second vocal competition ever, after traveling for hours just to get to Lake City, teenager Bree Frazier, wowed the audience and judges on her way to becoming the 2023 Southside Idol. Frazier, a native of Chattanooga, Tenn.
Columbia County saw a boom in housing sale prices while also seeing sales themselves dip a bit in 2022. (FILE)

Columbia County saw a boom in housing sale prices while also seeing sales themselves dip a bit in 2022. (FILE)

Prices climb, sales dip in 2022 housing report

NEWS STAFF
Monday, January 23, 2023
A mixed year of local housing markets came to a close recently. According to the Yearly Market Detail 2022 report released by Florida Realtors, home sales in Columbia County dipped by 13.7%, down to 674 total sales from 781 in 2021.
Ann Bormalini (right) reads ‘10 Little Fish’ to pre-kindergarten students at the My Little Red Schoolhouse Daycare on Friday morning. Rotarians visited several local public schools and private early childhood centers Friday as part of Rotary Readers. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Ann Bormalini (right) reads ‘10 Little Fish’ to pre-kindergarten students at the My Little Red Schoolhouse Daycare on Friday morning. Rotarians visited several local public schools and private early childhood centers Friday as part of Rotary Readers. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Rotary Club spends time reading to pre-K students

TONY BRITT
Friday, January 20, 2023
Several Rotary Club of Lake City members took to local schools and preschools Friday morning, each armed with a copy of the same book.
Columbia County Commissioner Tim Murphy speaks during Thursday’s BOCC meeting. He said the county is done operating at Richardson Community Center. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

Columbia County Commissioner Tim Murphy speaks during Thursday’s BOCC meeting. He said the county is done operating at Richardson Community Center. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

County: ‘We gone’ from Richardson Community Center

JAMIE WACHTER
Friday, January 20, 2023
The message couldn’t have been more clear. At the end of Thursday’s Columbia County Board of County Commissioners meeting, District X Commissioner Tim Murphy had a statement for anybody confused about the county’s status on Richardson Community Center.

Norris’ pro bono work nets honor

TONY BRITT
Friday, January 20, 2023
One local attorney has no objections after being recognized for his efforts in the community. Guy Norris, the managing shareholder and president of Norris & Norris, P.A.
Circuit Judge Fred Koberlein Jr. (right) is sworn in Thursday by his father, Senior Judge Fred Koberlein Sr. (left), as retired County Judge Tom Coleman holds the Bible during an investiture ceremony at the Columbia County Courthouse. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Circuit Judge Fred Koberlein Jr. (right) is sworn in Thursday by his father, Senior Judge Fred Koberlein Sr. (left), as retired County Judge Tom Coleman holds the Bible during an investiture ceremony at the Columbia County Courthouse. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Koberlein takes the oath

TONY BRITT
Thursday, January 19, 2023
The Third Judicial Circuit welcomed its newest circuit judge Thursday afternoon when Fred L. Koberlein Jr. was sworn in during an investiture ceremony at the Columbia County Courthouse. More than 70 people, including many of Koberlein’s family members, friends and colleagues, attended the ceremony.
A brush fire spread across 44 acres southeast of Lake City on Thursday afternoon before it was contained. (COURTESY)

A brush fire spread across 44 acres southeast of Lake City on Thursday afternoon before it was contained. (COURTESY)

Brush fire evacuates homes

TONY BRITT
Thursday, January 19, 2023
A brush fire on the southeast side of Lake City consumed more than 40 acres Thursday afternoon before it was contained by rangers from the Florida Forest Service District Office.