Local

A five-story, 106-room TownePlace Suitesn by Marriott is set to be constructed on Commerce Drive. (COURTESY)

A five-story, 106-room TownePlace Suitesn by Marriott is set to be constructed on Commerce Drive. (COURTESY)

TownePlace coming to town

TONY BRITT
Friday, February 24, 2023
Visitors looking to spend some time in Lake City will soon have another option. The newest project near Intestate 75 will be a five-story, extended-stay hotel about a block away on Commerce Drive.
Rodney Brown (second from left) will be the keynote speaker at Monday’s Black History Month program at FGC. (FILE)

Rodney Brown (second from left) will be the keynote speaker at Monday’s Black History Month program at FGC. (FILE)

FGC program to honor past while looking forward

TONY BRITT
Friday, February 24, 2023
The universal gift of music and song will be combined with testimony to increase cultural awareness next week at Florida Gateway College’s annual Black History Month program. The FGC Black History Month observation program will take place 11 a.m. Monday in the Levy Performing Arts Center.

NorthStar honoring local unsung heroes

JAMIE WACHTER
Friday, February 24, 2023
Unsung heroes will get their recognition Tuesday. NorthStar Family Resource Center is hosting a Black History Month Luncheon on Tuesday to recognize unsung heroes, 90 and older, from the African-American community.
The Florida Gateway College Brain Bowl team is competing in the National Academic Quiz Tournaments Community College Championship Tournament in Chicago this weekend. Team members are Keilley Sweat (from left), Angelina Troshyna, Coach James Givvines, Hunter Neeley and Avery Murphy. Not pictured is Lindsay Wheeles. (COURTESY)

The Florida Gateway College Brain Bowl team is competing in the National Academic Quiz Tournaments Community College Championship Tournament in Chicago this weekend. Team members are Keilley Sweat (from left), Angelina Troshyna, Coach James Givvines, Hunter Neeley and Avery Murphy. Not pictured is Lindsay Wheeles. (COURTESY)

FGC competes at Brain Bowl nationals

NEWS STAFF
Friday, February 24, 2023
The Florida Gateway College Brain Bowl team has gone national. The Timberwolves earned a berth in the National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT) Community College Championship Tournament, which began Friday and concludes today in Chicago.

Strawberry queens to be crowned today

NEWS STAFF
Friday, February 24, 2023
The Miss North Florida Strawberry Pageant is set for 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Union County High School Auditorium in Lake Butler. The pageant is under the direction of Amanda Moore, Brittany Ward and DeAnna Morrison.
Johnson (left) and Stafford

Johnson (left) and Stafford

Pair charged after theft, battery on a minor

NEWS STAFF
Friday, February 24, 2023
A single case of shoplifting turned to violence against a minor late Wednesday night. According to a Lake City Police Department release, Dontay Johnson, 35, of Sanderson, was spotted trying to steal items from Walmart.

Juvenile charged in December shooting

NEWS STAFF
Friday, February 24, 2023
A juvenile has been charged in connection with a December shooting. According to a Lake City Police Department release, officers arrived in the area of NE Fairview St. on Sunday, Dec. 18, around 6 p.m. after receiving reports of a house being struck by gunfire.
Barbara Cartwright (left), with the Florida Division of Emergency Management, talks to Mike Null during a meeting regarding new FEMA flood maps on Thursday night at the Westside Community Center. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Barbara Cartwright (left), with the Florida Division of Emergency Management, talks to Mike Null during a meeting regarding new FEMA flood maps on Thursday night at the Westside Community Center. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Feedback floods in on FEMA maps

TONY BRITT
Thursday, February 23, 2023
More than 40 people gathered at the Westside Community Center on Thursday evening to learn more regarding potential flood map zone changes from FEMA. The meeting, which was scheduled to last for three hours, included a video presentation.
A power pole near the intersection of Duval Street and Hernando Avenue was snapped near its base Thursday afternoon after a semi truck backed into it. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

A power pole near the intersection of Duval Street and Hernando Avenue was snapped near its base Thursday afternoon after a semi truck backed into it. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Semi backs into, snaps power pole

TONY BRITT
Thursday, February 23, 2023
A trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles was extra painful for a truck driver Thursday afternoon. After leaving the Columbia County Administrative Offices on Thursday afternoon, the driver, who parked across E. Duval Street, backed into and snapped a power pole at its base.