Local

CCSO: You can’t pay to avoid arrest

There’s no “Get out of Jail Free” card. And you can’t buy your way out of a trip to the Columbia County Detention Facility either, no matter what someone on the other side of the phone says.

FHP: Smoke causes concern near I-10, U.S. 41 interchange

A prescribed burn off Bell Road north of Lake City may cause some visibility issues overnight. The Florida Highway Patrol issued a motorist advisory Monday night about smoke remaining in the area near the U.S. Highway 41 and Interstate 10 interchange.
Fort White is hosting a Trunk or Treat for Halloween.

Fort White is hosting a Trunk or Treat for Halloween.

Fort White hosting Trunk or Treat

FORT WHITE - It will “Light, Camera, Scream” in Fort White next month. The town is hosting a Trunk or Treat event from 6-9 p.m. on Oct. 31 at the Fort White Sports Complex.
Todd and Tammy Denmark ride an antique wagon into Raven’s Hollow, the old west town depicted in their Denmark Acres site that will open Friday. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

Todd and Tammy Denmark ride an antique wagon into Raven’s Hollow, the old west town depicted in their Denmark Acres site that will open Friday. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

Denmark Acres adds old west town to cemetery spooks

The Wild West has arrived in North Florida. While the spooks of the Restless Slumber Cemetery still haunt Denmark Acres, 823 SW Wester Drive in Lake City, the old west town of Raven’s Hollow has now sprung up around the cemetery for all to enjoy.
Stevany Cole, a project developer with Florida Power & Light, speaks about the battery storage technology utilized at the Echo River Solar Energy Center in Suwannee County on Thursday. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

Stevany Cole, a project developer with Florida Power & Light, speaks about the battery storage technology utilized at the Echo River Solar Energy Center in Suwannee County on Thursday. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

Storing up the sun: FPL installs battery storage system at local solar sites

WELLBORN — A late afternoon thunderstorm or a cold, winter morning are no longer problems at the Echo River Solar Energy Center.
Teresa Register (from left) stands with her brothers Tevis Gay, Dewy Gay, State Rep. Chuck Brannan, Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter and Col. James Wiggins, Florida Director of the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement, following a ceremony where a portion of U.S. Highway 441 was dedicated in honor of slain agricultural officer Austin D. Gay.  The ceremony took place Friday morning at the Deep Creek Community Center. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Teresa Register (from left) stands with her brothers Tevis Gay, Dewy Gay, State Rep. Chuck Brannan, Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter and Col. James Wiggins, Florida Director of the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement, following a ceremony where a portion of U.S. Highway 441 was dedicated in honor of slain agricultural officer Austin D. Gay. The ceremony took place Friday morning at the Deep Creek Community Center. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Highway dedicated to fallen Agriculture law officer

DEEP CREEK — More than four decades ago, a Florida Agricultural law enforcement officer was kidnapped from an agricultural station in the northern part of the county and killed by his captors.

CCSO: Woman arrested for punching child in pickup line

A Lake City woman was arrested after authorities allege she physically abused a child outside a local school. According to a heavily redacted Columbia County Sheriff’s Office report, Precious Lee Kelly, 27, was arrested Tuesday following an investigation into the matter.

City budget, millage set for final approval

The Lake City Council is one vote away from locking in its $77.9 million budget for the next year, and the tax rate city residents will be paying. The council meets at 6 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 205 N. Marion Ave.