Local

A crowd enjoys Ichetucknee Springs State Park on Monday as thousands visited the park during the Memorial Day weekend. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

A crowd enjoys Ichetucknee Springs State Park on Monday as thousands visited the park during the Memorial Day weekend. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Springs attract thousands over Memorial Day weekend

TONY BRITT
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
Tubers, kayakers, swimmers, canoers and other visitors enjoyed the beauty and uniqueness of the Ichetucknee River over the Memorial Holiday weekend, signaling the unofficial beginning of summer as well as the start of tubing season.
Jo Ann Bailey (second from right) hugs FGC Library Director Christine Boatright alongside Bailey’s daughter Jana Robinson (left) and Bailey’s grandchildren, Hannah and Hailey Robinson. (MORGAN MCMULLEN/Lake City Reporter)

Jo Ann Bailey (second from right) hugs FGC Library Director Christine Boatright alongside Bailey’s daughter Jana Robinson (left) and Bailey’s grandchildren, Hannah and Hailey Robinson. (MORGAN MCMULLEN/Lake City Reporter)

Longtime FGC library employee calls it a career

MORGAN MCMULLEN
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
After nearly half a century of helping students, serving as a sort of unofficial college historian, and perhaps being a little louder than usual in a library setting, one of Florida Gateway College’s longest-tenured employees is ready to call it a career.
Alicia Blackford (from left) and Laurie Renegar carry meals to a minivan at Five Points Elementary School last summer. (FILE)

Alicia Blackford (from left) and Laurie Renegar carry meals to a minivan at Five Points Elementary School last summer. (FILE)

CCS summer frozen meal boxes put on ice

MORGAN MCMULLEN
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
Families relying on weekly meal boxes to feed their children over the summer will have to look elsewhere this year: such as school sites themselves.

Cops: Mental health crisis led to Walmart threat

JAMIE WACHTER
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
A pair of early morning trips to Walmart ended in another trip for one would-be shopper Tuesday. According to a Lake City Police Department release, officers responded to Walmart just after 6 a.m. Tuesday when employees reported a person was making threats of “shooting up the place.
The Stumble Creek Band performs during the 70th annual Florida Folk Festival at the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park over the weekend. (ROB WOLFE/Special to the Reporter)

The Stumble Creek Band performs during the 70th annual Florida Folk Festival at the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park over the weekend. (ROB WOLFE/Special to the Reporter)

7,500 attend 70th annual Folk Festival

TONY BRITT
Monday, May 30, 2022
WHITE SPRINGS — For the past two years, on the final weekend of May, the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park was missing the echoes of people laughing, giving ovations to musicians and eating a variety of Florida foods.
Lake City Police Chief Gerald Butler swore in new officers Amanda Pepin (center) and Donald Edouard (left) last week. (COURTESY)

Lake City Police Chief Gerald Butler swore in new officers Amanda Pepin (center) and Donald Edouard (left) last week. (COURTESY)

LCPD swears in pair from sponsorship program

NEWS STAFF
Monday, May 30, 2022
A program aimed at filling department vacancies has begun to paid dividends for the Lake City Police Department. Last week, Chief Gerald Butler swore in Amanda Pepin and Donald Edouard as police officers in a brief ceremony.
A graduate proudly holds up her diploma after walking off stage during commencement exercises Friday. (RAY CARPENTER/Special to the Reporter)

A graduate proudly holds up her diploma after walking off stage during commencement exercises Friday. (RAY CARPENTER/Special to the Reporter)

CHS celebrates end of an era with commencement

TONY BRITT
Monday, May 30, 2022
When Columbia High School graduation candidates for the Class of 2022 began to take the field and hold seats, they were greeted by an ovation from the audience.

Murder suspect arrested after shooting

NEWS STAFF
Sunday, May 29, 2022
An overnight shooting left one dead in southern Lake City and sent another man to jail. According to the Lake City Police Department, officers responded to SW Happiness Lane around 12:15 a.m. Sunday where they found a 20-year-old black male victim with a gunshot wound to the chest.
Westside Elementary School kindergarten teacher Argie Crusaw retired this week after 33 years as an educator in the Columbia County School System. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Westside Elementary School kindergarten teacher Argie Crusaw retired this week after 33 years as an educator in the Columbia County School System. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Crusaw retires after 33 years as CCS teacher

TONY BRITT
Friday, May 27, 2022
For more than 30 years, Argie Crusaw was able to take kindergarten-aged students from the nursing arms of their parents and introduce the children to the world of school.

TDC brand, logo set to be unveiled next week

NEWS STAFF
Friday, May 27, 2022
The excitement radiating from the Columbia County Tourist Development Council is as clear as one of the county’s hundreds of springs. The TDC is ready to unveil its long-awaited new logo and branding during a noon presentation meeting Wednesday at its office, 971 W. Duval Street, Suite 145.