Local

The ICON Preparatory School Marching Rattlers performed Wednesday at Florida Gateway College’s Black History Month program. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

The ICON Preparatory School Marching Rattlers performed Wednesday at Florida Gateway College’s Black History Month program. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

ICON-ic performance: Local Black history shared at FGC

TONY BRITT
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
The ICON Prep School Marching Rattlers made quite an entrance Wednesday morning. A unit of drummers from the school’s band played a cadence as they made their made their way to the Howard Center accompanied by majorettes.

Employee caught on camera stealing

NEWS STAFF
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
A burglary at a downtown Lake City store was an inside job, authorities say. According to a Lake City Police Department release, Calley Dekle, a 47-year-old from Lake City, was caught on surveillance footage taking clothing from the sales floor of Nearly New Consignment as well as cash.
Jeff Siegmeister, the former State Attorney for the Third Judicial Circuit, pleaded guilty to extortion and wire fraud charges Tuesday for misconduct that occurred while he was in office. (COURTESY)

Jeff Siegmeister, the former State Attorney for the Third Judicial Circuit, pleaded guilty to extortion and wire fraud charges Tuesday for misconduct that occurred while he was in office. (COURTESY)

Siegmeister admits guilt

JAMIE WACHTER
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
JACKSONVILLE — The former top prosecutor in Florida’s Third Judicial Circuit admitted to extortion, wire fraud and other misconduct while in office.
McKinsey Wilson and Dakota Topham were married by County Judge Sara Carter at 2:22 p.m. on ‘Twosday’ 2-22-22 at the Columbia County Courthouse. They were one of the record number of couples who exchanged vows at the courthouse during the day. (COURTESY)

McKinsey Wilson and Dakota Topham were married by County Judge Sara Carter at 2:22 p.m. on ‘Twosday’ 2-22-22 at the Columbia County Courthouse. They were one of the record number of couples who exchanged vows at the courthouse during the day. (COURTESY)

Happy ‘Twosday’: Palindrome Day — 2-22-22 — sees Lake City marriage record

TODD WILSON
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
It was Valentine’s Day, take “Twosday,” yesterday at the Columbia County Clerk’s office. The courthouse was abuzz with love. Palindrome Day — 2-22-22 — saw a record number of couples obtain their marriage licenses and take the plunge on the unique date on the calendar.

Narloch: ‘We’re not starting over’

JAMIE WACHTER
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Lake City’s search for a new city manager is not starting over. Renee Narloch, the headhunter the Lake City Council hired to guide its search process, updated the council on the recruitment process during its Tuesday night meeting.
Scharlotte Stewart, Eastside Elementary School lead custodian, uses a shovel to cover a time capsule at the base of the school sign on Tuesday, 2/22/22. The capsule, which was placed by first graders, is scheduled to be open in 11 years, on 3/3/33, when the students are high school seniors. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Scharlotte Stewart, Eastside Elementary School lead custodian, uses a shovel to cover a time capsule at the base of the school sign on Tuesday, 2/22/22. The capsule, which was placed by first graders, is scheduled to be open in 11 years, on 3/3/33, when the students are high school seniors. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Eastside buries ‘Terrific Twosday’ time capsule

TONY BRITT
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Eastside Elementary School first graders held a unique celebration Tuesday as they buried a time capsule. The students circled their teachers and watched as students and other teachers placed a variety of items in a plastic tube that will be serving as a time capsule for the next 11 years.

Council awaits update on manager search

TONY BRITT
Monday, February 21, 2022
Lake City officials were forced to restart the process to find a new city manager two weeks ago. The Lake City Council looks to get the latest update in the renewed search from Renee Narloch, the head hunter the council hired to find the next city manager.
Tony Buzzella (center), commanding general of the Blue-Grey Army, starts off the Olustee Festival with some opening remarks Friday. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Tony Buzzella (center), commanding general of the Blue-Grey Army, starts off the Olustee Festival with some opening remarks Friday. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Weathering the storm: Scaled back Olustee opens amid showers

TONY BRITT
Friday, February 18, 2022
A scaled-back Olustee Festival designed to focus on food, entertainment, arts and crafts and education hit Lake City Friday morning with a sense of uniqueness.

Officials, attorneys hit gas on restoring licenses

JAMIE WACHTER
Friday, February 18, 2022
Public officials and law offices want to hit the gas on getting driver’s licenses reinstated to residents in Columbia County. A driver’s license reinstatement clinic is slated for Saturday, Feb. 26, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Darby Pavilion in downtown Lake City next to Lake DeSoto.
Lake City’s Kamaya Bennett is the president of the Crown To Crown mentoring program at the University of Central Florida, which helps girls in the Orlando area. (COURTESY)

Lake City’s Kamaya Bennett is the president of the Crown To Crown mentoring program at the University of Central Florida, which helps girls in the Orlando area. (COURTESY)

Mentoring is Bennett’s crowning achievement

TONY BRITT
Friday, February 18, 2022
Serving as a “big sister” to Central Florida girls has a Lake City native looking to expand a University of Central Florida organization. Kamaya Bennett, a 22-year-old Lake City native attending UCF, has found her passion in extra-curricular activities at the school.