Local

Local songwriters, musicians and music enthusiasts gather during a previous Santa Fe River Song Contest. (COURTESY)

Local songwriters, musicians and music enthusiasts gather during a previous Santa Fe River Song Contest. (COURTESY)

Santa Fe River Contest more than just songs

NEWS STAFF
Monday, March 21, 2022
FORT WHITE — The 10th annual Santa Fe River Song Contest will offer a lot more Sunday than new songs about the Santa Fe River. The event, which begins at 1 p.m.

LC man arrested in connection with cattle theft scheme

NEWS STAFF
Monday, March 21, 2022
The case against a Lake City man is moo-ving right along. Steven Joe Andrews, 32, was arrested Friday after a victim alleged that Andrews had stolen and sold 13 cattle and one bull from their family’s property, according to a Columbia County Sheriff’s Office release.
A bundle of bicycles sits in storage after being seized by the LCPD. The department recently donated the bikes to the United Way of Suwannee Valley. (COURTESY)

A bundle of bicycles sits in storage after being seized by the LCPD. The department recently donated the bikes to the United Way of Suwannee Valley. (COURTESY)

LCPD donates bikes to United Way

NEWS STAFF
Monday, March 21, 2022
The United Way of Suwannee Valley has a few more toys to play with. Or, more accurately, a few more toys to give away. The Lake City Police Department recently donated 21 bicycles to the United Way after collecting them as seized property during arrests, according to an LCPD release.
Richard P. Franklin (left) is escorted out of the Columbia County Courthouse Friday afternoon after a jury decided he wouldn’t face a death sentence for the 2012 murder of Columbia Correctional Institution officer Ruben Thomas. (MORGAN MCMULLEN/Lake City Reporter)

Richard P. Franklin (left) is escorted out of the Columbia County Courthouse Friday afternoon after a jury decided he wouldn’t face a death sentence for the 2012 murder of Columbia Correctional Institution officer Ruben Thomas. (MORGAN MCMULLEN/Lake City Reporter)

FRANKLIN SPARED: Convicted murderer gets third life sentence instead of death penalty

MORGAN MCMULLEN
Friday, March 18, 2022
A jury has spared the life of a convicted murderer. Instead, he’ll continue to spend the rest of his life in a maximum-security prison. The sentencing phase for Richard P.
Columbia County has seen an influx in tourism over the past year with visitors drawn to natural resources like the Ichetucknee River. (FILE)

Columbia County has seen an influx in tourism over the past year with visitors drawn to natural resources like the Ichetucknee River. (FILE)

Tourism brings in record revenue

JAMIE WACHTER
Friday, March 18, 2022
Columbia County has become a popular destination. From February 2021 through January 2022, more than $1.9 million has been collected in bed taxes according to information released this week by the Columbia County Tourist Development Council. That’s a 23.

City Manager short list features three

JAMIE WACHTER
Friday, March 18, 2022
Lake City has finalists for its vacant manager position once again. Renee Narloch, the Tallahassee-based consultant the Lake City Council hired to guide it through the search process for a new top administrator, will recommend three finalists to the council at its meeting Monday at 6 p.m.

Grant to buoy Project Wave

JAMIE WACHTER
Friday, March 18, 2022
Columbia County is looking to pump in more grant funds to support Project Wave. The first proposed tenant at the North Florida Mega Industrial Park is the county’s business partner as it applies for a Community Development Block Grant for Economic Development.
Inga Dwyer, the Toys for Tots coordinator for Columbia and Suwannee counties, helps load a stack of books Thursday for the Lake City Christian Academy. Dwyer used leftover funds to provide books for local schools during Literacy Month. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

Inga Dwyer, the Toys for Tots coordinator for Columbia and Suwannee counties, helps load a stack of books Thursday for the Lake City Christian Academy. Dwyer used leftover funds to provide books for local schools during Literacy Month. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

Giving the gift of reading

JAMIE WACHTER
Friday, March 18, 2022
Christmas has come early for some local schools. Armed with some rare leftover funds, Inga Dwyer, the Toys for Tots coordinator for Columbia and Suwannee counties, is delivering more presents. The gift?
Representatives for both the prosecution and defense — including State Attorney John Durrett (second from left) and defense attorneys Allison Miller (third from left) and Nathan Marshburn (second from right) — and Judge Paul Bryan (right) gather around the court’s stenographer to review a piece of testimony Thursday afternoon at the Columbia County Courthouse. (MORGAN MCMULLEN/Lake City Reporter)

Representatives for both the prosecution and defense — including State Attorney John Durrett (second from left) and defense attorneys Allison Miller (third from left) and Nathan Marshburn (second from right) — and Judge Paul Bryan (right) gather around the court’s stenographer to review a piece of testimony Thursday afternoon at the Columbia County Courthouse. (MORGAN MCMULLEN/Lake City Reporter)

Franklin set to return to court Friday

MORGAN MCMULLEN
Thursday, March 17, 2022
The decision over whether a convicted murderer should receive the death penalty had another wrinkle added to it Thursday afternoon. After hearing testimony and cross-examinations during the penalty phase for Richard P.