Local

Gas station 911 call ends in caller’s arrest

NEWS STAFF
Friday, March 19, 2021
A Lake City woman might’ve taken getting gassed up a little too far.  According to a Lake City Police Department report, Savannah Lee Pinnix, 28, was arrested Tuesday evening after she made a call to police saying a man at the Murphy USA gas station at 2659 W. U.S.
Sheriff Mark Hunter (left) discusses internet cafes with a group of supporters Thursday evening. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Sheriff Mark Hunter (left) discusses internet cafes with a group of supporters Thursday evening. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Luck runs out: County sets hearing to ban gaming machines, sites

TONY BRITT
Thursday, March 18, 2021
The bright lights of internet cafes may soon be dimmed in Columbia County. County officials approved three motions Thursday night designed to eliminate the gaming sites from unincorporated areas of the county.
NorthStar Family Resource Center manager Philip Mobley (center) gives a tour of the facilities at the Richardson Community Center.

NorthStar Family Resource Center manager Philip Mobley (center) gives a tour of the facilities at the Richardson Community Center.

NorthStar looks to provide direction for families

TONY BRITT
Thursday, March 18, 2021
Lake City now has a community resource center capable of handling the needs of local families facing a variety of challenges.
Tracy Starling will perform Saturday night at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park. Bam and JaJo headline Friday’s performance. (COURTESY)

Tracy Starling will perform Saturday night at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park. Bam and JaJo headline Friday’s performance. (COURTESY)

Live music returns to Music Park

NEWS STAFF
Thursday, March 18, 2021
LIVE OAK — It’s finally happening folks. Live music will be back at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park north of Live Oak in the new screened-in porch at the SOS Café from 6-9 p.m. both Friday and Saturday nights.
Andy Bennett (from left), Westside Elementary School physical education teacher; stands with Darryl Thomas, Columbia High School welding teacher; Dennis Dotson, Westside Elementary School principal; and Trey Hosford, Columbia High School principal; during a brief presentation Wednesday morning where the Grayson Martin Memorial Welding Scholarship was established at the Columbia High School welding lab. Martin was killed in a wreck weeks earlier. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Andy Bennett (from left), Westside Elementary School physical education teacher; stands with Darryl Thomas, Columbia High School welding teacher; Dennis Dotson, Westside Elementary School principal; and Trey Hosford, Columbia High School principal; during a brief presentation Wednesday morning where the Grayson Martin Memorial Welding Scholarship was established at the Columbia High School welding lab. Martin was killed in a wreck weeks earlier. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Welding scholarship set up in Martin’s memory

TONY BRITT
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Looking to preserve the memory of a Columbia High Class of 2020 graduate, family members and school officials have found a way to provide for the future.
Treasure Island (pictured above) and The Wild Cherry, two internet cafes along U.S. Highway 441 in Columbia County, are among a large number of internet cafes in Columbia County. County officials are scheduled to discuss possibly setting a hearing date for to implement a proposed ordinance that will be a temporary moratorium on all internet cafes in the unincorporated areas of the county. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Treasure Island (pictured above) and The Wild Cherry, two internet cafes along U.S. Highway 441 in Columbia County, are among a large number of internet cafes in Columbia County. County officials are scheduled to discuss possibly setting a hearing date for to implement a proposed ordinance that will be a temporary moratorium on all internet cafes in the unincorporated areas of the county. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Are all bets off? BOCC considering moratorium on internet cafes

TONY BRITT
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Internet cafes are one of the fastest growing segments of local business establishments.  The problem is, the number of gaming sites in Columbia County is growing so fast that local officials can’t keep up, sparking consideration of imposing a temporary moratorium barring new establishments.
Olustee Park, the downtown Lake City home to the Battle of Olustee Confederate monument, is owned by Columbia County, according to a legal opinion received by city officials last week. (FILE)

Olustee Park, the downtown Lake City home to the Battle of Olustee Confederate monument, is owned by Columbia County, according to a legal opinion received by city officials last week. (FILE)

City: Olustee Park belongs to county

TONY BRITT
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Downtown Lake City’s Olustee Park — and, perhaps, the Battle of Olustee Confederate monument — belongs to Columbia County, according to a legal opinion requested by Lake City officials.

Suspect avoids capture during manhunt

JAMIE WACHTER
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
FORT WHITE — A manhunt in southern Columbia County on Tuesday morning led to one arrest, but not the man authorities are searching for. Phillip Poppell, 40,was not located during the search or the area around Scout Glen and Old Wire Road, which lasted several hours Thursday.