Local

Columbia County Health Department Administrator Tom Moffses checks in an individual for his second covid-19 vaccine shot Tuesday. The health department administered 1,136 vaccines Tuesday, all second doses. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Columbia County Health Department Administrator Tom Moffses checks in an individual for his second covid-19 vaccine shot Tuesday. The health department administered 1,136 vaccines Tuesday, all second doses. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Round 2 begins on covid vaccine

TONY BRITT
Tuesday, February 2, 2021
When it came time to start administering the second round of covid-19 vaccines, the Columbia County Health Department went big. The health department vaccinated 1,136 people Tuesday, the most it has done in one day so far.
Dick Vautrinot has photographed wildlife from coast to coast. His ‘Birds in Flight’ exhibition will be shown at the Gateway Art Gallery through February and March. (COURTESY)

Dick Vautrinot has photographed wildlife from coast to coast. His ‘Birds in Flight’ exhibition will be shown at the Gateway Art Gallery through February and March. (COURTESY)

Vautrinot soars into gallery with ‘Birds in Flight’

NEWS STAFF
Tuesday, February 2, 2021
The Gateway Art Gallery is going to the birds. Starting Friday, noted wildlife photographer Dick Vautrinot will have a one-man exhibition — “Birds in Flight” — running at the gallery through March. An opening reception will be held Friday from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Gateway Art Gallery, 168 N.

High speed chase ends in O’Brien man’s arrest

NEWS STAFF
Tuesday, February 2, 2021
After more than 20 minutes of trying to race away from Columbia County Sheriff’s Office deputies early Monday morning, an O’Brien man couldn’t outrun a spike strip. The 23-minute high speed chase southwest of Lake City ended around 3 a.m.
Sylvester Warren (right) uses a megaphone chanting 'No Justice, No peace; No racist police' during a Black Lives Matter protest where protesters we’re asking for police reform and better oversight. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Sylvester Warren (right) uses a megaphone chanting 'No Justice, No peace; No racist police' during a Black Lives Matter protest where protesters we’re asking for police reform and better oversight. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

‘Enough is enough’: Protesters claim ‘injustice’ by police

TONY BRITT
Monday, February 1, 2021
“No justice, no peace; No racist police,” Sylvester Warren bellowed through a megaphone, with his chant echoed by a crowd of protesters Monday afternoon.
Christopher Esing, a local historian, has a knack for making history personal and special for people during presentations. (COURTESY)

Christopher Esing, a local historian, has a knack for making history personal and special for people during presentations. (COURTESY)

Make a personal connection with the past

NEWS STAFF
Monday, February 1, 2021
On a good day history is an objective recording of past occurrences.
Firefighters battle a structure fire that destroyed four apartments in the Columbia Arms Apartment Complex Saturday. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Firefighters battle a structure fire that destroyed four apartments in the Columbia Arms Apartment Complex Saturday. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Blaze damages four apartments

TONY BRITT
Monday, February 1, 2021
An afternoon blaze gutted several apartments in the Columbia Arms apartment complex Saturday afternoon. The fire occurred in the building that houses apartments 101-102  and 201-202 at 1428 S.
The Q-Time 777 casino is located on East Duval Street. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

The Q-Time 777 casino is located on East Duval Street. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

One killed in Q-Time casino shooting

TONY BRITT
Saturday, January 30, 2021
A disgruntled internet casino customer was shot and killed Saturday morning by a security guard after the patron opened fire inside the Q-Time 777 casino, authorities said. The investigation is ongoing and the victim’s identity has not been released.
An abandoned house sits on Broadway is listed as owing lien fees at $25 per day since September 2019. The city has several such properties with lien fees topping $4.5 million. The city’s lien amnesty program could reduce the amount of blighted properties in the city. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

An abandoned house sits on Broadway is listed as owing lien fees at $25 per day since September 2019. The city has several such properties with lien fees topping $4.5 million. The city’s lien amnesty program could reduce the amount of blighted properties in the city. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Fines? No problem

TONY BRITT
Friday, January 29, 2021
City officials are on the cusp of initiating a new program that will wipe more than $4.5 million in fees off the books — fees that even one city council member’s spouse is accused of owing.