Local

Halpatter Brewing is offering ‘This Close Gose’ on Saturday. (COURTESY)

Halpatter Brewing is offering ‘This Close Gose’ on Saturday. (COURTESY)

Halpatter brewing up purple beer fundraiser

TONY BRITT
Thursday, October 22, 2020
Tasting purple beer may not be a beer aficionado’s ideal weekend task, but this weekend, Halpatter Brewing is offering a limited amount of purple brew to help fight polio as a fundraiser.
Kent Banner, an elections office staff member, prepares for early voting by adding signs in front of the supervisor of elections office. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Kent Banner, an elections office staff member, prepares for early voting by adding signs in front of the supervisor of elections office. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Early voting starts Thursday in Columbia

NEWS STAFF
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
After hundreds of voters have descended upon the Supervisor of Elections office the past few days, they can finally begin to cast their ballots. Early voting officially starts today in Columbia County, running through Oct. 31. Voters can cast ballots from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Voters flocking too early to polls

TONY BRITT
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Columbia County voters are primed and ready to cast their ballots in the upcoming presidential election. How ready? So ready that supervisor of election officials say nearly 1,000 people have come to cast their early voting ballots already.
Sgt. Steven Khachigan is the new public information officer at the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Sgt. Steven Khachigan is the new public information officer at the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Khachigan accepts new role at CCSO

TONY BRITT
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Law enforcement jobs invariably come with a sense of danger, excitement, drama and adventure. After more than a decade in law enforcement, Sgt.
Brian Forte and his wife, Amanda, look through pumpkins at the Columbia FFA Pumpkin Patch with their children Kaiden (standing) and Railynn. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Brian Forte and his wife, Amanda, look through pumpkins at the Columbia FFA Pumpkin Patch with their children Kaiden (standing) and Railynn. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

FFA patch brimming with pumpkins

TONY BRITT
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Pumpkins on pallets. Pumpkins on hay bales. Pumpkins on display. Pumpkins everywhere and on sale from the local FFA.
Matt Gaetz, a congressman from Florida’s First District in the panhandle, speaks during Monday’s rally in front of the Trump campaign bus while former acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker looks on. More than 150 people attended the campaign stop at the Lake City Plaza. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Matt Gaetz, a congressman from Florida’s First District in the panhandle, speaks during Monday’s rally in front of the Trump campaign bus while former acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker looks on. More than 150 people attended the campaign stop at the Lake City Plaza. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Loading up for Trump: Fired-up crowd greets campaign bus on local stop

TONY BRITT
Monday, October 19, 2020
The Lake City Plaza parking lot turned red Monday morning. The plaza was full of President Donald Trump supporters when one of his re-election campaign buses stopped in town for a visit.

City ups park grant request to $800K

TODD WILSON
Monday, October 19, 2020
Proposed improvements at Wilson Park downtown took another step toward reality Monday, as the Lake City Council approved the details of a possible $800,000 grant application.
Chip Parker carries a pole to a trash dumpster, while other volunteers unload a truck, during Saturday’s Clean Lake City event. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Chip Parker carries a pole to a trash dumpster, while other volunteers unload a truck, during Saturday’s Clean Lake City event. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Cleanup event fills dumpsters

TONY BRITT
Monday, October 19, 2020
Not one, not two and not even three dumpsters could contain the clutter collected Saturday. Couches, mattresses, end tables and other household debris were just a few of the numerous items filling two roll-away dumpsters Saturday morning during the inaugural Lake City community cleanup event.

Gwen Lake funding gets council approval

TODD WILSON
Monday, October 19, 2020
Upgrades to the erosion and lake fill problems in the residential area near Gwen Lake saw the Lake City Council approve a $420,000 expenditure for the project during Monday night’s meeting. The City Council approved a resolution to accept a bid from Florida Fill and Grading, Inc.