Local

Construction workers erect erosion control black fencing around the Circle K store site at the intersection of U.S. Highway 90 and Baya Drive Wednesday morning. The store is expected to be completed within 22 weeks. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Construction workers erect erosion control black fencing around the Circle K store site at the intersection of U.S. Highway 90 and Baya Drive Wednesday morning. The store is expected to be completed within 22 weeks. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Site work begins for Circle K

TONY BRITT
Wednesday, September 9, 2020
Site preparation work for the new Circle K convenience store and gas station began Wednesday morning as construction crews installed erosion control black fencing around the site and began the preliminary work to demolish an abandoned house on the property.
Lake City friends Chris Charles, (from left) Blake Smith, Wil Porter and Scott Busby battled this 11-foot, nearly 400-pound gator for several hours during an all-night hunt recently on the lower Suwannee River in Dixie County. The reptile gave them a story to tell for a lifetime. (COURTESY)

Lake City friends Chris Charles, (from left) Blake Smith, Wil Porter and Scott Busby battled this 11-foot, nearly 400-pound gator for several hours during an all-night hunt recently on the lower Suwannee River in Dixie County. The reptile gave them a story to tell for a lifetime. (COURTESY)

The Jaws of Victory

NEWS STAFF
Tuesday, September 8, 2020
(EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a first-person account of an all-night alligator hunt out of a boat last week on the lower Suwannee River. Chris Charles led the expedition and tells the story. He was with his friends Blake Smith, Wil Porter and Scott Busby.

Council, commission have nothing to talk about

CARL MCKINNEY
Tuesday, September 8, 2020
A joint city-county meeting was canceled last week because there was nothing to talk about, Lake City and Columbia County officials say. The main point of discussion at the meeting, which was scheduled for 6 p.m. Aug.

Man charged for injuries to pregnant woman

CARL MCKINNEY
Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Less than a month before her due date, a pregnant woman suffered physical abuse from a male member of her household — and then tried to cover for him, according to a Columbia County Sheriff’s Office report.
A federal investigation into former State Attorney Jeff Siegmeister has netted a guilty plea from Ernest Page IV, a former defense attorney turned prosecutor. (FILE)

A federal investigation into former State Attorney Jeff Siegmeister has netted a guilty plea from Ernest Page IV, a former defense attorney turned prosecutor. (FILE)

Attorney guilty of bribery

CARL MCKINNEY
Monday, September 7, 2020
Ernest Maloney Page IV, the defense attorney-turned-prosecutor central to allegations of bribery implicating former Third Circuit State Attorney Jeff Siegmeister, has pleaded guilty to criminal charges stemming from a federal probe involving a tractor sale.
The Battle of Olustee Confederate monument has caused a dispute into the ownership of Olustee Park. (FILE)

The Battle of Olustee Confederate monument has caused a dispute into the ownership of Olustee Park. (FILE)

Deed denial sparked by concerns of backlash

CARL MCKINNEY
Friday, September 4, 2020
Fear of a public backlash is what prompted the Columbia County Commission to vote against settling a land ownership issue related to the Battle of Olustee Confederate monument, multiple officials told the Lake City Reporter on Friday.

County launches relief program for small businesses

CARL MCKINNEY
Friday, September 4, 2020
Small businesses in the community may be eligible for up to $20,000 through an economic relief program Columbia County launched on Friday. The county’s Small Business Economic Stabilization program has allocated $7 million to help businesses hit hard by the pandemic.

SOE seeing increase in poll workers

CARL MCKINNEY
Friday, September 4, 2020
Poll-worker applications are surging as the November election looms, officials say. The influx of people wanting to become poll workers came as a surprise to the Columbia County Supervisor of Elections Office, which expected a continuation of the trend it saw in August.