Local

Ken Wells, of Bubba’s Site Prep, uses an excavator to move dirt while prepping a site for the Westside Elementary School multi-purpose room. Construction on the project began last week and is expected to be completed by the end of summer. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Ken Wells, of Bubba’s Site Prep, uses an excavator to move dirt while prepping a site for the Westside Elementary School multi-purpose room. Construction on the project began last week and is expected to be completed by the end of summer. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Westside is building for the future

TONY BRITT
Monday, January 25, 2021
The building for the future is happening both inside and out at Westside Elementary School. In addition to developing future leaders in the school, Westside is also working on a long-awaited expansion to its campus with the addition of a multi-purpose room.

Sprucing up Lake DeSoto

TONY BRITT
Monday, January 25, 2021
Armed with two canoes, swimming pool skimmers, a horde of gloves  and initiative, Rotarians and local volunteers gave Lake DeSoto a deep cleaning.

Cops: Drunk man fled to get boss’s truck home

JAMIE WACHTER
Monday, January 25, 2021
LAKE BUTLER — A Lake Butler man had a good reason for leading authorities on a high-speed chase early Sunday morning from Fort White to his house in Union County: he was drunk and wanted to get his boss’s truck back to his shop, according to a police report.

Columbia County surpasses 7,000 covid-19 cases

NEWS STAFF
Monday, January 25, 2021
Thirty-six new cases of the covid-19 virus announced Saturday moved Columbia County past the 7,000-case mark. Add in 47 more positive tests since then and the county had 7,070 confirmed cases as of Monday morning, according to data from the Florida Department of Health.

Renting room with dead man’s ID leads to jail

JAMIE WACHTER
Monday, January 25, 2021
A Lake City inn rented a room last week to a dead person. Or at least a man using a dead person’s ID. The Lake City Police Department arrested 32-year-old David Poppell, of O’Brien, on a handful of charges that included fraud/impersonation after an incident at the Cypress Inn on U.S.
Jase Robertson of Duck Commander and ‘Duck Dynasty’ fame will be the featured speaker at the FCA Outdoor North Florida’s annual fundraising banquet March 4. (COURTESY)

Jase Robertson of Duck Commander and ‘Duck Dynasty’ fame will be the featured speaker at the FCA Outdoor North Florida’s annual fundraising banquet March 4. (COURTESY)

Duck Commander’s Jase Robertson to speak at FCA Outdoor banquet

JAMIE WACHTER
Friday, January 22, 2021
It’s a match made in a duck blind. Jase Robertson of Duck Commander and “Duck Dynasty” fame will be the featured speaker March 4 for FCA Outdoor North Florida’s annual fundraising banquet at Christ Central. It is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.
Sarah White (left) and Sara Driggers, Columbia County Health Department nurses, pack up vaccination supplies after helping to vaccinate 630 residents with the covid-19 vaccine on Thursday. The workers vaccinated 630 people in six hours. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Sarah White (left) and Sara Driggers, Columbia County Health Department nurses, pack up vaccination supplies after helping to vaccinate 630 residents with the covid-19 vaccine on Thursday. The workers vaccinated 630 people in six hours. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Vaccine distribution continues locally

TONY BRITT
Friday, January 22, 2021
It was the Columbia County Health Department’s busiest vaccination day yet. Health department employees administered more than 600 covid-19 vaccinations Thursday, cutting into a waiting list that is 7,000 names long.
Chris Greene, the chairman of Lake City’s utility advisory committee, discussed a joint committee with county representation at the county meeting Thursday. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Chris Greene, the chairman of Lake City’s utility advisory committee, discussed a joint committee with county representation at the county meeting Thursday. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

County joins joint utility group

TONY BRITT
Thursday, January 21, 2021
City and county officials have been working together for months on projects that called for expanded utility services with hopes of spurring economic development.