Local

A firefighter uses a hose to douse flames coming from a window during a training session Friday. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

A firefighter uses a hose to douse flames coming from a window during a training session Friday. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

‘Burner’ provides fire training

TONY BRITT
Saturday, October 17, 2020
Smoke was everywhere — flames erupted through windows; firefighters exited structures head-first or crawled around spaces where the external temperature was recorded at 425 degrees, while a fire truck sat at the end of the road with all sorts of hoses attached leading in several different...

County OKs fix to CARES program

JAMIE WACHTER
Thursday, October 15, 2020
The Columbia County Board of County Commissioners gave Interim County Manager David Kraus “broad discretion” to “fix” the county’s financial assistance program for those affected by the covid-19 pandemic.

Walker sparks community cleanup event

NEWS STAFF
Thursday, October 15, 2020
A decluttering event set for Saturday is free to the public and will allow residents to discard unwanted items in temporary dumpsters set up in the downtown area. The event is set for 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
Caryn Cooper, daughter of the late Robert Warren Cooper Jr., who was the owner of the Pizza Boy Pizza restaurant, looks at a bouquet of flowers on the restaurant’s counter Wednesday afternoon. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Caryn Cooper, daughter of the late Robert Warren Cooper Jr., who was the owner of the Pizza Boy Pizza restaurant, looks at a bouquet of flowers on the restaurant’s counter Wednesday afternoon. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Cooper’s love of Lake City, veterans remembered

TONY BRITT
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
The smell of pizza wafted through the air at the Pizza Boy Pizza restaurant Wednesday afternoon as the staff and employees cooked, undoubtedly, with heavy hearts. Robert Warren Cooper Jr.

Columbia adds two more covid deaths

NEWS STAFF
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Columbia County has added two additional deaths linked to the covid-19 pandemic. The Columbia County Health Department announced the confirmation of the deaths of a 69-year-old man and a 73-year-old man Wednesday that died after previously contracting the disease.
Julia Fulton (from left), county extension service secretary specialist, gets jars of peanut butter from Garnet Dasher, county extension service secretary specialist, and Heather Janney, UF/IFAS Extension Columbia County Extension director and 4H agent, on Tuesday afternoon as they collect peanut butter for the Peanut Butter Challenge. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Julia Fulton (from left), county extension service secretary specialist, gets jars of peanut butter from Garnet Dasher, county extension service secretary specialist, and Heather Janney, UF/IFAS Extension Columbia County Extension director and 4H agent, on Tuesday afternoon as they collect peanut butter for the Peanut Butter Challenge. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Up to the challenge: Extension office collecting peanut butter for hungry families

TONY BRITT
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
Looking to spread a little food to those in need, the Columbia County Extension Service is taking on the challenge. The extension office has initiated a “Peanut Butter Challenge” where the agency is calling on the public to donate peanut butter for local food banks.

Ford helps LCPD protect officers

TONY BRITT
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
The Lake City Police Department — with help from Ford — has found a new way to protect themselves and the community. The LCPD is utilizing a software upgrade in its vehicles to provide another level of protection for officers and the public from covid-19.
Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter thanks K9 officer Rek for his six years of service with the sheriff’s office. Rek was retired Monday and adopted by his handler/partner, Deputy Matthew Waddington. (COURTESY Columbia County Sheriff's Office)

Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter thanks K9 officer Rek for his six years of service with the sheriff’s office. Rek was retired Monday and adopted by his handler/partner, Deputy Matthew Waddington. (COURTESY Columbia County Sheriff's Office)

Good dog: K9 officer Rek retires after six years with CCSO

TONY BRITT
Monday, October 12, 2020
The heat was blistering in June, but there was no slowing down for Rek. A Columbia County Sheriff’s Office K9 officer, Rek and his handler tracked a suspect for more than two miles before the suspect was apprehended that hot summer day.

Shooting outside bar leads to arrest

JAMIE WACHTER
Monday, October 12, 2020
Club Rodeo served up more than drinks early Sunday morning as an argument led to shots being fired outside the bar. According to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy was headed home around 12:30 a.m. Sunday when a female waved him down near U.S. Hwy.