Local

Lori Koon (clockwise from left), deputy clerk, helps Anna Marlowe, Vera Platt and Donald Platt as they complete an application for a marriage license while at the Columbia County Clerk of Courts Record Division Office on Wednesday. Due to budget cuts, the clerks office is now closed on Fridays. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Lori Koon (clockwise from left), deputy clerk, helps Anna Marlowe, Vera Platt and Donald Platt as they complete an application for a marriage license while at the Columbia County Clerk of Courts Record Division Office on Wednesday. Due to budget cuts, the clerks office is now closed on Fridays. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Clerk’s office deals with cuts

TONY BRITT
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
The Columbia County Clerk of Court Office has laid off and furloughed employees, implemented a hiring freeze and will close its office on Fridays until further notice after its budget was recently reduced by the state.
County Commission Chairman Toby Witt said there are pros and cons to consolidation.

County Commission Chairman Toby Witt said there are pros and cons to consolidation.

Should city, county consolidate?

CARL MCKINNEY
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
The proposition of combining the governments of Columbia County and Lake City is emerging as a serious debate within the community.  On Thursday, the County Commission will hold a public hearing on whether to place a non-binding straw poll on the November ballot to measure interest in the idea.

One killed in motorcycle crash Monday

CARL MCKINNEY
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
A 21-year-old Lake City man was pronounced dead following a motorcycle crash on Northwest Nash Road on Monday night. Florida Highway Patrol, which investigated the incident, did not reveal the man’s name in an informal report released Tuesday.  Around 8 p.m.

Columbia Schools unveil digital tools

TONY BRITT
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
The Columbia County School District has introduced two new digital tools, one which will allow parents to register new students to the school district and the second is a parent portal account that has an app which will allow parents to track the students’ attendance and grades.
As of 2 p.m. Monday, the hospital’s 107 beds were all full, including the 18 Intensive Care Unit beds, according to numbers published online by the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration

As of 2 p.m. Monday, the hospital’s 107 beds were all full, including the 18 Intensive Care Unit beds, according to numbers published online by the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration

Beds full at LCMC, but NOT with coronavirus patients

CARL MCKINNEY
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
A state healthcare agency reported that all the beds at Lake City Medical Center were full as of Monday afternoon, but the hospital says the bare numbers don’t tell the entire story.  As of 2 p.m.
The Pregnancy Care Center’s virtual fundraiser event, which airs today, will remain online for 30 days. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

The Pregnancy Care Center’s virtual fundraiser event, which airs today, will remain online for 30 days. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Pregnancy Care Center hosting virtual fundraiser

TONY BRITT
Monday, July 13, 2020
The Pregnancy Care Center’s annual fundraiser will be virtual this year due to covid-19 safety protocols.

CRC sending 4 ballot initiatives to voters

CARL MCKINNEY
Monday, July 13, 2020
The ink is now dry. A package of four ballot proposals to amend the Columbia County charter is officially headed for voters in November. The county’s charter review board cleared the last real hurdle in the process Monday with a third and final public hearing on the items.