Local

Home Depot employee charged with sticky fingers

TONY BRITT
Thursday, September 3, 2020
A Home Depot employee, who allegedly stole more than $1,000 from the store because she said she  needed the money for a down payment on an apartment, was arrested Wednesday afternoon after a store internal investigation.
HAECO is pursuing military contracts after losing a significant volume of its business. (FILE)

HAECO is pursuing military contracts after losing a significant volume of its business. (FILE)

HAECO eyeing military contracts

CARL MCKINNEY
Wednesday, September 2, 2020
Aircraft maintenance firm HAECO, a major employer in Columbia County, is pursuing military contracts after losing a significant volume of business in the civilian sector, city and county officials say.
Yaping Morgan, a local entrepreneur, shows off chili peppers she has grown with her Smart Farm automated watering system that she said makes growing food nearly effortless. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)

Yaping Morgan, a local entrepreneur, shows off chili peppers she has grown with her Smart Farm automated watering system that she said makes growing food nearly effortless. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)

Smart Farm makes growing food ‘automatic’

CARL MCKINNEY
Wednesday, September 2, 2020
A homegrown invention can turn any backyard into a mini-farm.  Smart Farm, a patented automated watering system created and sold by local entrepreneur Yaping Morgan, makes growing food almost effortless, the businesswoman says.
The ownership of Olustee Park, which is home to a Confederate monument, may be resolved Thursday. (FILE)

The ownership of Olustee Park, which is home to a Confederate monument, may be resolved Thursday. (FILE)

County washing hands of Olustee Park

CARL MCKINNEY
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
One of the hurdles for a plan to relocate the controversial Confederate monument in downtown Lake City is expected to be cleared Thursday. The obelisk-shaped monument sits in Olustee Park, which has for decades been treated as city land.

FGC adding truck driver training pad to Olustee Center

NEWS STAFF
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Construction is underway on a 28,000-square-foot driving pad at Florida Gateway College’s Olustee Public Safety Training Center.  Funded by a $2.39 million federal grant, the facility will be used for truck driver training as a part of FGC’s CDL (Commercial Driver License) Program.
Lake Shore Hospital has stopped treating patients but the hospital authority is pursuing a license to run the facility on interim basis. (FILE)

Lake Shore Hospital has stopped treating patients but the hospital authority is pursuing a license to run the facility on interim basis. (FILE)

LSHA pursuing license

CARL MCKINNEY
Monday, August 31, 2020
In the wake of Lake Shore Hospital’s effective closure, the Lake Shore Hospital Authority — a government entity that has for years leased the facility to private health care companies — is pursuing a license that would allow it to operate the hospital directly, if need be.

Upgrades for jail set to begin

CARL MCKINNEY
Monday, August 31, 2020
Construction is set to begin soon on a new 256-bed housing pod at the Columbia County jail, the first of a pair of projects to expand and renovate the facility estimated to cost roughly $19 million.
The Lake City Recreation Department’s Girls Club and Boys Club at Teen Town are closed due to covid-19 and are no longer offering after-school programs. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

The Lake City Recreation Department’s Girls Club and Boys Club at Teen Town are closed due to covid-19 and are no longer offering after-school programs. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Girls, boys clubs closed

TONY BRITT
Friday, August 28, 2020
The Lake City Recreation Department’s after-school care programs through its Girls Club and Boys Club at Teen Town are no longer options for parents. After providing after-school care services for more than 40 years, the programs were permanently shut down five months ago.