Local

County Commission: Housing incentive plan gets the OK

CARL MCKINNEY
Thursday, May 21, 2020
A tax rebate program to encourage housing development was approved by the Columbia County Commission on Thursday. The program allows for a five-year refund of between 85 to 95 percent, depending on the amount being invested in a development project.

Cops say he tried to burn down home with his ex in it

CARL MCKINNEY
Thursday, May 21, 2020
LIVE OAK — A bale of pine straw helped catch an arsonist, according to a Live Oak Police Department report. Ruben Mejia, 54, of Voyles Street, used the pine straw as kindling in a fiery revenge scheme against his ex-girlfriend, the report says.   A little after 5 a.m.

Patchy internet access at issue

CARL MCKINNEY
Thursday, May 21, 2020
Patches of the county are still without internet access, a problem that received some attention Thursday night after a county commissioner resolved to use utility permits as leverage to get Comcast to the table.

Man on tractor is jailed

CARL MCKINNEY
Thursday, May 21, 2020
Two neighbors were plunged into an altercation after one of them harassed the other with a John Deere tractor, according to a Columbia County Sheriff’s Office report.  Ronnie Jerry Hughes, 69, of Northwest Spradley Road, was arrested Wednesday in the fallout of an incident that took place in March.
Columbia County GOP Chairman Hunter Peeler poses in front of the local Republican headquarters. The 21-year-old has been chosen to be a delegate at the Republican National Convention in North Carolina this August. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)

Columbia County GOP Chairman Hunter Peeler poses in front of the local Republican headquarters. The 21-year-old has been chosen to be a delegate at the Republican National Convention in North Carolina this August. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)

Peeler headed to Charlotte for GOP Convention

CARL MCKINNEY
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Hunter Peeler imagines telling the story to his grandchildren one day. The 21-year-old Columbia County GOP chairman expects it will be a historic moment, and he’ll be able to tell future generations “I was there.” Peeler has been chosen as a delegate for the Republican National Convention.

Second suspect is nabbed in Vegas One Casino shooting

CARL MCKINNEY
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Two months after a trio of gunmen robbed Vegas One Casino on U.S. Highway 441 and shot an employee, deputies have arrested a second suspect.  Andruw Elijah Maddox, 18, of Alachua, was booked into the Columbia County jail Tuesday on a robbery charge in connection with the March 9 incident.

Worker at college bookstore faces theft charge

CARL MCKINNEY
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
An employee at the Florida Gateway College bookstore stole more than $1,600 from the shop because “college is expensive,” according to a Columbia County Sheriff’s Office report. Ethan Rayne Goodrich, 20, of Southwest County Road 240, was arrested on a grand theft charge Tuesday.
The Girls and Boys Club summer camp programs have been canceled due to restrictions in place to fight covid-19, upsetting many parents who now have to find other arrangements for their children over the break. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)

The Girls and Boys Club summer camp programs have been canceled due to restrictions in place to fight covid-19, upsetting many parents who now have to find other arrangements for their children over the break. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)

Loss of summer camp a blow to parents, kids

CARL MCKINNEY
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Summer camp is just about the only thing 12-year-old Abby Houston has been able to talk about for the past few weeks, her father says.  Abby has been participating in the Lake City Girls Club summer camp program since she was about 6.
Lisa Olin, center, brandishes numerous T.J. Maxx bags after a shopping trip Tuesday afternoon with her daughter, Ryley, and mother, Kim. Lake City Mall stores are mostly reopened, with J.C. Penney set to reopen Wednesday. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter).

Lisa Olin, center, brandishes numerous T.J. Maxx bags after a shopping trip Tuesday afternoon with her daughter, Ryley, and mother, Kim. Lake City Mall stores are mostly reopened, with J.C. Penney set to reopen Wednesday. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter).

Mall is bustling; JCPenney reopens Wednesday

CARL MCKINNEY
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
As retail stores continue to gradually reopen across the state, Lake City Mall showed signs of life on Tuesday. It was a faint pulse at first, but it grew stronger by the hour. A steady flow of shoppers re-learned what it felt like to push a physical cart.