Local

A Confederate monument sits in Olustee Park in downtown Lake City. The park is owned by the City of Live Oak, property appraiser records show. (FILE photo)

A Confederate monument sits in Olustee Park in downtown Lake City. The park is owned by the City of Live Oak, property appraiser records show. (FILE photo)

City owns Olustee Park

CARL MCKINNEY
Friday, July 24, 2020
A historian helping Lake City officials research the background of a controversial Confederate monument downtown says the city, which is facing calls to move the Civil War memorial, doesn’t own the land beneath it. Property appraiser records say otherwise.

Candidate forum has new look

NEWS STAFF
Friday, July 24, 2020
The Lake City Reporter Candidate Forum, set to start a week from Monday, will feature frank talk and a lively exchange of ideas. “It will be candidates’ best shot at connecting directly with voters,” said Lake City Reporter Editor Robert Bridges. “They are excited and so are we.

CYFA not punting on season amid covid-19 pandemic

TONY BRITT
Friday, July 24, 2020
Covid-19 has not caused the Columbia Youth Football Association to punt on its season. Jeff Tyre, CYFA President, said the league’s player and cheerleader registrations will begin in August, and the season will start in a few weeks with new safety protocols in place to deal with the pandemic.
Brenda Brickel, a local registered nurse, holds Teddy Weddy Bear, her eight-pound Pomeranian that woke her Tuesday night when she feel asleep while cooking chicken wings. Brickel credits the dog with saving her life. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Brenda Brickel, a local registered nurse, holds Teddy Weddy Bear, her eight-pound Pomeranian that woke her Tuesday night when she feel asleep while cooking chicken wings. Brickel credits the dog with saving her life. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Nurse credits pet Pomeranian with saving her life

TONY BRITT
Thursday, July 23, 2020
Through the years, Brenda Brickel and “Teddy Weddy Bear,” her eight-pound Pomeranian, have formed an emotional  bond. Teddy Weddy Bear has been by Brickel’s side through happy times and some not-so-good times as she recovered from a life-threatening illness years ago.

Masks on the table for students

CARL MCKINNEY
Thursday, July 23, 2020
A mask mandate is on the table for older Columbia County public school students, but individual school board members dodged questions on whether they’d support such a rule.  Brick-and-mortar campuses are expected to reopen when classes start Aug. 13.

REC candidate rally slated for fairgrounds

TONY BRITT
Thursday, July 23, 2020
The Columbia County Republican Party is providing local residents with an opportunity for a free dinner and chance to meet candidates during its only Republican Candidate Rally. The rally will take place Saturday at the Florida Gateway Fairgrounds beginning at 3 p.m. for a candidate meet and greet.
Columbia Correctional Institution went from 574 cases on Wednesday to 973 on Thursday.

Columbia Correctional Institution went from 574 cases on Wednesday to 973 on Thursday.

Covid-19 case surge continues at Columbia CI

JAMIE WACHTER
Thursday, July 23, 2020
LAKE CITY — Columbia Correctional Institution continues to be a covid-19 hot spot. According to data from the Florida Department of Corrections, nearly 1,000 inmates at the prison had tested positive for the virus as of noon Thursday.
A Chipotle Mexican Grill, like the one pictured in Athens, Ga., is coming to the former Bojangles restaurant location on West U.S. Highway 90. (BRIAN SCHULMAN/Courtesy of Chipotle Mexican Grill)

A Chipotle Mexican Grill, like the one pictured in Athens, Ga., is coming to the former Bojangles restaurant location on West U.S. Highway 90. (BRIAN SCHULMAN/Courtesy of Chipotle Mexican Grill)

Chipotle is on the way

TONY BRITT
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Folks who have a preference for eating Mexican food will soon have another local option; Lake City is getting a Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant. David Young, Lake City’s Growth Management Director, said the construction permit for the restaurant was picked up Tuesday afternoon.

FGC to require masks this fall

CARL MCKINNEY
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Smaller classes, a shorter semester and mandatory masks are part of the roadmap Florida Gateway College is using to reopen campus in the fall.  The college is pushing everyone on campus to follow “The Three W’s” — washing hands, watching distance and wearing masks.
The cast and crew of ‘Twelfth Night,’ which is presented this week by Florida Gateway College, includes 22 students and community members. (Courtesy Florida Gateway College)

The cast and crew of ‘Twelfth Night,’ which is presented this week by Florida Gateway College, includes 22 students and community members. (Courtesy Florida Gateway College)

‘Twelfth Night’ coming to Florida Gateway

CARL MCKINNEY
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
The show must go on, even in the age of covid-19.  Florida Gateway College is presenting four performances of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” this week at the Levy Performing Arts Center.