Local

Tech issues plague CRC's virtual meeting

CARL MCKINNEY
Thursday, April 30, 2020
From an audio quality standpoint, Thursday night’s virtual meeting of the county Charter Review Commission was an absolute trainwreck, with several portions that were entirely incomprehensible to listeners including the Lake City Reporter.  Around 6 p.m.
Cpl. Shane Foote of CCSO is seen speaking to a suspect after his capture. (COURTESY CCSO)

Cpl. Shane Foote of CCSO is seen speaking to a suspect after his capture. (COURTESY CCSO)

100 mph pursuit through Lake City ends in 3 arrests

CARL MCKINNEY
Thursday, April 30, 2020
Three men with already lengthy rap sheets led Columbia County deputies on a high-speed chase from Interstate 75 into the streets of Lake City on Wednesday.

Sex battery on girl, 4, alleged; Lake City man jailed

CARL MCKINNEY
Thursday, April 30, 2020
A Lake City man was arrested on a sexual battery charge Wednesday after deputies say he repeatedly abused a 4-year-old girl.  Jared Daniel Willis, 35, was at the center of an investigation launched by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office last week.  Around 7 p.m.
Matthew Pugh is seen in this photo from his family. (COURTESY)

Matthew Pugh is seen in this photo from his family. (COURTESY)

Mother recounts suicide victim’s struggles

CARL MCKINNEY
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Matthew Paul Pugh struggled with mental illness, but he was so much more than just the sum of his demons, his mother said.  The 29-year-old had an interest in welding and frequently talked about pursuing it as a career.
A semi tractor-trailer driven by a St. Cloud man crashed on I-75 in Columbia County early Tuesday morning, killing the driver, the Florida Highway Patrol reported. The man’s name was not released. (COURTESY FHP)

A semi tractor-trailer driven by a St. Cloud man crashed on I-75 in Columbia County early Tuesday morning, killing the driver, the Florida Highway Patrol reported. The man’s name was not released. (COURTESY FHP)

St. Cloud man, 38, dies in I-75 crash

NEWS STAFF
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
A 38-year-old St.Cloud man died on a Columbia County stretch of I-75 early Tuesday when his tractor-trailer left the road and hit some trees, according to a news release from the Florida Highway Patrol. The man’s name was not released. The semi was headed south, about four miles past the U.S.

Dunn no worse for wear after covid-19

CARL MCKINNEY
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Congressman Neal Dunn, who represents a swath of North Florida that includes the majority of Columbia County voters, has shaken off covid-19 and is back at work, according to his office.  Rep.
President Donald Trump listens as Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., talks about the coronavirus response during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, in Washington. (EVAN VUCCI/Associated Press))

President Donald Trump listens as Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., talks about the coronavirus response during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, in Washington. (EVAN VUCCI/Associated Press))

Florida governor takes first 'baby step' to reopening state

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s restaurants and retail stores will be allowed to reopen Monday at 25% capacity, if the local government allows it, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday, as the state begins the slow climb from the economic abyss caused by the coronavirus.
Both fatal cases in Columbia County involved men, according to the Florida Department of Health in Columbia County. One was 63 years old and the other was 31. 

Both fatal cases in Columbia County involved men, according to the Florida Department of Health in Columbia County. One was 63 years old and the other was 31. 

Covid-19: 2 deaths in Lake City, 14 in Live Oak

CARL MCKINNEY
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Health officials on Tuesday confirmed the first two two covid-19 deaths in Columbia County. Both fatal cases involved men, according to the Florida Department of Health in Columbia County. One was 63 years old and the other was 31.

Former CCSSO employee commits fraud totaling $350K

CARL MCKINNEY
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
A disgraced former Columbia County Sheriff’s Office employee, who lost her job and earned prison time after she was caught stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the law enforcement agency starting in 2004, now stands accused of embezzling money from yet another employer, according to an...