Local

A recent growth spurt meant Church On The Way had outgrown its current facility with social distancing in place. (COURTESY)

A recent growth spurt meant Church On The Way had outgrown its current facility with social distancing in place. (COURTESY)

Loaned church ‘a huge blessing’

TONY BRITT
Friday, August 28, 2020
A recent growth spurt had caused a local church to be well on its way to outgrowing its current sanctuary. However, a helping hand from another area church has provided Church On The Way ample room to continue growing.

City eyeing growth

CARL MCKINNEY
Thursday, August 27, 2020
A boundary-pushing plan to expand the borders of Lake City is moving ahead in early September, and it could eventually pave the way for tax cuts.  The city is looking to annex the North Florida Mega Industrial Park on East U.S.
Rum Island Park is reopening Monday after being closed nearly a year for a $300,000 riverbank restoration project. (FILE)

Rum Island Park is reopening Monday after being closed nearly a year for a $300,000 riverbank restoration project. (FILE)

Rum Island reopens Monday

NEWS STAFF
Thursday, August 27, 2020
FORT WHITE — The renovated Rum Island Park is ready for its unveiling. The park reopens Monday at sunrise after undergoing a $300,000 riverbank restoration project, as well as the addition of new restroom facilities.  The park has been closed for nearly a year, initially closing Sept.

FGC receives grant for diesel tech program

NEWS STAFF
Thursday, August 27, 2020
Florida Gateway College may soon start pumping out diesel mechanics The college has received an $860,000 grant from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to develop a program in Diesel Mechanic Technology that is based on Florida Department of Education curriculum and local industry...

Three locals hospitalized following ATV accident

TONY BRITT
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
Three Lake City residents, including an 11-year-old child, were hospitalized Tuesday evening after the ATV vehicle they were riding on ran into a sports utility vehicle. The mishap occurred around 7 p.m. Tuesday on County Road 246 at the intersection of County Road 131.
Stephen and Amy Smith with ‘Big John’ a 12-foot alligator they hunted and caught in the 15-acre pond behind their home off Lake Jeffery Road. (COURTESY STEPHEN AND AMY SMITH)

Stephen and Amy Smith with ‘Big John’ a 12-foot alligator they hunted and caught in the 15-acre pond behind their home off Lake Jeffery Road. (COURTESY STEPHEN AND AMY SMITH)

Monster gator meets his match

CARL MCKINNEY
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Exhausted from the five-hour struggle against the beast, Amy Smith felt a shiver in her spine when “Big John” was dragged out of the water.  She didn’t think it would be that big. Seeing the full length of the behemoth alligator, she felt stupid for daring to challenge the creature on its turf.

CCS losing students en masse

CARL MCKINNEY
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Students have left the Columbia County public school system en masse during the past six months in favor of alternatives outside the in-person and remote-learning options offered by the district.