Local

Jobless rate on the rise in Columbia County

CARL MCKINNEY
Friday, April 17, 2020
Unemployment took a sharp swing upward in Columbia County between February and March, reversing a slight downward trend seen over the past year, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor. The unemployment rate rose from 3.1 percent in February to 4.4 percent in March.
A 79-year-old man and 80-year-old woman became the fourth and fifth people to die there due to the virus.

A 79-year-old man and 80-year-old woman became the fourth and fifth people to die there due to the virus.

2 more covid deaths in Live Oak, bringing total to 5

CARL MCKINNEY
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Two more in Suwannee County are dead from covid-19, bringing the total death count up to five. A 79-year-old man and 80-year-old woman became the fourth and fifth people to die there due to the virus, the Florida Department of Health in Suwannee County announced Thursday.
Gracie Rogers, an employee at Moses Cleaners on SW Main Boulevard, gets an item off the rack for a customer. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)

Gracie Rogers, an employee at Moses Cleaners on SW Main Boulevard, gets an item off the rack for a customer. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)

Dry cleaners are ‘essential’ but almost empty

CARL MCKINNEY
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Toilet paper is harder to come by. Hair salons and barber shops are closed. Dining in at a nice restaurant is prohibited.People have sacrificed a lot since the pandemic started, but wearing clean clothes doesn’t have to be on the list.

I-75 crash leaves local man hurt

CARL MCKINNEY
Thursday, April 16, 2020
A Lake City man suffered serious injuries following a single-vehicle crash in Hamilton County on Interstate 75 Thursday afternoon, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report. Michael D.

$20 donation to law enforcement sparks dispute

CARL MCKINNEY
Thursday, April 16, 2020
A $20 donation to law enforcement sparked a violent domestic disturbance Wednesday morning, according to CCSO. Walter Ronald Wall, 67, was arrested on a domestic violence charge after deputies responded to a home around 11:09 a.m. Wednesday.
Between the two counties, there have been cases involving children as young as 1 and adults as old as 93.

Between the two counties, there have been cases involving children as young as 1 and adults as old as 93.

Covid-19: Cases hit 34 here, 81 in Suwannee

CARL MCKINNEY
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Suwannee County had 81 confirmed covid-19 cases as of Wednesday evening, while Columbia County was up to 34, according to the Florida Department of Health. Between the two counties, there have been cases involving children as young as 1 and adults as old as 93.
A local mobile home took a beating early Wednesday morning, after a storm rolled through the area and knocked a tree or two onto the structure. The residents took shelter in a bathroom, emerging shaken but safe. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)

A local mobile home took a beating early Wednesday morning, after a storm rolled through the area and knocked a tree or two onto the structure. The residents took shelter in a bathroom, emerging shaken but safe. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)

Woman, mom survive, but home takes pretty good hit from storm

CARL MCKINNEY
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
A five-second head start is all she got.  Lenora Camp said she was getting ready for bed around 3 a.m. Wednesday when an alert chime sounded on her phone.  “Take cover now. Tornado rotation,” the notification warned her.
Rhonda Sherrod. (FILE)

Rhonda Sherrod. (FILE)

Shands’ Sherrod resigns as CEO

CARL MCKINNEY
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Rhonda K. Sherrod, CEO of three area hospitals, is stepping down from her post as two of the facilities under her umbrella are on the verge of being sold.