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NEWS STAFF
The 2020 Suwannee River Jam has been postponed until Sept. 30-Oct. 3, “due to the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 virus,” organizers said Friday.
Friday, March 27, 2020
Suwannee has 1st case of COVID-19
NEWS STAFF
Suwannee County has its first confirmed case of COVID-19.
According to state department of health data released today, the patient is a 51-year-old woman.
It is not clear if the case is travel-related.
Friday, March 27, 2020
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office accepts five K9 emergency first aid kits from Century Ambulance, the county’s EMS provider. Sheriff Mark Hunter, second-left, held a photo op with Century’s operations manager for the area, Steve Stith, pictured in the white uniform, along with K9 Drago, K9 Rek and their human counterparts. (COURTESY)
Columbia County Sheriff’s Office receives a batch of “K9 Emergency kits"
CARL MCKINNEY
Brave, loyal and tough — law enforcement canines will charge right at a potentially dangerous subject without hesitation if the situation deems it necessary.
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Coronavirus: Waffle House closing is a surefire sign of crisis, yet Lake City's two are still open
CARL MCKINNEY
It’s a surefire sign of crisis.
Even after every other major restaurant chain shuts their doors in the face of a disaster, the yellow-trimmed breakfast-all-day eatery is reliably one of the last places still serving food.
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Distance learning set to begin for schools on Monday
CARL MCKINNEY
The physical campus will still be empty, but classes will be back in session come Monday.
An experiment in distance learning, one the Columbia County School District hopes will be only short-term, is set to begin that day. By order of Gov.
Thursday, March 26, 2020
A man deliberately coughed at deputies while being detained under the Baker Act, according to a CCSO report, putting three law enforcement officers out of commission for two weeks.
Coronavirus: Possibly infected man hacks on deputies deliberately, says report
CARL MCKINNEY
Recently armed, possibly suicidal and a suspected COVID-19 case — the 911 call early Tuesday morning described a nightmare scenario for law enforcement, according to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Coronavirus: County government offices closed
CARL MCKINNEY
Columbia County government offices are closed to the public through at least April 10, officials announced Wednesday afternoon.
As it continues to monitor the progress of COVID-19, the county will assess whether to extend the closures, according to a statement.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Coronavirus: Vigilance is high at jail, says sheriff
CARL MCKINNEY
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office is making some changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including additional limitations on public access to its operations building, but officials say day-to-day operations will remain largely the same.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Tasers don’t slow him; jailed anyway in Suwannee County
CARL MCKINNEY
A car chase through the back roads just past the Suwannee County line near Lake City on Monday ended with a fistfight and several unsuccessful attempts to subdue the suspect with a taser, deputies say.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Coronavirus: Alachua County's shelter-in-place order there does not bar visitors
CARL MCKINNEY
Commuters who trek from Lake City to Gainesville every morning and those with family in the university town probably know by now that all of Alachua County is under a shelter-in-place order. But for the most part, individuals are still free to go about their business there.
Tuesday, March 24, 2020