Local

Dried blood in suspect’s car remains a mystery

CARL MCKINNEY
Monday, May 25, 2020
After leading law enforcement on a two-county car chase, an Old Town man couldn’t explain the dried blood all over the interior of  his car when authorities finally caught up to him, according to a Columbia County Sheriff’s Office report.  Richard L.

Receiver wins control of FCADV assets

CARL MCKINNEY
Monday, May 25, 2020
The taxpayer-funded nonprofit that found itself at the center of a firestorm in Tallahassee over the exorbitant compensation paid to a former CEO has suffered a blow in the legal fallout of the controversy.
The Department of Health in Hamilton County (DOH-Hamilton) received notice of thirty-three new confirmed covid-19 cases linked to the Florida Department of Corrections, Hamilton Correctional Institute.

The Department of Health in Hamilton County (DOH-Hamilton) received notice of thirty-three new confirmed covid-19 cases linked to the Florida Department of Corrections, Hamilton Correctional Institute.

33 new cases confirmed in Hamilton

NEWS STAFF
Sunday, May 24, 2020
JASPER — The Department of Health in Hamilton County (DOH-Hamilton) received notice of thirty-three new confirmed covid-19 cases linked to the Florida Department of Corrections, Hamilton Correctional Institute.
Baseball action from 2014 at Southside Sports Complex. (FILE)

Baseball action from 2014 at Southside Sports Complex. (FILE)

Sports tourism is on go again

CARL MCKINNEY
Friday, May 22, 2020
Play ball. Youth sports are free to open, the governor announced Friday. Columbia County has already moved to reopen local athletic venues, setting the stage for the return of tournaments tourism officials hope will boost the local economy.
Boaters Shane McCoy and Will Griner are pictured with the stack of signs they recovered from the Suwannee on Thursday. (COURTESY SCSO)

Boaters Shane McCoy and Will Griner are pictured with the stack of signs they recovered from the Suwannee on Thursday. (COURTESY SCSO)

Senior posters trashed in Live Oak

CARL MCKINNEY
Friday, May 22, 2020
Suwannee High seniors will never get back the time they missed with friends and classmates due to the covid-19 pandemic, but they can get back something else that was stolen from them.
The Girls and Boys Club summer camp programs will remain closed due to covid-19 concerns despite an about-face by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said Friday that camps like these could be reopened statewide if local governments wished. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)

The Girls and Boys Club summer camp programs will remain closed due to covid-19 concerns despite an about-face by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said Friday that camps like these could be reopened statewide if local governments wished. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)

Green light from DeSantis on camps, but city says no

CARL MCKINNEY
Friday, May 22, 2020
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday gave the green light for summer camps to open along with youth sports activities, but a popular pair of boys and girls programs in Lake City are still canceled.

County Commission: Housing incentive plan gets the OK

CARL MCKINNEY
Thursday, May 21, 2020
A tax rebate program to encourage housing development was approved by the Columbia County Commission on Thursday. The program allows for a five-year refund of between 85 to 95 percent, depending on the amount being invested in a development project.

Cops say he tried to burn down home with his ex in it

CARL MCKINNEY
Thursday, May 21, 2020
LIVE OAK — A bale of pine straw helped catch an arsonist, according to a Live Oak Police Department report. Ruben Mejia, 54, of Voyles Street, used the pine straw as kindling in a fiery revenge scheme against his ex-girlfriend, the report says.   A little after 5 a.m.

Patchy internet access at issue

CARL MCKINNEY
Thursday, May 21, 2020
Patches of the county are still without internet access, a problem that received some attention Thursday night after a county commissioner resolved to use utility permits as leverage to get Comcast to the table.