Local

Cops: Theft not essential activity during quarantine

CARL MCKINNEY
Monday, May 18, 2020
Shoplifting is not an essential activity during a quarantine, as one man found out early Wednesday morning.  Charles Martin Dobrin, 47, of St. Johns County, broke the statewide stay-at-home order to shoplift quasi-liquor from an S&S, according to a Lake City Police Department report.
Students register for fall classes at Florida Gateway College. The spring graduates haven’t been forgotten, as the college is planning a gauntlet of small-scale ceremonies to give everyone their chance to walk. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)

Students register for fall classes at Florida Gateway College. The spring graduates haven’t been forgotten, as the college is planning a gauntlet of small-scale ceremonies to give everyone their chance to walk. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)

It’s commencement time — times 40 — at FGC

CARL MCKINNEY
Monday, May 18, 2020
Spring-semester Florida Gateway College graduates won’t have to wait long for a chance to have a proper graduation ceremony.  Hundreds of FGC graduates will be able to walk in a series of small-scale graduation ceremonies scheduled for June 29-30 and July 7, the administration announced Monday.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks Thursday. (AP PHOTO)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks Thursday. (AP PHOTO)

Fitness centers reopen Monday; restaurants can go to 50 percent

CARL MCKINNEY
Friday, May 15, 2020
The lunch rush never ended. After an extremely busy day last week, Marion Street Bistro and Brewhouse was picked clean. With nothing left to serve, the restaurant had to close down the following day to recover.  “It’s a good problem to have,” said owner Ron Robbins.
Suwannee Health and Rehabilitation Center, the common factor in a cluster of covid-19 deaths in Suwannee County, has previously been told to shore up its safeguards against disease, according to inspection records from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Suwannee Health and Rehabilitation Center, the common factor in a cluster of covid-19 deaths in Suwannee County, has previously been told to shore up its safeguards against disease, according to inspection records from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Federal records show prior lapses at Live Oak health center

CARL MCKINNEY
Friday, May 15, 2020
The epicenter of a covid-19 outbreak in Live Oak has a history of infection-control issues, according to records from federal health officials.

Crowd hampers cops after car chase

CARL MCKINNEY
Friday, May 15, 2020
What should have been a routine traffic stop over a car running a red light instead ended with a near-riot, after an uncontrollable crowd threatened to overpower law enforcement, according to a Columbia County Sheriff’s Office report.
This is what a lunch rush looks like under the current quarantine rules, which restrict restaurants to 25% capacity. Ole Times Country Buffet, where the photo was taken last week, may start seeing those empty seats fill up soon, as the state is expected to relax the rules on eateries. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)

This is what a lunch rush looks like under the current quarantine rules, which restrict restaurants to 25% capacity. Ole Times Country Buffet, where the photo was taken last week, may start seeing those empty seats fill up soon, as the state is expected to relax the rules on eateries. (CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter)

Covid-19: Eateries, gyms may get green light Friday

CARL MCKINNEY
Thursday, May 14, 2020
The daily rhythm of life in Lake City may soon inch a little closer toward something resembling normalcy, as Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to further relax the state’s quarantine restrictions in an announcement today.
The Florida Department of Health in Hamilton County on Thursday confirmed 46 new cases among inmates at the prison and two involving local residents, bringing the tally up to 134 cases countywide.

The Florida Department of Health in Hamilton County on Thursday confirmed 46 new cases among inmates at the prison and two involving local residents, bringing the tally up to 134 cases countywide.

Covid-19: Hamilton cases now total 134

CARL MCKINNEY
Thursday, May 14, 2020
After a slew of Hamilton Correctional Institution prisoners tested positive for covid-19, the total number of cases in Hamilton County reached 134 as of Thursday, according to health officials.
A combined total of 843 state prisoners had tested positive for the virus as of noon Wednesday, and 112 of those were from HCI, according to the Florida Department of Corrections, which is ramping up testing for inmates.

A combined total of 843 state prisoners had tested positive for the virus as of noon Wednesday, and 112 of those were from HCI, according to the Florida Department of Corrections, which is ramping up testing for inmates.

Hamilton prison reports 112 covid-19 cases, 13% of state system’s total

NEWS STAFF
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
Hamilton Correctional Institution has become a hot spot for covid-19, with that facility alone accounting for more than 13 percent of all reported cases among state prisoners in Florida.