Local

New City Hall now a step closer

A land deal to secure the proposed site of the future Lake City Hall is moving forward.

Inmate dies at county jail

Shortly after her arrest by state troopers Friday for a DUI, a Columbia County jail inmate died while in custody, sheriff’s officials say. Lori Sue Privette, 45, was booked into the jail around 8:35 p.m. Friday in connection with a two-vehicle crash on County Road 245.

Drug theft alleged; pharmacy tech jailed

A pharmacy technician working in Lake City stole 1,200 tablets of pain medication over a 14-month period by using her bra to smuggle the drugs, according to the state.

2 dead, 1 hurt in 3 crashes

Two pedestrians were killed, and another was critically wounded in three separate weekend crashes on local roadways. Dead are Alan Odom, 52, of White Springs and Eugene Farmer Jr., 25, Lake City. Douglas Vaughn Williamson, 37, Lake City, was critically hurt.

$10M is Brannan’s target

A $2.8 million fix for Fort White’s ongoing water crisis and an $88,500 investment into a youth summer job program in Lake City are among the projects state representative Chuck Brannan is asking the state to fund this year. The legislative session kicks off Tuesday.

Steel silhouette honors veterans in Suwannee

Live Oak has reeled in a new public monument, this one dedicated to a local non-profit focused on serving veterans of all branches.  On Tuesday morning, the city unveiled a two-dimensional steel silhouette sculpture in Veteran’s Park on Howard Street.

Brannan wary of internet notice bill

State representative Chuck Brannan, a Macclenny-based Republican whose district includes Columbia County, has serious reservations about a bill to let local governments skip requirements for placing legal notices in newspapers and instead use only the internet.

Who will it be? 14 vie for Teacher of the Year crown

Teachers’ sacrifices along with their innovative classroom techniques often go unnoticed or unappreciated. But next week, some of the best teachers in the Columbia School District will get their moment in the sun when the district holds its annual Teacher of the Year ceremony.

Grad rates soar in Columbia County

Columbia County’s graduation rate for the 2018–19 school year tied for fifth in the state with the Leon County School District, and the superintendent said school officials won’t be satisfied until every single student in the county earns a diploma.

She called 911 for a ride home: Cops

After using 911 as a substitute for Uber, a Lake City woman was taken to jail early Thursday morning for repeatedly calling and hanging up on dispatchers, deputies say.