Local

‘Dry Streets’ starts today

The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Lake City Police Department and Florida Highway Patrol are teaming up for an initiative targeting impaired drivers. “Operation Dry Streets” will see those three agencies aggressively target those who drive under the influence, according to an LCPD statement.

‘Just shoot me,’ woman yells

A drunk and disorderly woman disturbed the residents of a local neighborhood when she trespassed onto a man’s property — despite repeated warnings not to — and demanded that he shoot her, according to a Columbia County Sheriff’s Office report.

Landlord jailed for tossing tenant’s things

A landlord and former County Commission candidate abruptly kicked out one of his tenants over the weekend, then tried to hold her possessions hostage in exchange for unpaid rent, according to the Lake City Police Department. State law has a name for that, officers told the landlord — grand theft.

Georgia woman in Alachua County has novel coronavirus

Now officially a global pandemic, the novel coronavirus outbreak is hitting closer to home. In Alachua County, a 68-year-old woman visiting from Georgia has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, health officials there confirmed.

City charter board to be named Monday

Once every decade, Lake City Hall tasks a small group of local residents with helping to update the city’s foundational charter, opening the door for essentially any tweaks and reforms that don’t conflict with existing state or federal law.

Riding it out: Stock market will stabilize soon enough, right?

Driven by fear of the coronavirus, the stock market has taken a nosedive over the past several days, though it made up some ground on Tuesday. So, just how worried should the typical family be?

Accident- prone are in CRC’s spotlight

A single county employee was disciplined five separate times over a two-year period for mishaps involving county-owned vehicles or equipment, but still kept his job — and the county’s charter review board says that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Search is on for 2 robbery suspects

One of three suspects in an armed robbery at a local gaming cafe on Monday is awaiting extradition to Columbia County, while the other two remain at large.

Sheriff to keep control of jail

A proposal to wrest control of the Columbia County jail from the Sheriff’s Office was scrapped Monday evening, after the board that floated the idea backed off from the move.

Casino worker shot in holdup

Three armed robbers hit a local gaming cafe early Monday morning, where they shot an employee before fleeing by vehicle and eluding law enforcement somewhere near High Springs, according to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.  One has since been apprehended.