Local

Pastor John Inraham is the keynote speaker for Sunday’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. birthday observation program. (FILE)

Pastor John Inraham is the keynote speaker for Sunday’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. birthday observation program. (FILE)

Presleys hosting MLK program ‘blast-off’

TONY BRITT
Friday, January 2, 2026
A local educational and mentorship program will honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the fallen civil rights leader, with a series of programs that are scheduled to begin this weekend. The Presley Excel and Scholars Program Inc.
The Lake City Police Department has commissioned special badges in recognition of the United States of America’s semiquincentennial celebration. (COURTESY LAKE CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT)

The Lake City Police Department has commissioned special badges in recognition of the United States of America’s semiquincentennial celebration. (COURTESY LAKE CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT)

LCPD celebrates America’s 250th

NEWS STAFF
Friday, January 2, 2026
Lake City police officers will be celebrating the United States of America’s 250th birthday all year long. In honor of the country’s semiquincentennial, the LCPD announced this week that it has commissioned special police badges that can be worn by officers until the end of the year.
A Lake City firefighter helps extinguish a fire Tuesday night in a house off Siesta Place. The fire, which was found around the chimney for the house’s fireplace, was quickly extinguished and the home was still habitable. (COURTESY LAKE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT)

A Lake City firefighter helps extinguish a fire Tuesday night in a house off Siesta Place. The fire, which was found around the chimney for the house’s fireplace, was quickly extinguished and the home was still habitable. (COURTESY LAKE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT)

Quick response saves burning home

NEWS STAFF
Friday, January 2, 2026
A Tuesday evening structure fire in a downtown Lake City subdivision was quickly doused after the Lake City Fire Department responded with several units. According to LCFD reports, units were dispatched around 7 p.m. Tuesday to a residence off Siesta Place for a structure fire.

Ocala murder suspect caught in Lake City

NEWS STAFF
Friday, January 2, 2026
An Ocala teen murder suspect was apprehended Monday in Lake City. Columbia County sheriff’s deputies assisted the U.S. Marshal’s task force around 1:30 p.m. Monday near Duval Street and Jacksonville Loop to capture the murder suspect, 19-year-old Cornelius Brown Jr.
Gateway Art Gallery artist and Navy veteran Benjamin Ragland (right) greets military veterans Richard Raposo and Russell Fulmer from the Robert H. Jenkins Jr. Domiciliary at a previous presentation at the Gallery. (COURTESY)

Gateway Art Gallery artist and Navy veteran Benjamin Ragland (right) greets military veterans Richard Raposo and Russell Fulmer from the Robert H. Jenkins Jr. Domiciliary at a previous presentation at the Gallery. (COURTESY)

Gallery to entertain veterans

NEWS STAFF
Friday, January 2, 2026
As another in a series of programs for local veterans, residents of the local Veterans Domiciliary will be treated to “Pie and Coffee with Michelangelo” on Jan. 12 at 3:30 p.m. at the Gateway Art Gallery. Artist Benjamin Ragland will make the presentation.
U.S. Rep. Cory Mills talks during a hearing at the Columbia County Courthouse in September. Mills was hit with a restraining order in October to stay away from Lindsey Langston. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

U.S. Rep. Cory Mills talks during a hearing at the Columbia County Courthouse in September. Mills was hit with a restraining order in October to stay away from Lindsey Langston. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

Congressman, Miss U.S. break-up tops local stories of 2025

JAMIE WACHTER
Tuesday, December 30, 2025
The Columbia County Courthouse provided the venue for some of the biggest stories of the past 12 months. It wasn’t the only site in and around downtown Lake City that captured our attention or the attention of local readers in 2025, but it’s not often that a sitting U.S.

Brannan seeking $50M for local projects

JAMIE WACHTER
Tuesday, December 30, 2025
More than $50 million in state funding is being sought for local projects in next year’s legislative session. Rep. Chuck Brannan (R-Macclenny) has filed 16 appropriation request forms ahead of the Jan. 13 start to the legislative session for projects in Columbia County.