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Armed robbery suspect caught quickly in Suwannee

NEWS STAFF
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
An armed robbery attempt early Wednesday morning has landed a Live Oak man in the Suwannee County Jail.According to a Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office release, deputies and Live Oak police officers responded early Wednesday morning to the Quality Inn on U.S. Highway 129 for a reported robbery.
Crews from the Live Oak Fire Department and Suwannee County Fire Rescue extinguished a fire in a dump truck last Friday afternoon. (COURTESY LIVE OAK FIRE DEPARTMENT)

Crews from the Live Oak Fire Department and Suwannee County Fire Rescue extinguished a fire in a dump truck last Friday afternoon. (COURTESY LIVE OAK FIRE DEPARTMENT)

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Fire crews extinguish dump truck blaze

NEWS STAFF
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
Live Oak and Suwannee County crews extinguished a burning vehicle last week.Around 3 p.m. Friday, Live Oak firefighters, as well as Suwannee County firefighters, were dispatched to a fully engulfed dump truck on the northern side of Live Oak.
Live Oak Community Redevelopment Agency Director Nicholas Frigiola, speaking to the CRA board earlier this year, told the board Tuesday that the approval of the revised CRA plan would keep it in place until 2055. (FILE)

Live Oak Community Redevelopment Agency Director Nicholas Frigiola, speaking to the CRA board earlier this year, told the board Tuesday that the approval of the revised CRA plan would keep it in place until 2055. (FILE)

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Live Oak CRA board approves revised, expanded plan

JAMIE WACHTER
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
The revised Live Oak Community Redevelopment Agency plan is now headed to the Live Oak City Council.During a brief meeting Tuesday night, the Live Oak CRA board unanimously approved the revised plan, which includes an expansion of the CRA district, as well as new goals and visions for the CRA.

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Unemployment rate remains 4.8%

NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
Tuesday, June 23, 2026
An upward trend in the state’s unemployment rate paused in May, with hiring by small businesses considered “flat.”The Department of Commerce on Friday posted a 4.8% jobless rate for the state.The rate is unchanged from April and marks the first time the figure didn’t go up since the rate held at 3.
Eddie Dixon with Culpepper Construction provides documents to the Lafayette County School Board as he updated them on the status of state funding for a new PK-12 school for the district at Tuesday’s board meeting. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Eddie Dixon with Culpepper Construction provides documents to the Lafayette County School Board as he updated them on the status of state funding for a new PK-12 school for the district at Tuesday’s board meeting. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

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New Lafayette school funding delayed a year

TONY BRITT
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
MAYO — State funding that the Lafayette County School District was expecting to receive from the state for construction of a new county school won’t be coming this school year.
Nick Gerth, a disaster response specialist with IEM, said the transition of emergency management from under the control of the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office to the county shows a program with a ‘strong foundational base.’ (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

Nick Gerth, a disaster response specialist with IEM, said the transition of emergency management from under the control of the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office to the county shows a program with a ‘strong foundational base.’ (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

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Suwannee County emergency management transition shows opportunities for improvement

JAMIE WACHTER
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Suwannee County’s emergency management department will be in a better place than it was previously.
Water sits on top of the parking improvements at the Heritage Square redevelopment area on Tuesday after recent rains. The flooding is due to the project not yet being finished, according to city staff. (COURTESY)

Water sits on top of the parking improvements at the Heritage Square redevelopment area on Tuesday after recent rains. The flooding is due to the project not yet being finished, according to city staff. (COURTESY)

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Flooded Heritage Square project still not completed

JAMIE WACHTER
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Recent rains, and a not completed project, have turned the Heritage Square parking improvements into a small pond.Nicholas Frigiola, the Live Oak Community Redevelopment Agency director, said Wednesday that the puddling is just the result of the project not yet being completed.