Regional

John Loughridge Endowment gift grants college access

MADISON — The NFC Foundation recently received an additional donation to the John Earl Loughridge Scholarship Endowment. Originally established in 1996 by his wife, Memorie, the Loughridge Endowment was designed to assist rural students who demonstrate promise in achieving higher education.

O’Steen’s bribery trial is underway

JACKSONVILLE — The extortion and bribery trial involving a Dixie County defense attorney is underway in federal court. Marion Michael O’Steen is on trial for his role in the federal extortion case that included former State Attorney Jeff Siegmeister.

School-safety changes signed by DeSantis

TALLAHASSEE — Two weeks after a deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, reignited debates about gun violence and securing schools, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Tuesday that will require mental-health “crisis intervention” train- ing for on-campus officers.

‘Real Florida Reader’ offers free park passes

TALLAHASSEE — Florida public library patrons can check out more than just books this summer.

Thousands jam into Wellborn for festival

WELLBORN — There was a touch of old and some new for the 29th annual Wellborn Blueberry Festival. It all added up to another sweet event for the Wellborn Community Association, which estimated around 10,000 visitors descending upon the eastern Suwannee County town on Saturday for the festival.

Fraud, scams heating up

Consumers and businesses alike need to be on the lookout for potential scams, according to law enforcement agencies. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office warned residents to a handful of scams that its fraud detective has seen increased attempts from this year.

Florida gas prices hit a new record

The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in Florida hit a record-high $4.76 on Sunday and likely will continue to rise, the AAA auto club said.

Live Oak early voting begins Monday

LIVE OAK – Voters in the City of Live Oak’s District 1 can begin heading to the polls Monday. Early voting for the District 1 runoff election begins Monday and runs through Saturday, June 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily at the Suwannee County Judicial Annex, 218 Parshley St. SW.

Pair injured after crash into tree

MAYO – A pair were seriously injured when their car struck a tree south of Mayo on Thursday. A 1999 green Honda Accord was traveling east on SW Van Buren Road around 6:19 p.m.

DeSantis signs budget, vetoes $3.13 billion

TALLAHASSEE —Pointing to a need to further brace the state against a potential recession, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued $3.13 billion in vetoes Thursday as he signed a record $109.9 billion budget for the fiscal year that will begin July 1.