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Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a media briefing at the Pentagon on Friday in Washington. (ALEX BRANDON/Associated Press)

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a media briefing at the Pentagon on Friday in Washington. (ALEX BRANDON/Associated Press)

Austin says Putin now has full range of options in Ukraine

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Friday, January 28, 2022
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Friday the buildup of Russian forces along Ukraine’s border has reached the point where President Vladimir Putin now has a complete range of military options, including actions short of a full-scale invasion.
Footage from a camera overlooking I-75 shows a semi truck on the right ablaze as traffic stalled behind it. (COURTESY)

Footage from a camera overlooking I-75 shows a semi truck on the right ablaze as traffic stalled behind it. (COURTESY)

Fiery crash closes I-75

NEWS STAFF
Friday, January 28, 2022
WHITE SPRINGS — A fiery crash involving two tractor trailers closed the northbound lanes of Interstate 75 for hours Friday morning. Both trucks were headed in the right lane of I-75 north around 5:30 a.m.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr. signed a gambling deal in April. (COURTESY)

Gov. Ron DeSantis and Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr. signed a gambling deal in April. (COURTESY)

Sports betting initiative misses mark for 2022

NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
Friday, January 28, 2022
TALLAHASSEE —Florida voters won’t have a chance to decide whether to legalize sports betting after supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment backed by major online gambling companies FanDuel and DraftKings acknowledged Friday they lack the required signatures to make it on the 2022 ballot.

Omicron drives U.S. deaths higher than in fall’s delta wave

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Friday, January 28, 2022
Omicron, the highly contagious coronavirus variant sweeping across the country, is driving the daily American death toll higher than during last fall’s delta wave, with deaths likely to keep rising for days or even weeks. The seven-day rolling average for daily new covid-19 deaths in the U.S.
The Suwannee River Water Management District provided grant funding last year to the Columbia County School District for the ‘Quality Water, Quality Life’ project at the Columbia Career and Adult Education center. (COURTESY)

The Suwannee River Water Management District provided grant funding last year to the Columbia County School District for the ‘Quality Water, Quality Life’ project at the Columbia Career and Adult Education center. (COURTESY)

SRWMD providing funding for school, group projects

NEWS STAFF
Thursday, January 27, 2022
LIVE OAK — Aiming to protect North Florida’s water resources and educate about the importance of doing so, the Suwannee River Water Management District is putting money where its mission is.
Diane Leahy prays with others before receiving the second dose of the Moderna covid-19 vaccine at St. Patrick Catholic Church on March 1, 2021, in Miami Beach. (MARTA LAVANDIER/Associated Press)

Diane Leahy prays with others before receiving the second dose of the Moderna covid-19 vaccine at St. Patrick Catholic Church on March 1, 2021, in Miami Beach. (MARTA LAVANDIER/Associated Press)

Senate passes emergency order shield for churches

NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
Thursday, January 27, 2022
TALLAHASSEE — Churches and other religious institutions wouldn’t have to turn congregants away because of government orders during future emergencies, under a bill approved Thursday by the Florida Senate.
Crew members of the Coast Guard cutter William Flores get ready to go on patrol in Miami Beach. About 40 people left the island of Bimini in the Bahamas on Saturday evening in what the maritime security agency suspects was a human smuggling operation. (MARTA LAVANDIER/Associated Press)

Crew members of the Coast Guard cutter William Flores get ready to go on patrol in Miami Beach. About 40 people left the island of Bimini in the Bahamas on Saturday evening in what the maritime security agency suspects was a human smuggling operation. (MARTA LAVANDIER/Associated Press)

Coast Guard suspends search for migrants off Florida

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Thursday, January 27, 2022
MIAMI BEACH — The Coast Guard said it suspended its rescue operations at sunset Thursday after announcing earlier that afternoon that it had found four additional bodies in its search for dozens of migrants lost at sea off Florida.

School accountability changes move forward

NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
TALLAHASSEE — A measure aimed at ending the Florida Standards Assessments in public schools and replacing them with a computer-based “progress monitoring” system continues to advance in the Senate — but its sponsor indicated Wednesday that details about paying for the plan haven’t been worked out.

SHS Green Team project taking root

JAMIE WACHTER
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
LIVE OAK — A project to offset paper usage at Suwannee High School is taking root. The SHS Green Team, the school’s environmental club, is partnering with Tree-Plenish — which is run by college students — to plant trees in the community as a way to combat the paper used.