Regional

Donna MacRae (left) and Jennifer Lee, with United Way of Suwannee Valley Women United, hold and show boxes of books that go to local elementary school kindergartners during the Christmas break to help improve their literacy skills. (COURTESY)

Donna MacRae (left) and Jennifer Lee, with United Way of Suwannee Valley Women United, hold and show boxes of books that go to local elementary school kindergartners during the Christmas break to help improve their literacy skills. (COURTESY)

Women ‘united’ in support of reading

TONY BRITT
Monday, December 13, 2021
A smorgasbord of books sat on the conference room table Monday at the United Way of Suwannee Valley office.

Water management can open faucets for mega site

JAMIE WACHTER
Friday, December 10, 2021
LIVE OAK — The Suwannee River Water Management District may open up the faucets at the North Florida Mega Industrial Park. The district’s governing board will consider approving Columbia County’s request for a water use permit for two wells at the industrial park at its Tuesday morning meeting.

Two suffer serious injuries in ATV crash

NEWS STAFF
Friday, December 10, 2021
O’BRIEN — Two were seriously injured Thursday when an ATV pulled out in front of a truck in southeastern Suwannee County. A 17-year-old female from O’Brien was headed west on 232nd Street around 3 p.m. Thursday when she tried to cross County Road 49 on a 2022 Polaris Ranger ATV.

DeSantis pushing police, teacher bonuses

NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
Thursday, December 9, 2021
TALLAHASSEE — Saying that Florida is “clicking on all cylinders,” Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday proposed an election-year $99.7 billion budget that would funnel money to education, the environment and law-enforcement officers while giving motorists a temporary gas-tax break.
The Cat in the Hat and Grinch wave from a float during last year’s Fort White Business Council Christmas parade. This year’s parade is scheduled for Saturday at noon. (JEN CHASTEEN/Special to the Reporter)

The Cat in the Hat and Grinch wave from a float during last year’s Fort White Business Council Christmas parade. This year’s parade is scheduled for Saturday at noon. (JEN CHASTEEN/Special to the Reporter)

Parading through town

TONY BRITT
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
FORT WHITE — Christmas is only weeks away and residents in southern Columbia County look to honor the season with a Christmas parade. The Fort White Business Council’s Christmas parade, heading through downtown Fort White, will take place at noon on Saturday, beginning at  SW Donnely Avenue and U.