Regional

Cannabis facility rolls into Wellborn

LIVE OAK — A 165-acre property in Wellborn will soon be sprouting cannabis and jobs.

Judge backs Jennings man; blocks aid to minority farmers

TALLAHASSEE — Siding with a white farmer from Jennings, a U.S. district judge has blocked a federal plan to provide loan relief to Black and other minority farmers who historically faced discrimination. U.S.

St. John: UCR ‘not a true number’

LIVE OAK — Crime went up last year in Suwannee County and the rate of clearing those crimes fell. That’s at least what the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Uniform Crime Report released Monday states. Suwannee County Sheriff Sam St. John, though, said that isn’t really the case.

Prison mail plan sparks opposition

TALLAHASSEE — Photos of spouses, kids’ hand-colored drawings and letters stained by tears are among prison inmates’ most-cherished lifelines to the outside world.

DOH warns of Withlacoochee contamination

MADISON — Madison County Health Department officials issued a warning Wednesday of a potential bacterial contamination of the Withlacoochee River.

LO man faces child sex abuse charges

A Live Oak man was arrested on child molestation charges after a Sunday incident. According to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, multiple witnesses met officers outside a residence Sunday evening afraid that 59-year-old Wesley Putnel had inappropriately touched an 8-year-old child.

FHP: High-speed chase ends with carjacking attempt

After leading officers on a high-speed chase Friday, including the wrong way on Interstate 75, a Tallahassee man faces numerous charges. A Florida Highway Patrol report states Reshe Buckmaster, 29, was driving north in the southbound lanes of I-75 around 11:30 a.m. Friday when he exited at U.S.

WIC: More fruits, veggies offered

GAINESVILLE — Additional fruits and vegetables are available for families through the Florida WIC program. The American Rescue Plan Act authorized states to increase the WIC benefit for four months with an increase in the fruit and vegetable voucher.

Statewide third-grade language arts scores dip

The Florida Department of Education reported that 54% of third-grade students this year scored “satisfactory” or above on the state English-language arts exam, a 4-point decrease from 2019 when the exam was last administered.

DeSantis among governors urging Census data release

Fifteen Republican governors, including Florida’s Ron DeSantis, sent a letter Tuesday to the U.S. Department of Commerce urging that the U.S. Census Bureau release redistricting data as soon as possible, saying further delays would hurt efforts to redraw congressional and legislative districts.