Regional

Minimum wage fight expected to be close

NEWS STAFF
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
TALLAHASSEE — Voting yes on Amendment 2 to boost Florida’s minimum wage will either give 2.5 million workers a pay raise or result in 158,000 jobs disappearing over the next few years.

Columbia tops 4,000 covid cases

NEWS STAFF
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
There have now been more than 4,000 cases of covid-19 confirmed in Columbia County since the global pandemic began. The Florida Department of Health announced 22 new cases of the disease in Columbia County as of Tuesday morning, bringing the total to 4,021.
President Donald Trump waves goodbye to cheering supporters as he departs his campaign rally at Orlando Sanford International Airport in Sanford, Fla., on Monday. (JOE BURBANK/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)

President Donald Trump waves goodbye to cheering supporters as he departs his campaign rally at Orlando Sanford International Airport in Sanford, Fla., on Monday. (JOE BURBANK/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)

Thousands cheer on Trump at Fla. campaign rally

NEWS STAFF
Monday, October 12, 2020
SANFORD, Fla. — Thousands of people cheered and chanted “We love you!” Monday night as President Donald Trump held his first campaign rally outside Washington since his coronavirus diagnosis 11 days ago. “It’s great to be back in my home state of Florida,” Trump said.

Columbia’s 64th covid-19 death confirmed

NEWS STAFF
Monday, October 12, 2020
The Columbia County Health Department received confirmation Monday of another death linked to the covid-19 pandemic. The death, an 82-year-old woman, was the 64th death in Columbia County linked to the disease.

Branford man arrested after killing dog

JAMIE WACHTER
Friday, October 9, 2020
BRANFORD — A Branford man was arrested Thursday after shooting a dog in the head and killing it earlier that day. According to the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office, a person came home from school around 2:15 p.m.

Lafayette announces two new covid deaths

NEWS STAFF
Friday, October 9, 2020
Two additional deaths from the covid-19 pandemic were confirmed Friday in Lafayette County. The deaths, which included a 72-year-old man and a 94-year-old woman, are the 14th and 15th deaths from the disease in Lafayette County since the pandemic began in the spring.

White Springs man killed in I-10 accident

NEWS STAFF
Friday, October 9, 2020
An accident Friday afternoon on Interstate 10 resulted in the death of a White Springs man. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, an SUV was headed west on I-10 near mile marker 312 in Columbia County — between the U.S. Highway 441 and U.S. 90 exits — around 4 p.m.

Ga. pair arrested after long manhunt

JAMIE WACHTER
Thursday, October 8, 2020
LIVE OAK — Wanted for burglaries and thefts, a pair of Georgians weren’t horsing around when they fled from Suwannee County authorities Wednesday night. But after a lengthy manhunt of four to five hours, the pair were caught and arrested in a stable in western Suwannee County.
Zak Jones with the North Collier Fire Department waves an American flag Wednesday evening as dozens of Brotherhood Ride cyclists end their week-long trek across Florida at the Live Oak Fire Department station. The Brotherhood Ride is an annual bike ride to honor first responders who died in service. Former Suwannee County Fire Chief James Sommers was among those honored this year. Sommers died in August 2019. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

Zak Jones with the North Collier Fire Department waves an American flag Wednesday evening as dozens of Brotherhood Ride cyclists end their week-long trek across Florida at the Live Oak Fire Department station. The Brotherhood Ride is an annual bike ride to honor first responders who died in service. Former Suwannee County Fire Chief James Sommers was among those honored this year. Sommers died in August 2019. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

‘We will for our brothers’

JAMIE WACHTER
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
LIVE OAK — Carrying a load through adverse conditions is nothing new for firefighters and law enforcement officers. But for the past week and 556 miles, a group of 40 first responders carried an emotional load across Florida in honor of their fallen brothers.