Regional

Suwannee up to 69 deaths from covid-19

With the reports of three new deaths Thursday from the covid-19 coronavirus, Suwannee County is approaching 70 deaths total from the pandemic. The Suwannee County Health Department announced Thursday the deaths of a 71-year-old woman, a 47-year-old woman and a 49-year-old man.
Crews finish work on the dynamic envelopes — giant connecting white X’s — at the rail crossing on U.S. Highway 129 (Ohio Avenue) in downtown Live Oak. The crossing reopened Monday night after being closed for two weeks for the improvements, which are part of the Florida Department of Transportation’s Operation STRIDE. (COURTESY FDOT)

Crews finish work on the dynamic envelopes — giant connecting white X’s — at the rail crossing on U.S. Highway 129 (Ohio Avenue) in downtown Live Oak. The crossing reopened Monday night after being closed for two weeks for the improvements, which are part of the Florida Department of Transportation’s Operation STRIDE. (COURTESY FDOT)

Rail project completed, U.S. 129 reopens in Live Oak

LIVE OAK — Just in time for Rail Safety Week, the Florida Department of Transportation completed a rail crossing project in downtown Live Oak. The project began Sept. 8 on the rail crossing on U.S. Highway 129 (Ohio Avenue).

Early morning crash claims one

A 29-year-old Lake City man was killed in a two-vehicle crash Saturday morning when his vehicle rear-ended a tractor-trailer. The wreck occurred around 3 a.m. on U.S. Highway 41 and south of Northwest Guerdon Street.

Sewer fee hike upsets Live Oak residents

LIVE OAK — More money from Live Oak residents will be going down the drain. Literally. The Live Oak City Council approved a sewer fee increase by a 3-2 vote at its meeting Tuesday night, which will raise between $50,000-$100,000 for the city.
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, pictured at the University of Chicago on Sept. 9, 2019, passed away Friday at 87. (ARMANDO L. SANCHEZ/Chicago Tribune)

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, pictured at the University of Chicago on Sept. 9, 2019, passed away Friday at 87. (ARMANDO L. SANCHEZ/Chicago Tribune)

Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg dies at 87

WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a diminutive yet towering women’s rights champion who became the court’s second female justice, died Friday at her home in Washington. She was 87. Ginsburg died of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer, the court said.

Area jobless rates decline in August

After a jump in July, the unemployment rate in Columbia and Suwannee counties dropped from around 8% to just above 5% last month, according to figures released Friday by the state. The unemployment rate in Hamilton County dropped to below 7% from 10.6%. Statewide, 7.

Mobile lab testing in Hamilton

JASPER — A state mobile covid-19 testing lab will visit Hamilton County next week. The lab, sponsored by the Florida Division of Emergency Management in partnership with Florida Department of Management Services, will be in Jennings and White Springs on Thursday.

12th dies from covid in Lafayette

MAYO — For the second straight day, covid-19 has been linked to a death in Lafayette County. The Lafayette County Health Department announced Thursday the death of an 84-year-old woman that had previously been diagnosed with covid-19.