Regional

Five covid deaths added in Columbia

Five deaths connected to the covid-19 coronavirus were announced Tuesday for Columbia County. The local residents that passed away after contracting the virus were a 68-year-old man, a 69-year-old man, a 72-year-old man, a 73-year-old man and an 80-year-old male.

Groups aim to clean up Santa Fe River

FORT WHITE — Several area environmental groups are banding together to fight pollution on the banks of the Santa Fe River with a two-day cleanup effort. Trail Trash Outdoors is spearheading the clean-up effort along with help from the Our Santa Fe River and Current Problems environmental groups.

DOH offering free covid-19 testing

The Florida Department of Health is offering free drive-thru covid-19 testing today in Lake City and tomorrow in Jasper, weather permitting.  Tests will be available for anyone who wants one, including children, who can be tested with parental consent. No appointments are needed.

Date ends with sexual battery charge for Jax man

A Jacksonville man was arrested Sunday evening after a Columbia County woman told deputies that he forced himself on her after a date until one of her friends intervened with a shotgun.

Hamilton adds two covid-19 deaths

JASPER — Two deaths linked to covid-19 were announced over the weekend in Hamilton County, raising its total to six. According to the Hamilton County Health Department on Saturday, a 70-year-old man and an 87-year-old man died after previously testing positive for the virus.

School reopening ruling back on hold

TALLAHASSEE — In a partial win for Gov. Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, a Tallahassee-based appeals court on Friday put on hold a Leon County circuit judge’s ruling that said a state mandate for schools to reopen this month amid the coronavirus is unconstitutional.

Columbia surpasses Alachua in covid deaths

Columbia County had 32 confirmed covid-19 deaths as of Friday afternoon, exceeding the 31 fatalities reported for Alachua County but well below the 59 reported in Suwannee County, according to the latest information available from the Florida Department of Health.

VA awards $4.5M to combat veteran homelessness in North Florida

GAINESVILLE — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will award five community organizations totaling approximately $4.5 million through the Grant Per Diem program. Community organizations are in Jacksonville, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Starke, Ocala and Lake City.

Rail crossing work to close U.S. 129

LIVE OAK — Traffic will detour around downtown Live Oak for two weeks, starting next month. The Florida Department of Transportation is closing U.S. Highway 129 around the railroad crossing Sept.

Cops: Man repeatedly sold drugs to informant

LIVE OAK — Third crime’s the charm, just not for the perp, deputies say.  A Live Oak man sold cocaine to an informant not once, not twice, but three times in the span of a couple of weeks, resulting in his arrest, according to a Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office report.