Regional

Cops: Man painted stolen truck to disguise it

TONY BRITT
Thursday, August 13, 2020
LIVE OAK — A Live Oak man is facing several theft charges after authorities say he stole a pickup truck from the Enviro Waste facility at the Suwannee County landfill, disguised it with household paint and sold most of the tools he found on the truck for drugs or cash.

Lafayette County spike in cases stems from Mayo CI

TONY BRITT
Thursday, August 13, 2020
MAYO — An outbreak at Mayo Correctional Institution caused the covid-19 caseload in Lafayette County to more than double Thursday. The Lafayette County Health Department reported an increase of 276 cases Thursday, bringing the total of confirmed cases in the county to 469.
Homemade explosive devices that looked like hand grenades were found on a Michigan truck traveling south on Interstate 75 on Tuesday morning. (COURTESY ALACHUA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE)

Homemade explosive devices that looked like hand grenades were found on a Michigan truck traveling south on Interstate 75 on Tuesday morning. (COURTESY ALACHUA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE)

Cops stop truck with explosive devices on board

JAMIE WACHTER
Wednesday, August 12, 2020
WHITE SPRINGS — A Michigan construction truck was hauling destructive devices on Interstate 75 on Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Housing market strong for sellers

TONY BRITT
Wednesday, August 12, 2020
Business may be a little slow in the Columbia, Suwannee and Hamilton County housing markets, but signs from all three county’s single family housing sales show the earmarks of a strong sellers’ markets during the second quarter of 2020.

Four covid-19 deaths added in Columbia

NEWS STAFF
Wednesday, August 12, 2020
Local health department officials reported five deaths, four in Columbia County and one in Suwannee County, related to covid-19 on Wednesday. The deaths of four Columbia residents brings the county’s death toll to 20 people.

Free covid-19 testing offered at Southside Sports Complex

TONY BRITT
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
The Columbia County Health Department will offer its free drive-thru covid-19 testing at the Southside Sports Complex beginning today. Health Department officials are requesting that people who are seeking the testing enter the complex from Southwest Bascom Norris Drive.
Democratic presidential candidates former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) speak after the Democratic Presidential Debate at Texas Southern University's Health and PE Center on Sept. 12, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (WIN MCNAMEE/Getty Images/TNS)

Democratic presidential candidates former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) speak after the Democratic Presidential Debate at Texas Southern University's Health and PE Center on Sept. 12, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (WIN MCNAMEE/Getty Images/TNS)

Biden selects California Sen. Kamala Harris as running mate

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
WILMINGTON, Del. — Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday, making history by selecting the first Black woman to compete on a major party’s presidential ticket and acknowledging the vital role Black voters will play in his bid to defeat President Donald Trump.

Supts to state: Address covid-19 testing

NEWS STAFF
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
TALLAHASSEE — As Florida schools reopen this month, district superintendents are calling on state officials to address two major challenges: the need for rapid testing for COVID-19 and a statewide plan to handle students and staff members who test positive.