Regional

Assistant County Manager Kevin Kirby talks to the County Commission about the revised hurricane response plan Thursday. (MORGAN MCMULLEN/Lake City Reporter)

Assistant County Manager Kevin Kirby talks to the County Commission about the revised hurricane response plan Thursday. (MORGAN MCMULLEN/Lake City Reporter)

Commission OKs new hurricane response plan

MORGAN MCMULLEN
Friday, August 22, 2025
Columbia County is getting its ducks in a row ahead of hurricane season. Columbia County Commissioners voted unanimously during their Thursday meeting to approve a new disaster preparedness plan.
Baker Correctional Institution in Sanderson is set to become an immigrant detention center thanks due its proximity to the Lake City Gateway Airport and the infrastructure already in place at the state facility. (KALEY MANTZ/Fresh Take Florida)

Baker Correctional Institution in Sanderson is set to become an immigrant detention center thanks due its proximity to the Lake City Gateway Airport and the infrastructure already in place at the state facility. (KALEY MANTZ/Fresh Take Florida)

‘Deportation Depot’ immigrant detention center stirs fears among neighbors

NEWS STAFF
Tuesday, August 19, 2025
SANDERSON — Lucy Johnson didn’t know a shuttered prison down the road would soon hold as many as 2,000 immigrant detainees until a reporter told her.
Sen. Corey Simon (left) is joined by seniors on the Branford football team Tuesday morning in pushing in the Branford Volunteer Fire Department’s new engine, which was obtained with state funding. The truck is painted orange and blue to match the colors of Branford High School. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

Sen. Corey Simon (left) is joined by seniors on the Branford football team Tuesday morning in pushing in the Branford Volunteer Fire Department’s new engine, which was obtained with state funding. The truck is painted orange and blue to match the colors of Branford High School. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

Orange and blue letter day

JAMIE WACHTER
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
BRANFORD — The newest addition to the Branford Volunteer Fire Department is uniquely fit for the Town of Branford. The department’s first brand new firetruck in more than four decades doesn’t look like most fire engines.

Yulee recalled for love, passion for Live Oak

JAMIE WACHTER
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
LIVE OAK — John Yulee’s impact on Suwannee County and the City of Live Oak is visible every single day at the Suwannee County Chamber of Commerce office and Heritage Park & Gardens. Yulee, who served 16 years in two different stints on the Live Oak City Council, passed away Tuesday. He was 75.
Students in Rosa Davis’s class at Suwannee Riverside Elementary have been reading ‘The Energy Bus for Kids’ this week for the start of the school year. (COURTESY SUWANNEE RIVERSIDE ELEMENTARY)

Students in Rosa Davis’s class at Suwannee Riverside Elementary have been reading ‘The Energy Bus for Kids’ this week for the start of the school year. (COURTESY SUWANNEE RIVERSIDE ELEMENTARY)

‘Smooth’ start to school year for Suwannee County School District

JAMIE WACHTER
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
LIVE OAK — All things considered, this week’s start to the school year in Suwannee County has gone extremely well. Ronnie Gray, the superintendent of schools in Suwannee County, said Wednesday that the first few days of the academic year were “smooth.”
The Live Oak City Council is wanting to install a ‘Welcome to Historic Live Oak’ city sign on U.S. Highway 129 north of town to welcome visitors, similar to the signs that are on U.S. 90 on the east and west sides of town, as well as U.S. 129 south and State Road 51. (STASI WACHTER/Special to the Reporter)

The Live Oak City Council is wanting to install a ‘Welcome to Historic Live Oak’ city sign on U.S. Highway 129 north of town to welcome visitors, similar to the signs that are on U.S. 90 on the east and west sides of town, as well as U.S. 129 south and State Road 51. (STASI WACHTER/Special to the Reporter)

Live Oak eyes new welcome sign on 129N

JAMIE WACHTER
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
By JAMIE WACHTER jwachter@lakecityreporter.com LIVE OAK — The City of Live Oak hoping to upgrade its welcome to visitors, particularly on the north side of town.
Live Oak City Manager Larry Sessions said Development Director George Curtis was the right person to handle the responsility of approving subdivision plats, as mandated by new state law, for the city. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

Live Oak City Manager Larry Sessions said Development Director George Curtis was the right person to handle the responsility of approving subdivision plats, as mandated by new state law, for the city. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

Curtis given plat approval authority

JAMIE WACHTER
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
LIVE OAK — The development process is getting sped up, aided by the loss of control and oversight by local governing bodies.
Michael Douglas and the Harlem Legends will be performing Saturday at the Suwannee Coliseum. (COURTESY)

Michael Douglas and the Harlem Legends will be performing Saturday at the Suwannee Coliseum. (COURTESY)

Harlem Legends visiting Suwannee Coliseum

NEWS STAFF
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
LIVE OAK — A group of globetrotting hoopers will be making its way back to Suwannee County for the first time in nearly 20 years.
Standing among fellow expectant graduates at the NFC Spring 2025 Commencement Ceremony, Caroline Wynn smiles as she prepares to cross the stage and accept her diploma for an Associate in Arts Degree. (COURTESY)

Standing among fellow expectant graduates at the NFC Spring 2025 Commencement Ceremony, Caroline Wynn smiles as she prepares to cross the stage and accept her diploma for an Associate in Arts Degree. (COURTESY)

NFC leads state in grad rate for fourth straight year

NEWS STAFF
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
MADISON — When Caroline Wynn first stepped onto the campus of North Florida College, she brought more than determination, she brought generations of rural resilience.