Regional

Appeals filed on ballot initiatives law

NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
TALLAHASSEE — Backers of proposed constitutional amendments and voting-rights groups are appealing after a federal district judge last month refused to block parts of a new Florida law that placed additional restrictions on the state’s ballot-initiative process.
Lafayette High Principal Stewart Hancock was elected to the Florida Association for Career and Technical Education Hall of Fame last week. (COURTESY)

Lafayette High Principal Stewart Hancock was elected to the Florida Association for Career and Technical Education Hall of Fame last week. (COURTESY)

Lafayette High’s Hancock named Hall of Famer

JAMIE WACHTER
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
MAYO — Stewart Hancock’s path to the Florida Association for Career and Technical Education Hall of Fame began more than a decade ago.
Erin Dasher, pictured with her husband, Kevin, is a 2025 Excellence in Agriculture Award finalist from the Florida Farm Bureau. Dasher is a livestock agent with the UF/IFAS Suwannee County Extension Office. (COURTESY)

Erin Dasher, pictured with her husband, Kevin, is a 2025 Excellence in Agriculture Award finalist from the Florida Farm Bureau. Dasher is a livestock agent with the UF/IFAS Suwannee County Extension Office. (COURTESY)

Dasher recognized for ‘Excellence in Agriculture’

MORGAN MCMULLEN
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
LIVE OAK — A local UF/IFAS agent is getting statewide recognition — and potentially more — for her lifelong devotion to the field of agriculture.

Federal funding restored; Century 21 program returns

JAMIE WACHTER
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
LIVE OAK — Suwannee’s County’s 21st Century After-School Learning Program is officially back for the upcoming school year. After federal funding was suspended and under review, the district announced earlier this month that the program was on hold.
Clover Buds made suncatchers out of glass beads during their summer day camp. (COURTESY)

Clover Buds made suncatchers out of glass beads during their summer day camp. (COURTESY)

Lafayette 4-H summer camps bring fun, new skills

NEWS STAFF
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
This summer, Lafayette County 4-H offered a variety of camps that gave youth hands-on experiences, new knowledge, and plenty of fun.
A three-acre site on the south side of Live Oak is being cleared to make way for a new Waffle House. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

A three-acre site on the south side of Live Oak is being cleared to make way for a new Waffle House. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

Site work begins for new Waffle House

JAMIE WACHTER
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
LIVE OAK — Site work is underway to prepare a parcel on the southern end of Live Oak for a new restaurant. A vacant house has been demolished and three acres are being cleared just south of the Dollar General on Ohio Avenue South in Live Oak to make the way for a Waffle House.

Suwannee school board approves slight tax increase

JAMIE WACHTER
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
LIVE OAK — Suwannee County property owners will face a slight tax increase from the Suwannee County School District. During a public hearing Monday, the Suwannee County School Board unanimously approved implementing the incremental tax increase.