Grady Church (from left), 15, Macy Phillips, 16, and Alexa Aspenwall, 14, work on stacking pumpkins on a pallet for the local FFA Pumpkin Patch. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Grady Church (from left), 15, Macy Phillips, 16, and Alexa Aspenwall, 14, work on stacking pumpkins on a pallet for the local FFA Pumpkin Patch. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

FFA pumpkin patch fundraiser opens

Friday, October 9, 2026

A heaping helping of harvested pumpkins arrived at the local FFA program’s pumpkin patch on Thursday afternoon.Those pumpkins will be sold to the community as a fundraiser for the local FFA programs.

Local

Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers is considering opening a Lake City location at the site of the old Red Lobster restaurant. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers is considering opening a Lake City location at the site of the old Red Lobster restaurant. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Raising Cane’s eyes former Red Lobster site

TONY BRITT
Friday, October 9, 2026
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers is looking at the possibility of launching a restaurant in Lake City.
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Around Columbia County

Suwannee County Fire Chief Dan Miller said while the agreement calls for the county to be operating out of the Branford station by Jan. 1, he hopes to be in a month earlier. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

Suwannee County Fire Chief Dan Miller said while the agreement calls for the county to be operating out of the Branford station by Jan. 1, he hopes to be in a month earlier. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

Suwannee County taking over Branford fire station

JAMIE WACHTER
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Suwannee County is officially on board with expanding its fire protection services into the Town of...
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Sports

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Grady Church (from left), 15, Macy Phillips, 16, and Alexa Aspenwall, 14, work on stacking pumpkins on a pallet for the local FFA Pumpkin Patch. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Grady Church (from left), 15, Macy Phillips, 16, and Alexa Aspenwall, 14, work on stacking pumpkins on a pallet for the local FFA Pumpkin Patch. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

FFA pumpkin patch fundraiser opens

TONY BRITT
A heaping helping of harvested pumpkins arrived at the local FFA program’s pumpkin patch on Thursday afternoon.Those pumpkins will be sold to the community as a fundraiser for the local FFA programs. The patch, located behind Panera Bread building, opened at 4 p.m. on Friday and will remain open…
Branford runner Logan Haley in action at the Run Florida Invitational on Sept. 26. (JACK HOWDESHELL/Lake City Reporter)

Branford runner Logan Haley in action at the Run Florida Invitational on Sept. 26. (JACK HOWDESHELL/Lake City Reporter)

PREP CROSS COUNTRY: Branford's Haley finishes runner-up at Half-Mile Timing Invitational

NEWS STAFF
Logan Haley had another stellar race for Branford on Saturday, finishing second at the Half-Mile Timing Invitational.The junior posted a time of 17.17.6, less than 10 seconds behind winner Bryce Motycka from Bartram Trail (17:07.1). The Branford boys finished 12th out of 15 teams with 292 points…

Garbage issues caused by wrong map, info

JAMIE WACHTER
Some “hiccups” in the garbage pickup transition have caused a stink online.However, Assistant Columbia County Manager Kevin Kirby said the county’s new solid waste contractor Ecowaste has immediately responded to try to make up for the miscues caused by a faulty map.Ecowaste took over picking up…
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers is considering opening a Lake City location at the site of the old Red Lobster restaurant. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers is considering opening a Lake City location at the site of the old Red Lobster restaurant. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Raising Cane’s eyes former Red Lobster site

TONY BRITT
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers is looking at the possibility of launching a restaurant in Lake City.“We have a Raising Cane’s restaurant which has reached out to the city about a proposed site,” said Robert Angelo, planner for the City of Lake City. “We have not officially received any submittals…

Belmont expansion on to FGC campus advancing

JAMIE WACHTER
Belmont Academy’s expansion onto the Florida Gateway College campus is still progressing.The plan could receive board approval from both Belmont’s school board and FGC’s Board of Trustees within the next month, according to the presentation FGC President Larry Barrett and Belmont Principal Ron…
Lake City Vice Mayor Chevella Young signs the Thank Our First Responders car during its stop Thursday at the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Lake City Vice Mayor Chevella Young signs the Thank Our First Responders car during its stop Thursday at the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

First Responders thank you vehicle makes CCSO stop

TONY BRITT
A black Volkswagen Beetle with orange wheels and several other colors to represent first responders is capturing a lot of attention as it makes its way through the state.Spencer Crutchley, president of Thank Our First Responders, had the vehicle at the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday…

Fullbright serving as Pregnancy Care Center interim director

TONY BRITT
From beginning as an administrative assistant to eventually becoming the director of the Live Oak Pregnancy Care Center, Joyce Fullbright has spent years with the agency and is now its interim director.Fullbright was named the interim executive director of the Pregnancy Care Center in August.Her…

Fort White man kills himself following standoff

NEWS STAFF
FORT WHITE — A Fort White man killed himself Thursday morning after a standoff with law enforcement.According to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, deputies attempted to serve a warrant around 11 a.m. Thursday at a Fort White residence when they were met by Barry Rush, the 60-year-old they were…
Columbia City Elementary students participate in the September Choose to Move lesson as County Extension introduces healthy habits through an interactive story and movement activities. Students put learning into action by exploring different ways their bodies can move. (COURTESY COLUMBIA COUNTY EXTENSION)

Columbia City Elementary students participate in the September Choose to Move lesson as County Extension introduces healthy habits through an interactive story and movement activities. Students put learning into action by exploring different ways their bodies can move. (COURTESY COLUMBIA COUNTY EXTENSION)

Columbia City students get creative in Choosing the Move

NEWS STAFF
By Heather M. FutchColumbia County ExtensionAsk a group of elementary students to show you their favorite way to move, and you probably won’t get just one answer. You may see a dance move, a big stretch, a jumping motion or something completely unexpected. That variety was part of the fun recently…
Branford coach Will Dettor (right) and his assistant challenge the referees on a call during a game against Crescent City on Sept. 25. (JACK HOWDESHELL/Lake City Reporter)

Branford coach Will Dettor (right) and his assistant challenge the referees on a call during a game against Crescent City on Sept. 25. (JACK HOWDESHELL/Lake City Reporter)

PREP FOOTBALL: Hurricane Isaias moves Branford-Trenton to Monday

MORGAN MCMULLEN
BRANFORD — Mother Nature remains undefeated, though that’s only slightly better than the combined records of the teams she postponed Friday. Hurricane Isaias pushed Friday’s scheduled kickoff between Branford and Trenton back to Monday at Buccaneer Stadium beginning at 7 p.m. The storm…
Fort White's Marvion Wallace takes the opening kickoff back 75 yards for a touchdown in the Indians' 42-26 loss to Madison County on Thursday. (MORGAN MCMULLEN/Lake City Reporter)

Fort White's Marvion Wallace takes the opening kickoff back 75 yards for a touchdown in the Indians' 42-26 loss to Madison County on Thursday. (MORGAN MCMULLEN/Lake City Reporter)

PREP FOOTBALL: Fort White's comeback bid falls short at Madison County

MORGAN MCMULLEN
MADISON — Madison County is still good enough to pull away from teams. But a rematch with Fort White in the postseason would be must-watch drama now.The Class 1A No. 5 Cowboys created explosive plays all night, while the Indians’ comeback bid fell short in a 42-26 loss at Boot Hill…
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