Union officials confront courthouse construction problems, animal control complaints, commercial garbage rates
Dan Hildebran
March 5, 2026
BY DAN HILDEBRAN Dan@BcTelegraph.com The Union County Board of County Commissioners met on Monday, March 2 and worked through an agenda that included troubled courthouse renovations, allegations against the animal control department, a new state grant for communications towers, and a widening debate over how much commercial businesses should pay...
Read More
Advocates Seek State Investigation of Union County Animal Control
Dan Hildebran
March 5, 2026
BY DAN HILDEBRAN Dan@BcTelegraph.com More than 60 animal welfare advocates, rescue volunteers and concerned citizens have formally requested that state officials investigate Union County Animal Control, alleging a pattern of animal cruelty, statutory violations and leadership failures at the Lake Butler facility. The Feb. 16 letter, addressed to Gov. Ron...
Read More
Local loggers, mill workers squeezed by poor housing affordability
Dan Hildebran
March 5, 2026
BY DAN HILDEBRAN Dan@BcTelegraph.com North Florida’s timber industry is reeling from a cascade of mill closures and hurricane damage that has left local loggers with fewer outlets to sell their wood and no clear end in sight, according to industry sources and state and university forestry data. In a region...
Read More
Airport appointments, developments take center stage at council meeting
Dan Hildebran
March 4, 2026
BY DAN HILDEBRAN Dan@BcTelegraph.com The Keystone Heights City Council met Monday, March 2, for a wide-ranging session that included a unanimous vote to ban smoking and vaping in city parks, the appointment of two new members to the airport authority, and a presentation previewing a potential multibillion-dollar aerospace development at...
Read More
Clay school board takes on bus driver shortage, school starting times
Dan Hildebran
March 4, 2026
BY DAN HILDEBRAN Dan@BcTelegraph.com The Clay County School Board met in workshop on Tuesday, Feb. 24, to discuss a range of issues, including a new proposal to give students a formal voice at board meetings, a state-mandated review of school start times, and a persistent shortage of bus drivers that...
Read More
Sports:
UCHS’ Halfacre wins 2 events at Chiefland meet
Cliff Smelley
March 3, 2026
BY CLIFF SMELLEY cliff@bctelegraph.com Union County High School competed in a track and field meet hosted by Chiefland on March 2, with Holly Halfacre placing first in two events. Halfacre’s wins occurred in the long jump with a distance of 14 feet, 2.25 inches, and in the triple jump with...
Read More
BHS’ Lawrence earns top-3 finishes at SF track meet
Cliff Smelley
March 3, 2026
BY CLIFF SMELLEY cliff@bctelegraph.com Bradford High School’s Elijah Lawrence had a pair of standout performances in sprint events and also helped a relay team place in the top five at the Feb. 28 Santa Fe Raiders Invitational. Lawrence was the runner-up in the 200m with a time of 23.20 seconds...
Read More
Parks earns a 2nd-place finish for Keystone at Providence Invitational
Cliff Smelley
March 3, 2026
BY CLIFF SMELLEY cliff@bctelegraph.com Keystone Heights High School’s Kaylee Parks was a runner-up in one event, while the two boys relay teams top four finishes at the Feb. 27 Providence Invitational. Parks took second in the 100m hurdles with a time of 16.81 seconds. She also teamed up with Olivia...
Read More
Features:
Box, Wainwright, Ward show grand champs at goat show
Cliff Smelley
March 3, 2026
Grace Box, Kate Wainwright and Nicholas Ward exhibited the overall grand champions at the Bradford-Union Goat Show, which was held Feb. 28 at the Bradford Agricultural Fair. Box’s Class 5 goat in the Meat Breeding Doe category earned her a grand championship for the second straight year. Jacee Box’s Class...
Read More
Young Gardeners Dig In at 8th Junior Plant Day
Dan Hildebran
March 3, 2026
BY JENN SAMSEL Jenn@BcTelegraph.com Children were excited to explore the wonders of nature as they learned, planted, and crafted during the eighth Junior Plant Day. On Saturday, February 28, the Garden Club of the Lakes hosted Junior Plant Day at Bryan's Ace Hardware in Keystone Heights. The East Walker Street...
Read More
Social Parlor Brings Games, Crafts, and Community to Downtown Keystone Heights
Dan Hildebran
March 3, 2026
BY JENN SAMSEL Jenn@BcTelegraph.com Looking for a fun place to hang out, play games, and entertain your kids or enjoy a date night? Harbor Commons, a social parlor in Keystone Heights, opened in October 2025, offering a wide variety of games and activities for kids, including painting, STEM activities, crochet,...
Read More
New Boutique Opens in Keystone Heights
Dan Hildebran
March 3, 2026
BY JENN SAMSEL jenn@bctelegraph.com A new boutique in town offering home décor, apparel for kids, women, and men, as well as soaps, jewelry, and gifts, has opened. On Saturday, Feb. 28, MaeLynn's held its grand opening in Keystone Heights. They took over the bakery's old location. "We moved here about...
Read More
Crime:
Melrose man charged in traffic crash death of Starke woman
Dan Hildebran
March 4, 2026
BY DAN HILDEBRAN Dan@BcTelegraph.com A Melrose man has been charged with negligent homicide more than two years after a crash that killed a Starke woman, following a Florida Highway Patrol investigation into the September 2023 collision. Brandon Reece Howard, 52, faces charges stemming from a crash that took the life...
Read More
Ex-teacher gets 1 year, sexual offender tag
Dan Hildebran
March 4, 2026
BY DAN HILDEBRAN Dan@BcTelegraph.com A former Bradford Middle School teacher was sentenced to one year with the Department of Corrections, four years’ sexual offender probation, and will be designated as a sexual offender for life after pleading to charges stemming from messages and images he sent to a student. Matthew...
Read More
Obituaries:
Obituaries — March 3, 2026
Cliff Smelley
March 3, 2026
Wayne Alvarez Stanley Wayne Alvarez, known fondly as Wayne to those who had the pleasure of knowing him, passed away quietly at his beloved farm in Bradford County on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at the age of 78. Born Nov. 2, 1947 in Bradford County, to the late Donald and...
Read More
Obituaries — Feb. 24, 2026
Cliff Smelley
February 24, 2026
Erin Brewer Erin E. Brewer of Lake Butler died unexpectedly on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. She was born in Gainesville in 1977, residing in her lifetime in the Florida counties of Alachua, Bradford and Union and in San Diego, California. She graduated from Union County High School and attended Lake...
Read More
Editorial:
Public deserves better notice
Mark J. Crawford
January 20, 2026
Dear Editor: Whether for or against an issue, don't we all want officials to follow the law? This past week, the Bradford County Commission voted on a controversial issue to convert the old Douglas Warehouse into a 3,000-bed ICE/DHS detention center. The agenda was only published to the county website...
Read More
Historic loss for community
Mark J. Crawford
January 20, 2026
Dear Editor: Within the next few weeks, the community of Melrose will lose one of its most precious, historic buildings; the Mediterranean Revival Historic School House that sits on the corner of 26 and 21. This building has stood as a reminder of the importance of education and historic pride...
Read More
POSTED 5/12/2022: CLICK HERE to download the BC Personal Taxes Display & Notice
