The following individuals were arrested recently by local law enforcement officers in Bradford, Union or Clay (Keystone Heights-area) counties. All defendants are considered innocent until convicted in a court or until pleading guilty or no contest. Information in this report is from law enforcement agencies and court documents, which are public records. Bradford John Thomas … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN [email protected] The National Transportation Safety Board blamed excessive airspeed on a March 2, 2022, flight from Keystone Heights to St. Augustine that resulted in the pilot’s death. Marianne Fox, 49, was piloting an Extra NG aerobatic plane when she departed Keystone Heights around 4:45 p.m. She was flying with her fiancée Jim … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN [email protected] The pastor of Fresh Start Fellowship said his congregation is starting an elementary school next school year. Fresh Start Academy will begin with 10 kindergarteners for the 2024-2025 school year. “Kindergarten only is what we’re beginning with this year,” Steve Conner said. “The plan is to build slowly a grade at … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN [email protected] The Clay Electric Foundation donated $13,500 to the Bradford County Communities in Schools during the foundation May grant cycle. The foundation said Communities in Schools of Bradford County surrounds students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. It added that the grant will … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN [email protected] Amie Hagar won the Reinhold Foundation’s 2023 Volunteer of the Year Award during the April 23 Celebrate Clay Awards breakfast. Hagar donates her time to Clay County Animal Services. The county said the honoree has worked at the county’s shelter for over five years and has been instrumental in finding foster … Read more
The following individuals were arrested recently by local law enforcement officers in Bradford, Union or Clay (Keystone Heights-area) counties. All defendants are considered innocent until convicted in a court or until pleading guilty or no contest. Information in this report is from law enforcement agencies and court documents, which are public records. Bradford Sara Raven … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN [email protected] Elston “Speedy” Kussler, scheduled to be sworn in as Keystone Heights’s newest council member in May, said his top priority is keeping the public safe. Kussler said he is particularly concerned about pedestrian crossings on South Lawrence Boulevard (State Road 21) with flashing lights. “They’ve got the flashing lights on 21,” … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN [email protected] Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook told a Keystone Heights meeting that the county has had no reported homicides for nearly the first four months of 2024. She told the same crowd that the number-one complaint her agency hears yearly is about traffic and speeding. Cook told a joint meeting of the … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN [email protected] An emergency preparedness manager at UF Health in Jacksonville trained a Lake Region group on how to stop bleeding for severely injured people. Jennifer Silvey-Cason told a joint meeting of the Lake Region Sheriff’s Net and the Chamber of Commerce’s Lake Region Prosperity Partners at Keystone’s First Baptist Church on April … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN [email protected] Clay County Commissioner Betsy Condon said that even though the county’s road improvement budget has increased by 55% since she took office, more funding is needed to keep county roads in their current condition. Betsy Condon told a joint meeting of the Lake Region Sheriff’s Net and the Chamber of Commerce’s … Read more
