The Florida State Board of Education declared the Union County and Glades County school districts in a state of financial emergency during an emergency meeting on Tuesday, March 31, voting unanimously to appoint a three-member oversight board to guide both districts toward recovery. Deputy Commissioner of Education for Finance and Operations Suzanne Pridgen told the…
BY JENN SAMSEL [email protected] A 23-year-old from Florahome, a firefighter with Jacksonville Fire Rescue, was killed in a traffic crash on State Road 26 in Melrose. The incident occurred on Wednesday, March 25, at 2:30 a.m. As a result, the road was closed for several hours, diverting traffic to other areas of Melrose. According to…
BY JENN SAMSEL [email protected] A brush fire prompted evacuations for residents in the north end of Keystone Heights. The fire started in the Bondarenko Court area on Saturday, March 21, at 1:50 p.m. Multiple units from Clay County Fire Rescue and the Florida Forestry Service were deployed to fight the blaze. Due to the dry…
BY DAN HILDEBRAN [email protected] First Federal Bank marked its entry into the Bradford County market with a ribbon-cutting celebration that drew elected officials, chamber members, and community supporters to the new branch. Incorporated as First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Live Oak in 1962, the nonprofit mutual bank, owned by its customers, now serves…
BY MARK J. CRAWFORD [email protected] The city of Starke mourned the sudden loss of one of its employees this past week. City Manager Drew Mullins said Cory Adams — a meter reader — died right after work March 11. The death was not related to his job, and as he was only 23 years old,…
Due to continued drought conditions and a forecast that calls for lower than average rainfall in the months ahead, the Suwannee River Water Management District Governing Board on March 10 declared a Phase II Water Shortage. Currently, districtwide aquifer levels sit around the 20th percentile, and ongoing monitoring efforts show below average river flows throughout…
BY JENN SAMSEL [email protected] Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook was recognized by the President and invited to speak at the White House Women’s History Month event. The event on Thursday, March 12. On that same day, President Trump issued a proclamation celebrating Women’s History Month. “Women’s History Month, we celebrate the extraordinary American women of…
BY DAN HILDEBRAN [email protected] A Lawtey man has been arrested for grand theft after investigators say he took more than $5,600 worth of equipment from the Edwards Road sports complex, where he had previously managed a youth baseball league. Braxton Leon Britt, 44, faces one count of grand theft between $5,000 and $10,000, a third-degree…
BY DAN HILDEBRAN [email protected] A 17-year-old Lake Butler boy was killed Friday afternoon, February 27, in a three-vehicle crash on State Road 121 in Union County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The crash occurred around 3:30 p.m. near Southwest 79th Trail when a green Ford pickup truck traveling southbound rear-ended a black Ford SUV…
Scholarship-application forms for seniors who are members of the 4-H or FFA programs in Bradford and Union counties are available at the UF/IFAS offices in both counties and the North Florida Regional Chamber of Commerce in downtown Starke. Applications can also be obtained by mail request at PO Box 2, Lawtey, FL 32058. The deadline…
