Bradford County

Chamber breakfast addresses small businesses’ most pressing needs

BY DAN HILDEBRAN [email protected]  Around 15 business leaders from the Starke-Keystone Heights-Lake Butler area attended a quarterly breakfast organized by the North Florida Regional Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, April 30, to discuss their top challenges in operating a small business. Chamber President Pam Whittle led the discussion. North Florida Economic Development Corporation partner Amber…

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Dan Hildebran May 12, 2025

Phone call prompts Putnam school lockdowns

BY DAN HILDEBRAN [email protected] The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said staff at Melrose Elementary School received a threatening phone call around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29. In response to the threat, the school initiated a lockdown, and the school district locked down other West Putnam schools, including those in Interlocken. “At the same time,”…

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Dan Hildebran April 29, 2025

Monday power outage leaves over 8,000 without electricity

BY JENN SAMSEL Special to the Monitor  Clay Electric Cooperative said an equipment failure tripped a circuit breaker, leaving around 8,500 customers in several counties without power for around 20 minutes. The Monday, April 7, 10:20 a.m. outage blacked out the City of Keystone Heights and the surrounding area for nearly half an hour.

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Dan Hildebran April 7, 2025
Lake Region - Free

Friday crash closes down S.R. 21 between KH and Melrose

BY JENN SAMSEL Special to the Monitor  A three-car crash sent one person to a hospital in critical condition and a second with serious injuries on State Road 21 near the Putnam-Clay-County line Friday afternoon. According to an eyewitness who declined to release his name, at around 5:30 p.m., a southbound silver pickup was stationary…

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Dan Hildebran April 7, 2025
Bradford County

MLK Banquet honors the faithful & encourages those in the fight

BY MELISSA PYLE Special to the Telegraph There was a celebratory atmosphere in the Gov. Charley E. Johns Conference Center on Saturday evening as the Concerned Citizens of Bradford of County held the 8th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Service Award Banquet.  The banquet honors the legacy of Dr. King’s service and fight for…

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Mark J. Crawford January 20, 2025
News - Free

Water main breaks in Lake Butler

BY DAN HILDEBRAN [email protected] Union County Schools dismissed students early Friday after a water main break prevented water service to City of Lake Butler customers. City Of Lake Butler Public Works Director Sam Norris said the break was caused by a Florida Department of Transportation contractor taking soil borings on Southwest 6th Avenue directly in…

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Dan Hildebran January 17, 2025
News - Free

Man crashes truck into tech. college fence

BY DAN HILDEBRAN [email protected] A man crashed a Nissan pickup into the front fence of North Florida Technical College Monday afternoon. Bradford Sheriff’s Office Lt. Shaun Burgin, supervisor of the office’s School Protection Deputy unit, said the crash was an accident. “His foot slipped off the brake and onto the gas pedal,” Burgin said after…

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Dan Hildebran January 13, 2025