BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor KEYSTONE HEIGHTS— HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital’s Vice president of Operations Tina Pugh gave the Lake Region Prosperity Partners an overview of the hospital’s activities and its plans for growth, during the Clay Chamber group’s Thursday, Sept. 22 meeting at the Keystone Beach pavilion. Pugh highlighted the hospital’s two current … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor KEYSTONE HEIGHTS— A Lake Region man prohibited by court order from stepping foot on a Keystone Heights-area property did so anyway and was tased by three deputies after daring the lawmen to shoot him. Travis Allen Wright, 37, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, cyberstalking, burglary, petit … Read more
The Clay Electric Foundation said it awarded two grants totaling $30,000 to organizations focused on helping Union County residents. The Fellowship Baptist Food Pantry received $10,000. The Raiford-based church will use the money to add cooling units and shelves to its food bank. The Foundation for Rural Educational Excellence, which serves Putnam and Alachua counties, … Read more
Eric Anderson, the emergency preparedness manager for the Northeast Florida Regional Council, told the Keystone Heights Rotary Club during its Sept. 21 meeting that when Florida’s 10 regional planning councils were first established in the 1970s, their mission was to manage growth within the state through regional planning. Anderson added that now, growth management is … Read more
The president of the Clay Education Association thanked two outgoing school board members for standing up for teachers. Vicki Kidwell said Tina Bullock and Janice Kerekes have always spoken out for instructors in Clay County. “Teaching isn’t easy,” Kidwell said, “and seeing our school board members at school functions, reading to our kids, and speaking … Read more
STARKE — The Florida Department of Transportation will host an open house to provide citizens with an update on the Starke Railroad Overpass Interchange Improvements project. The hybrid open house will be held Tuesday, Oct. 11, at the Gov. Charley E. Johns Conference Center, 1610 N. Temple Ave. in Starke. Project staff will be available … Read more
Union County’s unemployment rate decreased from 2.9% to 2.7% during August, while Clay County’s jobless rate fell from 2.6% to 2.5% during the month. Bradford’s rate held steady at 3.1%. Nassau County had the lowest rate in northeast Florida with 2.4%, and Putnam County reported the highest at 4%. Statewide, the unemployment rate remained unchanged … Read more
Keystone Heights City Council members discussed allowing golf carts on city streets after City Manager Lynn Rutkowski provided them with current golf cart ordinances from Starke, Green Cove Springs and Putnam County, in addition to the state statutes regulating the vehicles. She said if the council decided to move forward with allowing golf carts on … Read more
A St. Johns River Water Management District manager said Lake Brooklyn rose by 0.7 feet in August, bringing the lake’s level to 102.45 feet, which is near Brooklyn’s long-term average. Michael Daly, a water resource data manager in the district’s Bureau of Water Resource Information, said rainfall in the central and northern portions of the … Read more
DLP Bancshares of St. Augustine announced that it has acquired Community State Bank in Starke. DLP Bancshares is a holding company owned by a consortium of private investors, including Don Wenner, CEO of the real estate investment and financial services firm DLP Capital. DLP Bankshares said in a news release that following the acquisition, it … Read more
