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 CLIFF SMELLEY [email protected] Lake Butler Middle School’s baseball team was held to four hits in a 6-0 loss to third seed Baker County in the semifinals of the Suwannee Middle Athletic Conference on March 31. The second seed Tigers (8-4) had runners in scoring position in all but one of the five innings. Braxton…
BY CLIFF SMELLEY [email protected] Lake Butler Middle School rallied late, but couldn’t overtake second seed Baker County, which defeated the third seed Tigers 10-7 in the semifinals of the Suwannee Middle Athletic Conference tournament. The Tigers (10-5) trailed 9-2 before scoring three runs in the sixth. Katelynn Bennett drove in a run on a single,…
Doris Barbour Doris Mae Barbour, 81, of Lawtey, died Sunday, March 29, 2026, at UF Health Shands in Gainesville with her family by her side. She was born and raised in Wilmington, North Carolina, where she met her husband, Jesse E. Barbour Sr. For years, she attended Highland First Baptist Church. She was preceded…
BY DAN HILDEBRAN [email protected] Paula Webb was 19 years old, studying accounting in Gainesville, when a roommate mentioned that a physician who had just purchased a bankrupt hospital an hour north was looking for help with the books. That was 1984. Four decades later, Webb is no longer the young accounting coordinator trying to make…
Garbage fees to rise from $70 to $100; EMS fees from $70 to $120 under plan reached at March 30 workshop BY DAN HILDEBRAN [email protected] After months of town halls and inconclusive meetings, the Union County Board of County Commissioners reached tentative consensus Monday on its first special assessment increase in years, agreeing to raise…
The following individuals were recently arrested 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 Austin…
BY CLIFF SMELLEY [email protected] Lake Butler Middle School’s softball team ended a two-game losing streak with a 14-4 win over visiting Suwannee to conclude the regular season on March 19. The Tigers (10-4) are the third seed in the Suwannee Middle Athletic Conference tournament, which Lake Butler is hosting at the O.J. Phillips Complex. Lake…
BY CLIFF SMELLEY [email protected] Lake Butler Middle School’s baseball capped an 8-3 regular season with a 9-1 win over visiting Suwannee on March 19. The Tigers earned the number-two seed in the Suwannee Middle Athletic Conference tournament, which Lake Butler is hosting at the O.J. Phillips Complex. The Tigers will play third seed Baker County…
BY CLIFF SMELLEY [email protected] Union County High School’s baseball team played for the championship of the Prospect Select Spring Classic in Viera on March 25, losing 14-3 to Doral Academy, which is fifth in the Florida High School Athletic Association/MaxPreps Class 6A power rankings. The Tigers (14-6), who are the top team in the Rural…
