Celebration of Life — Theresa Long

      Theresa Long Celebration of Life As we continue to remember and honor the beautiful life of Theresa Long, we invite all who knew and loved her to join us for a memorial and celebration of her life. Saturday, March 28, 2026, at 5 p.m. at her home in Belmore, 6555 Sharron Road, Green…

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Cliff Smelley March 24, 2026

In Memory — Al Coston Jr.

In loving memory of Al Coston Jr. Aug. 10, 1946 – March 29, 2016 Those we love don’t go away, They walk beside us every day Unseen, unheard, but aways near, Still loved, still missed and very dear.

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Cliff Smelley March 24, 2026

Obituaries — March 24, 2026

  Warren Carver Warren Carver, loving husband, father and grandfather, went to his Heavenly home on Thursday, March 19, 2026. Warren was born in Suwannee County on Sept. 7, 1943. He proudly served in the Florida National Guard after high school graduation and was employed for 30 years with the USDA as County Executive Director,…

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Cliff Smelley March 24, 2026

Tigers open Viera tourney with 12-2 win

BY CLIFF SMELLEY [email protected] Union County High School’s baseball team scored in every inning, while pitcher Brady Tetstone allowed only three hits in the Tigers’ 12-2, five-inning win over Class 7A Coral Gables on the first day of Prospect Select’s Spring Classic in Viera on March 23. Tetstone struck out nine in the complete-game effort…

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Cliff Smelley March 24, 2026
News

Lake Butler commission approves city manager raise, splash pad repair; water tank cracks raise concern

BY DAN HILDEBRAN [email protected] The Lake Butler City Commission approved a 10% salary increase for City Manager Kimberly Hayes, authorized a $52,914 overhaul of Lakeside Park’s splash pad, and moved ahead with a state park-improvement grant application at its regular meeting on March 17, but not before hearing an unscheduled briefing on a developing problem…

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Dan Hildebran March 23, 2026
Sports

UCHS’ Bethea among top sprinters at Bob Hayes Invite

BY CLIFF SMELLEY [email protected] Union County High School senior Amia Bethea placed seventh out of 112 runners in the 100m dash at the March 21 Bob Hayes High School Invite, which was hosted by Jacksonville’s University of North Florida. Bethea had the sixth-best time of 12.08 seconds in the preliminaries to qualify for the finals.…

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Cliff Smelley March 23, 2026

UCHS softball team falls by 1 to Bartram Trail

BY CLIFF SMELLEY [email protected] Visiting Bartram Trail scored four runs in the final two innings to hand the Union County High School softball team a 12-11 loss on March 20. The Tigers (8-6) scored four runs in the first inning to take a one-run lead. Brooke Hunt had an RBI double, while Makayla Orton drove…

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Cliff Smelley March 23, 2026
Bradford County

Recent arrests in Bradford, Union and Clay

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 Triniti…

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Dan Hildebran March 20, 2026

Water shortage leads to restrictions

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…

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Mark J. Crawford March 17, 2026