BY DAN HILDEBRAN [email protected] Union County Schools Superintendent Mike Ripplinger is navigating a complex landscape of declining enrollment, unpredictable state funding, and increasing competition from school choice alternatives as the district works to retain students and maintain quality education. In a recent interview, Ripplinger detailed the financial pressures facing the small rural district, which depends … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN [email protected] Union County commissioners faced questions from residents during a Monday, February 2, town hall meeting about hundreds of people living in RVs and campers who pay nothing into county coffers while using garbage collection, emergency services, and roads funded by property owners. The meeting at the Providence Community Center was part … Read more
BY CLIFF SMELLEY [email protected] The Bradford and Union County high school boys basketball teams were runners-up in their respective district tournaments on Feb. 7 and qualified for the regional playoffs, with the Florida High School Athletic Association announcing seedings and matchups on Feb. 9. Bradford earned the fifth seed in Region 1-3A and will travel … Read more
BY CLIFF SMELLEY [email protected] Union County High School outscored host and top seed Trenton 18-13 in the final quarter, but it wasn’t enough for the second seed Tigers in a 48-43 loss in the championship game of the District 6-Rural boys basketball tournament on Feb. 7. The second seed Tigers (14-8), which never led and … Read more
BY CLIFF SMELLEY [email protected] Union County High School scored 19 of the game’s first 23 points and had three players finish with at least 10 points in a 49-33 win over visiting Fort White in a District 6-Rural tournament semifinal game on Feb. 5. The second seed Tigers (14-7) will travel to play top seed … Read more
Kolden Jenkins We gather today with heavy hearts to remember and celebrate the remarkable life of Kolden Blake Jenkins, a vivacious young boy who brought joy to everyone around him. Born Nov. 7, 2010, in Gainesville, Kolden, whose time with us was far too short, passed away at his home in Starke on Tuesday, Jan. … Read more
BY CLIFF SMELLEY [email protected] It was a quick recruiting process, but that’s because Union County High School senior Erick Lasseter found a place that truly feels like home. Lasseter signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Division II Glenville State University during a Jan. 28 ceremony in the UCHS media center. “It just … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN [email protected] A project that could pump up to 40 million gallons of wastewater a day from Jacksonville to North Central Florida has Union County residents worried that their area could be the destination for Duval County sewage. Union County Commissioner Donna Jackson told her colleagues during the February 2 county commission meeting … Read more
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 … Read more
BY CLIFF SMELLEY [email protected] Garrison Smith gave the Union County High School boys basketball team a chance to tie the game after making two technical free throws, but the Tigers missed a three-point shot in the final seconds of a 55-52 loss to host Branford on Jan. 31. The Tigers (13-7) trailed 14-8 in the … Read more
