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Stew Lilker’s

Columbia County Observer

Real news from Florida for working families since 2007

Columbia County News
2022-2021
Index of Stories
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2012-2009

 
County News 2022 (scroll down)
 

Com Tim Murphy Robbed of County Chairmanship – Com Ford Under A Cloud

CSI North Central Florida May Be Getting A Little Help From the Legislature. Sheriff Hunter Makes His Pitch

Legislative Delegation On Tap Today At 9 AM: Columbia County Looking for $24,392,500

Columbia County Sheriff Gains Notoriety Across the Globe: Two Deputies Arrest Legally Blind Man Walking Home From Jury Duty

Jim Hodges gives the "skinny" on his arrest

Today Is Election Day – Don't Forget to Vote
Columbia County School District Half-Cent Sales Tax Surcharge: Vague, Misleading, and Wrong

FL Gas Set To Rise 25 Cents a Gallon, Tomorrow At Midnight: Fuel Sales Tax Holiday Ending

Columbia County School District Half-Cent Sales Tax Surcharge: Vague, Misleading, and Wrong

Election Day Is Fast Approaching: Become An Informed Voter the Easy Way

Former Columbia County Deputy Clerk Guilty: Scheme to Defraud & Official Misconduct

Looking to Live in a Travel Trailer or RV? The Columbia County 5 Will Be Exploring the Issue

Richardson Community Center Pt-II: Community Members Kept Coming to the Microphone

The Columbia County 5: On the Docket Tonight Richardson – A Part of Black Community Culture

Clay Electric: “Prepare to be without power for extended period”

Columbia County Is Going Into the Eco-Tourism Business & Is Working On a Master Plan

TDC Director Paula Vann: The American People Paid $330,000 for a Master Plan, Ms. Vann Doesn’t Want to Release It

County Fire Assessment:  Rates On Fire – Final Decision Next Week

FGC Bass Fishing Team Ranked No. 1 in S. East Competing in National College Championship

Everett Phillips, After a Clean Election Campaign, Regains His County 5 Seat

Rorschach like image with headline: There is a mental health crisis. Don't know what to do? You can learn more about it.Saint Leo U-Lake City Offering Free Youth Mental Health Workshop

Commissioner Tim Murphy with headline: Columbia County 5's Tim Murphy. Keeping his eye on the nuts and the boltsColumbia County 5: Public Hearing Highlights Deficits In the Nuts & Bolts of County Process

Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative Offering Two Lineworker Program Scholarships

Suwannee Valley Electric Co-op Leaps Into the World of High-Speed Internet Provider

 

College professionals and a ham greet folks at the one stop event. At the table are Julie Cannon and Tracy Nabli.Florida Gateway College One-Stop Enrollment: A Good Idea for Students & Staff, College VP Withholds Stats

Soaring Florida Real Estate Market Has Property Appraiser Jeff Hampton and Other PAs Reaching Out to County Property Owners

 

Long-Time Columbia County Clerk of the Court Employee Arrested for Alleged Fraud Scheme

 

Chris Hackett coachingFlorida Gateway College Hires New Athletic Director

 

 

Ribbon cutting at the Quinn & Keith Leibfried STEM building at Florida Gateway CollegeFlorida Gateway College Cuts the Ribbon On the New Quinn & Keith Leibfried STEM Building

 

Columbia County Tourist Development Council: A New Logo - What Were They Thinking?

 

Photo of human brain with caption: still no city manager for Lake City. City's brain trust - out of options and no solutionsLC City Manager Search: Mayor Wants to Interview Candidates Without Looking at Resumes, Headhunter – Out of Steam

 

Photos of Kevin Kirby and Paul Dyal with roadway double yellow line inbetween. Caption: County claims Lake City crossed the double line on City wastewater utility expansion projectLake City-Columbia County Utility Easment Issues Spill Into County Roadway: It Was Not Pretty

 

Led by Com Ronald Williams, County 5 Stampedes Away From Utility Transparency With Lake City

 

County Manager Resigns From City Utility Committee: "I Don't Want to Violate Florida’s Sunshine Law"

 

Photo of former County Manager Dale Williams and County Chairman Toby Witt with caption: County Boradband Committee meets. There is much work to do. Data and cooperation are key.Broadband Committee: In the Land of the Underserved, Not Reaching Out to the School District

 

Photo of gun and knife with caption: concealed weapons in Columbia County. Government rules and what they are doingConcealed Weapons on Gov't Property in Columbia County: Guns Pt-II

 

Humane Society Thrift Store In Limbo No More: Open for Business & Taking Donations

 
County News 2021 (scroll down)
 

Image of hand coming out of the sea with caption: Lake City 2021, the year that was. It was not a good yearLake City 2021: The Number One Story in Columbia County Was Lake City

 

Photo: blackboard-know the rules: Caption - the Columbia County 5, not big fans of its own rulesColumbia County 5: Hollingsworth the New Chair. First Meeting Time Changed to 9:30 am. Public Notice & Comment – "What's That?"

 

photo: Florida Gateway College meeting with Lake City and Columbia CountyThe Great FGC – Columbia Cnty – LC Pow Wow: Not Exactly Kumbaya, But All Met In the Same Room For the First Time

 

Representative Chuck Brannan and Senator Jennifer BradleyCounty Leg. Delegation Today at 1 pm: Will also be broadcast live over County’s Youtube channel

 

Commissioner Ronald Williams with caption: "There got to be some kinda problem. He wouldn't be asking for a meeting."FGC President Calls for Joint City-County-College Meeting to Discuss Issues of Concern

 

Photo of Com. Hollingsworth, County Aty Joel Foreman, Com. Tim Murphy, Asst. County Mngr. Kirby, County 5 Chairman Rocky Ford, Com. Toby Witt, with the caption: Milling around trying to figure it out. Commissioner Ron Williams, "That's Bullshi!t ya' all."The Columbia County 5 Fort White Fiasco: Legal Meetings Are Difficult for Them & County Attorney Joel Foreman

 

Larry Sessions, Suwannee Valley Transit AdministratoCompliance Issues Continue to Plague the SVTA: Following the law and its own rules continues to be problematic

 

Columbia County: Elsa Is Here, It Could Have Been Worse

 

Columbia Cnty Econ Dev: Water to Plum Creek-Weyerhauser-Mega Industrial Park? 15 Years & Counting

 

Town of Fort White To Get $75k From Columbia County Taxpayers For the Privilege of Providing It With Clean Water

 

Columbia County Courts and Others Getting Back to Normal, ‘Sort Of’

 

Columbia County: Civilian Review of the Sheriff’s Office Nixed – Sheriff Say’s He Does It Himself

 

Lake City Medical Center Investing Additional $36 Mil In Improvements

 

Worker holding stop sign with copy: County puts cart before horseColumbia County Residents About to Get Slammed: Building Permit Fees Headed Skyward – But First The County 5 Must Follow the Law

 

Olustee the Monument, April 15: A Dance by Columbia County To Deny Its Real Plan, To Wash Its Hands of the Monument

 

Lake City Medical Center: $1.6 Mil Investment In Robotic Surgery

 

Olustee - ‘Second Thoughts’: Commissioner Robby Hollingsworth Shows Up At City Council, “It’s kinda’ strange, but here I am.”

 

Olustee, the Monument That Keeps on Giving, Now in the Hands of the Columbia County 5

 

Lake City – Columbia County, Utility Progress: While They Met About Gas – The Theme Was Cooperation

 

Olustee Park & Monument:  County Attorney Foreman Says, “‘Give (Lake) City a deed,’ and make them say no.”

 

Photo of Olustee battlel obelisk with copy: Olustee Battle Obelisk in a downtown Lake City park, owned by Columbia County. What is the County's next step?Lake City Legal Opinion: Olustee Park – Home of Confederate Monument – Owned By Columbia County

 

Photo of Werner's Lake City terminal with copy: Made in America, Werner Enterprises Opens in Lake City-Columbia CountyWerner Enterprises Opens in Columbia County: New Lake City Terminal Goes On-Line

 

Town of Fort White Utility Slam-Dunk Foiled: Lake City and Private Utility Rain on Fort White - Columbia County Parade

 

Town of Fort White Utility Slam-Dunk Foiled: Pushback --The Rest of the Story

 

Chief Judge Feagle’s Term Unanimously Extended, Judge’s Updated Court COVID-19 Plan Released

 

Lake City Vice Mayor Appears Before the County 5 to Discuss City Utility Policy & the City Budget: His Appearance Not Sanctioned by the City Council

 

Columbia County's Legislative Delegation Gets a Visual: Bottled Water Is Also About the Bottles

 

Photo of Florida Capitol with copy: Florida Legislative Delegation in Columbia County, 2 pm TuesdayColumbia County Legislative Delegation On-Tap for Tuesday at 2 pm

 

Columbia County Econ Dev:  Niagara Gets Thumbs Down – County Could Lose 150 Potential Jobs

 
 
 
 
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