A3 + PLUS >> Columbia adds two more covid deaths, 2A PREP FOOTBALL COLLEGE FOOTBALL Fort White’s O-line UF-LSU postponed learning on the job due to covid outbreak. See Page 8A See Page 8A THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 | YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1874 | $1.00 Lake City Reporter LAKECITYREPORTER.COM Florida Senate candidate dies Barratt had long state Senate seat, seeking elec- Barratt also was the legislative nominee for State Senate District GoFundMe page last week, seek- cancer battle; was tion in the State director for the Florida National 5,” Jennifer Bradley posted on ing to raise $15,000 to help offset seeking District 5 seat. Senate from the Organization for Women. social media Wednesday evening. Barratt’s final expenses. North Florida dis- She was opposing Republican “While I never had the opportuni- She had entered hospice care Staff report trict that includes Jennifer Bradley in the November ty to meet Melina, she was known at that time. The Democratic candidate for Columbia County election for the seat vacat- as a passionate advocate for equal- “Melina is well known for her the District 5 seat in the Florida as well as ed by Rob Bradley, the Senate ity and her work was impactful to feminist work battling for the equity Senate died Wednesday after a Suwannee, Baker, Appropriations chair and Jennifer many. and rights of women and LGBTQIA long battle with thyroid cancer. Barratt Bradford, Clay, Bradley’s husband. “My prayers are with her family equity in Florida’s Capitol, through- Melina Rayna Svanhild Farley- Dixie, Gilchrist, “I’m saddened to hear of the and friends during this difficult out the state, and around the Barratt, of Trenton, was the first Lafayette, Levy and Union coun- passing of Melina Rayna Svanhild time.” transgender woman to run for a ties and part of Marion County. Farley-Barrett, the Democratic Florida NOW created a BARRATT continued on 2A LIVE OAK Cooking with heavy hearts Council closing in on manager interviews First round could start next week from pool of 28 candidates. By JAMIE WACHTER [email protected] LIVE OAK — The Live Oak City Council may talk with its next city manager as soon as next week. At Tuesday’s council meeting, City Manager Ron Williams pro- vided the council with a packet from search firm S. Renee Narloch & Associates with the TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter 28 applicants for the Caryn Cooper, daughter of the late Robert Warren Cooper Jr., who was the owner of the Pizza Boy Pizza restaurant, looks at a council to consider bouquet of flowers on the restaurant’s counter Wednesday afternoon. Williams for the managerial opening with the Cooper’s love of Lake City, veterans remembered goal of potentially setting up a first round of video interviews with can- By TONY BRITT two decades. often in the store before his loved that we were close to the didates next week. [email protected] Even the restaurant’s name health began to decline. VA,” she said. “He loved every- Williams said Narloch designated is a play on the “We’ve been here for 20 years thing about it.” her top five choices as well as two The smell of pizza wafted family business. and up till the past seven months, She said with her father’s internal candidates and then pro- through the air at the Pizza Boy Caryn dad has been in here every day,” death, Lake City has lost a great vided a straight listing of the other Pizza restaurant Wednesday Cooper, Robert Caryn Cooper said. “Even up to man that was loved by many 21 applicants. The council members afternoon as the staff and Cooper’s daugh- a couple of months ago, he was people. could choose to add any additional employees cooked, undoubted- ter, said her still coming in every week.” “If you go on Facebook and applicants from that list to the inter- ly, with heavy hearts. brother Ryan In a restaurant that serves look at it — all the people that view pool. Robert Warren Cooper Jr., Cooper Jr. Cooper was New York style pizza, barbecue commented — I can’t believe “You have the advantage of was the owner of the Pizza Boy originally part owner of the busi- ribs, wings, strombolis, calzones, so many people loved him and reviewing all of them,” Williams Pizza restaurant died Saturday ness and he was always called hot and cold sub sandwiches so many people knew him,” she said, as their resumes were being in the VA hospital in Gainesville “the pizza boy.” and salads, three generations said. “There’s a lot of people here provided electronically to the coun- after an extended illness. He So when he and their father of Coopers often worked shoul- who have been coming since cilors later Tuesday night. “You can was 71. decided to open a pizza restau- der-to-shoulder, preparing food Day 1 — they lose a lot because then have Narloch provide addition- Pizza Boy Pizza, a local fam- rant they called it Pizza Boy or accommodating customers. he loved the community. al details on any of them.” ily-owned and operated restau- Pizza. Caryn Cooper said her father “He loved the veterans the Lynda Brown Owens, the District rant, has been a Columbia Caryn Cooper said her father was proud to have the business. 2 councilor, who earlier in the County staple for more than still ran the business and was “He loved all the people and COOPER continued on 2A meeting requested that the council receive the full list of applicants, was curious as to how Narloch whittled down the applicant pool to those top five. Critics question info on toll roads “Are there any other candidates that were maybe overlooked?” Owens asked. News Service of Florida week, the state Department of of the three different task forces extend Florida’s Turnpike from Williams assured her the 28 TALLAHASSEE — Critics of Transportation maintains the with direct “for” and “against” Wildwood to connect with the applicants were everyone that had three controversial toll-road proj- process remains transparent. breakdowns of public sentiment. Suncoast Parkway, and create applied that hadn’t since backed out ects planned to run through rural With reports on the proj- The projects, dubbed Multi- a new road linking Polk and after talking with the search firm. areas of Florida contend transpor- ects due to the governor in use Corridors of Regional Collier counties. “We had a nationwide search,” tation officials aren’t providing a mid-November, members of the Economic Significance, or “They might tell us they got X Williams said. “These are the folks full picture of the opposition. opposition “No Roads to Ruin” M-CORES, would extend the number of comments concerned that saw the opening and applied.” But as members of task forc- coalition said Wednesday that Suncoast Parkway from Citrus about water quality or X number Council President Mark Stewart es working on the projects are Department of Transportation County to Jefferson County set to hold final meetings next staff failed to provide members near the Georgia border, TOLL continued on 7A COUNCIL continued on 2A Vol. 146, No. 150 Opinion . 4A CALL US: TODAY’S WEATHER (386) 752-1293 Advice & Comics . 5A Classifieds . 6A SUBSCRIBE TO 85 68 THE REPORTER: Obituaries . 7A Voice: 755-5445 Fax: 752-9400 Partly cloudy, 2A Sports . 8A 2A THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 LOCAL LAKE CITY REPORTER person to society,” he said Columbia adds two COOPER of his grandfather’s death. Continued From 1A “He opened the restaurant QUICK HITS more covid deaths and he served many, many people throughout this time Scripture of the Day Staff report added. The county’s most — the doctors, the here.” total includes 1,613 that nurses — because he knew He said several of his “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye Columbia County has are linked to correctional them all.” friends are patrons of the transformed by the renewing of your mind, that added two additional facilities, or 40% of the Ryan McGrath, Caryn restaurant and he’s proud ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, deaths linked to the covid- total caseload. Cooper’s son and Robert that his grandfather was and perfect, will of God.” 19 pandemic. Suwannee County was Cooper’s grandson, was able to provide food for peo- — Romans 12:2 (KJV) The Columbia County up to 2,861 confirmed working at the restaurant ple in the area for 21 years. Health Department cases as of Wednesday Wednesday and fondly Robert Cooper’s wife, Thought for Today announced the confir- morning with the addi- remembered his grandfa- Ette Cooper, will still occa- mation of the deaths tion of 12 new cases from ther. sionally be at the site run- The actions of men are the best interpreters of their of a 69-year-old man Tuesday’s test results. “We lost a good, valuable ning the restaurant. thoughts. and a 73-year-old man In Suwannee County, — James Joyce, 1882-1941, Irish novelist Wednesday that died after 936 cases are from inmates previously contracting the or staff at correctional councilors to know if any disease. facilties, 33% of the coun- COUNCIL additional applicants will be There have now been ty’s total. Additionally, Continued From 1A added to the two internal Winning Lottery Numbers 68 deaths stemming from 313 Suwannee cases are candidates and the top five Pick 3: (Tuesday p.m.) 1-1-2 covid-19 in Columbia linked to long-term care added his hope that Narloch suggested. Pick 4: (Tuesday p.m.) 7-9-0-9 County.