A3 + PLUS >> Cops: Man shot after stealing broken gun, 2A PREP FOOTBALL NFL Williams to miss CHS Former players taking playoff game Friday revenge tour vs. Jags See Page 10A See Page 10A THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020 | YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1874 | $1.00 Lake City Reporter LAKECITYREPORTER.COM ‘Very, very tough year’ TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter Trulieve Medical Marijuana Treatment Center cus- tomers and employees congregate around the center Wednesday morning during the facility’s grand open- ing. Trulieve is the first medical marijuana dispensary to open in Columbia County. County’s first medical Photos by TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter marijuana Inga Dwyer, Toys for Tots coordinator for Columbia and Suwannee counties, stands behind a row of toys in her office on Wednesday. joint opens Covid delayed Toys for Tots fundraising Local dispensary open the first dispensary in By TONY BRITT a new area like Lake City,” [email protected] is Trulieve’s 67th Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers store in Florida. said in a release. “Expanding Toys for Tots hasn’t medical cannabis access for escaped covid-19’s wrath. By TONY BRITT patients in Lake City benefits For eight months, the [email protected] those who have incorporat- coronavirus pandemic has ed cannabis into their daily adversely impacted the A Columbia County store routines, and gaining new economy, jobs and hous- is now in the legal medical members of the communi- ing. Now it looks like it marijuana dispensary busi- ty who may have been dis- may have the same impact ness. suaded from trying cannabis on the local Toys for Tots The county’s first medi- because of lack of access. program. cal marijuana dispensary “We thrive on the connec- “This year has been opened Wednesday morning tion we’ve established with tough because of Covid,” when the Trulieve Medical patients across the state said Inga Dwyer, Toys Marijuana Treatment and relish the opportunity for Tots coordinator for Center, 2670 West U.S. to further connect direct- Columbia and Suwannee Highway 90, opened at 9 ly with patients new and counties. “Fundraising a.m., with several employees experienced throughout normally begins for me and patients on hand for the Columbia County.” around the first of March grand opening ceremony. A cannabinoid is a chem- and because of Covid-19, Trulieve started its ser- ical that reacts with recep- my fundraising began vices as a medical marijua- tors in the brain, affecting about five weeks ago. So, na dispensary in 2016 and and altering neurotransmit- I am behind the eight-ball the facility in Lake City is ter releases. The most well- like nobody’s business. It’s its 67th facility in Florida. known cannabinoids are been a very, very tough According to the company, THC and CBD, both active year.” Inga Dwyer, Toys for Tots Coordinator for Columbia and Suwannee counties, Trulieve has 72 centers in compounds in cannabis The local Toys for Tots unpacks a box of games Wednesday afternoon as she adds items to the Toys for the U.S. plants. program began collecting Tots inventory. The cannabis dispen- Trulieve offers a variety toys and other Christmas sary in Lake City brings a of THC and CBD products, gifts for children Oct. 1. Last year the local pro- covid. ple to donate baby dolls store to patients between including edibles, smokable Toys for Tots has served gram served 2,232 children Dwyer said there is a that girls can hold, head Gainesville, Jacksonville and cannabis, concentrates, tinc- Columbia and Suwannee and Dwyer is expecting to large need for gifts for phones and kits that older Tallahassee. tures, topical creams, vapor- county families for the last exceed that amount this children 12 years old and “It’s always exciting to izers and more. four years. year, especially because of older. She encourages peo- TOYS continued on 3A Corcoran says distance learning will continue ‘Full parental lutely happen. There is no the option of choosing Corcoran ordered school that he expects to release fear is warranted.” choice’ available flexibility for anything but face-to-face instruction or districts to offer in-person another order addressing But Corcoran assured that,” Corcoran told the distance instruction when the 2020- the pandemic by the end of Olenick, a former gener- rest of school year. State Board of Education. learning for 2021 school year began. this month. al counsel for the Florida News Service of Florida The reopening of brick- children, A key issue in the dispute Board member Michael Department of Education and-mortar classrooms, arguing involved part of the order Olenick pressed Corcoran whose term on the board TALLAHASSEE — which were shuttered that keep- that dealt with the way on the need to allow dis- expires at the end of the Florida students will be during the early stages of ing stu- public schools are funded. tricts to keep offering dis- year, that DeSantis “will able to continue to learn the pandemic this spring, dents away The order effectively con- tance learning, especially take nothing less than full remotely through the sec- became a political flashpoint Corcoran from school ditioned a portion of money as the number of covid-19 parental choice.” ond half of the school year after Corcoran ordered can have on school districts submit- cases has spiked in recent Corcoran indicated his as the state grapples with school districts to offer damaging impacts on stu- ting reopening plans that days. forthcoming order also will the covid-19 pandemic, in-person instruction five dents’ physical safety, men- included the use of brick- Since Florida’s first coro- address students who may Education Commissioner days a week or be penalized tal health and educational and-mortar classrooms, in navirus cases were report- be falling behind academ- Richard Corcoran said financially. progress. addition to offering online ed in March, covid-19 has ically because of the pan- Wednesday. Gov. Ron DeSantis and The Florida Education alternatives. gone “from abstract to real- demic. “From the top down in Corcoran have maintained Association teachers union Corcoran told the state ity, and with that is a fear,” this state, that will abso- that families need to have sued the state in July after education board Wednesday Olenick said, adding, “That LEARNING continued on 3A Vol. 146, No. 174 Opinion . 4A CALL US: TODAY’S WEATHER (386) 752-1293 Advice & Comics . 5A Classifieds . 6A-7A SUBSCRIBE TO 68 52 THE REPORTER: Obituaries . 7A Voice: 755-5445 Fax: 752-9400 Partly cloudy, 2A Sports . 10A 2A THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020 LOCAL LAKE CITY REPORTER Cops: Man stole broken gun, shot QUICK HITS Attempted to break Columbia County Sheriff’s to open the door. retrieved a gun and when Scripture of the Day in house after taking Office report, Brandon After the victim went and Slywkanycz continued to shotgun from shed. Slywkanycz, 34, attempt- told chil- try to enter the house, she “sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is ed to break into a house dren in the shot him, according to the truth.” Staff report on Indian Ridge Lane just house to report, which caused the — John 17:17 (KJV) Trying to break into a before 8 a.m. on Nov. 7. hide, the man to scream “Ah! Ah!” house after stealing a The report states the vic- suspect and run. non-working firearm didn’t tim heard her dogs barking pointed the After Slywkanycz, who turn out well for a Panama loudly and she then saw shotgun was found in the middle Thought for Today City Beach man, Columbia Slywkanycz standing at a Slywkanycz at her, the of the road east of the res- Start with what is right rather than what is acceptable. County authorities said. glass back door with a shot- report states. idence, ran away, the vic- — Franz Kafka, 1883-1924, Novelist According to a gun. He then yelled at her The victim then went and tim saw the shotgun on the ground and realized it had been taken out of their shed and did not work, the police report said. The victim told police Winning Lottery Numbers jordan law firm pllc that the shed door wasn’t Pick 3: (Tuesday p.m.) 8-7-4 attorneys at law locked and the shotgun Pick 4: (Tuesday p.m.) 3-0-2-7 was left there for religious Fantasy 5: (Tuesday) 3-17-18-28-33 386.755.3456 purposes so their deceased ancestors can protect the 934 NE Lake DeSoto Circle, Lake City, FL (NEXT TO THE COURTHOUSE) property, according to the See an error? report. She said they chose The Lake City Reporter corrects errors of fact in news a non-working gun for that items. If you have a concern, question, or suggestion, Medical Malpractice Claims purpose. please call the editor. Corrections and clarifications will The CCSO report states run in this space. Thanks for reading. Call us for a consultation. No costs unless we recover for you. that Slywkanycz told Talk to the lawyer who will actually handle your case. authorities he was high on Submissions meth. His clothes and wal- The Lake City Reporter accepts photographs and caption let, which contained $4,300, information to run at the discretion of the editor. If you would were located at Leonia Way like to see your organization in the newspaper, send the picture NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING and Lake Jeffrey. He was and information to Jamie Wachter: jwachter@lakecityreporter. transported to an area hos- com. Planning and Zoning Board/Historic Board/Board of Adjustments pital. BY THE PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD OF THE CITY OF LAKE CITY, A Dodge Challenger FLORIDA, SERVING ALSO AS THE LOCAL PLANNING AGENCY/HISTORICAL near the scene had a purse Lake City Reporter BOARD AND BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS OF THE CITY OF LAKE CITY, FLORIDA, and cellphone in the trunk, HOW TO REACH US ADVERTISING Main number .......(386) 752-1293 Director Chris Ratliff NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, pursuant to Section 163.3161 through 163.3248, which didn’t belong to the Florida Statutes, as amended, and the City of Lake City Land Development Regulations, Fax number ...........