A3 SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2018 | YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1874 | $2 Lake City Reporter LAKECITYREPORTER.COM SUNDAY + PLUS >> Also in today’s Reporter: Best of 1D What’s at n Taste Buddies: All about artichokes the Best stake with n ‘Lulu’ survives and so do her pups ballot a merger n Opinion Bottle show returns to Lake City inside Penning the 4A STORIES INSIDE ‘Prairie Defender’ See 4D LCPD 5 kids CONSOLIDATION hurt in Business crash; owners, driver others weigh in on merging flees Caught on Saturday; city, county children now home. services By CARL MCKINNEY [email protected] Officers on Saturday afternoon apprehended the driver who fled a two-car crash the previous day and Efficiency the key, say observers left behind five children who had been riding with her, according to Lake City By CARL MCKINNEY or it can be a partial marriage aimed at between $8,000 to $9,000 in fire assess- Police Department. [email protected] specific departments. ment fees on a typical hotel. Eboni Unique Douglas, “You do not want to see two govern- “Which is a lot of money for a small 21, of Southwest Dexter Why have two local governments ment agencies doing the town,” he said. “I think consolidating Circle, ran away on foot that are always at each other’s throats, What same thing in a geograph- would help lower the fees, and the after her Buick collided a growing number of community mem- do you ical area which could be fire department will become more effi- with a Kia at the intersec- bers are asking, instead of a single, managed by one entity,” cient.” tion of Marion Avenue and streamlined one? think? said hotelier Nick Patel. Law enforcement is another popular Duval Street around 3 p.m. Proponents of consolidation — the n Let us One of the most glar- target for consolidation. Friday, said LCPD spokes- merging of city and county services — know in a ing examples of such “There’s no reason to have a police person Mike Lee. Letter to say the time has come to take a look at the Editor. redundancy, Patel said, is department and a sheriff’s department, Douglas, who was this option. See 4A. having a fire department said real estate broker Richard Cole. thought to be at fault in Consolidation can take the form of a for both the county and Cole also questioned the need for the accident for failing to complete merger doing away with the city in such a small community. yield, had an active war- distinction between the city and county, Patel said he now pays the city MERGER continued on 7A WRECK continued on 2A Dunn Kiwanis decries Kids Day defeat of Children do one of the Farm Bill things they do best — playing in the dirt — at From staff and wire reports the Kiwanis Kids Day WASHINGTON — U.S. event Saturday morning Rep. Neal Dunn, who rep- at the Columbia County resents southern Columbia Rodeo Arena. The event County in Congress, benefits the school decried the defeat of the district’s and the Early Farm Bill, which failed 213- Learning Coalition of 198 on Friday. Florida’s backpack pro- “It’s disappointing that gram to provide food issues completely out- for children in need. side of the Agriculture More photos, 8A. Committee’s jurisdiction led to the delay of the Farm CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter DUNN continued on 2A Boating under the influence a concern as temps rise National Safe Boating week Wildlife Conservation Commission’s 2017 ously,” Parker said. “Especially during the continues through May 25. Boating Accidents Statistical Report, 24 summer — Memorial Day, July 4 and percent of the boating fatalities in 2017 Labor Day — FWC officers will be out in By TONY BRITT were alcohol- or drug-related. force.” [email protected] Karen Parker, FWC public information In 2017 approximately 388 BUI arrests coordinator, said there is no open contain- were made for operating a vessel while As the weather continues to get hotter, er law for vessels on the water and people under the influence or while impaired. the amount of traffic on local rivers and often drink while on the water. National Safe Boating Week, May 19 - 25, lakes will grow, raising the potential for Penalties for BUI (Boating Under the is an ongoing campaign providing the pub- more injuries and deaths. Influence) are the same as DUI. COURTESY FWS According to the Florida Fish and “It’s something to be taken very seri- BUI continued on 2A Officers are on the lookout for BUI. Vol. 143, No. 296 Opinion . 4A CALL US: TODAY’S WEATHER (386) 752-1293 Obituaries . 5A Puzzles . 2-3B Pickleballers give back SUBSCRIBE TO THE REPORTER: 81 67 Business . 1C $5,000 donation to county, 5A Voice: 755-5445 Life . 1D Fax: 752-9400 Chance of storms, 2A 2A SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2018 DAILY BRIEFING LAKE CITY REPORTER Housing inventory at all-time low QUICK HITS 4.2 months’ supply he said he couldn’t recall don’t have a whole lot of “It’s a great market right Scripture of the Day local inventory at present inventory,” he said. “That’s now if you’re a seller and is least in memory, numbers. because people are jump- you’ve got suitable invento- “But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God are says local agent. According to Florida ing on it. There’s not inven- ry,” he said. “It’s a healthy alive every one of you this day.” Realtors, at the current tory. If you see a house you market, it’s a great market — Deuteronomy 4:4 (KJV) By COREY ARWOOD rate of sale there are 4.2 like you better jump on it.” if you’re selling. It’s a great [email protected] months of The market for move-out buy- inventory in ‘It’s a healthy market, Florida ers. I think those people In line with latest month- the single Realtors sta- benefit the most.” Thought for Today ly projections, a local real family mar- it’s a great market if tistics said The number of sales paid estate authority said a low ket in the you’re selling. It’s a there were in cash was another statis- Trouble shared is trouble halved. inventory of single family county. great market for move- 288 active tic Gherna noted. — Lee Iacocca, born 1924, U.S. auto executive known homes primes the market “I don’t out buyers. I think inventory Florida Realtors numbers as the man behind the Mustang. for sellers and puts pres- ever recall those people benefit listings in indicated a 137.5 percent sure on buyers. ever it being 2017 com- increase from last April in Dan Gherna, treasurer that low the most.’ pared to 202 paid in cash sales jumping Winning Lottery Numbers of the Columbia County ... in real in April of from 8 to 19. Builder’s Association and estate, 4.2, not in Columbia this year with a 1.8 percent “We haven’t had that Pick 3: (Friday p.m.) 6-9-4 executive vice president County,” Gherna said. bump in new listings from many for a while,” Gherna Pick 4: (Friday p.m.) 4-2-7-8 of the Lake City Board Despite low supply, 56 to 57. said. Fantasy 5: (Friday) 15-16-17-32-36 of Realtors, has been in he said there was high Pending sales have shot He said that number realty for decades, and demand, tilting the scale up during that time from 49 used to hint at heavy inves- after looking over Florida to the sellers of the trans- to 79 with a year-over-year tor activity. See an error? The Lake City Reporter corrects errors of fact in news Monthly Market Detail action. percent change of 61 per- “Realtors are coming for April on single family “It’s actually pretty good cent, the Florida Realtors from everywhere trying to items. If you have a concern, question, or suggestion, homes in Columbia County, considering the fact we data stated. sell our property,” he said. please call the editor. Corrections and clarications will run in this space. Thanks for reading. Submissions Driver flees scene of downtown crash The Lake City Reporter accepts photographs and caption information to run at the discretion of the editor. If you would like to see your organization in the newspaper, send the picture continued from 1A WRECK and information to Associate Editor Justin Caudell at rant in Hamilton County for [email protected]. violation of probation on a reckless driving charge, Lee said. Lake City Reporter “Which is why we believe HOW TO REACH US BUSINESS..............754-0419 she abandoned the five chil- Main number ........(386) 752-1293 Fax number ..............752-9400 CIRCULATION dren in the car,” he said. Circulation ...............755-5445 Home delivery of the Lake City Reporter None of the children Online ... www.lakecityreporter.com should be completed by 6:30 a.m. were hers. The Lake City Reporter, an affiliate Tuesday through Friday, and by 7:30 a.m. on Sunday. One of the children was of Community Newspapers Inc., is published Tuesday through Friday and Please call 386-755-5445 to report any taken to UF Health Shands, Sunday at 180 E. Duval St., Lake City, problems with your delivery service. FL 32055. Periodical postage paid at while the other were treat- Lake City, FL, Member Audit Bureau of In Columbia County, customers should ed locally, Lee said. Circulation and The Associated Press. call before 10:30 a.m.