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A1 + PLUS >> Fort White woman seriously hurt in crash, Story below. LOCAL SOCCER Rotary Crusaders toy drive top Tigers See Page 3A See Page 1B WEEKEND EDITION FRIDAY & SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22 & 23, 2017 | YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1874 | $1.00 Lake City Reporter LAKECITYREPORTER.COM ADMIN WHISTLEBLOWER SUIT BUILDING Haven to pay County Today may be ‘Baby & Me’ “Baby & Me,” a library program for parents and $5M in claims looking babies, is held on Fridays at 11 a.m. at the main branch of the Columbia County Public Library, 308 NW Columbia to buy Ave. in downtown Lake City. For more information about the library’s children’s pro- Current plans call for new grams, call 386-758-2101. construction, but board may consider existing structures. No dinner and dancing The Lifestyle Enrichment By CARL MCKINNEY Center’s Friday night danc- [email protected] es are postponed until Friday, Jan. 5. As the county considers spend- ing $8 million or more to build a Saturday new headquar- ters on Lake Farmers market Jeffery Road, The Lake DeSoto one official says Farmers Market is open there are poten- every Saturday in the park- tially cheaper ing lot at Marion Avenue options worth Photos by CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter and Duval Street, across Murphy considering. from the Courthouse A 24,000 Annex. Hours are 9 a.m. square-foot building downtown to 1 p.m. Visitors will find Hospice settles Medicare fraud case would cost the county less than vegetables, dairy products, $1 million, and there are other eggs and baked goods. It’s not clear which properties on the market that In most cases, produce is alleged improprieties could offer additional space, locally grown in small gar- occurred locally. County Commission Chairman dens with no pesticides or Tim Murphy suggested during a chemical fertilizers. The By CARL MCKINNEY meeting Thursday. farmers market is a project [email protected] “I’m not saying this is the way of the Lake City Community to go, but ... it’s something we Redevelopment Agency. Haven Hospice, which as a government board need to For more information, call operates the Suwannee explore,” Murphy said. 386-719-5766 or visit mar- Valley Care Center in Lake Built in 1968, the former Bank ket.lcfla.com. City and four other facili- of America building downtown ties in North Florida, has has more than 100 parking spots Christmas open house agreed to pay the federal and can accommodate the Tax The Lake City-Columbia government more than $5 County Historical Museum million to settle a lawsuit MURPHY continued on 2A (157 SE Hernando Ave., over alleged Medicare and Lake City) will hold a Medicaid fraud. Christmas open house from The U.S. Attorney’s 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visitors Office announced the Woman will have the opportunity to agreement Thursday. meet a Victorian-style Santa The no-fault settlement badly hurt Claus and enjoy cookies does not implicate Haven and cocoa. TOP: The Suwannee Valley Care Center on West U.S. 90 in Lake City. in 2-vehicle HAVEN continued on 2A ABOVE: The local branch is one of five the company operates. Potluck dinner accident A potluck dinner at 7 p.m. and dancing from 7:30 By CARL MCKINNEY to 10:30 p.m. occurs each Congress [email protected] Saturday at either Lake Butler Elementary School or Lake acts to avoid A Fort White woman suffered Butler Social Club. Dress serious injuries in a two-vehicle code is casual dressy and shutdown crash late Thursday morning near special occasion. Admission County Road 138 and Southwest is $10 for club members or By ANDREW TAYLOR Don Cook Way, according to the $12 for guests. To confirm Associated Press Florida Highway Patrol. dancing location or for more Lauren Woodall, 19, was airlift- information, call Sharon WASHINGTON — The ed to UF Health Shands after the Davis at 813-679-5390. Republican-led Congress narrowly collision occurred around 10:42 passed a temporary spending bill to a.m. Sunday avert a government Woodall was driving south in a shutdown Thursday, 2009 Chevrolet on Don Cook Way Bingo games doing the bare min- when she failed to stop at a sign Bingo games are offered imum in a sprint at the intersection with CR 138, every Sunday, Monday and toward the holidays according to FHP. Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at and punting disputes Julia Trowbridge, 24, also of the American Legion Post on immigration, Fort White, was driving west CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter 57, 2602 SW Main Blvd. in Trump health care and the on CR 138 in a 1995 Mitsubishi Lake City. There are three budget to next year. Lap time and couldn’t avoid Woodall’s $250 jackpots each night. The measure passed the House Chevrolet. Quarter games are played on a 231-188 vote over Democratic Ty Riendeau, 4, whispers his Christmas wish to Santa at the The Mitsubishi struck the left at 3 p.m. For more, call 752- Lake City Mall Thursday afternoon. Ty said Santa considers 7776. CONGRESS continued on 2A Christmas his favorite holiday, despite having to work. CRASH continued on 2A Vol. 143, No. 185 Obituaries . 3A CALL US: TODAY’S WEATHER (386) 752-1293 Opinion . 4A Faith & Values . 5A SUBSCRIBE TO FAITH AND VALUES THE REPORTER: 74 52 Advice & Comics . 6-7A Now is a great time for true treasures, 5A. Voice: 755-5445 Partly cloudy, 2A TV guide . 2B Fax: 752-9400 A3 2A FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2017 DAILY BRIEFING LAKE CITY REPORTER tance from Commissioner Bucky 50,000 square-foot facility. MURPHY Nash during the meeting. Faced with proposals from six dif- QUICK HITS Continued From 1A Nash said the county has traveled ferent banks, the commission on Dec. down that road before. 7 favored a 15-year fixed rate loan Collector and Property Appraiser Every time the commission gets with a 2.28 percent interest rate from Scripture of the Day offices, Murphy told the Lake City close to a solution for its administra- Chase Bank. "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be Reporter after the meeting. tive space needs, it ends up backing The county currently spends about swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:" “My goal is to determine whether off to research other options, Nash $280,000 per year in rent to house var- — James 1:19 (KJV) these are feasible buildings to con- said. ious departments, County Manager sider for the county’s future space “When we get to this point, we keep Ben Scott previously said. needs,” Murphy said. going back to look at these build- The bulk of that money, around Thought for Today Tom Eagle, one of the building’s ings,” he said. “...It’s getting old.” $180,000, goes toward the facility owners, originally put it on the mar- The county is holding a special housing the Supervisor of Elections. Sometimes you will never know the value of ket for $1.6 million, but is offering it meeting Jan. 25, where commission- Nash, during a Dec. 7 meeting, said something, until it becomes a memory. to the county for $950,000. ers will weigh their options for admin- the $8 million loan would be paid off — Dr. Seuss “I’d like the county to be able to istrative space, pick a plan and hash with cash the county was using for get it, rather than an investor,” Eagle out the details, Murphy said. rent and additional revenue expected said. The current proposal is to borrow after the local Target distribution cen- Winning Lottery Numbers Murphy’s idea encountered resis- $8 million for the construction of a ter’s tax exemption expires in 2018. Pick 3: (Thursday midday) 6-9-6 Pick 4: (Thursday midday) 6-4-6-9 Republicans are enjoying sure that we have equal bar- Also left unfinished were Pick 5: (Thursday midday) 2-3-6-4-2 CONGRESS now. gaining, and we’re not going bipartisan efforts to smash Continued From 1A “Now it gets down to some to allow things like disaster budget limits that are impos- very difficult decisions on relief go forward without ing a freeze on the Pentagon See an error? opposition and then cleared how we move forward in the discussing some of the other and domestic agencies, a The Lake City Reporter corrects errors of fact in news the Senate, 66-32, with first and second quarter of issues we care about,” said long-term extension of the items. If you have a concern, question, or suggestion, Democrats from Republican- next year,” said Rep. Mark powerful Senate Minority popular Children’s Health please call the editor. Corrections and clarications will leaning states providing just Meadows, R-N.C., a leader Leader Chuck Schumer, Insurance Program for 9 run in this space. Thanks for reading. enough votes. President of a powerful faction of hard- D-N.Y. million low-income kids and Donald Trump is expected right Republicans. “There is Immigration is among Senate legislation aimed at to sign the measure. a lot to do next month. I’m the most difficult issues stabilizing health insurance Submissions The stopgap legislation not worried today. I’ll wait confronting lawmakers in markets. The Lake City Reporter accepts photographs and caption would keep the government until January to be worried, January. Instead, lawmakers strug- information to run at the discretion of the editor. If you would from closing down at mid- OK?” President Donald Trump gled to achieve the must- like to see your organization in the newspaper, send the picture night today.