A3 SATURDAY/SUNDAY, OCT. 31-NOV. 1, 2020 | YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1874 | $2 WEEKEND EDITION Lake City Reporter LAKECITYREPORTER.COM SUNDAY + PLUS >> FOOTBALL FOOTBALL Sweat named Tigers top Branford Lake City’s Chargers in holds off thriller for Trenton new assistant first win late 6B city manager Sean of the South SEE 2A SEE 12A SEE 12A Wellborn man arrested in teen’s death Salt Life co-founder ers at Baptist Medical Center South On Thursday, 18-year-old Lora Michael Troy Hutto, in Jacksonville on Grace Duncan, of a co-founder of faces manslaughter, Friday in connection Lake City, was found the Salt Life brand weapons charges. to a murder investiga- deceased in the Singer that now lives in tion in Riviera Beach. Island Hilton during a Wellborn, was Staff report In addition the well-being check by arrested Friday in JACKSONVILLE — The co-found- manslaughter charge, authorities, according Jacksonville by the er of the Salt Life brand has been Hutto also faces a to the Riviera Beach Florida Highway charged with manslaughter in the charge possession of Police Department Patrol in connection Hutto Duncan death of a Lake City teen. a firearm —both on and Columbia County to the death of a Michael Troy Hutto, a 54-year-old warrants from Riviera Beach — accord- Sheriff’s Office. Columbia County multi-millionaire who now lives in ing to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office teen. Wellborn, was arrested by state troop- Department of Corrections. DEATH continued on 2A COURTESY FHP JACKSONVILLE LCPD: Let the fun begin! Lobby at tax office It’s safe opening to live up again Starting Monday, here patrons can avoid car drive-through line. Agency looking to By TONY BRITT dispel claims that [email protected] city is dangerous. After more than seven months By JAMIE WACHTER of long drive-through lines, the [email protected] Columbia County Tax Collectors Office lobby is reopening. The Lake City Police The tax collectors office lobby Department agrees with Mark will reopen 8 a.m. Monday morn- Twain’s senti- ing and resume ment as it per- normal lobby tains to lies and hours from 8 statistics. a.m.-4:30 p.m., Utilizing data Monday through from the Uniform Friday. With the Crime Report, office reopening Gilmore online articles at Brannon to the public, all times proclaim title transactions Lake City to be one of Florida’s will be processed in the office, as “Most Dangerous Cities.” well as payments of business tax That label is not accurate, said receipts, tag/registration renew- Police Chief Argatha Gilmore and als, payment of property taxes Sgt. Mike Lee, a public informa- and drop-off and pick-up of car tion officer for the police depart- dealer work. ment. The tax collectors lobby closed TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter “Here we are on a list that on March 26 and began offer- Isabella Thomas and Nicholas causes alarm and rightfully so if ing services and processed title Jenkins are accompanied by a you see a publication like that,” applications collected through Belle City Amusement employ- Gilmore said. “You would feel, if its drive-through window. Two ee as they take a ride on the we were the top dangerous, even weeks after the lobby was closed, roller coaster at the Florida in the top 10, you would feel it in the office began offering select Gateway Fair Friday afternoon. the atmosphere. If we were living services by appointments only. The fair opened its gates short- in a dangerous community, you In addition, the tax collectors ly after 5 p.m. Friday. would feel it.” branch office in Fort White will For starters, Lee said the statis- open Wednesday. The office tics from UCR aren’t designed to will be opened from 8 a.m.- 4:30 be used as a comparison between p.m. The office will be opened different municipalities or coun- on Wednesdays and offer limited SAFE continued on 9A LOBBY continued on 5A Columbia County tops 50% voter turnout Suwannee nears ballots cast during that peri- The Columbia County day, 24,106 of the county’s ing. p.m. 47% as early voting od than four years ago. Supervisor of Elections 44,239 registered voters The elections office will Suwannee County has Through Friday, 15,083 Office has also received have already cast ballots, a be open from 8:30 a.m. to also already surpassed winds down. Columbia County voters back an even 9,000 vote-by- turnout of 54.49% so far. 7 p.m. today for early vot- its vote-by-mail and early Staff report have visited the polls the mail ballots, which is more That includes a high of ing, while the Fort White voting numbers from four past nine days during the than 3,000 more than were 2,343 ballots received back Community Center, 17579 years ago, even though it Early voting isn’t quite early voting period, an mailed in four years ago. — either by mail or early State Road 47, is open from still has two more days of over in Columbia or increase of more than 1,000 So heading into today’s voting —on Tuesday. There 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. All vot- early voting. Suwannee counties, but from the 14,044 that voted final day of early voting and were 2,153 votes cast Friday ing precincts will be open both have already had more early in 2016. Tuesday’s general election including 1,775 in early vot- Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 VOTER continued on 9A Vol. 146, No. 162 Opinion . 4A CALL US: TODAY’S WEATHER (386) 752-1293 Sports . 14A Classifieds . 8A-9A SUBSCRIBE TO 77 62 THE REPORTER: Business . 1B Voice: 755-5445 Mostly cloudy, 2A Fax: 752-9400 2A SATURDAY/SUNDAY, OCT. 31-NOV. 1, 2020 LOCAL LAKE CITY REPORTER Drug possession charges dropped QUICK HITS Staff report The Third Judicial arrested after officers found the State cannot prove the Scripture of the Day Circuit’s State Attorney’s them parked in a car where allegations beyond a rea- The charges of posses- Office filed documents marijuana was allegedly sonable doubt,” Assistant “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and sion of a controlled sub- in September to drop the being smoked with children State Attorney Chase that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of stance have been dropped charge against 40-year-old in the car. Larsen wrote in a letter works, lest any man should boast.” against a Lake City woman Jameka Sharnett Johnson, “After conducting depo- declining to proceed with — Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV) from an early June incident. who was one of two women sitions it became clear that prosecution. Thought for Today The dog that trots about finds a bone. Rail crossing improvements — Golda Meir, 1898-1978, Israeli leader to close U.S. 129 in Live Oak Winning Lottery Numbers Staff report Pick 3: (Thursday p.m.) 0-1-4 Pick 4: (Thursday p.m.) 2-1-3-8 Fantasy 5: (Thursday) 5-6-12-17-21 LIVE OAK — There will be single-lane closures on U.S. Highway 129 in down- See an error? town Live Oak early this The Lake City Reporter corrects errors of fact in news week, according to the items. If you have a concern, question, or suggestion, Florida Department of please call the editor. Corrections and clarifications will Transportation. run in this space. Thanks for reading. Construction on rail crossing improvements is Submissions scheduled to last from 8 The Lake City Reporter accepts photographs and caption a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and information to run at the discretion of the editor. If you would Tuesday, FDOT said. like to see your organization in the newspaper, send the picture and information to [email protected]. During those construc- tion times, traffic will be single lane with flagging Lake City Reporter operations in effect around HOW TO REACH US ADVERTISING the rail crossing, which is Main number .......(386) 752-1293 Director Chris Ratliff near U.S. 90. Fax number ............ 752-9400 (386) 754-0417 Circulation............. 755-5445 ([email protected]) The lane closures will be Online ....www.lakecityreporter.com CLASSIFIED removed early if work is The Lake City Reporter, an affiliate of Community Newspapers Inc., Kym Harrison completed ahead of sched- is published Tuesday through (386) 755-5440 Saturday/Sunday at 180 E. Duval (classifi[email protected]) ule, according to FDOT. St., Lake City, FL 32055. Periodical Similarly, the closures could postage paid at Lake City, Florida, BUSINESS OFFICE Member of The Associated Press Vickie Busscher be extended if weather or and the Florida Press Association. (386) 754-0436 unforeseen circumstances All material herein is property of ([email protected]) the Lake City Reporter. No part of CIRCULATION delay the work. the contents of this publication may In September, U.S. 129 be reproduced in whole or in part Director Sara Mercer without written permission of the (386) 754-0408 was closed completely for publisher. ([email protected]) two weeks as the rail cross- U.S. Postal Service No. 310-880. The Lake City Reporter is home ing surface was replaced POSTMASTER: Send address delivered Tuesday through Saturday, changes to Lake City Reporter, P.O. except on postal holidays, via U.S. and FDOT also installed Rail Box 1709, Lake City, FL 32056. Postal Service. Please call 386-755- Dynamic Envelopes — con- PUBLISHER 5445 to report any problems with your delivery service. (circulation@ spicuous pavement mark- Publisher Todd Wilson lakecityreporter.com) (386) 754-0418 ings — and enhanced sig- ([email protected]) Home delivery rates nage as part of the Statewide (Tuesday–Saturday/Sunday) NEWS 4 Weeks ...............................$10.70 COURTESY Traffic and Railroad Initiative Editor Jamie Wachter 12 Weeks ............................$31.70 Using Dynamic Envelopes, The railroad crossing surface at U.S.