High school football playoffs โ23: Baker, Bradford, Bartram, St. Augustine and Union after final four spots
Itโs the third round of the high school football state playoffs and the area still has five teams standing in the regional finals. Baker County, Bartram Trail, Bradford, St. Augustine and Union County are all chasing berths in the state semifinals in the Suburban and Rural divisions.
With rule changes about yard signs, hereโs how to check your trick-or-treating route for sex offenders, predators
Sex offenders also have specific rules about what they can and can't do around Halloween, depending on what county they live in. We've compiled a county-by-county breakdown of those rules and regulations.
Justice Dept. settles with New Jersey county over ballot languages, highlighting widespread barrier
The Justice Department has reached a settlement with a New Jersey county over language barriers for Spanish-speaking voters, emphasizing a growing challenge for certain minority communities nationwide.
Former local corrections officer gets 3 months probation after entering Capitol twice during Jan. 6 riot
A former corrections officer at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has been sentenced to three months of probation.
Referendum: Extend library property tax
Since 1988, Union County voters have approved a referendum for a 1/2 millage ad valorem tax for a special dependent taxing district for the purpose of funding a library in Union County. The library referendum is on the ballot every two years for its continued funding.
Prosecutors want prison time for former local corrections officer who pleaded guilty in Capitol riot
A former corrections officer at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol wants to be sentenced to probation. But prosecutors are asking for more than that.
State Department of Corrections van backs into correctional officer inside Union County facility: FHP
A correctional officer was hurt in a crash involving another correctional officer Monday at the Florida Department of Corrections Reception and Medical Center in Union County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
DeSantis announces $3.5M for Lake Butler wastewater system improvements
More than $3.5 million has been awarded to Lake Butler to make improvements to the cityโs wastewater collection and pumping system to further mitigate infrastructure damage from future storms, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Friday.
County by county: How NE Florida school districts are reacting to stateโs new quarantine policy
Floridaโs newly appointed surgeon general on Wednesday signed new protocols allowing parents to decide whether their children should quarantine or stay in school if they are asymptomatic after being exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
Digital divide creates high speed internet โhaveโ and โhave notsโ
Imagine having to drive 10 to 15 miles every single time you want to check your email, join a Zoom meeting, or help your child complete their homework. The News4Jax I-Team found that nearly 100,000 people in North Florida donโt have access to reliable internet service.
Corrections officer from Raiford faces charges connected to Capitol riot
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ A corrections officer from Florida faces charges connected to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Jonathan Carlton, of Raiford, faces two misdemeanor charges of unlawful entry into a secure government building and disorderly conduct while making threats to impede government process. Carlton appeared Thursday afternoon in the downtown Jacksonville federal courthouse before Judge Patricia Barksdale. After Carlton walked out of the courthouse, News4Jax asked him if he was in Washington, D.C., on the day of Capitol siege, and he remained silent. Itโs OK. No comment.โNews4Jax reached out to the Florida Department of Corrections for comment on Carltonโs charges but had not received a response as of Thursday evening.
Area girls weightlifters bring home the medals in state championship meet
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Area girls weightlifters brought home eight individual championships at the high school state tournament. Tyler Bauer (Bartram Trail) 335. Bartram Trail 16. Mahailya Reeves (Union County) 390; 4. Union County 19; 4.
FHP: Lake City man dies when car hydroplanes, hits tree
A 68-year-old man was attempting to pass another vehicle on State Road 100 in Union County Tuesday morning when his car hit standing water and hydroplaned, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The vehicle left the road and the driverโs side slammed into a tree. The Lake City man died at the scene, troopers said. A 64-year-old man riding in the car suffered minor injuries, according to a crash report. Troopers said both men were wearing seat belts.
Florida inmate COVID-19 deaths top 200
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. โ More than 200 Florida prison inmates have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic started early last year, according to information released Wednesday by the state Department of Corrections and the state Department of Health. Also, six prison staff members have died of COVID-19, up one from last week. The Reception and Medical Center in Union County has been linked to 44 inmate deaths, while the South Florida Reception Center in Miami-Dade County has been linked to 24, according to a breakdown on the Florida Department of Health website. Union Correctional Institution has had 15 inmate deaths, while Columbia Correctional Institution and Dade Correctional Institution have each had 10. In all, 17,614 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began, according to the Florida Department of Corrections website.
COVID-19 vaccination plans for Bradford, Union counties
Vaccinations for COVID-19 in Bradford and Union counties will begin Tuesday, health officials announced Thursday. The Florida Department of Health for Bradford and Union counties will administer the vaccines to those 65 years of age or older. Any person wishing to get the vaccine will be required to show proof of age and will need to make an appointment. The vaccines will be administered at:Bradford County Senior Center, 1805 North Temple Ave., StarkeUnion County Health Department, 495 East Main Street, Lake ButlerThe schedule is as follows:Tuesday, Jan. 5: Union County, 1-4 p.m.Wednesday, Jan. 6: Bradford County, 1-4 p.m.Thursday, Jan. 7: Union County, 1-4 p.m.Friday, Jan. 8: Bradford and Union counties, 8:30-11 a.m. & 1-4 p.m. If you have questions, or to make an appointment, call 904-964-7732 for Bradford County or 386-496-3211 for Union County.
FPL adds more solar farms in Northeast Florida
Florida Power & Light Company announced Monday that five new solar energy centers -- four of them in northeast Florida -- will begin operating by Thursday. These new sites, each of which is about 500 acres, add another 1.4 million solar panels to the state and support the largest community solar program in the United States. Three of the solar energy centers are the first to be installed in their respective counties: Nassau, St. Johns and Union counties. Two other solar energy centers in Baker and Okeechobee counties will be the second in each. These five new centers bring FPL closer to its commitment to install more than 30 million solar panels by the year 2030.
3 Northeast Florida counties see biggest COVID-19 case increases in weeks
Also Tuesday, 94 deaths were reported in Florida, including six deaths in Northeast Florida counties. Clay County, which had the biggest one-day increase in cases on Tuesday since Sept. 12 (115), reported three deaths. Two deaths were reported in Baker County and one death was reported in Union County. According to the health department, 1,143,794 people in Florida have now tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. Florida and Duval County daily cases reported since June 1As the number of cases has surged in Florida this fall, more COVID-19 patients also have required hospitalization.
Florida nears 1 million COVID-19 cases
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ The Florida Department of Health on Monday confirmed 6,658 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the stateโs known total of cases to 999,319 since March 1 when the first person in the state tested positive. There were five additional deaths reported in Jacksonville on Monday, which pushes Duval Countyโs total above 600. Florida and Duval County daily COVID-19 case increases since June 1Hospitalizations related to COVID-19 continued to rise, with 4,160 confirmed cases in hospitals on Monday afternoon. Duval County hospitals report 211 COVID-19 patients, 48 in Clay County and 22 in St. Johns County. Nomi Health run @FLSERT Regency Mall #COVID19 Test Site in Jacksonville, Florida.
Florida adds another 9,085 COVID-19 cases Thursday; deaths in the state top 18,000
Florida and Jacksonville daily COVID-19 cases since June 1The state also reported another 81 deaths, bringing the number of residents or others who have died with coronavirus in the state since March to 18,030. One of those deaths was in Jacksonville, one each in St. Johns County and Columbia counties and four in Union County. The seven-day average of reported deaths is about 62, up from 54 a week earlier. On Wednesday, five Florida mayors said they were extremely concerned about the rising number of coronavirus cases in the state and begged Gov. Positive cases are rising steeply and itโs spreading everywhere.
FHP working to identify victim in Union County crash
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Florida Highway Patrol investigators are working to identify a person who was killed in a crash with a tractor-trailer in Union County early Wednesday morning. The crash happened at 1:45 a.m. on State Road 121 near the intersection of NE 157th Street. The report from FHP shows the victim was driving a car traveling south on State Road 121 when it failed to maintain its lane of travel. The car was redirected off the road but stopped near the southbound shoulder and caught fire. News4Jax requested more information from the FHP and will update this story if it becomes available.
Additional 4,353 COVID-19 cases reported in Florida
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. โ The Florida Department of Health on Tuesday reported an additional 4,353 cases of COVID-19, bringing the stateโs overall total to 852,174 cases since March. The stateโs total number of reported deaths was 17,460 -- that includes both residents and non-residents. Florida vs. Duval County daily COVID-19 increases since June 1Positivity rates in Florida and several area counties were back above 8% after averaging closer to 5% in October. State health officials have always maintained that virus fatalities are often delayed in being reported to the FDOH, with some deaths not reported for a month or more. The state reported 123 new hospitalizations on Tuesday, bringing the stateโs total to 50,872 patients admitted to a hospital since March in relation to COVID-19.
Florida inmate COVID-19 death toll at 180
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. โ An additional 10 Florida prison inmates have died of COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 180, according to information released Wednesday by the Florida Department of Corrections and the Florida Department of Health. Also, two workers at the Reception and Medical Center have died of the virus. Other facilities tied to the largest numbers of inmate deaths since the start of the pandemic are the South Florida Reception Center, with 21; Union Correctional Institution, with 13; Columbia Correctional Institution, with 10; Dade Correctional Institution, with 10; Blackwater Correctional Facility, with seven; Everglades Correctional Institution, with six; Graceville Correctional Facility, with six; Okeechobee Correctional Institution, with six; South Bay Correctional Facility, with six; and Suwannee Correctional Institution, with six. Since the pandemic began, 16,631 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19, according to numbers posted by the Department of Corrections. Also, 3,508 corrections workers have tested positive and four have died.
Florida inmate COVID-19 deaths up to 170
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. โ The number of Florida prison inmates who have died of COVID-19 has hit 170, as the state added nine deaths in a week, according to the Florida Department of Corrections and the Florida Department of Health. Three of the additional deaths were at the Reception and Medical Center in Union County, bringing the total for that facility to 34, Department of Health numbers show. Also, two workers at the Reception and Medical Center have died of the virus. Other facilities tied to the largest numbers of inmate deaths since the start of the pandemic are the South Florida Reception Center, with 20; Union Correctional Institution, with 13; Columbia Correctional Institution, with 10; Dade Correctional Institution, with 10; Blackwater Correctional Facility, with seven; Everglades Correctional Institution, with six; Graceville Correctional Facility, with six; Okeechobee Correctional Institution, with six; South Bay Correctional Facility, with six; and Suwannee Correctional Institution, with six. Since the pandemic began, 16,624 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19, according to numbers posted Thursday by the state Department of Corrections.
Still trick-or-treating this year? Check your route for sex offenders
For those who still plan to head out in the neighborhood on Oct. 31, another important safety check will be to find out if there are any sex offenders on your trick-or-treating route. No Halloween decorations can be visible from the exterior of any sexual offender's or sexual predator's residence. Sex offenders and predators on probation are required to follow specific terms regarding holidays, which can vary by case. Because of strict city ordinances regarding sex offenders living in Starke, most offenders in Bradford County live in the county's rural areas, where trick-or-treating is less common, McKinley said. Union CountyBecause of the county's regulations, sexual predators cannot move into Union County, but sex offenders can, Capt.
Early voting begins Thursday in Columbia and Baker counties
BAKER COUNTY, Fla. โ As of Thursday morning, more than 40 million Americans have already cast their ballots for the 2020 General Election. Of those, nearly three-quarters of a million were cast by Floridians who voted early Monday and Tuesday. Voters in Baker and Columbia counties will be able to make their voices heard starting Thursday. For Baker County voters, thereโs only one voting location for its 17,000 registered voters: at the Supervisor of Elections Office on North 5th Street in MacClenny. For information on elections in local counties in Northeast Florida, see our News4Jaxโs Voterโs Guide.
1st transgender woman to run for Florida Senate dies of cancer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ The Democratic candidate for a state Senate seat that stretches from Clay County west across North Florida Central Florida to the Gulf Coast died of thyroid cancer on Tuesday night. She was also the first transgender woman running for a Florida Senate seat. Barratt told co-workers that she wanted to take her fight for equity for all women by running for public office and signed up to run in state Senate Dist. Marissa McCool, who featured Barratt in her podcast, said remembers her for being willing to represent those who are voiceless. โVote for Melina despite the fact that sheโs crossed over,โ Lakey Love, secretary of Florida National Organization for Women, told WCJB-TV.
Another 13 Florida inmates die of COVID-19
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. โ With much of the increase linked to two facilities in Union County, an additional 13 state prison inmates have died of COVID-19, according to information released by the Florida Department of Corrections and the Florida Department of Health. Six of the additional deaths were linked to the Reception and Medical Center in Union County, bringing the total for the facility to 29. Also, three were linked to Union Correctional Institution, bringing its total to 10, according to weekly information posted online by the Department of Health. Other facilities tied to the largest numbers of inmate deaths since the start of the pandemic are the South Florida Reception Center, with 20; Dade Correctional Institution, with 10; Columbia Correctional Institution, with nine; Blackwater Correctional Facility, with seven; Everglades Correctional Institution, with six; Graceville Correctional Facility, with six; and the South Bay Correctional Facility, with six. Since the pandemic began, 16,483 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Wednesday, according to the Department of Corrections.