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Eric Musgrove Contributor In the Wednesday, July 17, edition of the Riverbend News, we began a multi-part series on how Live Oak became the county seat and how the present location of the Suwannee County Courthouse was determined. At the beginning of that article, I mentioned that the events included politics, bribery and blackmail, among other things. However, the period discussed in last week's article was tame compared to what would soon transpire in the county's history. In this week's article, we will begin to discuss some of those unethical and illegal activities. Once the State Legislature decided on Aug. 1, 1869, that Live Oak would be the county seat, it was left up to the.

A state judge in Florida ruled on Saturday in favor of Donald Trump by allowing his libel lawsuit against the Pulitzer Prizes board to proceed. This decision, issued by Senior Judge Robert Pegg of the state’s Nineteenth Circuit, ensures that Trump’s case will move forward to the discovery phase.

LAKE CITY, Fla. (WCJB) - Over the next ten years, there will be a better computer network connection for students in Columbia County after the school board unanimously approves it. The network would connect all the schools in Columbia County to the same fiber optic network reserved just for the...

I was born and raised in Suwannee County. My mom is Margaret Townsend and my dad is the late Phil Townsend Jr. My parents were 3rd generation farmers. I have been married to Chris Fry for 34 years and we have two sons, John and Jack Fry. Currently, I am...

Christian Peterson reporter.riverbendnews@gmail.com On Tuesday, July 16, the Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners met for its regularly scheduled meeting. Due to a conflict of schedules, Chairman Travis Land was unable to be in attendance, so Commissioner Franklin White took over as acting chairman for the evening. First, the board approved the minutes from the previous meeting. The board then had County Attorney Adam Morrison speak regarding the public comment section of the meeting. He stated he had received many questions about Project Summit, and explained that this project was still in the very early stages and the board only knew three things about it at this time: The.

Hello, my name is Harry “Kin” Weaver Jr. I was born in Tallahassee on June 30, 1959, to Harry K. Weaver Sr. and Jacky Weaver. I graduated from Suwannee High School in 1977, and grew up in Suwannee County at the Florida Sheriff’s Boys Ranch, where my dad was the administrator of the renowned home for boys in need for many years as it expanded all over Florida. At 22, in 1981, I began my law enforcement career at the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) Academy in Tallahassee. Upon graduation, I served with FHP until retirement in 2015, serving as a state trooper, a traffic homicide investigator and achieved the rank of Master Corporal. I was also a member of the FHP Special Response Team. I attended North Florida College in Madison, graduating in 1996 with an Associate of Science degree in Criminal Justice. I married Virginia Weaver, the love of my life, in 1983. Together, we have three children, Lee (44), Jabe (32) and Hal (30). We are also the proud grandparents of Kaden, Reece and Halston. As a certified first responder, I proudly participated in numerous deployments to natural disasters and civil disturbances throughout my law enforcement career. I am proud to have received many commendations on my job performance, as well as many letters of appreciation from citizens. In 2015, I retired from the FHP and worked part-time for the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office as a reserve deputy sheriff until earlier in 2022. I'm currently employed as a City of Monticello Police Officer (Reserve). After 40 years in law enforcement, I've remained active as Director of Troop B of the Florida Association of State Troopers, as well as on the Board of Directors of the North Florida Cattlemen’s Association. In addition, I focus on my cattle ranch and hay production, as well as remain involved in the community. In my free time, I enjoy entertaining my grandchildren, fishing and spending time with my family. My family and I are blessed to live in beautiful Suwannee County. We have a strong allegiance and love for all of its citizens and treasure our lifelong ties and friendships within the community.

To the citizens of Suwannee County I want to say thank you for allowing me the honor of taking this most magnificent journey with you. As we peer into the future of Suwannee County I am so very excited about the possibilities of what our tomorrow holds. We can, if we endeavor to have it, a safer, stronger community than ever before. I don't just believe this, I know it to be true!

VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) - After seven days, the Ethics Review Committee returned to find one of the five unethical behaviors highlighted in the complaint against Valdosta Councilwoman Vivian Miller-Cody to have merit and move forward with discipline. “We found that it had nominal merit, I think nothing more than the...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - One Tallahassee organization is helping kids kick off the upcoming school year with a new pair of shoes. The Family Worship and Praise Center plans to give away 7,000 free pairs of shoes to Kindergarten through 12th-grade students in Leon County in August. The giveaway is part of its 7th annual Shoes 4 School giveaway.

Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell has taken the high road instead of stooping to the level of his detractors. Speaking at ACC Media Day, Mike Norvell addressed a comment from SEC commissioner Greg Sankey where Sankey claimed the Georgia Bulldogs had the most legitimate claim to being snubbed from the College Football Playoffs […] The post Mike Norvell Corrects Greg Sankey’s Petty Comment While Florida State Admits It’s Dwelling On Playoff Snub appeared first on BroBible.

Dena Coukoulis woke up Tuesday morning surrounded by the rubble of her brick bedroom walls that once protected her from the outside world. The downtown Tallahassee resident said she remembers hearing the sound of police sirens and officers shouting, "Get out of the car!" And within seconds, the car in question was...

It was a sunny afternoon in 1973 when Tommy Brown Jr. stopped by the late Kent Strauss' liquor store, Northside Package, on Thomasville Road. Strauss was looking to make a little more money after other liquor stores began to sprout up, so he opened a lounge where Brown, his father and a handful of others gathered for laughs, chats and mixed drinks, then sold at 80 cents. ...

“Love lift us up where we belong, where the eagles cry on a mountain high.”. When Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes sang those famous words in 1982, they just may have been channeling north Georgia in 2024. That’s because annual surveys of bald eagle nests by the state Department of...

ATLANTA — State School Superintendent Richard Woods has decided not to recommend adding an Advanced Placement African-American studies course to the state’s curriculum offerings during the upcoming school year. Word of Woods’ decision came in a communication Monday from Gwinnett County Public Schools Chief Learning Officer DeNelle West to the district’s teachers. Gwinnett was among several school districts that piloted the course during the 2023-24 school year. “This will necessitate...

There are just 25 days remaining until the kickoff of the 2024 high school football season. But make no mistake, preparations for the upcoming campaign began months ago. And teams throughout northeast Georgia already are in full countdown mode. With that in mind, we spent the last couple of weeks...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) -Students at Little Wood Elementary School will be taking classes on a temporary site this school year. The current campus is undergoing renovations. All students and staff will be relocated to modular (portable) classrooms at the Westwood Middle School campus for this upcoming school year. ACPS spokesperson...