News

By Cindy Jo Ayers The lighthouse on Seahorse Key off Cedar Key was lit after 104 years at 9:30 p.m. on Friday, July 5. The lighthouse has remained dark after it was deactivated in 1915. A company out of Celebration, Florida Artworks Florida Classic Fresnel Lenses, LLC built the new lens and installed it on May 20, 2019. The 4th ... Full Story »

The 2019 Class 1A State Softball Championship Trenton High School Team was honored with an awards banquet on Monday evening. The banquet included the varsity, JV, and middle school teams. Stephen Smith, THS alumni was the guest speaker. Smith spoke to the girls about what it meant to be a champion. The evening ended with a cake auction to help ... Full Story »

One out of every four accidents are caused by texting drivers. Texting while driving is now illegal in Florida. Starting July 1 the Florida Department of Highway Patrol will begin giving drivers who are texting while driving a stern warning. Drivers will be ticketed for the offence in January 2020. The Highway Patrol has started a campaign called Put It ... Full Story »

The Gilchrist County Tax Collector’s Office held an Auto Dealer Workshop on June 26th, 2019, at the Gilchrist County Courthouse. The workshop included many representatives from local car dealerships. The Tax Collector’s Office shared information on the required Tag and Title documentation for dealers, new legislation within the Florida Statutes, and information about the Hope Scholarship. The workshop was a ... Full Story »

Gilchrist Building Supply opened for its first day of business on July 5, 1979. Mike, Donna and Jeff Hayes actually began construction of the small hardware and building supply business in April.  Their goal was to fill the community’s need for quality hardware and building supplies. Through the years, GBS has continually expanded its product lines and facilities to better ... Full Story »

Who doesn’t love a fat juicy blackberry? There are some really good blackberries growing closer than you might think. Darrell and Faye Smith have opened their blackberry farm to you pick customers this summer. R&S Blackberries, which was named for their grandsons Noah Ray and Hudson Smith, is selling blackberries for $4 a pound if you pick, $6 a pound ... Full Story »

The Able Trust announced the winners of its 2019 Annual Jeannie Amendola Speech & Research Competition at its state finals that took place in Orlando. This year’s winners are: First Place: Audrey Thomas, 10th Grader, Gilchrist County High School High Tech Program. Second Place: Zeige McCrutcheon, 12th Grader, Duval County High School High Tech. Third Place: Liam Avelino, 11th Grader, ... Full Story »

Three 2018-2019 Teachers of the Year made presentations to the Education Foundation of Gilchrist County Board Members a few weeks ago. Each teacher explained what they had used the $500 teacher grants provided by the Education Foundation for to enhance their teaching. Jamie Guy who teaches first grade at Trenton Elementary told board members she had purchased Hot Dots for ... Full Story »

The Gilchrist County Commission welcomed Gilchrist County resident Hugh Thomas, Executive Director of the Suwannee River Water Management District to their July 1st meeting on Monday afternoon. Mr. Thomas told the five-member Commission that it is always good to meet with his home Commission and present a check for $39,369.22, payment in lieu of taxes for property that is owned ... Full Story »

by Janet Bradley Last week Florida school districts received Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) scores for English Language Arts (ELA) and Math, along with science and social studies scores. Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran announced improved state assessment results and indicated a later, shorter spring testing window allowed students to spend more time in the classroom learning and more time for ... Full Story »