Football coach guilty in Union County sideline takedown

A Union County jury convicted a Newberry High School football coach of three misdemeanors after a day-long trial in Lake Butler Wednesday, Sept. 7. Geronnie Rollins was charged with trespassing, resisting an officer without violence, and interfering with a school function for his conduct during an Oct. 29, 2021, high school football game at Union … Read more

NTSB: Rotor blade came off gyrocopter prior to crash

A preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board said a rotor came off a gyrocopter prior to the aircraft’s July 30 crash into a goat field near Melrose. Both the flight instructor on board and the pilot under instruction were killed in the crash. “Examination of the gyroplane revealed that the majority of the … Read more

Thrills and disappointment for incumbents

BY MARK J. CRAWFORD Telegraph Editor Incumbents won the night in Bradford’s county commission races, but not so in the District 5 race for school board. Voters gave Kenny Thompson and Danny Riddick an additional term on the county commission, with Thompson receiving nearly 58% of the votes cast and Riddick receiving almost 41%. Riddick’s … Read more

Chief, para thanked for life-saving actions

BY MARK J. CRAWFORD Telegraph Editor Velesa Thomas, a paraprofessional at Southside Elementary School, is breathing with even more gratitude these days.   Thomas was saved from choking thanks to the intervention of fellow paraprofessional Neisha Taylor and Ben Carter, chief of Bradford County Fire Rescue. Thomas related the experience in a letter to Principal … Read more

Algae alert issued for Sampson River

The Florida Department of Health in Bradford County has issued a Health Alert for the presence of harmful blue-green algal toxins in the Sampson River (off Sampson Lake). This is in response to a water sample taken on August 15, 2022. The public should exercise caution in and around the Sampson River area. Residents and … Read more

Listen: Starke takes step to hold leaders accountable

BY MARK J. CRAWFORD Telegraph Editor STARKE— As Starke commissioners prepared to approve a resolution on ethics and civility, Mayor Janice Mortimer asked Commissioner Danny Nugent to control himself going forward and better understand his role as a city commissioner. Last year, Starke employees and contract workers complained that Nugent had interfered with their work, … Read more