Live updates for the Presidential race, U.S. Senate, Congress, Florida Legislature and Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia-area races

Results for Columbia County races in the general election

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.

According to the IRS, residents in nearly 40 counties throughout Florida will have until May 1, 2025, to finish filing their 2023 taxes.

A county-by-county look at expected wind speeds, rainfall totals and when the worst conditions are expected (as of 3 p.m. on Wednesday):

The ten page county impacts report was released late Wednesday night by the National Weather Service in Jacksonville and the impact, based on data, is staggering.

Columbia County Schools said that all schools now have power and are safe for both students and staff to return to campus after Hurricane Helene.

Columbia County officials held a meeting Sunday to talk about the recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene.

A Columbia County woman’s front door is blocked and her roof is damaged after a tree fell over during Hurricane Helene.

Residents in Columbia County are starting to pick up the pieces after Hurricane Helene damaged many parts of the area.

Columbia County was the only Northeast Florida county under a hurricane warning for Helene and suffered the brunt of our local damage.

A husband and wife lost their house to a fire and they have one piece of advice to avoid a disaster for other people.

Columbia County was under a hurricane warning Thursday morning, one of the only counties in Northeast Florida with that designation.

As Helene heads towards Florida, residents in Columbia County are getting prepared.

Officials from Northeast Florida’s inland counties are preparing for what will become Hurricane Helene before it hits the Florida Panhandle on Thursday.

Voters in two Columbia County communities will face choices for municipal elections this year.

Columbia County voters face a question over the future of the Lake Shore Hospital Authority.

Sunny skies to scattered Showers, Coastal Flooding and then a Breezy start to Fall

Columbia County Sheriff’s Office detectives are seeking the public’s help in locating 16-year-old Emma Peebles who is believed to have run away from home.

A 20-year-old man is dead after striking a utility pole in Columbia Columbia County on Saturday, according to Florida Highway Patrol.

Sheriff T.K. Waters, Superintendent Christopher Bernier of Duval Couty Public Schools, and Adair Newman, one of the Chief Assistants of the State Attorney’s Office, are set to hold a news conference Wednesday afternoon to discuss recent serious threats made against local schools and students.

Sheriff T.K. Waters, Superintendent Christopher Bernier of Duval Couty Public Schools, and Adair Newman, one of the Chief Assistants of the State Attorney’s Office, are set to hold a news conference Wednesday afternoon to discuss recent serious threats made against local schools and students.

Sheriff T.K. Waters, Superintendent Christopher Bernier of Duval Couty Public Schools, and Adair Newman, one of the Chief Assistants of the State Attorney’s Office, are set to hold a news conference Wednesday afternoon to discuss recent serious threats made against local schools and students.

Columbia County Emergency Management scheduled an aerial treatment for mosquito control for Monday after dusk and Tuesday before dawn.

The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office is following a new lead into the disappearance of a woman who was last seen in late May.

Sunday is the last day for voters around Northeast Florida to cast an early, in-person ballot ahead of the state’s primary election on Tuesday, for congressional, state and local races.

Breezy with Showers and Cooler Temperatures

If you live in Columbia County, you may see some folks with a badge and a polo that has a FEMA badge on it.

The Columbia County Board of County Commissioners will give an update on the continued response and recovery after Hurricane Debby.

If you have any questions or issues with your child’s bus, we have the numbers for each district’s transportation department and bus hotline.

A Columbia County couple is displaced after a tree fell on their home following Tropical Storm Debby.

While the county is counting the costs he says homeowners need to report damage done to their property.

Columbia County residents were able to get ice, water and food from the Winfield Community Center in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Debby.

The area was bombarded with up to 10 inches of rain over 24 hours on Monday, triggering a Flash Flood Warning.

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer warns about scammers who try to exploit victims of natural disasters.

Debby brought a huge amount of rain to Columbia County on Monday which triggered a Flash Flood Emergency until 7:45 p.m.

As of the 11 p.m. National Hurricane Center update, the tropical storm has become Hurricane Debby and is expected to make landfall in the Florida Big Bend area on Monday.

District 1 commissioner Ron Williams is seeking re-election, and faced two challengers in the August election. As no candidate got more than 50% of the vote, the top two finishers, Williams and Kevin Parnell, advance to the general election. This is a non-partisan race that will be on the ballots of all voters in District 1, which covers the northern part of the county.

Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter is seeking re-election, facing a challenge by Wallace Kitchings. As both candidates are Republicans, and no Democrats or other candidates qualified for the race, the August Republican party will be open to all Columbia County voters.

Voters around northeast Florida will be able to cast an early, in-person ballot as soon as Monday for the state’s August 20 primary, which includes congressional, state, and local races.

Two years into Florida’s new form of standardized student testing, two northeast Florida school districts once again have the leading scores in the state, marking student progress at the end of the year.

Thirty kilos of cocaine — estimated at $4.5 million ― were intercepted during a joint operation between deputies in Columbia County and Lowndes County, Georiga.

A 73-year-old Tampa woman died after a crash just after 2am Tuesday in Columbia County near Lake City.

Three students were injured in a Monday afternoon school bus crash in Columbia County.

A 61-year-old woman was hit by a pickup truck Tuesday night in Columbia County and died, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

While only Republicans are eligible to vote in Tuesday’s presidential preference primary in Florida, three Jacksonville-area municipalities have additional local races on the ballot Tuesday.

Ahead of Florida’s Presidential Preference Primary on March 19, early voting starts this week across northeast Florida, giving voters an opportunity to cast their ballot in-person, before election day.

The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a traffic crash that left a man dead after he collided with a tree in Columbia County on Saturday afternoon.

A 23-year-old man was killed Monday night in a shooting in Lake City, police said.

A woman died after a car accident that took place Monday afternoon on US-27 in Columbia County.

The Lake City Police Department (LCPD) has made a third arrest following the shooting death of 12-year-old Mariah Smith last year.

A 55-year-old man from Lake City died Friday evening following a crash involving an all-terrain vehicle in Columbia County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

A former Florida Highway Patrol trooper was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for robbing a string of pharmacies in Columbia County in 2021 and 2022, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida.

An investigation by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office this past Sunday led to the recovery of a firefighter’s stolen vehicle, two arrests, weapons, drugs, and more in Fort White, according to a release report.

Suwannee Valley Unsolved (SVU) is shedding light on an over 30-year-old unsolved murder case in hopes of helping the Baker County Sheriff’s Office finally get answers in the 1991 death of a Jacksonville woman last seen alive at a truck stop in Columbia County.

The arrest of a 26-year-old registered sexual predator who Columbia County deputies said is accused of having child pornography is raising questions about explicit images created by artificial intelligence.

A 27-year-old Lake City man was arrested Tuesday afternoon by Columbia County detectives following an investigation that started after he was found in possession of child pornography that was created with artificial intelligence.

A teen in Columbia County was charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer on Monday morning after he was accused of nearly hitting a deputy with a pickup truck during an incident that led to the lockdown of Lake City schools.

An East Lake man stole an ambulance and the pursuit ended on the front lawn of the Columbia County sheriff’s office on Dec. 9th.

A committee created by WJXT/WCWJ is narrowing down each category to three finalists.

A 14-year-old cyclist was critically injured Monday evening after they were hit by a vehicle near a Walmart in Lake City.

The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office is warning the community about a new scam where families of inmates are being contacted by people pretending to be bail bondsmen.

A carjacking suspect was arrested Friday after he stole an electrical contractor’s van in downtown Jacksonville and led authorities on a multi-county chase, according to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO).

Columbia County investigators have made an arrest in the homicide of an 18-year-old woman whose body was found in a field in early September.

A Palm Beach County deputy was found dead Saturday after his concerned wife prompted a search for the deputy who was hunting in Columbia County.

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.

Columbia County has created an Animal Enforcement Department that will begin enforcing all county ordinances and state statutes involving animal control, starting Sunday.

The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office announced K-9 Chaos — who went missing in the woods Monday morning — has been found in good health after a citizen spotted him on SE Pounds Hammock Road Tuesday morning.

Columbia County residents have until Oct. 1 to put their storm debris from Hurricane Idalia to the curb.

The Columbia County Sheriff's Office issued a community alert Monday morning, saying multiple units are searching for a missing K-9 in the woods along U.S. 90 East near the Sheriff's Office Operations Center.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has determined that the actions of the deputy who shot a suspect in Columbia County earlier this month were justifiable.

Two weeks after the body of an 18-year-old woman was found in a field in Columbia County, investigators have identified a person of interest in her homicide.

A mother of a woman whose body was found in a field in Columbia County is speaking out.

Columbia County was one of the areas of Northeast Florida hit hardest by Hurricane Idalia, which left more than 26,000 customers without power late last month.

Columbia County deputies responded to a domestic dispute Friday that led to the shooting deaths of a woman and a man.

Help recognize someone doing impactful work in our local African American communities by nominating them in one of eight categories.

Body found on SW Haltiwanger Road

Columbia County’s emergency management director said Hurricane Idalia storm destroyed some infrastructure a power company needs to get back online.

A scary video in Columbia County showed a family crawling under a tree that fell in the middle of their house as Hurricane Idalia hit the area Wednesday afternoon.

At least 27,000 Columbia County customers were without power Wednesday evening after Hurricane Idalia blew threw the area and left widespread damage.

Multiple school districts in Northeast Florida counties announced that they are closing this week due to the expected impact of Tropical Storm Idalia.

Hurricane Idalia has strengthened into “an extremely dangerous major hurricane” as it targets the Gulf Coast on Wednesday and is expected to sweep across North Central and Northeast Florida.

Multiple school districts in Northeast Florida counties announced that they are closing this week due to the expected impact of Tropical Storm Idalia.

Columbia High School will close and move to virtual learning on Monday, August 28 to work to install metal detectors to enhance school safety.

A former school teacher’s aide won’t be charged after she sat on a child with autism. News4JAX obtained the decline letter from the State Attorney's Office Third Judicial Circuit explaining why they won’t press charges.

A disturbing video obtained by News4JAX shows a school paraprofessional in Columbia County sitting on a child with autism while he was on the playground.

The Department of Justice on Tuesday announced that Gregory Austin Eward, 25, of Live Oak, had been sentenced to two years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess and transfer unregistered firearm silencers. Eward pleaded guilty on Feb. 27, 2023.

A woman, 28, and three children ages six, four and three, were in the grey sedan at the time of the crash. The woman and a six-year-old girl died at the scene, the release said. A four-year-old girl and a three-year-old boy suffered serious injuries.

Two Northeast Florida school districts had the highest scores in end-of-year math and English language arts test, according to recently released statewide data.

A busy season of high school football coaching changes continued this week, with two more schools filling vacancies.

There was no shortage of laughter during George Winterling's career. He loved to tease his colleagues and crack jokes in the studio. Everyone loved George — except maybe one.

Rounds of rain continue tonight, more to come tomorrow

Lake City Police Department’s K9 Inca has passed away at Addison Animal Hospital this morning.

The SnapJAX Community Challenge will allow all of Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia to show off all of the different ways their hometowns are unique.

In its inaugural season, the Florida Gateway College Timberwolves won the NJCAA National Championship. The Timberwolves are leading the way growing the sport on a national level.

Columbia County deputies have arrested a man on kidnapping charges that appeared to be related to illegal drug activity.

Two dead after cab overturns

A 25-year-old man is accused of killing a man whose body was found severely burned in Columbia County.

The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office arrested Brandon Hopkins, 18, and charged him with the death of Dionne Leslie, 17, who was shot and killed in 2021.

Recipients will receive fresh produce and non-perishable canned goods. Distributions are drive-thru only. Attendees must arrive in a vehicle with a trunk or cargo bed.