The military exhibit at the Suwannee County Historical Museum has items from the Civil War all the way to Desert Storm on display and is always growing with donations from local residents that want to honor the memory of their loved ones, many who sacrificed all, by preserving them at the museum and sharing their memory with visitors. -SVT Photo by Tami Stevenson
By Tami Stevenson
The Suwannee County Historical Museum in Live Oak is always seeking to upgrade their existing displays and add new ones with historical significance that affected Suwannee County in years past. From ancient artifacts, local American Indian tribes, Lewis Powell and the Lincoln assassination plot to the recent addition of a military display, among many other exhibits, Curator Susan Fennell keeps very busy.
One of the newest additions to their military display is a series of articles that ran for a year in the Suwannee Valley Times. A copy of each newspaper that featured the articles has been donated to the museum. The articles chronicle local veterans that served in the South Pacific combat operations of the 155th Infantry of the 31st Infantry Division in World War II from New Guinea and other locations, by retired educator, veteran and author Wilburn Bell, of Mayo, Florida.
Staff Reports
Monday, Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) announced that the State of Florida is deploying resources to assist Louisiana and Mississippi with recovery from Hurricane Ida.
Staff Reports
Jean Brinkman of Valhalla Farm in Wellborn, Florida, qualified to be inducted into a nationally-known group for senior dressage riders and horses on Friday, August 27, 2021.
Staff Reports
Live Oak, Fla., – The community of Live Oak/Suwannee County is coming together, Thursday, September 2, at 7:45 p.m. at Milennium Park, Downtown Live Oak, to honor the fallen Marines, Army soldier and Navy corpsmen that gave their lives in Kabul. The Suwannee Coalition asks that everyone please bring a candle to help honor our heroes.
The identities of the 13 U.S. service members has been confirmed. They were killed by an ISIS-K suicide bomber outside the Kabul airport while helping to oversee the evacuation of thousands of Americans and Afghan allies.
Their names are as follows:
The North Florida College Foundation, Inc. is proud to announce that the Florida College System Foundation (FCSF) has contributed $22,887 for North Florida College student scholarships.
Afghanistan Emergency BulletinDear Neighbor,
As the situation in Afghanistan deteriorates, I'm sending out this emergency bulletin to give all of Florida's Third Congressional District an update on how we can help evacuate our American citizens as well as those with Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs). I have also heard from our local veteran community that many are struggling with renewed trauma.
Major James Bertolino, with his wife, Laramie, and their daughters, Amelia James and Hadley Carter. -Photo: Submitted by Paul & Barb Bertolino
By Tami Stevenson
In 2007, Reverend Paul Bertolino and his wife, Barbara, decided to retire and move to Advent Christian Village (ACV) in Dowling Park. Their son, Major James Bertolino, (Jamie) was serving in the US Army at the time and they were so very proud of him. Today, they are bursting with pride as their son, since then, has not only given them a beautiful daughter-in-law and two adorable granddaughters, but is now serving at the Pentagon.
Hunter Peeler, Legislative Assistant
State Senator Jennifer Bradley, Chairwoman of the Suwannee County Legislative Delegation, announced last week that the annual delegation hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday, September 7th, from 9:30 – 11:30 am. The location of the hearing is the Live Oak City Hall, 101 White Avenue, SE, Live Oak. Seating at the venue will provide for appropriate social distancing and the use of facial coverings is encouraged.
Representative Chuck Brannan
The Florida House of Representatives District 10
Staz Guntek, Legislative Assistant
Representative Chuck Brannan (R-Macclenny), Chairman of the Hamilton County Legislative Delegation, announced last week that the annual delegation hearing has been scheduled for Thursday, September 9th, 2021 at 5:00 PM. The location of the hearing is the Hamilton County Courthouse, in the main court room at 207 NE First Street, Jasper, FL 32052.
By Tami Stevenson
The U.S. Census Bureau released its 2020 numbers last week showing Florida grew within the last ten years by 14.6 percent, while the nation’s growth was only 7.4 percent overall. The current population in Florida is now 21,538,187.
Attorney General Ashley Moody is enlisting convenience store owners from across Florida to help law enforcement solve crime. At a news conference in Tampa last week, Attorney General Moody highlighted a new partnership to encourage anonymous crime reporting to the statewide crime reporting tip line **TIPS.
