-
J.C. Derrick is publisher for Mainstreet Daily News. He spent 18 years covering sports, education, and politics in Texas and Washington, D.C., before joining Mainstreet in 2020. J.C. is a member of the Florida Press Association Board of Directors.
View all posts
Derrick: Explaining Mainstreet’s newest venture
Mar 4, 2022
One of our goals at Mainstreet Daily News is to be at the center of the community conversation. We do this by covering what is going […]
CCSO, feds arrest 7 in Lake City
Feb 15, 2022
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) and federal law enforcement arrested seven people on Tuesday in connection with a spate of recent shootings in Lake City. […]
BOCC to mobilize against Clemons bill
Feb 3, 2022
The Alachua County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) did not like the recent proposal to let voters decide whether to expand the commission, but it likes […]
Florida Supreme Court rules in favor of BOCC
Jan 27, 2022
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously handed down a ruling siding with the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) against Sheriff Clovis B. Watson […]
Attempted murder suspect dies in jail
Jan 17, 2022
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the death of an inmate at the Columbia County Detention Facility in Lake City. The Columbia County Sheriff’s […]
Remembering MLK’s Letter from Birmingham Jail
Jan 17, 2022
On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it’s an appropriate time to revisit one of Dr. King’s most iconic messages. King gave many interviews and speeches, […]
Two dozen Alachua County employees COVID positive
Jan 4, 2022
Some 25 Alachua County employees have tested positive for COVID-19, threatening to affect regular county operations. “We are approaching the point where County services (such as […]
Teens among three shot in Lake City
Jan 4, 2022
The Lake City Police Department (LCPD) is searching for suspects in a spate of gun-related incidents that injured three people, including two teenagers, in recent days. […]
VA tightens visitation policy amid omicron surge
Dec 30, 2021
The North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Healthcare System announced Thursday that it is tightening its visitation policies amid the omicron variant surge. “The recent arrival of the […]
Derrick: Local journalism worth supporting
Dec 30, 2021
Today we are pleased to announce our first-ever Community Impact Report, which you can access here. Why the report, you ask? Well, 2021 marked our first […]
Top 10 local news stories of 2021
Dec 28, 2021
The Mainstreet Daily News staff has compiled what it sees as the top 10 local stories in a very busy news year in North Central Florida. […]
3 fatal accidents hit area overnight
Dec 18, 2021
Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) reported three fatal accidents in North Central Florida overnight. The first occurred around 7 p.m. in Columbia County. For unknown reasons, a […]
Health department issues rabies warning
Nov 20, 2021
The Florida Department of Health in Alachua County has issued a rabies alert after a local raccoon tested positive for the rabies virus. The health department […]
Dixie county crash kills teen, injures 2
Nov 20, 2021
A 14-year-old Old Town girl died Friday night after a vehicle broadsided the car she was riding in, according to Florida Highway Patrol (FHP). FHP reported […]
GPD makes child exploitation arrest
Nov 19, 2021
Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officers arrested a local man Friday on charges of child pornography and solicitation of a minor, according to a GPD press release. […]
ACPS drops student mask mandate
Nov 18, 2021
The long-fought mask war is finally finished. On Thursday, shortly after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed several bills into law, Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) announced it […]
Florida sues over federal vaccine mandate
Nov 4, 2021
Hours after the Biden administration issued rules implementing a sweeping vaccine mandate for American businesses, Florida announced it is suing the federal government over the mandate. […]
ACSO makes Hawthorne bomb threat arrest
Oct 30, 2021
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) has announced the arrest of a 14-year-old Hawthorne student who investigators say made a false bomb threat. The ACSO made […]
Simon blasts sanctions as ‘exercise of futility’
Oct 15, 2021
Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) Superintendent Carlee Simon insisted the district is in compliance with mask rules and dismissed sanctions as futile in a Thursday letter […]
Rep. Dunn calls for natural immunity recognition
Oct 14, 2021
U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn and 13 other Republicans this week sent a letter to White House and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials calling […]
Grand jury clears deputies involved in shooting
Oct 12, 2021
An Alachua County grand jury has cleared deputies who shot and killed a Gainesville man during a domestic dispute call earlier this year. The office of […]
GPD makes arrest in GHS bomb threat case
Oct 1, 2021
The Gainesville Police Department (GPD) announced that detectives have arrested a student in connection with the Gainesville High School (GHS) bomb threat on Wednesday. “Detectives received […]
Updated: Bomb threats hit 4 Alachua County schools
Sep 28, 2021
All three Newberry schools and Eastside High School received bomb threats Tuesday, leading to evacuations and lockdowns. Just after 10 a.m. Newberry High School (NHS) […]
Update: ACSO clears Newberry HS bomb threat
Sep 23, 2021
Update: Alachua County Public Schools reported Thursday at 1:45 pm that Newberry High School has been cleared by law enforcement and nothing suspicious was found. A bomb threat […]