Five years ago, 2021

• Orange Park High graduate and athlete Tayler Harber shared her story of turning from a top student to a felon following a home-invasion robbery to more than 1 million followers on TikTok.

• Keystone Heights High’s Sage Pridemore returned home seven weeks after receiving a life-saving heart transplant at the University of Florida.

• U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack, who represents the county in Washington, secured a $2.7 million grant for Clay County Fire Rescue.

10 years ago, 2016

• The College of Missionary Aviation opened to teach young pilots at Keystone Heights Airport.

• The Orange Park Town Council decided not to use money generated by red-light cameras to pay for an additional police officer.

• The Clay County School Board passed a $379.6 million budget that included a $31.2 million increase in funds while reducing the millage rate to .375.

20 years ago, 2006

• Board of County Commissioner Harold Rutledge held town hall meetings in Orange Park, Fleming Island, Middleburg and Keystone Heights in a single day.

• The Florida Department of Transportation held a public hearing to discuss the final details of a long-awaited plan to widen Doctors Lake Bridge to six lanes.

• The Orange Park Town Council approved a 4% pay raise to its public works and non-union employees, with giving 3% raises to members of the police and fire departments.

 30 years ago, 1996

• The Clay County Strategic Planning Environmental and Safety Action Team recommended the school board place security guards at 15 of its 18 elementary schools.

• Keystone Heights City Council member Bill Beam asked that $171,000 set aside for road and drainage improvements be placed back in the draft budget after the city decided to use Community Development Block Grant funds for the roadwork projects.

• After returning from competing in the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Orange Park’s LeAnn Shannon presented the City of Jacksonville a key to the city by Genesis Rehabilitation Services.

40 years ago, 1986

• The Clay County Chamber of Commerce and the county’s libraries prepared for a 25^th anniversary party that included a Spring Park performance by the St. Johns River City Band.

• County Commissioner Larry Lancaster asked county administrator John Bowles to seek Florida Department of Transportation assistance to construct a turn lane from northbound Blanding Boulevard eastbound onto Kingsley Avenue.

• The BCC voted 4-1 to end the practice of sending unwanted cats and dogs from Animal Control to be used in research at the University of Florida.