Five years ago, 2021

• Discovery Oaks Elementary teacher Shadreka Smith is a finalist for the national Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching competition in Washington, D.C.

•  Hundreds enjoy music, food, crafts, vendors, classic cars, live music from Duval County Line and dance performances at the sun-splashed Middleburg Spring Festival at the Middleburg Civic Association.

•  Duval County Line, the Curt Towne Band and 38 Special highlight the first night of the concert series at the Clay County Agricultural Fair.

• Enough explosive materials to build eight grenades are uncovered during a drug raid in Keystone Heights that led to the arrest of Cody Clifford on charges of cultivating marijuana, possession of dimethyltryptamine, LSD, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

10 years ago, 2016

• Richard Price Tucker, 44, faces charges of attempting to defraud six officials in Clay County, which included two judges, the court clerk and State Attorney Angela Corey.

•  Gonzo the Rabbit wins the Rabbit Fashion Show at the Clay County Agricultural Fair.

• Three health education positions are eliminated from the Clay County District Schools budget, as the district is forced to make cuts.

20 years ago. 2006

•  Florida Supreme Court Justice Kenneth B. Bell joins Judge William Wilkes to cut the ribbon to officially re-open the newly restored Clay County Courthouse that was built in 1890.

• Gov. Jeb Bush appoints his friend, John Thrasher, to fill a vacancy on the Board of County Commissioners following the indictment of Christie Fitzgerald in connection with a drawn-out illegal dumping scandal.

• Tanica Shanks, of Orange Park, is inducted into the Krystal Lovers Hall of Fame for her dedication to the fast-food chain’s little-squared hamburgers since she was 9.

 30 years ago, 1996

•  Clay County is awarded a supplemental emergency $12,035 from the Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program, which was distributed among county nonprofits.

• Despite protests from church groups, the Green Cove Springs City Council votes to change a city ordinance that shortened the distance between restaurants that sell alcohol and churches from 1,000 feet to 300 feet.

• William F. McGee, 64, of Jacksonville, is found dead floating in the St. Johns River, just north of the Shands Bridge pier in Green Cove Springs.

40 years ago, 1986

•  The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s annual crime report shows crime increased 13.5% in Clay County in 1985, while crime dropped 1.4% in Orange Park and 7.6% in Green Cove Springs.

• Tommy Dye agrees to testify against his brother, J. Andrew Dye, and plead guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Debra E. Dye, J. Andrew’s wife.

• Embattled Orange Park Town Council member David Brownell resigns after a resident claimed he gave town employees direct orders. He also said he planned to run for the same seat during the Special Election.