The high school football playoffs begin this week. Here is a glance of the matchups for local teams in the Rural and Class 1A and 2A divisions. Breakdowns of games in Classes 3A-7A will be published on Thursday.

A 50-year-old St. Augustine man died Friday night after he stepped into the path of a car on U.S. 1 near Andora Street and was struck, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

A 61-year-old man died Wednesday after he was hit by a car on St. Johns Avenue in Palatka, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

An investigative panel on Monday alleged that a Putnam County judge appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year abused her authority through the “improper use” of judicial contempt power “in direct contravention of clearly established procedures and law.”

Some low-lying areas in the county have seen flooding due to heavy rain. Some residents plan to evacuate while others will stay home and ride out the storm.

It was a wild and chaotic week as Hurricane Helene shook up the high school football schedule. Teams played on Wednesday and Friday, with many pushing their Week 6 games to Monday, Sept. 30. But quite a few teams squeezed in their games. Here’s a look at the results and the ever-changing schedule.

Two shootings in Palatka left one dead and three people injured on Monday, according to the police department.

Voters in three Putnam County communities will face choices in the general election, for city officials or a referendum question.

The Palatka High School community came together Friday to honor the life of a 15-year-old football player who suddenly passed away from a possible cardiac arrest.

A vigil is being held for a Palatka Junior-Senior High School (PJSHS) football player after he died unexpectedly in his home Tuesday morning, according to the Putnam County School District.

A 20-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl were wounded Wednesday night in a shooting, the Palatka Police Department said.

On Thursday, veterans from Northeast Florida were in France for the 80th commemoration of D-Day.

Alyssa Vallad’s crushed a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to slap an exclamation point on the most dominant close to a season in program history and deliver the Vikings a 7-5 win over Kirkwood for the NJCAA Division II title in Spartanburg, SC.

The dream ride of the St. Johns River State College softball team continues, and it’s taken the Vikings all the way to the NJCAA Division II national championship game.

A local college’s baseball and softball teams are capping off historic seasons in a unique way.

The Palatka Police Department said it will crackdown on people who blast loud music while driving and those with loud car exhausts because of complaints from residents.

It's Cinco de Mayo! Don't let the rain ruin your Sunday.

Putnam County deputies recovered a body in a creek in an unincorporated area of Palatka after a motorist stopped in the area to take wildlife photos.

A man in Putnam County is being held without bond due to not cooperating with investigators after he was charged with possessing an explosive, aggravated battery, and illegal possession of a gun silencer.

A Putnam County deputy was rushed to a hospital Friday after he was exposed to an unknown substance during a traffic stop in Palatka, according to the sheriff’s office.

On Thursday, News4JAX got a behind-the-scenes look at Green Dragon Florida's facility where they’re cultivating and processing medical marijuana.

The City of Palatka launched a new program that will help residents who struggled with utility bills during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a release, the St. John’s River Water Management District conducted a 196-acre prescribed burn at its J.P. Hall Bayard Conservation Area in Clay County.

A Florida woman was arrested last week after allegedly trying to sell her daughter outside of a local business, according to the Palatka Police Department.

A 33-year-old Putnam County man who pleaded guilty in December to second-degree murder in the shooting death of his friend has been sentenced to life in prison.

A 21-year-old man is dead after his truck overturned on State Road 20.

Putnam County residents in an unincorporated area of Palatka said their community is under siege by gun violence.

A 53-year-old man from Palatka died Saturday morning after crashing into a ditch in Clay County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The mother of a 12-year-old boy is speaking out after her son was injured by his teacher Monday.

A newborn baby was found in the backyard of a home by Palatka police early Sunday morning, according to the Palatka Police Department.

A 3-year-old was safely rescued Monday night after two good samaritans spotted him in the middle of a busy street in Palatka.

After Week, 10 the playoff picture is coming into focus. Eight district champions were crowned this week, with one big one left to go.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said it arrested a Clay County firefighter on sex crime charges.

The News4JAX Super 10 football rankings will be published Tuesday’s during the regular season. All games at 7 p.m. unless indicated.

The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a crash involving two cars that left at least one person dead on State Road 19 and Crill Avenue in Palatka Sunday evening.

Hundreds got baptized in or by the St. Johns River, and many simply supported those on their big day.

In Palatka, a two-year investigation into illegal drug activity led to multiple arrests during a raid on a suspected drug house.

Baylee Holbrook, a 16-year-old who was struck by lightning while hunting with her dad in Putnam County passed away Thursday morning, according to Trinity Baptist Church.

A 16-year-old Putnam County girl and her father were struck by lightning that glanced off a tree Tuesday afternoon while they were hunting, the Sheriff's Office said.

Farm Share, the state’s largest food bank, will be distributing food at 8 a.m. on Saturday in Putnam County to food-insecure Floridians.

A Putnam County solid waste employee is facing charges of larceny and fraud after investigators said she went on an illegal shopping spree with a county credit card. Denise Adams, 48, of Interlachen has already bonded out of jail on a $30,000 bond.

A Palatka man had to be airlifted to a hospital Sunday evening after his ATV overturned and landed on him during a crash, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

This week’s SnapJAX stories brought me to a rural part of our area -- to a house on 40 acres in Palatka where we were looking for something that only 1% of the population will ever see: a pink grasshopper. Jackie Green, who owns the property, has enjoyed such a rare sighting TWICE.

The North Palatka community is sick of the increase in violence after two men in their early-20s were injured in a Wednesday late-night shooting.

Video from this weekend shows WWE legend “The Undertaker” standing just feet away from a swimming shark. And his wife said he was doing it to protect her.

The man brought Harry Potter books, $20, and some muffins from a gas station, PCSO said.

A 9-year-old was killed and three others including two children were seriously injured after a single-vehicle crash in Putnam County.

Recipients will receive fresh produce and non-perishable canned goods at Jenkins Middle School.

A Palatka man was arrested Thursday morning and accused of kidnapping after he allegedly took a 5-year-old child from a home he was visiting.

A Deltona man is dead Saturday after being thrown out of an overturned Can-Am side-by-side vehicle, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

A teen was arrested in connection to the shooting death of Jermarien Edwards after a 20-day search, the Palatka Police Department announced Friday.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday announced an indictment in the 2015 murder of a pregnant woman from Daytona Beach.

A body was found in the St. Johns River after a car drove off Browns Landing Boat Ramp in Palatka early Monday morning, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

Palatka PD release a photo of a murder suspect.

World War II Veteran Paratrooper Vince Speranza of the 101st Airborne took to the skies for a tandem skydive proving that age is just a number.

Two people were taken to jail and face multiple felony charges after a neighbor saw something and reported it to authorities, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

Two people were injured Tuesday afternoon after being attacked by a dog in Palatka, including a woman who was airlifted to a hospital for treatment.

A controversial new program that’s aimed at saving lives has begun in Putnam County.

Three people were found dead Monday in a Palatka home after a fire, according to the Palatka Police Department.

A deadly crash Thursday night blocked all lanes of State Road 19 near the intersection of East Pinellas Street in Palatka, according to authorities.

The Palatka Police Department on Wednesday announced an arrest in a deadly stabbing that was reported in May 2022.

A jury in Putnam County on Tuesday sentenced a man to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the stabbing death of his 16-year-old girlfriend, according to a news release from the State Attorney’s Office.

A man died in a shooting early Friday morning in Palatka, authorities said.

The United States Postal Service on Tuesday announced it’s offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible after two postal workers were robbed at gunpoint in Putnam County.

The second night of the state playoffs proved a forgettable one for area teams.

Two teams go head-to-head in Putnam County for their last game of the regular season for this week’s Football Friday on 4 when Palatka High School takes on St. Augustine in one of the area’s oldest rivalries.

A Palatka woman was stabbed multiple times Tuesday night following an argument with her roommate, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

The biggest week of the high school football regular season is in the books, headlined by an upset decades in the making.

It wasn’t just the 43 times that Ta’Jon Nelms carried the ball that was impressive, nor was it the 194 yards the Fernandina Beach running back picked up on the ground.

The high school football regular season is down to the final two weeks.

On the first of five days of high school football this week, nearly a dozen area teams picked up district victories.

The Palatka Police Department on Friday night said detectives continue their investigation into a shooting outside Vick’s Supper Club, renewing its push for anyone with information to come forward.

The family of a man who was fatally shot outside of a nightclub in Palatka has confirmed the victim’s identity.

A mother of one of the victims killed in a deadly shooting in Palatka Saturday is speaking out about her loved one.

Two people are dead and two more are in critical condition following a shooting in Palatka, according to the Palatka Police Department.

A 36-year-old Palatka man was killed in a single-vehicle crash Thursday morning in St. Johns County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

A dozen illegal firearms, lots of cash and more than a kilo of illegal narcotics have been confiscated amid a crackdown following a spike in violent crime in and around Palatka, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

Detectives arrested a 31-year-old Palatka man accused of threatening a mass shooting on social media, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday.

A pilot was taken to a hospital with serious injuries after a small plane crashed Monday morning in a wooded area in the Palatka area, authorities said.

Farm Share will be distributing food at an event this week in Putnam County.

The Wolfson Children’s Hospital Bass Tournament has reeled in more than $6 million since it began 33 years ago.

You can win a prize pack to meet and greet Little Texas or Ginuwine plus much more!

The camera alerted the homeowners around midnight that they had a visitor.

Farm Share will be distributing food at two events this week in Northeast Florida.

Putnam County deputies are asking for the public's help to track down a woman wanted in connection with a deadly crash in 2018.

The News4JAX Super 6 softball rankings will be published each Monday through the end of the regular season. Results are through April 3 games.

A 30-year-old Interlachen man died early Sunday morning in a crash in Palatka.

A small plane crashed Monday afternoon in a rural area northwest of Palatka.

The News4JAX Super 6 softball rankings will be published each Monday through the end of the regular season. Results are through March 11 games.

Putnam County Sheriff Gator DeLoach and Palatka Mayor Terrill Hill appear to be at odds.

During a meeting Thursday evening of the Palatka City Commission, Putnam County Sheriff Homer “Gator” DeLoach demanded the resignation of Palatka Mayor Terrill Hill, who was present for the sheriff’s comments.

Wintry week ahead as clouds will be widespread, chilly temperatures too!

The state fire marshal will consider arson as a the possible cause of a fire that ripped through an abandoned factory on River Street in Palatka Sunday afternoon.

An unmarked police cruiser was struck by another vehicle on Friday morning in Putnam County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

A man who was driving a motorcycle in Palatka on Saturday night died in a single-vehicle crash, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Chances are pretty good that if you looked up at about 6:12 p.m. on Thursday, you caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a fireball in the sky.

Friday, moisture from our south may fire off a few afternoon showers for folks living between Gainesville to Palatka to St. Augustine. Jacksonville should stay dry. Skies will be sunny and our temperatures will be warmer. Morning temperatures will start in the low to mid 60s and see a high around 85°.

A glance at how Friday night’s games turned out, TV highlights and looking ahead to next week’s games.

The Putnam County Fire Department has requested help from neighboring Clay County to battle a two-alarm fire Tuesday morning at the Georgia Pacific paper mill.