County lifts all evacuation orders
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County lifts all evacuation orders

As of 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, the county emergency management office has rescinded all evacuation orders, both mandatory and voluntary. Due to a combination of Hurricane Idalia and the rising tide, Bayfront Drive in Alligator Point and Patton Street on St. George Island are under water. Please use extreme caution when in this area. Because there…

Charter school opens under new leadership
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Charter school opens under new leadership

With full enrollment of about 377 students, the Apalachicola Bay Charter School is opening the 2023-24 with two new leaders at the helm, and shifts to the classroom staff tailored for an ever-changing student population.Elizabeth Kirvin, who was among the local citizens who first envisioned the school around their kitchen tables nearly three decades ago,…

FCHS opens with teaching slots largely filled
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FCHS opens with teaching slots largely filled

With the opening of school last week, the signs are that the teacher crisis shortage that has swept like a hurricane through Florida has largely missed Franklin County. It’s not perfect, there are still some gaps and shifts that have had to be made at Franklin County Schools, but for the most part the classrooms…

‘Squirrel’ earns Golden Gopher degree
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‘Squirrel’ earns Golden Gopher degree

Carlos Morris was one of the next basketball players to come out of the Franklin County Schools. After starring for the Seahawks while still in middle school, including helping lead them to a berth in the Final Four, Morris, long known by his nickname “Squirrel,” transferred to a private school in Jacksonville. From there he…

50 years later, a class gathers
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50 years later, a class gathers

Fifty years after they graduated from Apalachicola High School, the first class to spend their entire senior year at the newly built school, a lot has changed. Most of them are retired now, perhaps drawing a pension from being in the military or working in government, or on Social Security.  They’re watching their grandchildren grow…

Turner graduates with honors as radiology technician

Turner graduates with honors as radiology technician

Michael David Turner II, a 2011 graduate of Franklin County High School, was pinned as a radiology technician at a May 4 graduation ceremony from Gulf Coast State College. Turner, who earned an associate of science degree with honors, also received the Outstanding Radiology Student Award. He was among 17 students to graduate, and later…

School board focuses on tackling ‘vapedemic’
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School board focuses on tackling ‘vapedemic’

The Franklin County Schools have a vaping problem and it’s costing them money, as well as harming the health of students. At a lengthy discussion at the May 24 board meeting, school board members listened as school officials outlined a situation in which students as young as those in elementary grades are being found using…

‘Our resilience will shine through’ – FCHS Class of 2023 graduates
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‘Our resilience will shine through’ – FCHS Class of 2023 graduates

In an exuberant ceremony Friday night, May 26 at Franklin County High School, 60 graduates of the Class of 2023 received their diplomas and stepped out to take on the world. The gymnasium was filled to capacity, and all went smoothly throughout the ceremony, with some humor as well, as Principal Danielle Rosson was treated…