House backs drilling ban, Riverkeeper presses Simon
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House backs drilling ban, Riverkeeper presses Simon

It looks to be a near certainty that both houses of the Florida legislature will back bills that would put a damper on oil drilling in the Apalachicola River basin. The question will be, with different versions in the House and the Senate, what will ultimately be presented to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his signature….

Forgotten Coast unites for fire safety
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Forgotten Coast unites for fire safety

On Saturday April 19, members of South Gulf Fire Rescue, Dalkeith Fire Department, St. George Island Volunteer Fire Department and Gulf County EMS joined together for fire operations training at the Port St. Joe Junior Senior High School football stadium.  The fire stations and emergency medical crews often draw help from one another in emergency…

Franklin foundation teams with schools for tech solutions
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Franklin foundation teams with schools for tech solutions

The Franklin Education Foundation Inc. last week presented to the Franklin County school testing and technology department a wealth of technology funded by a state grant along with local donations. The presentation on April 16 will enable the schools to fund 50 iPads and folio cases for grades pre-kindergarten and first for testing and classroom…

Quilt show, Carrabelle festival to highlight weekend
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Quilt show, Carrabelle festival to highlight weekend

Hi Y’all, Happy Easter Week If you want to know what is happening with the St. James/Lanark Volunteer Fire Department, attend one of the meetings on the third Monday of each month at 6 p.m. ET. Often, residents put out questions, but are not going to the source to get the correct answers. Get involved,…

Apalachicola’s Chapman Home highlights May 3 tour
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Apalachicola’s Chapman Home highlights May 3 tour

The home of famed botanist Dr. Alvan W. Chapman highlights the Historic Apalachicola Home and Garden Tour on Saturday, May 3.  Now in its 31st year, the annual event hosted by Trinity Episcopal Church showcases some of the town’s most distinguished homes, both old and new, as well as the City Square Community Garden. “This…

Release celebrates rescue of rare turtle
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Release celebrates rescue of rare turtle

People who live along the Forgotten Coast, as well as those who visit, are accustomed to the sea turtle releases that regularly occur on the beach each year. During the winter, the releases often will be of cold-stunned sea turtles (a collection of turtles is referred to as a “bale” or a “flotilla”) that have…

How tariffs might affect domestic shrimp
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How tariffs might affect domestic shrimp

The Trump administration’s latest round of tariffs are likely to have an effect on domestic shrimp production and prices, but to what extent, and in what way, still remains unclear. Reese Antley, vice-president of operations for Wood’s Fisheries in Port St. Joe, said he believes it’s likely there will be an increase in prices for…

Carrabelle Beach to hold Easter Sunrise service
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Carrabelle Beach to hold Easter Sunrise service

Hi Y’all, wishing you a Happy Easter. Lanark started their Easter celebrations with an annual Easter egg hunt on the Lanark Village Golf Course, sponsored by the LVGC and the Facebook group the Village Idiots. Once again, the course was filled with happy children searching for eggs the volunteers had hidden, and there were plenty…

Sacred Heart blesses Women’s Diagnostic Center
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Sacred Heart blesses Women’s Diagnostic Center

The new Ascension Sacred Heart Gulf Women’s Diagnostic Center facility received a chaplain’s formal blessing last month, following the completion of a renovated 1,096 square foot space inside the Medical Office Building adjacent to the hospital. On March 7, wellwishers gathered to celebrate the center’s opening, a half million-dollar project aided considerably by a $350,000…