War museum focuses on Philippines campaign
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War museum focuses on Philippines campaign

The Camp Gordon Johnston World War II Museum in Carrabelle is presenting a special exhibit on the Philippines campaign. This exhibit will be on display until Saturday, Sept. 28. The museum is open every Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. There is no charge for admission, but donations are gladly accepted. …

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Apalachicola likely to keep millage unchanged

They still could go up to 9.0 mills, but from all indications, Apalachicola city commissioners are planning to keep the millage unchanged. By keeping the millage steady at 8.3457 mills, the city will yield about $2.19 million in property taxes, roughly $270,000 more than the $1.92 million the millage raised this year. The city of…

Franklin County TDC wins state marketing awards
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Franklin County TDC wins state marketing awards

Two Franklin County non-profits earned state recognition last week for their efforts in promoting the county and nonprofit events.  The Franklin County Tourist Development Council brought back two Visit Florida marketing awards this week from the Visit Florida Governor’s Conference held in Tampa, August 28-30.  The Franklin County TDC was awarded a Silver Flagler award…

The Cubans: People of a paused land
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The Cubans: People of a paused land

Apalachicola’s Richard Bickel, an Emmy Award-winning photojournalist, recently returned from Cuba with a wealth of new works. The trip was his 14th trip to the island. “The economic crisis was as bad as I have seen,” he said. “The country was out of gasoline, and there were nightly power blackouts. To get around, I had…

Prospect Bluff Historic Site ordered closed
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Prospect Bluff Historic Site ordered closed

The U.S. Forest Service earlier this month issued a Forest Order that will close for the next year the Prospect Bluff Historic Site in its entirety.  The site, commonly known as Fort Gadsden or the colloquial “Negro Fort,” will be closed until Aug. 12, 2025 “unless terminated earlier by an authorized Forest Service official.” The…

Robert Benson passes away peacefully
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Robert Benson passes away peacefully

For those of you who have not heard, Lanark has lost one of its longtime residents of more than 20 years. Robert Benson, 67, passed away peacefully at his home in Lanark on Sunday, Aug. 11. Robert was a very helpful person, mostly to his parents, Bob and Aileen Benson, also Lanark residents. Robert was…

Jones wins election to third term
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Jones wins election to third term

Franklin County Commissioner Ricky Jones easily won his bid for-re-election in District 1 Tuesday, defeating challenger Russell Turner. Jones, 53, of 258 Sago Drive in Eastpoint, tallied 492 voters, or about 63 percent, to Turner, 68, who resides at 419 US Highway 98 in Eastpoint. who received 292 votes, of about 37 percent, in the…

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Franklin proposes to lower millage rate a little

Blessed with an increase in their tax base of close to 14 percent, Franklin County commissioners are proposing to drop the county’s millage slightly. Following two days of budget workshops, the commissioners have proposed a preliminary millage rate of 5.4546 mills, slightly below the 5.4707 rate for the current budget year. With one mill set…