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…

Drawing with a soft touch on hard shells
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Drawing with a soft touch on hard shells

They’re not made in China and they’re not made by a machine. Rather, the calloused hands of a longtime oysterman detail the vivid images on oyster shells, using just pens of different colors and an appreciative eye for the fine details of the shrimp boats and oyster boats that once flourished in Franklin County. Most…

‘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…

County honors the sacrifice of Memorial Day
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County honors the sacrifice of Memorial Day

The meaning of Memorial Day is most often absorbed through the head, but sometimes it trickles into the heart. In moving remarks Monday morning before a large gathering in Apalachicola’s Veterans Memorial Plaza, standing before the Three Servicemen Statue Detail, County Commissioner Ottice Amison shared insight into what flows from the heart. After thanking Al…

Zachary Abell [ FCSO }
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Seiden trial postponed until at least July

More than five years after she was killed in an Eastpoint motel, Aileen Seiden is on the verge of having justice meted out to the two people charged in her death. One of them, Christina Marie Araujo, 43, of Palm Beach, decided earlier this month to plead guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder,…

ED Corps graduates its Class of 2023
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ED Corps graduates its Class of 2023

It’s a small, tightly-knit graduating class, getting their educations at the Island Drive headquarters of the Franklin’s Promise Coalition in Eastpoint.On Friday night, at a ceremony at the amphitheater of the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, they were presented their sheepskins. While not formally under the auspices of the Franklin County School District, the school…

County wrestles with housing issues
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County wrestles with housing issues

A workshop last week to address the growing presence of travel trailers, RVs and mobile homes – amidst neighborhoods where homes are growing in price and shrinking in availability – brought into sharp focus one of the thorniest issues county commissioners now have to face. How do you preserve safe neighborhoods, where people adhere to…

Commissioners grill Weems on state of its finances
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Commissioners grill Weems on state of its finances

Weems Memorial Hospital officials came before the county commission Tuesday morning with a financial report that showed some modest improvement over the past year. They left with the commissioners voicing emphatically that they had serious concerns about where things stood. The report came from Michael Kozar, the chief executive officer of Northwest Florida Community Hospital…

Proclamations kick-off National Volunteer Appreciation Week
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Proclamations kick-off National Volunteer Appreciation Week

With the start of National Volunteer Appreciation Week April 16 to 22, Franklin County is recognizing and celebrating the invaluable contributions of volunteers in the community. For the past 13 years, Franklin County has been dedicated to honoring Volunteer Week with proclamations submitted to various local and state governments by John Solomon, director of the…