Local News

Fire struck Port Carrabelle last week, but fortunately no one was hurt and there was little damage except for two sheds. If you are wondering where Port Carrabelle is, it’s the name given a stretch of homes under the Carrabelle bridge, on the west side, by the late Ben Watkins, a longtime attorney and landholder…

COVID-19 vaccination rates lag in vast swaths of rural Florida compared to the rest of the state — a pattern that also has been seen in other areas of the country, a new report shows. Neither Franklin nor Gulf counties are immune. The report, released Friday by the state Department of Health, said 55 percent…

LANARK VILLAGE –  A 71-year-old Lanark woman was shot and killed in her home last week by a former boyfriend, who then turned the gun on himself. Franklin County Sheriff A.J. Smith said an inquiry into the whereabouts of Francine Weeks began shortly after 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 2, when deputies, asked to do a…

LANARK VILLAGE –  A 71-year-old Lanark woman was shot and killed in her home last week by a former boyfriend, who then turned the gun on himself. Franklin County Sheriff A.J. Smith said an inquiry into the whereabouts of Francine Weeks began shortly after 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 2, when deputies, asked to do a…

Dunn rallies GOP to take back House EASTPOINT – It would not be an apt description to say U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn served up red meat in a fiery speech to a hungry Republican audience last week. Rather, the three-term congressman in the sprawling 2nd District, that encompasses all or part of 19 North Florida…

The gymnasium was filled to the rafters Friday evening, but it wasn’t to cheer on an athletic contest.  Rather, it was a pep rally for dedicated pupils, a spirit gathering for scholarship, as 62 members of the Class of 2021 strode across the stage to receive their diplomas from Franklin County High School. “The real…

The senior recognition night last week didn’t draw a huge crowd, and the number of scholarships were down over previous years. But the enthusiasm was strong.  Guidance Counselor Melanie Copeland said the financial impact of COVID-19 on donors had cut into the number of scholarships. Still, based in large part on the financial total of…

Hope that your

Memorial Day was filled with all the things that you have the freedom to

do.  Please teach your children never to

take our freedom for granted. There were some honoring …

TALLAHASSEE – Governor Ron DeSantis last week met the Capitol with sheriffs from 15 rural counties to discuss the methamphetamine epidemic which continues to plague the state’s rural populations. Franklin County Sheriff AJ Smith has spearheaded the creation of meth task force, and he led the meeting, which was joined by Gulf County Sheriff Mike…