Help sought for ‘overworked, underpaid’ prison workers

 A top corrections official offered a stark picture of Florida’s prison system last week, warning that lawmakers must boost salaries of corrections workers to avert a looming disaster as the system grapples with high turnover rates, dangerously low staffing levels and fatigued employees. Department of Corrections Deputy Secretary Ricky Dixon said the agency wants to…

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Apalachicola Bay chamber wins two awards

On Sept. 23, the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals held their annual conference in Jupiter, which the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce attended via a live stream in during the annual Communications Awards ceremony. The awards consist of four categories – Public Relations, CVB Marketing Materials, Audio Visual Communications, and Membership Marketing Materials. This year…

‘Devious Licks’ strikes county park, school

It’s called “Devious Licks,” and it’s a destructive game of theft and vandalism among kids across the country. And it’s landed in Franklin County. It’s a viral 2021 TikTok trend in which American students post videos of themselves stealing, vandalizing, or showing off items they stole primarily from their schools, typically from bathrooms. Allen Ham, a school…

FWC may OK limited harvest of small goliaths

For the first time in more than 30 years, Florida fishing regulators are on the verge of allowing for a limited, highly regulated harvest of the goliath grouper. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will take up a staff recommendation to allow for the catch of juvenile-sized goliaths in all state waters except for…

Seahawks victorious vs. PSJ at jamboree

Under sunny skies Saturday morning, Franklin County Youth Football  took two out of three contests on the field in Carrabelle against Port St. Joe at the season-opening Jamboree. In the opening Peewee game, coaches Darrian Turner, and assistants  Scott Kelly and Levi Odom engineered a 22-0 shutout of the Buccaneers. In the  Tiny division, the team…

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Early tourism numbers shatter last year’s total

Like a child first encountering an array of gifts beneath the tree on Christmas morning, it is a challenge to know where to start when it comes to unwrapping the latest tourism numbers. That is because so many are in record-breaking territory. based on a report shared by Tourism Development Council Director John Solomon at…