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When Franklin County schoolkids return to their campuses Tuesday, they won’t have to be wearing masks, unless they want to, nor will they have to be vaccinated against COVID-19, if that’s what they and their family prefers. However, students at the Franklin County School will have to pass through a full body scan metal detector….

Because of a nearly 8 percent expansion of the tax base, county commissioners plan to lower the millage rate, but not quite to the rollback rate. At a budget workshop on July 29, the commissioners reviewed a report from Erin Griffith, the county’s finance director, that indicated one mill would generate about $2.33 million for…

The USNS Apalachicola, its name announced to great fanfare two years ago at the Independence Eve celebration, is expected to be launched this November, and be in service by this time next year. The EPF 13, newest of the Navy’s Expeditionary Fast Transport ships, is now about three-quarters complete as it is being built in…

With a new police chief, Carrabelle is now setting about replenishing its ranks, and has had to alter its rules to do so. Kevin Shuman, 50, was hired in the spring to replace former Chief Gary Hunnings. After starting his law enforcement career in 2006 as an auxiliary officer, Shuman worked full time with the…

The magical season of the Franklin County Darlings team, which took them all the way to representing Florida at the World Series in Prince George, Virginia last weekend, has ended. After losing 20-9 to South Carolina on Sunday afternoon, the team of 7 and 8 year old girls bounced back that afternoon to down North Carolina…

TALLAHASSEE — Bobby Bowden, the former head football coach of the Florida State Seminoles, announced that he has a terminal illness.  The Tallahassee Democrat is reporting that Bowden released a statement about the situation Wednesday. “I’ve always tried to serve God’s purpose for my life, on and off the field, and I am prepared for…

Franklin County’s unemployment picture dimmed in June, as the size of the labor force grew According to preliminary numbers released Friday by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the preliminary seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in June was at 4.5 percent, eight-tenths of 1 percentage point higher than the May rate of 3.7 percent. This snapshot…

Hi Y’all, Amnesty Day is coming your way this week on Saturday, July 24. Get that junk where it belongs, the dump. The Lanark Village Boat Club pancake breakfast was a huge success. It is so much fun to see your friends again. Many of our residents bring their out-of-town families and company to this…

The debut of an innovative summer program, that blended arts with fitness, ended with the sound of drums and the sweep of dance. In a July 2 program at the Holy Family Senior Center, the five-week Community Moving Education. Program, under the direction of retired New York City dancer and educator Frenchy Haynes, presented a…

A month ahead of budget time, Sheriff AJ Smith is pushing strongly for raises for the people in his department. And now that the county commissioners have the results of a study they commissioned on pay rates and job classifications, it looks like sheriff’s office employees, as well as those who work for other county…