County lifts all evacuation orders
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County lifts all evacuation orders

As of 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, the county emergency management office has rescinded all evacuation orders, both mandatory and voluntary. Due to a combination of Hurricane Idalia and the rising tide, Bayfront Drive in Alligator Point and Patton Street on St. George Island are under water. Please use extreme caution when in this area. Because there…

Judge weighs redistricting arguments

TALLAHASSEE — A Leon County circuit judge Thursday heard arguments in a battle about a congressional redistricting plan that Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed through the Legislature last year, amid clashing positions about the Florida Constitution and the U.S. Constitution. Voting-rights groups argue that DeSantis and the Republican-dominated Legislature violated the state Constitution in overhauling a…

Reenvisioning the sacred
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Reenvisioning the sacred

It’s been a labor of love, an act of providence, a modernizing and an upgrading, and at a festive celebration Sunday, attended by the bishop, St. Patrick Catholic Church put a giant exclamation point to the nearly two-year-old effort. “It’s beautiful,” said Bishop William Wack, who oversees the Catholic Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, as he enjoyed…

Franklin County to accelerate employee pay hikes
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Franklin County to accelerate employee pay hikes

Faced with robust growth in the county tax base of nearly 15 percent, commissioners decided at last week’s day-long budget workshop to speed up the granting of employee pay hikes it originally planned to spread out over five years. With unanimous support, commissioners backed going beyond granting the raises initially planned for the 2023-24 fiscal…

Five bidders buy most of the tax certificates

Five bidders buy most of the tax certificates

The online tax certificate sale went well last month, driving down the interest rate that delinquent taxpayers have to pay to redeem their property It went especially well for five out-of-county investment groups, who bought up 90 percent of the tax certificates that were offered for sale. Watson said 58 entities registered to bid in…

Lanark News: Flag burning marks Memorial Day
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Lanark News: Flag burning marks Memorial Day

Hi Y’all,  Memorial Day was a beautiful day. Camp Gordon Johnston American Legion Post 82, in Lanark had a ceremony on Monday, May 29. It was bittersweet for it was as it should be, a day of memorial. Our country’s red, white and blue was displayed everywhere. Many veterans and friends gathered to honor those…

Tragedy on the river as boats collide
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Tragedy on the river as boats collide

Two people are dead following a collision early Saturday afternoon between two charter boats in Scipio Creek. According to a report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the accident took place Saturday just minutes before noon, between a 23-foot Parker vessel piloted by Austin Finch, 23, of Apalachicola, and a 21-foot K2 Marine,…

Breakfast, golf, karaoke to mark busy weekend
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Breakfast, golf, karaoke to mark busy weekend

Hi Y’all, The Lanark Village Association, Inc. was well-attended. Highlight discussions were the sign that the association is looking forward to putting up at the entrance of Heffernan Drive off of Highway 98. This sign was damaged with a couple of storms and has progressively gotten worse. Also, discussed was the progression of the development…

Auburn partners with land trust on workforce home

Auburn partners with land trust on workforce home

Homes built for working people don’t have to be shoddy to be affordable, and can save money in the long run as they build generational wealth. That’s the message being sent by Auburn University’s Rural Studio and Front Porch Initiative, which is partnering with the Franklin County Community Development and Land Trust Corporation to design…