Franklin’s vaccination rate outpaces Gulf

The overwhelming majority of residents over the age of 65 in Franklin and Gulf counties have been vaccinated against the COVID-19 coronavirus, with numbers picking up in those as young as age 50. According to a release issued Friday by the Florida Department of Health covering both counties, Franklin County had completed vaccinations for 2,160…

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Channel dredging forecast for the fall

Yes, they are going to dredge the Eastpoint Channel, and Two-Mile. But it hasn’t been easy, and it’s still not clear when. Alan Pierce, the longtime county administrator who has been working with the Army Corps of Engineers in recent years to advance the county’s pursuit of the dredging, vented his frustration with the process…

Slimmed-down cook-off helps Eastpoint VFD

It wasn’t the same big shindig that the Eastpoint Volunteer Fire Department is used to, but the 20th annual charity rib cookoff, which the department sponsors every year the third week of March, still brought in much-needed funds to the department. Chief George Pruett said the pre-sale of Boston butts, corporate sponsorships and entry fees should…

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County leaders warn of ‘devastating’ prison closures

Both Franklin and Gulf counties are pushing back against a state plan to shutter up to four state prisons, a plan spreading alarm throughout Florida’s rural regions where correctional institutions have played an outsized role in providing jobs and supporting businesses for decades. “If we no longer have any inmates, will we need to hire…