City secures $14M for sewer plant upgrade

By the end of 2024, the city of Apalachicola will be operating a wastewater treatment plan better able to withstand hurricane-force winds and flooding, at a lower cost for operations and maintenance. That’s because the city is slated to receive $14 million in federal funds through the Protecting Florida Together grant program administered by the…

Ausley goes solo at delegation hearing

At last week’s annual delegation hearing. State Sen. Loranne Ausley introduced State Rep. Jason Shoaf’s legislative aide, Preston Wilson, to the audience in the county commission chambers. “We are taking good notes and we are a team working together,” said Ausley. While they appeared amiable, the comments were necessary, since Shoaf was absent from what…

Hill community honors ‘our native son’

For a banquet that celebrated one of Apalachicola’s most illustrious and beloved native sons, there was a lot of hissing coming forth from the audience. That’s because the honored guest was the late Dr. Frederick S. Humphries and the high-pitched hisses that reverberated inside the Holy Family Senior Center Friday evening, Nov. 5 paid audible…

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Construction begins on new Human Services Center

By the fall of 2022, Franklin County residents will be getting a major boost in their ability to access behavioral health services, to address everything from drug dependency to delinquency. At a ceremony Nov. 3, DISC Village, a Big Bend based non-profit behavioral health provider, broke ground on the new Franklin County Human Services Center…

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Focus on code enforcement begins to sharpen

A series of workshops throughout the county on code enforcement could lead to an unprecedented overhaul of how the county handles the breaking of its rules. Facilitated by the Apalachee Regional Planning Council, the workshops opened Oct. 30 in Eastpoint, with a second one Nov. 3 on St. George Island. A workshop for unincorporated Carrabelle…

Apalachicola OKs Roper historic marker

Apalachicola will be getting a historical marker to honor the legacy of Moses Roper, a leading 19th century abolitionist and former fugitive slave who authored a best-selling narrative that included description of his experiences while serving as a steward on a steamboat plying the Apalachicola River. The 4-1 vote by city commissioners, with Despina George…

A festival revived

If you had only come to the 58th annual Florida Seafood Festival on Friday, you would have likely concluded it was a total washout, as a cold rain and blustery winds spelled doom. But if you had woke up Saturday morning and then attended all day, you would have enjoyed a brisk and sunny day,…

Excitement building for Seahawk soccer comeback

For the first time in several years, Franklin County High School looks to field to robust soccer teams under the direction of experienced coaches. The girls, under the direction of Franklin County Schools’ new physical education teacher Anna Bull, have 19 players, and the boys, coached by Bill McCullough, have two dozen, which is a…

Critical Race Theory further devalues college education

Campuses were once places where ideas were debated. Today they are places where any right-of-center opposition speech is labeled “hate” and is shut down. Liberal schools like Emory, Middlebury and Brown fight to keep right-of-center voices off campus. They do not educate, they indoctrinate. And our country is paying the price. College kids are so…