Making a clean sweep

Following a hugely successful return to July Fourth festivities, all the more exciting because the holiday spanned a weekend, more than smiles and joyous memories were left behind. There was plenty of trash that had to be attended to. Following the Independence Eve celebration that drew an enormous crowd to downtown Apalachicola, about two dozen…

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Franklin County Extension christens new digs

More than a year after completing renovations at its new office location, the Franklin County Extension staff welcomed the community to celebrate the new digs, “The road to completion for the project was long and winding with some unexpected turns but in the end we have a beautiful facility in which to serve the public…

Jobs touted as St. Joe’s Eastern shipyard opens

Standing beside a pair of freshly finished, bright orange ferries, soon to shuttle millions of New Yorkers each year between the boroughs of Manhattan and Staten Island, the ninth smallest county in Florida celebrated its good fortune last week. Built in Panama City, and lately outfitted in Port St. Joe, the two 320-foot long, 70-foot…

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Lockley opposes expansion of turtle protections

County Commissioner Noah Lockley is not a fan of turtles. He reiterated this point several times last week, at a public hearing on a proposed revision of the county’s Leave No Trace ordinance intended to strengthen protections of the  vital sea turtle nursery, and extend the affected shoreline further east to Carrabelle, Alligator Point and…

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Dr. Humphries ‘never forgot Apalachicola’

Apalachicola Mayor Brenda Ash was among the many dignitaries to speak Saturday in remembrance of former Florida A&M University President Dr. Frederick S. Humphries, Sr., who was eulogized as a mentor, recruiter, leader, visionary, and innovator. Ash said Humphries, a native of her waterfront community, was taught by Roman Catholic nuns in elementary school at…

Worker shortage persists amid record tourism

Franklin County is accustomed to seeing a steady increase in its tourism numbers but in March and April, the numbers skyrocketed like a Roman candle on the Fourth of July. In a report to county commissioners Tuesday morning, Tourist Development Council Administrator John Solomon reported that collections in March more than doubled over 2020, and…