Watermelon Festival Committee Contributor The Monticello-Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce that Connie and Mark Mageary will serve as the 2026 Grand Marshals of the Monticello Watermelon Festival Parade….
Category: Front Page
Watermelon pageants are this Saturday!
Laura Young ECB Publishing, Inc. Royalty for the 75th Annual Watermelon Festival – organized by the Watermelon Festival Committee and the Monticello-Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce – will be crowned this Saturday,…
Trulieve remains under scrutiny by regulatory agencies (Company is a no-show at meeting)
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. Trulieve in Jefferson County continues to undergo review by at least two state agencies that have found the medical marijuana growing facility to be in possible violations…
Tammy Brookins named 2026 Friend of 4-H for Florida
Laura Young ECB Publishing, Inc. Each year the Florida Association of Extension 4-H Agents presents a “Friend of 4-H” Award to people or organizations that provide exceptional support to 4-H youth programs….
City manager remains in jail, investigation ongoing
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. Monticello City Manager Kurt Mackiewicz remained in the county jail as of Monday, May 25, while the investigation into his alleged possession of child pornography continued. Mackiewicz…
Monticello City Manager Kurt Mackiewicz arrested for alleged possession and distribution of child pornography
Submitted by Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office recently became aware of a Jefferson County citizen, Monticello City Manager Kurt Mackiewicz, who may have been in possession of Child…
Commission to hear about Trulieve runoff problem from state agency (Hearing set for Thursday, May 21)
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. Residents concerned about the water quality issues associated with the Trulieve medical marijuana growing facility on U.S. Highway 27 may want to monitor the Jefferson County Commission…
Clothes dryer ignites house fire
Laura Young ECB Publishing, Inc. On Friday, May 15, at 11:07 p.m., Jefferson County Fire Rescue responded to 448 Sam Perry Rd. (between Greenville and Lamont), where an occupied dwelling was reportedly…
Preparations already underway for next election
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. The general election is some six months away. Already, however, the clock is ticking insofar as a number of critical steps that citizens and candidates alike must…
Pearce family home and car lost to fire
Laura Young ECB Publishing, Inc. At 10:29 a.m. on Tuesday, May 5, Jefferson County Fire Rescue (JCFR) responded to a house fire on Mallard Lane after a neighbor reported seeing flames coming…
Remembering Ted Turner and his deep ties to Jefferson County through Avalon Plantation
Fabrizio Gowdy Contributor When media mogul and billionaire philanthropist Ted Turner passed away last week, many Americans might have been surprised to learn he died on a former cotton plantation in an…
County finally gets FEMA reimbursements
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. Some two years after the fact, Jefferson County has finally been compensated by the federal government for expenses it incurred in cleanup operations in the wake of…
New county impact fees off the table for now
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. Jefferson County will not be imposing new impact fees anytime soon. County commissioners learned recently that the impact fee study that is required for the imposition of…
Friday fires destroy two homes
Laura Young ECB Publishing, Inc. On Friday afternoon, May 8, Jefferson County Fire Rescue (JCFR) was responding to a house fire on Doke Road when another call came in requiring a response…
County contributes $30,000 to 250th Celebration
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. Jefferson County has now formally ponied up a portion of the expenses for the activities that are planned locally to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United…
Trulieve faces the music
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. A packed audience attended Trulieve’s recent presentation to the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners, not counting the many who participated in the meeting online. Trulieve’s presentation…
The May/June Front Porch has arrived!
Laura Young ECB Publishing, Inc. It is with great pleasure that we announce the arrival of the May/June 2026 edition of The Front Porch magazine. The new issue has been mailed, and…
County officials hear legislative update
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. Officials here recently got an update from the Jefferson County’s consultant lobbyist on the latest doings of the Florida Legislature, in terms of measures that stand to…
County offers two areas for designation as opportunity zones
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. Jefferson County could have one or two of its low-income census tracts be designated as opportunity zones, a program designed to foster economic development and job creation…
Scam alert! Don’t trust texts from the “Jefferson County Courthouse”
Hailey Heseltine ECB Publishing, Inc. The Jefferson County Clerk of Courts has announced that a scam targeting local residents has been going around lately. If you receive a text message that seems…