Leah Androski and Laura Young ECB Publishing, Inc. In 2024, the number of whooping cough cases in Florida soared. From Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2024, the Florida Department of Health reported…
City Hall gets new trees in recognition of Arbor Day
Heather Ainsley ECB Publishing, Inc. On Friday, Jan. 17, local officials gathered in front of the historic City Hall building to perform a short tree-planting ceremony in recognition of Florida Arbor Day….
Rodney deserves a family
Heather Ainsley ECB Publishing, Inc. Jefferson County is home to an incredible amount of animals, and a great number of them have amazing owners that care for them with dignity, care and…
Masonic Lodge No. 5 inducts new officers
Laura Young ECB Publishing, Inc. Hiram Lodge No. 5 Free and Accepted Masons of Florida installed its officers for 2025 on Saturday, Jan. 11. Family members and the public were invited to…
ARI holds archaeological dig in Drifton with students
Hailey Heseltine ECB Publishing, Inc. On the morning of Friday, Jan. 10, students from Jefferson County K-12 (JCS) and homeschool students gathered at Trelawn Plantation in Drifton for an archaeological dig in…
Let’s not be ChrINOs: Christians In Name Only
Let’s not be ChrINOs: Christians In Name Only As you reflect on your Christian journey, what choices from 2024 would you change? Where do you hope to grow closer to God in…
Blessings and challenges
Looking back, I’ve been blessed over my lifetime by many people. Every Christmas, I decorate my Christmas tree with special ornaments from friends and family; each a gift representing something about that…
What to watch: “Miracle in East Texas”
Mickey Starling ECB Publishing, Inc. Recently, I took a scroll through a few apps, looking for a decent movie to watch without needing to repent afterwards. Accomplishing that is more of a…
Learning as I go: the science behind hugs
In my high school psychology class, I was introduced to the importance of physical touch. We read about Frederick’s experiment where newborns were taken from their mothers at birth and placed in…
Winter in Monticello 2025
Monticello Snow 2025 (1) Monticello Snow 2025 (2) Video Courtesy of C. Cruver Photography
Jack Frost pays North Florida a visit
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. North Florida residents awoke on Wednesday to a world of white, with some snow continuing to fall into the early morning hours, a phenomenon rarely experienced in…
Car chase ends in arrests on Hwy. 19
Florida Highway Patrol Contributor On Tuesday, Jan. 14, around 11:31 a.m., the Florida Highway Patrol was requested by Tallahassee Police Department to assist with an ongoing investigation in locating a couple of…
County begins implementing cybersecurity measures
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. County officials recently adopted a resolution that set minimum foundational standards to safeguard against cybersecurity threats and better protect county data, information technology, and information technology resources,…
Slew of bills already proposed for legislative session
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. The 2025 legislative session isn’t set to start until March 4, but already, more than 120 bills have been introduced. The bills filed so far span a…
National Security Matters: Random subjects
Liturgical Year: We are in the Season of Epiphany. Already, we have passed Advent and the Season of Christmas. Next will be the Lenten season. The church year progresses rapidly at the…
Lost for words: Keep your chin up when it’s down to the wire
First coming to use in the 1800s, “keep your chin up” came to be a popular expression for encouraging people to press on through difficult circumstances and to never give up. It…
CareerSource seeks Jefferson business leader for its board
Laura Young ECB Publishing, Inc. CareerSource Capital Region (CSCR) has announced openings for two seats on its volunteer board of directors. They are seeking business leaders from Jefferson and Gadsden counties to…
Wizarding night proves fun for all
Heather Ainsley ECB Publishing, Inc. On Saturday, Jan. 18, there was magical mischief afoot in one of the Downtown Monticello shops. Between the hours of 4-8 p.m., mysterious cloaked figures made their…
Butterfly conservation initiatives flutter in with the new year
Kate Richardson Tall Timbers The new year is shaping up to be big for butterflies, thanks in large part to the dedication and support of the Stoddard Bird Lab’s volunteer butterfly experts,…
UF seeks input to support Florida farmers
U.S. Department of Agriculture Contributor As a part of a grant project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the University of Florida (UF) invites current and aspiring Florida farmers to…