Submitted by Rebekah Sheats “I mailed a letter to coach today.” So ended the day’s journal entry of a sixteen-year-old boy in April of 1941. As young Jim Sledge laid aside his…
Pigskin Poet
Submitted by Max Bilinski Week two of 2021 didn’t disappoint me at all, I was amazed to see what all could be done with a football. Oregon took down Ohio State, I…
Unsolved murder surfaces at council meeting
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. More than 3 and a half years after the fatal shooting of a Monticello man, several of the victim’s relatives turned up at the Monticello City Council…
$10,000 REWARD OFFERED!!!
Mike Johnson ECB Publishing, Inc. Big Bend Crime Stoppers and the Florida Sheriff’s Association Criminal Apprehension Assistance Program is offering a $10,000 reward for information that will help lead to the arrest…
Emerald’s Gem Box: This IS about freedom
“This is not about freedom or personal choice. It is about protecting yourself and those around you” – President Joe Biden – Sept. 9, 2021 Let me repeat that … “This is…
Merelith Reed
Another member of the Greatest Generation is gone. Merelith Reed died Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021. He retired to Monticello twenty-five years ago to be near family. He was preceded in death by…
Honor for a Fallen Soldier
Heather Ainsley ECB Publishing, Inc. Each year, the National Guard Armory hosts a fundraiser event in honor of Robert Allen Wise, a soldier who was killed in the line of duty in…
Moving after nearly 40 years
Heather Ainsley ECB Publishing, Inc. A long time haircut staple in Monticello closes its doors with a sentimental farewell. After 37 years working in Monticello, Christine Williams has decided to move her…
Words of protection over this year’s Aucilla’s Warriors
Mike Johnson ECB Publishing, Inc. A special thanks goes to Pastor Daryl Adams for his words of protection over this year’s Aucilla Christian Academy’s (ACA) JV and Varsity football players and cheerleaders….
Mildred Bruner legacy continues at North Florida College
Story Submitted by North Florida College On Sept. 4, 1958, the doors of North Florida Junior College (NFJC) opened for the first time. In attendance that day, welcoming the inaugural class to…
The Warriors defeat the Wolves in their own den
Mike Johnson ECB Publishing, Inc. Last Friday, Sept. 10, was an easy game for our Aucilla Christian Academy (ACA) Warriors as they traveled to St. Francis Catholic Academy and showed the Wolves…
Are bulb-outs coming to U.S. 19?
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. City officials reluctantly agreed recently to discuss the upcoming upgrade of U.S. 19 by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and decide whether to ask for more…
Florida’s minimum wage goes up Sept. 30
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. Florida’s minimum wage will automatically increase at the end of this month, thanks to a constitutional amendment that voters approved last November. Come September 30, the state’s…
A detailed scientific mask study
I am writing this in response to the allegation of “cherry picked” data in my recent letter as to why masks do not work. Like the prior personal attack, I’m also used…
A farewell with dignity on the eve of 9/11
It has been two decades since the horrific deadly terrorist attack on the New York World Trade Center’s Twin Towers, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania flight attempts, that killed so many people in…
Brittany Ja’Nay Howard
Brittany Ja’Nay Howard, 29, of Monticello, Fla. answered the Master’s calling on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021, at home surrounded by her loving family. Funeral services will be 12 noon Saturday at Elizabeth…
Brenda Ruth Boland
Brenda Ruth Boland, 74, was born on Sept. 9, 1946 in Waynesville, N.C. to the late William and Eulalia Hockaday. Her father worked for the FAA and they lived in Jacksonville, Fla., where…
Leonard “Lenny” Cremeans
Leonard “Lenny” Cremeans, 82, of Monticello, Fla., passed away peacefully at his home on Monday, Sept. 6, surrounded by his loved ones. Lenny is survived by his spouse of 45 years, Mary…
Olivia Futrell: Alopecia Unknown
Heather Ainsley ECB Publishing, Inc. Olivia Futrell seemed to be an ordinary seven-year- old. That is, until February of this year, when her parents noticed a small patch of hair missing from…
If Stones Could Speak: A Walk Through Roseland Cemetery, Part 2
Submitted by Rebekah Sheats Driving through the gates of Roseland Cemetery for another visit, I note with relief that my vehicle fits easily between the tall posts that flank the road. Though…