Tammy Brookins Contributor This has been an international summer here in Jefferson County. Four international students were hosted by two families, and two other students participated in a virtual exchange, sending email…
How positive thinking can shape mental health
Melanie Southerland UF/IFAS Extension – Jefferson In a world filled with daily stressors and uncertainties, the way we think can significantly influence how we feel. Positive thinking – more than just a…
Thank you, Shirley Washington
Shirley A. Washington, a former School Board Member, continues to support students education by giving high school students her academic scholarship, known as the “SHIRLEY A. WASHINGTON FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP”. Ms. Washington still…
Ponderings…The marks we leave
Heather Ainsley Columnist I’ve been thinking a lot about the impacts people make on the world, those small marks they leave behind that become the only evidence that they were ever here…
Meet Your Neighbor: David Jackson
Hailey Heseltine ECB Publishing, Inc. Meet David Jackson! Born in Valdosta, Ga., Jackson has been a resident of Jefferson County since he moved with his parents, Charles and Tracey Jackson, to the…
Chamber of Commerce announces Havana Nights Annual Dinner
Hailey Heseltine ECB Publishing, Inc. The Monticello-Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce has announced their Annual Dinner planned for Thursday, Sept. 25, from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Monticello Opera House. The…
TRIM notices being mailed August 22
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. Property owners in the city and county will soon be receiving their Truth In Millage (TRIM) notices in the mail. Property Appraiser Angela Gray announced this week…
Tiger volleyball is underway!
Laura Young ECB Publishing, Inc. This week the Tigers volleyball squad at Jefferson K-12 Community Partnership School (JCS) brought the skills they’d been building over the summer to the court. Nineteen games…
State can keep sexual predator designation on driver’s licenses
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. Florida can continue identifying convicted sexual predators with the words “Sexual Predator” stamped on their driver’s licenses, according to a ruling by the 5th District Court of…
Chamber awards Robinson Gunworks a small business grant
Laura Young ECB Publishing, Inc. The Monticello-Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce has launched a grant program as another way to support local entrepreneurs. Each quarter, two Chamber members with five or fewer…
Back to school, historical style!
Hailey Heseltine ECB Publishing, Inc. To the delight or disappointment of children across Florida, August is passing us by, and the school year is once again in full swing. Today, most students…
Some thoughts on Winn-Dixie closing
Merryann Frisby Columnist Lots of trepidation about the local Winn Dixie closing. One often stated and accurate concern is that older people could not easily shop. As a certified old person, I…
Arms wide open
Cheryl Cruce Guest Columnist I have heard it said, “We often see God in the way we see our earthly fathers.” I’m not sure if that is entirely true, but if it…
Bible verses to pray over our kids this school year
Sheryl H. Boldt Guest Columnist What is your prayer for your child or grandchild this school year? Perhaps you’ll be praying for them to have a great school year; to excel academically…
Life is short. Eternity is forever.
Rev. John Hicks Guest Columnist My brothers and I learned the Heimlich Maneuver in scouts. If someone is choking, you get behind them and wrap your arms around the person’s waist. You…
Regional unemployment rate announced for July 2025
CareerSource Capital Region Contributor According to Florida Department of Commerce, the regional unemployment rate for Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon and Wakulla counties was 4.4 percent for July 2025. This rate was 0.5 percentage…
Cherishing our seniors on National Senior Citizens Day
Jason Futch ECB Publishing, Inc. Upon declaring Aug. 21 of each year as National Day of the Third Age in 1988, President Ronald Reagan said, “For all they have achieved throughout their…
ACA has a World Series Champion in its midst
Rick Patrick ECB Publishing, Inc. ACA sophomore Wiley Barfield can now claim a World Series championship. Barfield played for the Tallahassee-Leon 14U Babe Ruth All-Star team that recently won the Babe Ruth…
FWC okays bear hunt for 2025 hunting season
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. Not surprisingly, judging from its preliminary vote in May, the Board of Commissioners of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) recently voted to approve a…
New Florida law requires parental consent for corporal punishment
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. In a bow to parental rights and control over their children’s disciplining in school, a new Florida law that went into effect on July 1 requires a…