Hailey Heseltine ECB Publishing, Inc. On the evening of Saturday, May 31, Maggie Walker was crowned 2025 Teen Miss Watermelon. 15-year-old Walker is a Jefferson County native, daughter of Thomas and Christell…
“Kindergarten, here we come!”
Hailey Heseltine ECB Publishing, Inc. On May 19, Pre-K students at Jefferson County Schools (JCS) celebrated their graduation from Pre-K and their start of Kindergarten upcoming this fall. The graduates were from…
NFC announces President’s List and Academic Dean’s List for Spring 2025
North Florida College Contributor North Florida College is proud to recognize its Sentinels for outstanding academic achievement at the conclusion of its Spring Term 2025. Students included in the President’s List are…
Posture impacts overall health, for better or worse
Doris Bishop Contributor Remember when our grandmothers told us to sit up straight? Is posture more then not slouching and looking good? As the years go by, I am more and more…
Honoring CNAs: The backbone of patient care
Jason Futch ECB Publishing, Inc. Behind every successful doctor’s office, in-care patient clinic or long-term care facility are compassionate individuals who go above and beyond for medical patients in their times of…
Healthcare Heroes: Emily Gorden
Hailey Heseltine ECB Publishing, Inc. Say hello to one of our local healthcare heroes, Emily Gorden! Gorden is a Board Certified Music Therapist at Big Bend Hospice, serving the counties of Jefferson,…
FWC announces start dates of scalloping season
Leah Androski ECB Publishing, Inc. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FWC) recently announced the starting dates for the 2025 scalloping season. Bay scallop season kicks off in the Fenholloway— Suwannee River…
Henry B. Plant, “The King of Florida”
Hailey Heseltine ECB Publishing, Inc. Henry B. Plant was dubbed “The King of Florida” by a magazine called Success in 1898 for his tremendous impact on the development of Florida’s transportation and…
Possible cat shooting turns into drug bust
Heather Ainsley ECB Publishing, Inc. On Monday, June 2, deputies with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) were brought out to a disturbance on East Pinhook Road in Wacissa. According to a…
Watermelon Festival is this weekend! Enjoy the street dance, parade, car show, beer garden, vendors, kids’ show and more
Laura Young ECB Publishing, Inc. Jefferson County’s celebration of everything watermelon culminates with this weekend’s Watermelon Festival events. Monticello has been fine-tuning this festival since 1949, and the line-up of activities is…
Planners hear Duke’s application for solar farm near Waukeenah on June 12
Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. Notwithstanding Duke Energy having recently received approval from the Florida Public Service Commission for a solar power rate adjustment, the electric company must still get approval from…
Celebrate Father’s Day in unique ways
Metro Media Father’s Day is a celebration of dads near and far. Falling on the third Sunday of June each year, Father’s Day presents an opportunity for families to come together and…
Meet Onyx and Orca
Heather Ainsley ECB Publishing, Inc. On Friday, May 16, I was typing away at my desk when someone walked into the newspaper office lobby. Our advertisement representative, Tiffany, got up to assist…
Two members of VFW Post 251 recognized
Laura Young ECB Publishing, Inc. The June 1 meeting of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 251 in Monticello, Fla., included special recognitions for two of its members. Lt. Col. Jimmy Bellamy…
Chamber to offer more small business grants
Laura Young ECB Publishing, Inc. The Monticello-Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce is now accepting another round of applications for its grant program to support local entrepreneurs. The grants are intended to help…
Summer water safety
Heather Ainsley ECB Publishing, Inc. Temperatures are steadily rising, and with hot, sunny days comes the beckoning call of cool, refreshing waters, the perfect relief from the summer heat waves. But as…
United Way announces local investments
United Way of the Big Bend Contributor On May 22, the United Way of the Big Bend (UWBB) announced that its Board of Directors approved $1.24 million in funding allocations today that…
Wawa Foundation to support Second Harvest
Second Harvest Contributor Second Harvest of the Big Bend has been named recipient of a $10,000 “Fly Beyond” grant from the Wawa Foundation to help provide youth in the Big Bend with increased…
Donna’s testimony
“You have a few months to live.” Well, that would rock anyone’s world, wouldn’t it? That is what I was told in April 2009 when I learned that my breast cancer had…
An inspired challenge for wives this Father’s Day
How many dads (and moms, for that matter) would want their “parenting” televised? I can’t think of anything more intimidating. If someone made a movie about your family, how many scenes would…