Regional

Commissioner suggests new community garden for city

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Fernandina Beach Commissioner Bradley Bean wants to plant a garden, but one commissioner said he thinks the city should direct resources to maintaining current community assets instead. At a recent workshop, Bean floated the idea of a community garden, which could also be a place for the city to...

One injured in boat fire in marina

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A woman attempting to make coffee Sunday morning started a fire that resulted in injuries that sent her to UF Health Shands Burn Center and $5,000 in damages to the boat. According to a report from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, first responders were called to the Fernandina...

Rutherford co-sponsors HELPER Act loan program

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. John Rutherford (R-Fla.) and three other members of Congress have introduced the Homes for Every Local Protector, Educator and Responder (HELPER) Act. This bipartisan legislation creates a new home loan assistance program that makes homeownership more...

BOWLED OVER

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There is a new reigning champion in the U.S. Constitution Bowl. Hilliard Middle-Senior High School claimed the trophy Monday evening in Yulee High’s cafetorium, defeating two-time runner-up Fernandina Beach High, 110-90. The U.S. Constitution Bowl is an annual competition between all four...

Retired educators honor volunteer

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The Nassau County Retired Educators Association recently named Stephanie Manwell as its Volunteer of the Year. Manwell was chosen based on the number of volunteer hours, her diversity of service, years of volunteerism and honors received.  Manwell volunteered a total of 454 hours in a...

Rare Maverick Sportster makes international debut

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Visited by the same sort of refined esthetics and sophistication that motivated Edsel Ford when he conceived the Lincoln Continental, aeronautical engineer Sterling “Smoke” Gladwin created the Maverick Sportster, a California-flavored 1950s take on the French species often called...

Rutherford, Gottheimer reintroduce Protect and Serve Act

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. John Rutherford (R-Fla.) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) reintroduced the Protect and Serve Act of 2021, which would create federal penalties for individuals who deliberately target law enforcement officers with violence.  “Throughout my 40-plus years...

Halfway houses face scrutiny from city government

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A man who some have called a lifesaver, and others a law breaker, is fighting the city of Fernandina Beach’s attempts to reduce the number of people who stay in three halfway houses he operates. Fernandina Beach resident Henry Green operates Grace and Gratitude, three houses in the city where...

Mental health program offered in Nassau County

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The Nassau County Board of County Commissioners approved a resolution in support of Mental Health Awareness Month on Monday. The community liaison and trainer for Starting Point Behavioral Healthcare, Katrina Robinson Wheeler, spoke during the meeting. “One in five adults will be diagnosed...