Top stories

Right Whale Calving Season Begins with New Arrival in Georgia

Right whale Nauset (Catalog #2413) and calf, sighted on Dec. 1, 2024 approximately 4.9nm off Sapelo Island.
By Lauri Holton
Yesterday at 7:52 AM
For the second year in a row, the first new moon of December brings the first right whale calf of the 2024-2025 season.  Right whale catalog #2413 “Nauset” and her calf were sighted …

Sand Sifting Stirs Beachcombing Debate

FRS extractor.
By Mike Lednovich
4 days ago
Plans to use a huge sand sifting machine called “the extractor” for beach renourishment in Fernandina Beach is drawing the ire of beachcombers in search of shells and shark teeth. A …

Major beach upgrade in the works

By Mike Lednovich
Thursday, November 28
City beaches will be replenished with new river and ocean bottom sand in 2025 under two federally funded programs. Kings Bay entrance channel dredging and the Nassau County Shore Protection Project …
City news
By Mike Lednovich
Saturday, November 23
Commentary: Words matter and last Tuesday the Fernandina Beach city commission chambers were witness to the most hateful three-minute rant likely ever uttered during the meeting's public …
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By Mike Lednovich
Friday, November 22
National newspaper  USA Today  has nominated Fernandina Beach's  "Shrimp Drop" as one of the 20 best New Year's Eve drops in the nation.
Read more.
By Mike Lednovich
Thursday, November 21
The newly seated Fernandina Beach city commission wasted no time in making changes to future commission meetings regarding public comment and proclamations.
Read more.
County News

Early Voting Begins

Wednesday, October 23

60 Townhomes proposed on Amelia Island parcels

By Mike Lednovich
Sunday, October 20
A proposed 60-unit townhouse complex on the south end of Amelia Island will be reviewed Tuesday by the Nassau County Development Review Committee. The project is on four parcels total 7.5 acres adjacent to Stewart Avenue …

The JTA Expands Services to Nassau County for Transportation Disadvantaged Residents

Sunday, October 6
As of Tuesday, October 1, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) has assumed all responsibility as the Community Transportation Coordinator for the transportation disadvantaged residents of …
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Digital Compass

eM Client: The Best Email Solution for Seniors

By Deryck Burnett
5 hours ago

As technology becomes more integral to daily life, seniors need tools that simplify and enhance their digital experiences. eM Client is an exceptional email solution designed to meet those needs. …

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Pat's Wildways: Jackal Study

A jackal had been captured in one of Dusco Cirovic’s traps. Soon it was released from the trap and placed in a large cage with food and water until Cirovic could get there to put a radio collar on it.

By Pat Foster-Turley
Friday, November 29

I always seem to get mixed up in things that go beyond my scope of work and this recent USAID Serbia biodiversity assessment was no exception. I had a capable team working with me, and we split into …

    • Pat's Wildways: Donkey Milk Anyone?
      By Pat Foster-Turley
      Friday, November 22

      I’m here in Serbia now doing a biodiversity assessment for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and as usual, the …

    • Pat's Wildways: Well-Placed Benches
      By Pat Foster-Turley
      Friday, November 15

      Recently, I was strolling along the marina, admiring the yachts docked there, and I stopped by the Amelia River Cruises ticket office to say …

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Dining With Dylan

From Cedar River to Atlantic: Does the Seafood Still Shine?

By Dylan Bailey
Monday, November 25

Atlantic Seafood, formerly known as Cedar River Seafood, is a Fernandina staple that hardly needs an introduction. If you’ve driven by recently, you might have noticed the name change—a …

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From the HeART

Giving Thanks for a Mentor

The Rev. Dr. Anthony Campolo

By Linda Hart Green
Sunday, November 24

My mentor, Rev. Dr. Anthony Campolo, age 89, died this week. He was my professor of sociology at Eastern College, which is now Eastern University. I arrived at Eastern College’s beautiful …

    • Don’t take it to your grave
      By Linda Hart Green
      Sunday, November 10

      My father had the ability to talk to anyone anywhere. Color, status, clothing, education or religion meant nothing to him. He valued each …

    • From Chaos to Calm: Finding Hope in Transition
      By Linda Hart Green
      Sunday, November 3

      I am relocating in a few weeks. My mind is as messy as my garage. My thoughts are piled like my things. They mixed up in a variety of …

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Off the Porch

Impressed with the Impressionists

By Dickie Anderson
Yesterday at 3:30 AM

While visiting family in Washington over the Thanksgiving holiday, I had a chance to visit The National Gallery and tour the much-promoted "Impressionist Moment" exhibit. It was a must-do for me. I …

    • Books — Can be our Friends
      By Dickie Anderson
      Wednesday, November 27

      What would life be without books? For many, it would be a very lonely place. Reading has always been a big part of my life. In the past, my …

    • French Thanksgiving?
      By Dickie Anderson
      Wednesday, November 20

      Halloween is in the books. The candy is probably all gone, pumpkins discarded, and scary decorations put away. Now, onto the next holiday in …

Community
Community

How Did Amelia Island’s Historic District Come To Be?

Historical maker, Amelia Island.
2 days ago
Dickie Anderson, author of “Great Homes & Churches of Amelia Island” and a docent at the Amelia Island Museum of History, will share her thoughts on the evolution of Amelia …

Fernandina Beach-based Singer Soars on NBC’s 'The Voice'

THE VOICE --
By Shari Roan
Saturday, November 16
When he auditioned for the NBC hit program “The Voice,” earlier this year, Edward Preble, a 19-year-old vocalist from Fernandina Beach, thought the show might be a “stepping stone …
Island Museum’s Annual Home Tour December 6 and 7
By Dickie Anderson
Thursday, November 7
Every year the first weekend in December, the Amelia Island Museum of History offers a much-anticipated Holiday Home Tour. Historic district homes are decorated for the holidays. Docents in each home …
Churches & Charities
Thursday, June 13
Nassau County Council on Aging (NCCOA)  has received a gift of $4.9 million from Tom and Julie Wood Family Foundation to support, enhance and create …
Tuesday, February 6
If you're curious about the increase in the number of unhoused people in our county and what is being done, learn more about what the nonprofit Coalition for the Homeless is doing. An open community …
Health

By Shari Roan
5 hours ago
The joy and festivities of the holiday season exact a price for many adults: unwanted weight gain. From eggnog to champagne to cookies and fudge, it’s easy to discover your pants are a bit …
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One frame of a CT scan of the chest showing lungs and heart.

By Shari Roan
Thursday, November 21
Despite a decade of data showing the value of low-dose CT screening for people at high risk of lung cancer, too few Floridians take advantage of the test. At Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center, …
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Nature

The Pecan: A Gift from the Earth

By Lauri Holton
3 days ago
Recently, I mentioned to a friend that I was preparing to write an article about pecans. My friend told me, “You surely are the only person I know who can turn the lowly pecan into an …
Carol Ruckdeschel holds a piece of sturgeon skin.

Cumberland Island News Announcement

By Lauri Holton
Saturday, November 23
The Cumberland Island Museum is pleased to announce the transfer of its natural history collection to the National Park Service. The Cumberland Island Museum collection …
A turtle on the far bank is highlighted by blooming goldenrods.

Pat's Wildways: Greenway “Treasure Hunt”

By Pat Foster-Turley
Friday, November 8
It’s that great time of year again! It’s time to get out of our air-conditioned homes and take a walk on the Ron Sapp Egans Creek Greenway. Now that the weather has cooled, the storms …
This great blue heron is fishing from its perch in a clump of aquatic plants.

Pat's Wildways: Birds on the Greenway

By Pat Foster-Turley
Friday, November 1
There are lots of birds on the Ron Sapp Egans Creek Greenway year-round and now, with the weather becoming cooler, it’s a great time to look for them.
Special Features
Bottle with message inside.

A Message in a Bottle Leads to Stories From Everywhere

By Lauri deGaris
Wednesday, August 21
Recently, my friend Cathy showed me a plastic Coke bottle she found on the beach. Inside the bottle was a neatly folded letter. The cap was tight, and no water had penetrated the bottle. The message …

The Story of Horses and People

Saturday, July 29, 2023
A Meditation by Lauri deGaris   Horses have grazed the plains and pastures of Mother Earth for 50 million years. For at least 30,000 of those years, humanity has held these magnificent creatures in …
Business
Connor and his mom, Christine, hold Connor's book and microgreen kit.

He Makes It Easy to Be Green

By Pam Green
Monday, September 16
Despite having come into this world with a myriad of debilitating medical issues, teen entrepreneur Connor Hiebel, radiates an aura of tenacious positivity. The 19-year-old founder of Amelia …

Start-Ups Grads Venture Forth

Tuesday, February 6
The latest graduates of the $1,000 Start-Ups program have completed a 9-month program on entrepreneurship, financial management and life skills. This fairly new program has now graduated 43. The …

Panama Woes Becoming Fernandina Woes

Monday, January 29
The Panama Canal By Mike Lednovich A year-long drought is limiting the number of ships able to pass through the Panama Canal and thus is reducing the number of ships coming into the Port of …
5-Day Forecast
Friday
Sunny and Breezy then Sunny
High: 53°F
(-18°C)
Saturday
Sunny
High: 57°F
(-18°C)
Sunday
Sunny
High: 66°F
(-18°C)
Monday
Mostly Cloudy
High: 74°F
(-18°C)
Tuesday
Chance Showers
High: 74°F
(-18°C)