Category Archives: General

Buy a House? Much Ado Over Ty Ross’s Compensation

By Mike Lednovich One city commissioner wants the city to buy a house where all [...]

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Pat’s Wildways: Out in the Country

By Pat Foster-Turley  Most weeks these days I drive out to the ARK off Highway [...]

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Against Advice, City Votes to Lower Hook-Up Fees

By Mike Lednovich Four city commissioners voted Tuesday to ignore the advice of their paid [...]

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Commentary: How Can We Cure America’s Polarization?

By Linda Hart Green My father was a jeweler and a watchmaker. He carried on [...]

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New Port Customs House Wrinkle: Feds Will Prevail

By Mike Lednovich The latest twist in the ongoing controversy regarding the U.S. Customs and [...]

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Pickleball Here, Pickleball Everywhere — and More to Come

By Wilma Allen “We are a little obsessed with Pickleball,” Shelly Duncan wrote in an [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Blackwater Swimming

By Pat Foster-TurleyI guess I’m like a Florida Gator after all, not the sports type [...]

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Update on Vote-by-Mail Confusion

The Observer recently reported that 12,295 vote-by-mail registrations in Nassau County had been invalidated by [...]

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Care Centers Looking for Volunteers

Care Centers of Nassau has served the developmentally disabled population since 1975. It is a [...]

Cars and Cannons Coming Up

Cars and Cannons Vintage Car Show is a unique, once-a-year opportunity to see more than [...]

Bartram Garden Club to hold ‘Welcome Back’ Meeting

The Bartram Garden Club is holding a Welcome Back Coffee and Tea at the GFWC [...]

Pat’s Wildways: New Sights, Old Memories

By Pat Foster-Turley On our Big Bend road trip a couple of weeks ago Bucko [...]

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Riverfront Leads as City’s Main Grant Target

By Mike Lednovich Fernandina Beach’s long delayed riverfront flood protection wall, estimated at $16 million [...]

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Tree Conservancy Joins CARD in Suit Against Towers

On April 24, 2023, the Nassau County Commissioners agreed to permit Riverstone Properties to build [...]

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Pat’s Wildways: Big Bend Road Trip

By Pat Foster-TurleyBucko and I have lived in north Florida for decades now, but it [...]

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9:30 a.m. Aug 28 Weather Notice

The U.S. Weather Service is forecasting at this time that Hurricane Idalia will make landfall [...]

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Grants for Nonprofits That Help Youth Are Offered

VyStar Foundation is now accepting grant requests for its youth initiative. Funding priority will be [...]

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Spotted Horsemint: It Crowns a Beautiful Sabbath Day

By Lauri deGaris Every Sunday morning, I must rise before the bird song is heard [...]

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7 Brew: Drive-Thru Only, but Heavenly Coffees

By Dylan Bailey It’s not every day you see a new coffee shop opening within [...]

A Get ‘er Done Evening with the Redevelopment Board

By Mike Phillips The members of the Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board (CRAAB) were presented [...]

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Pat’s Wildways: Otter Ice Capades

By Pat Foster-TurleyLike everyone else these days, I’ve been complaining about the heat, and even [...]

1 Comment

New Sadler Road Hotel Project to be Reviewed

By Mike Lednovich A $7 million hotel project on Sadler Road will be reviewed Thursday [...]

Baba’s Brings Authentic Mediterranean Cuisine to Fernandina

By Dylan Bailey If you’re a foodie with a taste for Mediterranean cuisine, then you’re [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Beating the Heat

By Pat Foster-Turley It’s hot out there! Everyone I pass on the street is sweating [...]

City Marina Dock Fee Increase Paused Until Next Year

By Mike Lednovich There is no denying the fact that the city marina is a [...]

Commission Decides Against Increasing New Development Fees

By Mike Lednovich The City Commission did an about-face Tuesday on funding improvements to the [...]

Coalition for the Homeless Meeting Coming Up

The next community meeting for the Coalition for the Homeless – Nassau County will be [...]

Commentary: Want a Miracle? Try a Kind Word

By Linda Hart Green I got caught in the rain. It was sunny when I [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Blue Crab Saga

By Pat Foster-TurleyIt’s no surprise to my friends and family, and even to my loyal [...]

An Update on The Cumberland Horses Suit

By Lauri deGaris On April 12, 2023, the horses of Cumberland Island — in their [...]

Publix Goes for Expansion Allowed by New Code Changes

  By Mike Lednovich Just days after the city commission voted to change the City [...]

Rep. Bean Bill Would Freeze U.S. Education Dept. Hiring

U.S. Congressman Aaron Bean (FL-04) Chairman of the Early Childhood, Secondary, and Elementary Subcommittee, introduced [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Mountain Road Trip

By Pat Foster-TurleyPlanning a trip is always fun for me, and always full of unique [...]

City Finds More Money for Improvements

By Mike LednovichThe combination of having too much money in city reserves and underestimating anticipated [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Fishing the Pond

By Pat Foster-TurleyI am by no means a fisherperson. Bucko has tried to get me [...]

What’s With the Alachua Project? Contractor Shortages

Curious people want to know: What’s going on at the seemingly stalled Alachua rail crossing [...]

Marina Operator Hopes to Increase Fees

By Mike LednovichThe operator of the Fernandina Beach city-owned marina is proposing rate increases of [...]

Commentary: A Trashy Blame Game That Should End

Editor’s note: Because of recent problems with our system demanding unnecessary passwords from some commenters, [...]

Pat’s Wildways: A Way with Bunnies

By Pat Foster-TurleyAny regular reader of my columns knows I am hounded by rabbits in [...]

Team Ohana Makes It to Kauai, Still Raising Funds

By Mike LednovichFernandina Beach-based Team Ohana completed its 2,800-mile journey Tuesday, rowing from Monterey, California, [...]

Much-Awarded Young Pianist to Play at St. Peter’s

Prize-winning pianist Spencer McKee will present a concert on Thursday, July 20 at 7 p.m. [...]

Pat’s Wildways: A Visit to the Cummer Museum

By Pat Foster-TurleyA couple of weeks ago some friends and I decided to visit the [...]

Key Promotion at Convention & Visitors Bureau

The board of the Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau recently approved the promotion of [...]

You Haven’t Lived Until the Moon Has Captured You

By Lauri deGarisHave you ever been moonstruck? It has been a long time since it [...]

Arts in the Marsh — Last-Minute Thrill

Are you looking for a unique arts experience surrounded by nature? Then you must visit [...]

New Library Director Selected

Julie Cannavino has been selected to serve as the next Nassau County library director. She [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Beach Days

By Pat Foster-TurleyIt’s summertime again and time to head to the beach. But these days [...]

War Story at the History Museum

The Duncan Lamont Clinch Historical Society will gather at the Amelia Island Museum of History [...]

Florida’s ‘Worst Legislative Session Ever’ Attacks Personal Freedom, Some Laws Go into Effect Today

By April L. Bogle Experts on some of Florida’s most contentious public policy issues – [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Crow ‘Funerals’ and ‘Murders’

By Pat Foster-TurleyI am always alert to the possibilities of new columns and sometimes my [...]

A Pioneer in Whale Acoustics Leaves a Lasting Legacy

By Lauri deGarisDr. Roger S. Payne, biologist, born January 29, 1935, passed away this month. [...]

“Contract Zoning” Pits County Against Its Citizens

Citizens Against Runaway Development (CARD), together with the Sanctuary Property Owners’ Association, has filed suit [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Mink in our Midst

By Pat Foster-TurleyThere’s a small otter-like critter roaming our saltmarshes and beach shores, but few [...]

Revolutionary Florida Lecture at the History Museum

The Amelia Island Museum of History will host George Kotlik’s presentation “East Florida in the [...]

Exec to Talk on Rayonier’s Forest Future

The Amelia Island Museum of History will host Mark Hebert’s presentation “Rayonier: Sustainably Managing Our [...]

Beach “Harmonization” Passes — But to the City’s Tune

By Mike Lednovich A “harmonization plan” for all seven of the beach parks on Amelia [...]

Democrats Sponsor Forum on New State Laws

The Democratic Club of Amelia Island is hosting a legislative forum on Monday, June 26 [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Armadillos

By Pat Foster-TurleyThese days it seems like armadillos are everywhere, in all-natural areas on this [...]

Habitat Honors Ed Stanley With New Award

Nassau Habitat for Humanity (NHFH) has announced that this year’s inaugural Al Pertuz Impact Award [...]

There’s Spirit Behind These Crochet Hooks

By Elizabeth Matthews Retiree and avid crocheter, Brenda Brubeck is no stranger to northeast Florida, [...]

Take Time to Honor the Sea on World Ocean Day

  By Lauri deGaris In 2008, the United Nations General Assembly officially recognized June 8 [...]

There’s Help for Women’s Eating Disorders

By Elizabeth Matthews In a world where the prevalence of eating disorders continues to rise, [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Lake the Otter

By Pat Foster-Turley“I smell like otter!” It was like 30 years ago—the memories flooded in [...]

Short Access Closure at American Beach Thursday

The water and sewer conversion project at American Beach is underway. The contractor, U.S. Water [...]

County Roads to Get Much-Needed Work

By Wes Wolfe Florida Politics Two contracts approved this week open up more than $8.8 [...]

Grant Moves Rendezvous Restoration a Bit Further

By Wes Wolfe Florida Politics More than 20 years after the historic venue closed, a [...]

Citizens Sue County Over Riverstone Settlement

The Citizens Against Runaway Development (“CARD”) filed suit against Nassau County yesterday in the Fourth [...]

Learn FDOT Improvement Plans for Island’s State Roads May 23

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will present plans for improving state roads on Amelia [...]

Huge Pushback on Clearcutting 36 Acres for Solar

By Mike Lednovich The City Commission has told Florida Public Utilities it is in favor [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Clams!

By Pat Foster-Turley It was Bucko’s birthday yet again, and yet again he didn’t want [...]

It’s Canning Time Again — 214 Years Later

By Lauri deGaris In order to provision French forces upon the sea, Napoleon offered 12,000 [...]

Search Committee Agrees on One Thing: No Looking Back

By Mike Lednovich The chairman of the Citizens City Manager Search Committee sparked a conversation [...]

She Was Many Things, but First a Great Teacher

By Raymond Arsenault Carolyn Phanstiel, who died earlier this week at the age of 85, [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Belizean Food

By Pat Foster-Turley It’s no surprise to my readers that whenever I travel, food is [...]

Women’s Club Awards Six Scholarships

The retiring President, Sue Dwyer and incoming president of the Women’s Club of Fernandina Beach, [...]