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Health insurance 2027: Part D premiums are expected to rise next year
Today
Open enrollment period for Medicare recipients opens Oct. 15 and will run through Dec. 7. This is the time when Medicare and Medicare Advantage members can make changes to their health insurance …
Fernandina Commissioners move to rewrite paid parking law just 7 weeks after voters approved it
2 days ago
FERNANDINA BEACH - The City Commission voted 4-1 Tuesday to advance an ordinance that would repeal and replace the citizen paid parking initiative approved by 75% of city voters in August, reigniting …
Minutes after Hispanic Festival proclamation, City learns new Florida law will bar it next year
3 days ago
FERNANDINA BEACH - City Commissioner Genece Minshew lashed out Tuesday at a new Florida law that will restrict city actions involving diversity, equity and inclusion, calling it “the most egregious …
FBHS Foundation awards teachers $26,000 in program grants to enhance students’ educational experiences
4 days ago
FERNANDINA BEACH — On Sep. 23, the Fernandina Beach High School Foundation announced its first round of program grants for the 2026-2027 school year, awarding more …
Top stories
North Florida Land Trust and the city partner to extend Greenway
4 days ago
FERNANDINA BEACH - North Florida Land Trust (NFLT) and the City of Fernandina Beach have partnered to preserve nearly 10 acres of land over two properties that will help connect additional …
$18 million Citrona Drive plan would add shared-use path, wider sidewalk
5 days ago
FERNANDINA BEACH - A transportation study is recommending an $18.09 million reconstruction of Citrona Drive that would add a 10- to 12-foot-wide shared-use path, a six-foot sidewalk and dozens of …
Today's Showcase
Pat's Wildways
Pat’s Wildways: Intertribal powwow
Yesterday at 3:30 AM
It turns out I don’t need to travel to the Mayan Mountains in Belize to get a taste for Indigenous culture. St. George, Georgia, only 40 miles from here, is home to the Cherokee of Georgia Tribal …
Digital Compass
Readwise: Keeping your mind curious and remembering what you learn
3 days ago
Retirement gives us something we spent most of our working lives wishing for: time. Time to read, study history, finally understand investing, or explore photography, gardening, genealogy, or …
Off the Porch
Finally – fall is in the air
4 days ago
We knew it would come, but couldn’t wait. Comfortable temperatures have arrived. We grumbled through August, as we always do, impatient for cooler temperatures. Each August, we declare it was the …
The photo gallery
Pat's Wildways: Mango Time!
Friday, June 19
I usually don’t go for fruit if given a choice, but for me, mangos are something different. They are the best of the fruiting world, in my opinion at least. And am I in luck! This trip to Belize, …
Florida cacti
Saturday, July 4
I always get a kick out of seeing cacti in the salt marsh, for example in the Ron Sapp Egans Creek Greenway, because I think of cacti as living in dry areas like the desert. But it turns out there …
Digital Compass
Microsoft didn't tell its engineers to stop using AI — the real story is more important
Thursday, October 1
You may have seen a surprising headline recently: Microsoft told its engineers to stop using AI. Considering Microsoft has invested billions of dollars in artificial intelligence and has built AI …
AI should be useful, not frightening
Thursday, September 24
If you've been following the news about artificial intelligence lately, you may have noticed something unusual. The same companies spending billions of dollars developing AI are sometimes the …
From the HeART
Libraries are for everyone
Sunday, October 4
I have been an avid reader since I experienced the joy of learning through reading in elementary school. I loved spending Saturdays on a trip to the library and then going home and diving into …
Would you live on Chestnut St.?
Sunday, September 27
I found Chestnut Street while scrolling through Facebook Reels for relief from the heaviness of the world. Serendipity. What a find. It makes me laugh. The stories about life on Chestnut St. with all …
Off the Porch
Cornwall — A magical place
Wednesday, September 30
One of many memorable walking vacations with my sister took us to England, first to the Cotswolds for a week of gentle walking, then a more challenging week in Cornwall. In our second week, we joined …
Unexpected new friend
Wednesday, September 23
When you least expect it, a new friend comes into your life. One of my favorite annual events is the Amelia Island Dance Festival. Executive Director Susie Dodge outdoes herself every year, and this …
Pat's Wildways
Pat’s Wildways: Training crocodiles
Friday, October 2
It’s not every day that you see someone training a crocodile, not even for me. I’ve seen lots of animals being trained, what with my marriage to a marine mammal trainer, but I never expected to …
Pat’s Wildways: Sargassum overload
Friday, September 25
We knew that sargassum weed had taken over Placencia, Belize’s normally pristine white sandy beaches, but what the hey? We go to the same five-room hotel there every few months for a couple of …
Bill Raser, journalist, actor and a fixture of Amelia Island’s arts community, dies at 89
Today
FERNANDINA BEACH - Journalist, thespian, photographer, Bill Raser charged through his 89-year life with a savoir faire that left a world of admirers behind. Born in Philadelphia February 26, 1937, …
St. Johns River Water Management District seeks public input on Lower St. Johns River Basin Plan
5 days ago
The St. Johns River Water Management District has opened the public comment period for the draft 2026 Lower St. Johns River Basin Plan. The draft plan outlines priorities and projects that …
Nature
5th Annual Roselle Festival — Hawthorne, Florida
Today
I recently saw social media posts from Floridians excited about the fall harvest of their roselle plants. Local residents enjoy growing roselle in order to harvest the cup-like structure beneath the …
Sharing our space with others — pollinators
Saturday, October 3
There are many ways to make a positive impact on our local ecosystems to ensure our own health, stability and happiness in the future. We all know we need pollinators for our well-being. We can make …
Nature's Reflection
Gopher tortoise — the environmental engineer and homemaker
Tuesday, September 29
Deep in the middle of a now-rare longleaf pine forest in northeast Florida, a gopher tortoise looks for a place to build a home. She is surrounded by saw palmettos, wildflowers, towering and graceful …
The pollination crew
Saturday, September 26
We need pollinators to survive as a human species. These insects and other organisms are crucial for food production and are currently in high demand. Pollinating insects save us at least $195 …
See more Nature stories
County News
Reduced library hours dismay county residents
Thursday, September 24
The reality of reduced library hours and the shuttering of the Bryceville library branch is setting in for county residents. And it doesn’t feel good.
The cutbacks are the result of a …
Read more county news
City News
Buccaneer Trail paving scheduled next week
Friday, October 2
Buccaneer Trail will be resurfaced from the South Fletcher Roundabout at Harris Teeter to Marian Drive as part of Nassau County’s FY 2025/26 Level & Overlay projects.
…
Saturday, September 12
Get ready to have a detailed discussion with your healthcare provider about your cholesterol. Health professionals are rethinking how they view high cholesterol due to new treatment guidelines and a …
Read more.
Tuesday, September 1
After a rough flu season last year winter, federal health authorities are hopeful that this season’s vaccine is a better match for the predominate flu strains and will reduce illness.
Read more.
Business
Surf Restaurant property proposed as 13-home redevelopment
Wednesday, August 12
FERNANDINA BEACH — An Amelia Island beachside landmark could give way to residential development under a concept plan headed to the city's Technical Review Committee this Thursday.
Golf Pub Social Announces New Ownership
Tuesday, April 7
FERNANDINA BEACH, FL — Golf Pub Social, Amelia Island’s go-to destination for indoor golf, live music, and community gathering, is entering an exciting new chapter. The venue has been …
Liberty Academy: The Buzz on Beekeeping
Saturday, February 21
Liberty Landscape Supply has announced a new event series titled "Liberty Academy," which offers continuing education, expert guidance, and community engagement for area homeowners, contractors, and …
Special Features
A Message in a Bottle Leads to Stories From Everywhere
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
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 Remarkable Journey of Cumberland Island Museum's Collection
Monday, February 17, 2025
In December 1990, the 5-log schooner Behemoth made two trips from Fernandina Beach to Brickhill Bluff. The 100-year-old nonmotorized vessel was owned, maintained and operated by Les Johnson. The …
Community
Island Hop Craft Beer & Spirits Festival returns to Fernandina Beach Oct. 3
Friday, September 18
The 6th Annual Island Hop Craft Beer & Spirits Fest returns to Central Park in Fernandina Beach on Sat., Oct. 3, 2026, from noon-4 p.m., bringing together craft beverages, live music, local food, …
Taste of Amelia expands to full weekend of food, wine and Island experiences
Monday, September 14
The Taste of Amelia is expanding this fall from its popular culinary crawl into a three-day celebration of food, wine, spirits, history, and Amelia Island hospitality. The Taste of Amelia …
Saturday, September 12
The East Coast Greenway trail system is a multi-use trail that starts in Maine on the Canadian border and ends in the Florida Keys. It is the longest trail of its kind in the country. The trail …
Wednesday, August 26
FERNANDINA BEACH — Nominations are officially open for Barnabas Center’s 6 th annual Hometown Heroes Fashion Show. This year’s event honors veterans and active-duty military members for their …
Churches & Charities
Monday, August 3
A group of artistic American Beach ladies and children met recently at Barnabas Center, Inc., a non-profit organization in Fernandina Beach, to paint bowls in preparation for the Center's …
Monday, August 3
FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — Barnabas Center invites the community to a simple but meaningful meal supporting neighbors in need. The 13th annual Empty Bowls Luncheon will take place Tuesday, Nov. 24, …
5-Day Forecast
Sunday
Chance Showers then Partly Sunny
High: 82°F
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Columbus Day
Sunny
High: 84°F
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Tuesday
Sunny
High: 83°F
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Wednesday
Sunny
High: 83°F
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Thursday
Sunny
High: 83°F
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