BY CLIFF SMELLEY [email protected] It was a 1-1-1 week for the Keystone Heights High School girls soccer team, ending with a 7-1 loss to host Fernandina Beach on Nov. 14. The Indians’ lone goal was scored by Tayler Buchanan off a Kayle Buchanan assist. Keystone (2-3-1) began the week with a 2-2 tie against visiting … Read more
BY CLIFF SMELLEY [email protected] Bradford High School’s Tornadoes looked nothing like a team that hadn’t played since Oct. 24, defeating visiting Avon Park 55-6 in a Nov. 14 Region 2-2A quarterfinal football game. “We did a lot of good things tonight,” Head Coach Jamie Rodgers said. Did they ever. If the Tornadoes — the number-one … Read more
BY CLIFF SMELLEY [email protected] Keystone Heights High School’s cross-country season came to an end at the Region 1-2A finals, which were held Nov. 14 in Jacksonville. The top eight teams earned the right to advance to state, while the top four individuals not on a qualifying team will move on as well. Keystone placed 11th … Read more
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has released an updated version of its Avian Mortality Reporting App, making it easier than ever for the public to help monitor the health of Florida’s wild bird populations. Each year, FWC biologists investigate reports of bird deaths across the state to track diseases such as Highly … Read more
November is Manatee Awareness Month, highlighting a time when Florida’s manatees are starting their seasonal movements to warmer waters around the state. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is sharing the reminder that Floridians and visitors should be extra mindful this time of year to watch for manatees when on the water. “Manatees are … Read more
BY CLIFF SMELLEY [email protected] Union County High School’s football team, which will take part in the Florida Invitational Tournament, was originally scheduled to play at Bonifay Holmes County on Friday, Nov. 21. That game has now been moved up a night and will kick off at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20. The Tigers (2-7) … Read more
Mary Anderson Mary Juanita Anderson, 92 and a beloved matriarch, passed away Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at Baptist Hospital in Jacksonville. She was born May 18, 1933, in Starke to Percy and Rosa Griffis. She dedicated many years of her life to serving others, working tirelessly in the kitchen at Northeast Florida State Hospital until … Read more
BY CLIFF SMELLEY [email protected] Age is just a number. Judy Benjamin believes that. As she likes to say, “You don’t have to curl up on the couch if you’re turning 65 or 70 or 75 or 80.” Yet at 81, Benjamin is doing something most of us wouldn’t attempt at any age — walking from … Read more
BY CLIFF SMELLEY [email protected] Bradford County native Shanon “Shane” Kiser was named Leon County’s Glenn Howell Distinguished Educator of the Year. “I still feel at a loss for words,” said Kiser, who learned he was the award recipient on Oct. 27. Kiser, a 2010 Bradford High School graduate and son of Emanuel “Joe” and Cassandra … Read more
BY CLIFF SMELLEY [email protected] On a day that’s all about expressing gratitude to those who served in the military, one of the speakers at a Veterans Day ceremony at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center posed the question of just how one goes about thanking those individuals. Clay County Superintendent of Schools Dave Broskie was one … Read more
