Pecan St. between Highland and Orchid closed to public BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor KEYSTONE HEIGHTS— The city council approved a request by the Clay County School District to close a portion of Southwest Pecan Street during drop-off and pick-up times for Keystone Heights Elementary School. Principal Beth Turbeville said the section of Pecan Street … Read more
Sept. 25 through Oct. 1 The following individuals were arrested recently by local law enforcement officers in Bradford, Union or Clay (Keystone Heights-area) counties. All defendants are considered innocent until convicted in a court or until pleading guilty or no contest. Information in this report is from law enforcement agencies and court documents, which are … Read more
46 of state’s 50 prisons at emergency staffing levels BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor TALLAHASSEE— Florida’s Deputy Secretary for the Department of Corrections said the number of vacant security positions in state prisons has grown by over 50% in the last seven months. Ricky Dixon told a Florida House subcommittee that although standards require three … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor GREEN COVE SPRINGS— Clay County Commissioners appointed a Keystone Heights realtor to its Historic Preservation Board during a Sept. 28 meeting. Deirdre Murphy previously served on the Keystone Heights Heritage Commission, which performs a similar role for the city as the Historic Preservation Board fulfills for the county. Murphy also … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor GREEN COVE SPRINGS— The Florida Department of Health’s administrator in Clay County said new COVID cases in the county continued a slow decline, along with a similar decrease in daily vaccinations. Heather Huffman told Clay County Commissioners during their Sept. 28 meeting that her department is seeing between 80 and … Read more
Dick A. Lee Jr. was killed in Afghanistan BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor KEYSTONE HEIGHTS— School officials and veterans groups dedicated a monument to fallen heroes at Keystone Heights Junior-Senior High School on Friday Sept. 17. The memorial honors KHHS 2000 graduate Dick A. Lee Jr., who was killed by a roadside explosive in Afghanistan … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor TALLAHASSEE— Florida’s Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis awarded the Volunteer Firefighter of the Year Award to Melrose’s Joshua Florence, during a ceremony in the chamber of the Florida Senate on Sept. 20. Patronis said Florence exemplifies what it means to be a firefighter. “He serves as … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor STARKE— Bradford deputies arrested a Hawthorne man after discovering he had an outstanding warrant in Alachua County and after he was accused of stealing and pawning power tools. David Wayne Debrabant, 57, was arrested on Sept. 25 for an out-of-county warrant, burglary, larceny, dealing in stolen property and fraud. According … Read more
PALATKA— The St. Johns River Water Management District’s Governing Board on Tuesday, Sept. 28 adopted its fiscal year 2021‒2022 budget and adopted its rolled-back rate for a ninth consecutive year. The rolled-back rate is the millage rate that would provide the same amount of ad valorem tax revenue as the previous year’s millage rate. Executive … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor LAKE BUTLER— Libby’s Art of Healing Massage and Wellness held a grand opening at its new location in Lake Butler on Thursday, Sept. 30. The open house included complimentary chair massages, refreshments and door prizes, including gift cards from other Lake Butler merchants and restaurants. Owner Kristina Libby Crawford said that after operating in … Read more
