You open the door and your heart begins racing, as you are immediately hit with that unmistakable antiseptic smell. You make your way to the brand new machine that has been placed…
Category: Editorials
Emerald’s Gem Box: America is losing her freedoms
This past week, YouTube deleted a video of a roundtable discussion between Gov. Ron DeSantis and medical experts from Oxford, Stanford and Harvard. In the video, the doctors and medical experts were…
With so many plant choices, how do I select plants in my North Florida yard?
A visit to our local nurseries will leave gardeners drooling or broke. From purple tomatoes to lime green shrubs, there are so many plants to choose from. To save you money and…
Around the banks
The back screened porch was cool and inviting and the late spring day was clear and warm. We sat in cane-back rocking chairs on the back porch and we both drank a…
Emerald’s Gem Box: When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression
I recently saw a story on Facebook entitled “When You’re Accustomed to Privilege, Equality Feels Like Oppression” and thought, “AMEN!” Then I saw who had posted the story and felt sure that…
Around the banks
Does anyone out there know the term “usta,” pronounced “you stuh,” with a long “u” sound at the beginning. If you are from our area, you will be familiar with it. There…
Deeper Wells: Problems are the secret to your success
“Eyeglasses solve seeing problems. Hearing aids solve hearing problems. Pencils solve writing problems and utensils solve eating problems.” If you think about it, everything that is created is done so with the…
Emerald’s Gem Box: 15 Things God Won’t Ask You
1. God won’t ask what kind of car you drove; He’ll ask how many people you drove who didn’t have transportation. 2. God won’t ask the square footage of your house; He’ll…
Around the banks
An heirloom is an object of value that has been in a family and “passed down” through several generations. I’ve read books where part of the storyline would be about this or…
Emerald’s Gem Box: The Front Porch … where the tea is sweet and the talks are long
One of the best things about growing up in the newspaper business has been giving back to the community and keeping all the local citizens informed of what’s happening in their corner…
World Water Day
Sylvia Willis UF/IFAS Suwannee County Agriculture Extension Agent World Water Day was March 22! This year’s theme was valuing water. This is centered around what water means to people, its true value…
Living God’s way: The rainbow guarantees God’s covenant
After the land dried and it was safe to disembark, God opened the door to the ark allowing Noah and all the animals to exit after being inside for a year. Responding…
Around the banks
I grew up in a traditional rural Southern home where my parents “parented” with a capital “P.” The capital “P” was particularly applicable, as it applied to Sunday school and Worship service…
Emerald’s Gem Box: Who cares about public notices? You should!
Each year, there are a select few politicians that try to change the way public notices are handled throughout the state of Florida. As it now stands, by law, every municipality is…
Around the banks
Johnny Bullard Guest Columnist As February draws to a close, I decided to write about a unique piece of Florida history that lives on in beautiful and vivid colors and endures and…
American Heart Month
Kim Griffin Family and Consumer Sciences Agent UF IFAS Extension – Suwannee County February is American Heart Month. At least one month every year we dedicate more time, energy, and effort into…
Grab your sneakers and let’s walk Florida
By Beth Kerr 4-H/FCS Estension Agent, Hamilton County “Let’s Walk, Florida!” is a 10-week program that focuses on improving or maintaining your health through the physical activity of your choice and at…