Bishop Kenny student weathers storm as Red Cross volunteer
Bishop Kenny High School Senior Connor Sidman responded to an email call for volunteers from Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry just two days before Hurricane Irma came through northeast Florida. After attending a two-hour training program, Connor, a City of Jacksonville lifeguard, signed up to help at an American Red Cross hurricane shelter in Florahome, located in Putnam […]
Irma delivered a staggering blow, epic wind and flood waters shock residents
“Still getting pounded hard with roaring winds barreling at us off the river. The pressure is intense. The St. Johns is in my lower yard like an angry ocean. Dock is gone next door. Lots of exterior damage. 3 a.m. was frighteningly intense. Barrel tiles hurling off the roof, light fixtures flying, branches falling. This […]
San Marco community comes together in wake of hurricane disaster
San Marco merchants are beginning to see the silver lining, even the hint of a rainbow, as the Hurricane Irma recovery effort turns into an experience in community building. It was evident as people gathered Sept. 23 for San Marco Strong, a fundraiser in a parking lot behind Beer:30, along with other businesses that were […]
Proposed landmark home addition requires approval
Neighbors worry about setting precedents The owner of a landmark home on Challen Avenue is seeking a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission, but some nearby residents aren’t very happy about the proposed modifications. Virginia “Ginger” Harris requested a COA for a two-story rear addition which will attach to a newly-reconstructed garage. […]
Community rallies for landmark, plans underway for Memorial Park
Six months after Memorial Park re-opened following drainage and irrigation upgrades and installation of a new center lawn, Hurricane Irma swept through on Sept. 11, leaving downed branches all over the expansive greenspace and along the walkways. The park only lost one or two large trees, according to Michele Luthin, Memorial Park Association communications director. […]
Riverside business restores critical pieces for museum exhibit
Lightner Museum will host Downton Abbey An exciting new display at the Lightner Museum in St. Augustine will include Victorian Era furniture lovingly restored by a local family business. E.W. Nash & Son, of Riverside, moved Italian, American and French restored antiques to the Lightner Museum the end of September just in time for an […]
Cummer Gardens sustain extensive damage, suspend outdoor events
While the long-term impact of Hurricane Irma is still under assessment by public officials, many residents, businesses and nonprofit organizations, including the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, are also going through the painstaking process of damage evaluation. Destruction of landscaping is usually secondary to structural damage, unless the venue happens to be the Cummer […]
Downtown Dwellers encourages residents to ‘take ownership’ of Riverwalks
Downtown resident Sandra Fradd is on a mission to get people thinking of the Riverwalks as a neighborhood. In a new initiative, she’s urging residents of the five towers – Berkman Plaza and Churchwell Lofts on the Northbank and the Strand, the Peninsula and San Marco Place on the Southbank – to start walking. Fradd, […]
