Local Folks: Nancy Beecher
Riverside resident Nancy Beecher has been a professional photographer for the past 35 years, impressively snapping shots for two Super Bowls, the Orlando Magic, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Tampa Bay Lightning and our own Jacksonville Jaguars (since their first game in 1995). She’s covered local college games – football, baseball and basketball – for […]
Animal House: Saving Sammy
The first time I saved Sammy was in June 2017. She came to me as a foster. Sammy had made news among rescuers in Jacksonville that summer when she was frantically dashing back and forth across Beach Boulevard, terrified during thunderstorms. She had been surviving in thick woods next to Sam’s Club. Mistakenly thought to […]
Local Folks: Hiking the Florida Trail with George Lugeanbeal
If a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, how about stepping out for a 1,110-mile hike on the Florida Trail from Big Cypress National Preserve to Fort Pickens State Park in Pensacola Beach? Ortega resident George Lugeanbeal averaged 16 miles per day hiking the Trail, a journey of 70 days with a […]
Retirement on the road: A multi-part series where retirement meets RV’ing
What are your dreams for retirement? Depending on your circumstances, health and finances, there are many options. For years, I thought of what big adventure I would take when I retire. Isn’t that what retirement is all about? Doing the things you never had time to do when you were in the working world? But […]
Local Folks: Noah Ray
Noah Ray, MPA, FAEM serves as the Emergency Preparedness Supervisor at Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department. He has been with them since 2016. To unwind, the self-taught Ray plays bass guitar. During his high school days at Stanton College Prep, he played in the jazz band. These days, he jams with friends. “It’s how I […]
Animal House: Something to Bark About
It was raining cats and dogs inside the Avenues Mall lower level at the 2023 Petco Love Mega Pet Adoption Event on June 23-25. The event finally returned to Northeast Florida, having been on hold since October 2019 due to COVID-19 and economic factors. Petco stores at Marsh Landing Parkway and Kernan Village participated, while […]
The Way We Were: Dick Barker
Publisher’s Note As of the publishing date of this article, Mr. Dick Barker had passed away and is now in the loving arms of his late wife, Claudette. The family wishes to honor his memory with this article and remembrances of the life and times they enjoyed with their patriarch. “He was the consummate, genuine […]
Local Folks: Bil Reed
Bil Reed is a semi-retired construction worker and logistics expert. He’s been living on the edge of Ortega since 2005. He’s been living on the edge of adventure for a whole lot longer. He’s ridden a motorcycle to every state except Hawaii. Reed’s been riding for nearly six decades. He started in his early teens […]
