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Staff Report
Fourth of July celebrations are set for St. Marks and Sopchoppy on Saturday:
Special to The Sun
Our family just got a little bigger – and a whole lot cuter!
Ashley Kinsey and Jay Blanco of Waterford, Virginia are proud to announce the birth of their son, Theodore Jorge Blanco, born June 7th, 2026.
He joins one brother Julien Miguel, who is 3 years old as of July 10, 2026.
Maternal Grandparents are Lynda Kinsey of Crawfordville and the late Michael Kinsey.
Paternal Grandparents are Teresa and Jorge Blanco of San Antonio.Texas.
By JIM TURNER
News Service of Florida
TALLAHASSEE – Florida heads into the hurricane season with a budget now in place, even if for a second consecutive year it took longer than expected, with a third special session on the horizon.
Lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a $114.5 billion spending plan Friday, wrapping up a special session to complete the budget 77 days after they failed to do so during the regular session.
By JIM TURNER
News Service of Florida
TALLAHASSEE– Gov. Ron DeSantis still isn’t fully on board with cutting the state gas tax to counter mounting fuel prices.
But as legislative budget leaders head into the Memorial Day weekend having spent the past week of the special session quietly behind closed doors, DeSantis said Friday he’d sign a tax package that includes a reduction in the state’s 22-cent-a-gallon gas tax.
“If they put it in the tax package, I’ll happily sign it,” DeSantis said during a bill signing event in Jacksonville.
By JUDGE LAYNE SMITH
Years ago, I wrote three newspaper columns with “Independence Day” in-mind. I share them now in celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday.
This is part three of three:
The Revolutionary War began in 1775 and ended in 1783. It spanned over 8 years (101 months). During that time, many American soldiers received little to no pay for their military service. After the war ended, Congress couldn’t satisfy the nation’s war debts, including soldiers’ back pay. Chronically short of funds, the federal government caused runaway inflation by over-circulating worthless paper money. Farmers were hit hard, and many lost their farms to foreclosures.
