When you become a pageant title holder, you have the ability to share a platform with your community. These ladies are put in a unique position to share something with their community that means something to them. The 2025 Miss Jackson County and Little Miss Jackson County are both looking to spread kindness and positivity with their platforms.

For many Marianna residents who came of age in the late 1960s and early 1970s, fast food didn’t mean a chain with a drive-thru window and a nationwide ad campaign. It meant heading down the street to one of the town’s beloved local hangouts, Chandler’s, Big R, or Stafford’s, where the food was hot, the prices were fair, and the memories were made daily.

For those who live in the city limits of Marianna or Sneads, they know the services Waste Pro provides in picking up their trash. They work hard to make sure pickups are made on schedule.

President Richard Williams presented four Rotarians with Paul Fellowship awards at last week’s meeting.

In a moment of quiet but powerful history, Sara Applewhite Hughes recently became the first woman president of the Marianna Rotary Club, marking a new chapter in the organization’s proud legacy of service. While she is the first to hold the gavel, she is quick to point out she was not the first woman inducted. That honor belongs to Carmen Smith, who joined in October 2015. Hughes followed just a few months later in January 2016.

The Marianna Rotary Club held its yearly meeting last Wednesday with some important awards and recognitions on the agenda.

A bear spotting in Sneads and Lovedale had the citizens with their guards up recently. It appears bears are being spotted in new places weekly, if not daily. They have long had a very clear presence in Mexico Beach where many Jackson Countians call their home away from home.

Nearly seven years after Hurricane Michael unleashed its devastating force on Jackson County, the town of Malone is steadily rising from the wreckage, thanks to a series of grant-funded revitalization projects. From long-awaited repairs to local businesses to community-enhancing park upgrades and critical infrastructure, Malone is breathing new life into spaces that have sat dormant since October 2018.

Hazmat and emergency crews are on the scene at the TA (Travel America Truck Stop on Highway 71 at Interstate 10. It's reported ammonium hydroxide is leaking. Use caution and avoid the area if possible. Additional information will be provided as it is made available.