Local News

Key West has a weed problem — a seaweed problem

It’s hard to miss the scent of weed hovering over Key West, seemingly most pungent near the island’s beaches. But this isn’t the Willie Nelson smell of weed. Key West — and much of Florida, Mexico, Central America, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean — are dealing with an unprecedented…

Wild Things: 59 species or bust

Summer had been officially over for nearly half a day, and I had the day mostly free. The only limiting factor, I thought, was the predicted storms, which were supposed to hit at about 1 o’clock by my reading of the weather page. Normally I wouldn’t head out birding at 11 a.m. on…

Mayor Kaufman and Monroe County Health Officials Discuss Key Community Health and Safety Issues

Keys History: The curious case of the Key lemon

When it comes to buying bags of birdseed, peanuts are a common ingredient. Blue jays love them. Squirrels do, too. While I am not sure what blue jays do when they fly away with peanuts, I have observed some squirrel behavior. Squirrels like to bury them. Sometimes, when those…

Functionally Caffeinated Wellness: Congratulations, we discovered moderate exercise

I have had a longstanding issue with cardio equipment. Not the treadmill itself. Not the elliptical. Not even the stair climber, although that thing and I have exchanged some words over the years. It’s the buttons. Fat Burn. Cardio. Weight Loss. Performance. Heart Rate. Interval.…

Miles to Go: County commissioner Jim Scholl talks Top Gun & F-14 Tomcats

“You were Goose.” Yep, that was me, the picture of professionalism last week, calling a county commissioner a goose while sitting in his office at the Gato Building. He didn’t throw me out or quietly ask his assistant Sue Burke to call the nice behavioral health folks at dePoo…

Functionally Caffeinated Wellness: Your grandma was right about fiber

Well, it’s official. The internet found fiber and now “we” are having to take it to the MAXX. Yes, everything is MAXXING right now. Gag. Seriously, folks, not everything has to be on trend, hashtagged or given two Xes to get a point across, does it? The health and wellness world…

Palm trees: To prune or not to prune?

By Liah Continentino Should you prune your palm trees before a hurricane? The answer may surprise you. Palm trees are among the most hurricane-tolerant landscape plants in Florida, yet they are often subjected to one of the most common pruning mistakes. If you have a palm in your…

New film starring Travolta has ties to the Florida Keys

The setting of the recent screening at Playa Largo for “The Gentleman Thief,” which stars John Travolta, could not have been more photogenic. If it were described in a script, the reader may not have believed the perfection of the scene: Elegantly dressed partygoers sipped…

Keys History: Who owned Indian Key?

When Florida became a territory of the United States, any land not subject to a Spanish Land Grant became government property. There were a handful of islands in the Florida Keys that had been granted to individuals for various reasons – most famously, Key West. Indian Key was…

Never forget 9/11: Research reveals lasting effects on World Trade Center responders

Twenty-five years after 9/11, FIU researcher Dr. Roberto Lucchini is still working with World Trade Center responders to understand how the toxic exposures and psychological trauma they experienced may affect their health decades later. Lucchini has spent years studying the…

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