News across Greater Key West
Buying ‘Fresh from Florida’: The state produces more than oranges
Have you ever stood in the produce section and actually looked at where your food came from? I do this more often than I probably should. I’ll pick up a tomato, turn it over and look for the little sticker. Florida? Great. California? That tomato has had quite a road trip.…
Functionally Caffeinated Wellness: You’ve been influenced
I have been on a bit of a de-influencing kick over on my Instagram page lately. My mission is pretty simple: educate people about health and wellness while hopefully preventing a few of you from falling victim to the $6.8 TRILLION global industry that is health and wellness. Yes,…
Keys History: Henry Flagler’s island legacy
Henry Flagler and the Key West Extension of his Florida East Coast Railway altered the history of the Florida Keys. Before his train came rocking and rolling over land and sea, the island chain was home to boating communities. The outside world was linked to the docks and wharves…

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…