Local News in Monroe County
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Keys Weekly
Published September 04Keys History: Recalling the railways and the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935
It is safe to say that Henry Flagler was tickled when his private railcar, the Flagler Special, rolled into the Key West station at 10:43 a.m. on Jan. 22, 1912. Some 10,000 people gathered at the depot area to celebrate the arrival of the 82-year-old industrialist. While Key West…
Keys Weekly
Published September 04What’s Cooking Key West: Cuban coffee adds zest to caffeinated martinis
Located closer to Cuba than to the U.S. mainland, Key West began welcoming its Cuban neighbors in the early 1830s. Many were cigarmakers, and the city’s first cigar factory opened in 1831. By the mid- to late-1800s, Key West was known as the cigar manufacturing capital of the…
Keys Weekly
Published September 04Functionally Caffeinated Wellness: Skinny is back. Are you freaking kidding me?
I saw a magazine cover at Publix recently with the cast of “Friends” from maybe season one or two. I can’t say for sure, but it was definitely from the season where Rachel gets the haircut. You know the one because either you, your sister or your mom legitimately walked into a…
Keys Weekly
Published September 04Key West Back in the Day: The duck on a stick
One of the best birthday presents I ever bought anybody was a duck on a stick. It wasn’t a decision involving long forethought. After all, a duck on a stick doesn’t instantly leap to mind when you’re seeking the perfect birthday gift for a friend. However, this was the early…
Keys Weekly
Published September 04Top 10: The worst fantasy football punishments for last-place finishers
When you put a bunch of football-crazed lunatics together, the hijinks and hilarity don’t stop. With the close of the NFL preseason on Aug. 29, it’s officially time for devout Fantasy Football players to ignore their families, jobs and just about anything else for the next four…
Keys Weekly
Published September 03Wild Things: More Ask the Bird Geek
What’s your favorite fun fact about cormorants? — The Long Haul Swimmer. I don’t know if it counts as a fact, but my favorite thing about cormorants is their eyes. I saw a couple thousand double-crested cormorants before I clued in on their eyes, which are the color of emeralds,…
Keys Weekly
Published September 01NOAA says Florida’s coral reef is worth billions
Florida’s coral reef is far more than just a popular destination for divers and snorkelers — coral reefs are critical natural infrastructure that protects coastal communities, fuels the tourism economy, supports commercial and recreational fishing and provides countless…
Keys Weekly
Published August 28Local immigrants face uncertainty; businesses struggle with staffing
Immigration agents with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have removed at least 65 people from Key West and Stock Island since Aug. 1 as enhanced enforcement efforts continue and additional agents are seen around town. “It actually could be as many as 75 or 80 people just this…
Keys Weekly
Published August 28Key West Back in the Day: Remembering the old Conch Flyer & ‘Air Sometimes’
Anyone who was part of the late-night crowd during Key West’s ramshackle glory days, loosely defined as the 1970s and most of the 1980s, remembers the old Conch Flyer. That’s because bars on the island were legally required to close at 4 a.m. — an hour many of us regarded as…
Keys Weekly
Published August 28Keys History: The Great Hurricane of 1846
People say the Florida Keys have no seasons. It simply is not true. Seasons here aren’t limited to the traditional ones found in other parts of the country. A prime example is hurricane season. It starts on June 1 and ends November 30. Historically, while hurricane history is…
Keys Weekly
Published August 28Functionally Caffeinated Wellness: Your bloodwork says ‘normal.’ Now what?
There are few things more satisfying than opening up your bloodwork results and seeing a beautiful little row of NORMAL, NORMAL, NORMAL. No red numbers. No giant H for high or L for low. Everything sitting nicely between those two little numbers the lab has so graciously…
Keys Weekly
Published August 28Best of Marathon: Con-tree-versy rocks Local Celebrity voting
We all thought the heavy politics would die out with the primaries on Aug. 18. We didn’t know how wrong we were. Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time ever (I think, I didn’t actually look) … we have political attack ads in the Best of Marathon voting. It all began innocently…