beehappyjen

Putnam County, Florida, is a beautiful, rural community in Northeast Central Florida. Its county seat, Palatka, sits along the mighty St. Johns River and is home to local festivals, professional bass fishing tournaments, and a growing downtown scene known across the state as Florida’s City of Murals. With hand-painted works of art covering the sides of buildings and an eclectic mix of specialty shops, local restaurants, and community hangouts lining the streets, one stroll downtown will have...

Growing up in Putnam County I have always appreciated the historic and natural beauty that permeates this land and its brick laden streets. But for some that beauty is being threatened by financial struggles, healthcare insecurities, and a lack of transparency by our elected officials. I have been investigating the East Palatka data center, a project being marketed forGilbert Road that could impact over 1,300 acres, with over 700 of those acres being wetlands and buffer zones that help filter...

Since Citizens United(1) our elections too often go to the highest bidder. This is an ugly truth–it stinks and people really don’t want to look at it. It is why billionaires are doing really well while you and I are backsliding financially. It has thrown us into a K economy where the upslant is the financial trajectory of the top 1% while the downslope is the financial slope of the 98%. Billionaires buy politicians who vote for the things that benefit the uber-wealthy. It feels really...