AARLCC is seeking nominations for outstanding leaders and organizations who embody the Nguzo Saba (seven principles) of Kwanzaa. The deadline for submission is December 6, 2025.
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With it being cold and flu season, there is much conversation in the community about vaccines. Some people are cheerful about Florida’s new policy that will end the vaccination requirement for school entry, being the first U.S. state to do so, beginning December 2025. They believe that parents should be free to decide whether to vaccinate their kids against diseases like chicken pox and Hepatitis B, rather than the government making that decision. But the law proposal has also alarmed some medical professionals, who said that lower vaccination rates will weaken herd immunity and could cause highly contagious diseases like measles and polio to come back in schools, which would be very dangerous. Dr. Renard Rawls, MD, a gastroenterologist in Jacksonville, Florida, with more than 25 years of experience, says, “A vaccine mandate not only protects those who are vaccinated but also others in our community who cannot get vaccinated due to chronic conditions that may compromise their immune system. We, as a society, rely on herd immunity to keep everyone safe. Without a requirement for vaccinations, we might lose this protection. The policy puts individual freedom against the safety of the public’s health”. Others are happy to see this requirement being lifted. One mother who would like to remain anonymous said, “I don’t want the government telling me what to do with my children. Whether or not they get vaccinated should be a decision I make as a parent and not a politician.”
The audit found a funding shortfall of $398 million for the voucher program during the 2024-2025 school year. It also found missed cross-check opportunities and ineffective survey processes, which led to funding inequities in some public schools.
Patience. Just the word alone can make most of us take a deep breath. In a world of same-day delivery, instant streaming, and quick-turn responses, waiting feels almost foreign. We live in a time where everything is designed for speed, answers, results, even relationships. Yet, spiritually speaking, the moments that shape us most deeply are often the ones where we have no choice but to wait.
I came back to Jamaica two weeks ago with the kind of foolish confidence you earn from distance, the belief that memory alone can protect the places you love. I thought I knew what I was walking into. You see enough disaster clips online, and you tell yourself you understand. I have lived many disaster-type situations trying to be a sojourner of black truth. But the thing about storms is that the camera always misses the part that hurts the most. The quiet. The smell. The stunned way people move, almost zombie-like, after the world rearranges itself. Before all this, my sense of home was stitched into small, ordinary things. Like the shortcut up Park Mountain. That path was never really meant for children, but we took it anyway, barefoot, slipping on mossy stones that had seen centuries of rain. I can still hear Aunt Vera shouting from her veranda, “Mind dat stone by di mango tree!” She said it every time, even when I pretended I didn’t hear her. The air up there always smelled of wet breadfruit leaves and fresh mud, the kind of scent that embodies itself in you whether you want it or not.
For years, readers across the country have been looking for history that feels real, accessible, and honest. What began as short videos on TikTok has now turned into a full line of books after thousands of followers reached out asking to hold this history in their hands. Fort Pierce author and award-winning artist Ramon Robinson has officially released his first ten titles on Amazon, giving readers everywhere access to stories that have too often been overlooked or ignored.
The Albany Southwest Georgian Newspaper will celebrate its 87th anniversary with a semi-formal Gala on Friday, December 5, 2025, at 6:00 PM at Albany Technical College (Kirkland Building).
From a local aspect, the issues are silenced but just as real. School lunch programs that rely on federal reimbursement, families patiently waiting for financial aid, and community members who work for federal businesses and agencies feel the pressure. Contractors lose paychecks. Postal workers still deliver, but if the support of services is minimized, delays and disorientation can appear. As well as many households, a shutdown turns bills into everlasting stress and constant worry.
To every young person feeling lost, tired, or unsure of what comes next — remember this: God still has a plan for your life. The road may not always be easy, but your struggles are shaping your strength. In moments when the world feels heavy, turn to prayer and trust that the Lord is walking beside you. No dream is too far, and no mistake is too great for God’s grace to reach. Keep your faith strong, surround yourself with people who uplift you, and never forget that your purpose is bigger than your problems. Hope is not gone it’s alive in you, because Christ lives in you.
Florida election supervisors are again asking state lawmakers to change state law to make it easier for Floridians to vote by mail, but whether the GOP-controlled Legislature will act on the request is questionable, since they ignored a similar request earlier this year.