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7:30 A.M. UPDATE: In Glynn County high winds blew down some trees and there was some minor street flooding, emergency management director Jay Wiggins said. There are also some power outages including in some isolated areas of Saint Simons Island. Part of Demere Road on the island is closed early because a power line fell onto a power line and is hanging into the roadway.
The Sidney Lanier Bridge south of Brunswick was never closed even as winds blew their strongest.

While Florida braced for Hermine, expected to be its first hurricane landfall in over a decade, Jacksonville officials weren’t taking any chances Thursday.
With the city under a state of emergency, authorities planned to drastically scale back services in an effort to keep residents and city employees out of harm’s way. Mayor Lenny Curry said that declaration would give the city access to whatever resources they needed to handle the storm’s fallout.

While Florida braced for Hermine, expected to be its first hurricane landfall in over a decade, Jacksonville officials weren’t taking any chances Thursday.
With the city under a state of emergency, authorities planned to drastically scale back services in an effort to keep residents and city employees out of harm’s way. Mayor Lenny Curry said that declaration would give the city access to whatever resources they needed to handle the storm’s fallout.

The approach of Hurricane Hermine has caused some Jacksonville-area school and event closures and cancellations. Here is the list:
■ Duval County public schools - All Thursday after-school activities were canceled, including extended day and Team Up after-school activities. All Duval County schools will be closed on Friday, as are Duval charter schools and the Clay Charter Academy.
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Federal prosecutors have filed fraud charges against Jacksonville businessman Jose Lantigua, whose false reports of dying in Venezuela triggered claims for millions of dollars of life insurance payments.
Lantigua, 63, was accused this week of conspiracy and bank fraud in a court filing that’s usually used when a defendant has already agreed to plead guilty.
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Two construction-related businesses were cited and fined for safety infractions by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
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Michelle Braun, president and CEO of the United Way of Northeast Florida, was hoping the nonprofit’s Make Your Moment online quiz would label her a trendsetter.
But the quiz, which helps potential volunteers and donors direct their energies by suggesting programs for them to support, said Braun was an achiever. So achieve she will, she said.
“There are cool opportunities. We want to engage you in our work,” she told the crowd at the United Way’s Thursday kickoff of its 2016 fundraising campaign. “How will you make your moment?”

Two construction-related businesses were cited and fined for safety infractions by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
read more

Michelle Braun, president and CEO of the United Way of Northeast Florida, was hoping the nonprofit’s Make Your Moment online quiz would label her a trendsetter.
But the quiz, which helps potential volunteers and donors direct their energies by suggesting programs for them to support, said Braun was an achiever. So achieve she will, she said.
“There are cool opportunities. We want to engage you in our work,” she told the crowd at the United Way’s Thursday kickoff of its 2016 fundraising campaign. “How will you make your moment?”

The approach of Hurricane Hermine has caused some Jacksonville-area school and event closures and cancellations. Here is the list:
■ Duval County public schools - All Thursday after-school activities were canceled, including extended day and Team Up after-school activities. All Duval County schools will be closed on Friday, as are Duval charter schools and the Clay Charter Academy.
read more