LATEST NEWS

The City of Key West has a new Housing and Community Development Program Manager. Tina Burns hails from Lexington, Kentucky, and has a wealth of experience in affordable workforce housing rentals and development. Since 2012, Burns has served as Executive Director of REACH Inc. (Resources Education Assistance Community Housing) in Lexington. The non-profit is a...

A 23-year-old Florida woman was arrested for murder on Wednesday for selling fentanyl, resulting in...

Base went on lockdown for almost two hours.

A blob of sargassum seaweed thousands of miles long is approaching the Southeast United States and Gulf Coast. It is expected to make landfall over the next several months, bringing with it the stench of rotten eggs and respiratory problems, much to the chagrin of Key West business owners, residents and visitors. First discovered by Christopher Columbus during his voyage to the Americas, the macroalgae has continued to grow, causing...

The U.S. Navy restricted all inbound and outbound traffic at its Key West installations Thursday, March 16, following a security breach at Trumbo Annex. A service person drove past a security guard around 3:30 in the afternoon. Spokesperson Danette Baso-Silvers said the lockdown lasted for around an hour for Trumbo, Truman Annex and NAS Key West while base security assessed the threat. The service person was located by base security and the Key West Police Department. They were not arrested, but spokesperson Dannette Baso-Silvers said the incident was still under investigation. “Any violation of our security measures is taken very seriously, and we want to remind personnel to always follow proper security procedures,” she said. — Ted Lund

Aviation aficionados can view the dynamic flying of the U.S. Navy’s elite Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron as well as other military and civilian professionals Saturday and Sunday, April 15-16, during the Southernmost Air Spectacular. Presented by Naval Air Station Key West and held in the vast skies above...

KWNOW, The Key West Chapter of the National Organization for Women, is hosting a live orchid auction and silent auction with funds going to scholarships for Monroe County women to continue their education. In 2022 four scholarships were given, totaling $7,000. The fifth annual Connie Gilbert scholarship fundraiser will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 18, at the Gardens Hotel, 526 Angela St. Local musicians will play music while attendees peruse the silent auction item. Orchids will be auctioned periodically between music sets, as well as the reading of poems written by Connie Gilbert. Donations to the auction are greatly appreciated. For information, contact Darlene Lovell Thomas at 305-304-1043 or email kwnowinfo@gmail.com.

Marilyn Monroe was an international icon, and the Tropic Cinema’s sculpture of the legendary actress, created by Seward Johnson, is an icon in Key West. Road construction is not a girl’s best friend, and the Tropic had to move the sculpture off-site to prevent damage during the city’s Eaton Street facelift. With the roadwork nearly complete, the Tropic is in need of assistance to bring her back to her home in front of the cinema. Marilyn travels in style, requiring delicate handling and some specialized work to ensure she comes back safe, sound and refreshed, ready to delight the island’s many visitors. It’s an unexpected expense for the non-profit cinema, which is seeking donations from the public to offset the cost of the iconic sculpture’s renovation and return. To donate, visit https://www.tropiccinema.com/donate/.

Come on in. See what we’ve done with the place. Four historic Key West houses are on display for this weekend’s Home Tours presented by Old Island Restoration Foundation. The homes are open for ticket holders from 1 to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 17 and 18. Participants will receive the addresses when they buy their tickets and can visit the houses in any order on either day.

A 70-year-old man was arrested after stabbing a fellow liveaboard man with a filet knife during a dispute over their boats hitting each other in South Florida.

The year 2023 marks Monroe County’s 200th anniversary, and the celebrations are underway. Unsurprisingly, the Southernmost City has absorbed much of the attention. It stands to reason, as Key West has always been Monroe’s heart, soul and county seat. Indeed, it has been its historical anchor, and there is much about Key West, the Florida Keys and Monroe County to celebrate.

On March 7, Coral Shores traveled to Marathon to play the only matchup between two Keys teams scheduled this season. The result was a win for the Hurricanes and the first blemish on Marathon’s season record. Coral Shores racked up 12 hits in the game. Leadoff hitter Andrew Putetti...

March 17th 2023 – Its windy today but a warmer wind from the South East. After our blip of a cold front the last two days where we just got the wind part and not really the cold it was more annoying than refreshing. But this time of the year that South Easterly can be a good thing. But will it last to bring the backcountry fishing back to what it was a week ago?

Just four days after throwing a combined no-hitter, the duo of Felix Ong and Andris “Lucky” Barroso were back on the mound during the Key West High baseball team’s first road game of the season at Columbus on Tuesday, March 14, in Miami. This time around, they were not as fortunate, as the Explorers got to Ong for two runs, on five hits and a walk while he also stuck out three, with Barroso, who earned the win last season against Columbus, tossing the final...

Here’s what to know.

I was sitting at Andy’s Cabana enjoying a fish taco when I heard someone mention the cat herder. A cat herder? Impossible. Everyone knows you can’t herd cats. Ah, but there was a man who could. Didn’t I know about the Catman? He’d performed at Mallory Square. Surely,...

A state bill that would repeal parts of a 2021 state legislation that revoked local governments’ ability to license and regulate various trades people is gaining support as the state Legislature meets. In 2021. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 735, which preempted local governments from issuing occupational licenses, into law. Monroe County officials wrote DeSantis a letter asking him to veto the bill because the county requires local licenses for such work as paving, house painting and tile work. The law does not go...

If you’ve been inside Fausto’s Food Palace any weekday for the last 30 years, you’ve seen David Ciuffetelli, who has been bagging groceries at the island’s most social grocery store since Feb. 1, 1993. With his salt-and-pepper hair and mustache, Ciuffetelli is often asked if he’s...

The Key West Committee for Safer Cleaner Ships has questions for the City of Key West. The group, which ushered in a referendum (eventually supported by City Resolution 22-073) that restricted the number of ships and passengers that may call on Key West, became concerned the policy was being violated on Feb. 20 and Feb. 27, when two ships were in port at the same time. On Feb. 20, the...

The Key West City Commission is swinging hard against several new proposed rules emanating from the GOP-controlled Legislature in Tallahassee that could threaten to weaken home rule across Florida. The first, House Bill 1011, would dictate which flags municipalities could officially display. The only four banners legally allowed would be the American, State of Florida, Vietnam Veterans and Firefighter Memorial flags. If passed into law, that would mean that the...