nassau

A 23-year-old Nassau County woman died Tuesday after the car she was driving struck a tree on U.S.1 south of Cross Creek Boulevard, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Heather Diane Bradberry, of Callahan overcorrected twice after her southbound car veered onto the road shoulder just before 7 p.m. The car ran began to rotate until the driver’s side struck the tree. Bradberry was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Highway Patrol.

Bradberry, who was alone in the car, was wearing a seat belt.

Dana Treen, The Times-Union

For the past few days, I've been in Nassau County conducting video interviews with the candidates vying for public office in the Aug. 26 primary elections. Below, you can see candidates answer questions submitted by readers and generated from the My Nassau Sun staff. Enjoy!

A robber who ditched his getaway car after a Nassau County bank heist Saturday also abandoned the loot, leaving it inside the vehicle, authorities said.

No one was harmed when a masked man armed with a handgun jumped the counter at Southeastern Bank on Florida A1A in Yulee and demanded money. The man took off in a late 1990s Jeep Cherokee with an undetermined amount of money, according to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies soon found the Jeep abandoned - with the money inside - behind a nearby liquor store.

All the money was recovered.

“I guess I’d say it was pretty tainted,” said Nassau County Sheriff Tommy Seagraves. “He couldn’t spend it, I’ll tell you that.”

On Aug. 26, several Nassau County residents will be vying in the county's primary elections to secure their place on the Nov. 4 general election's ballot. In order for residents to learn more about each candidate, My Nassau Sun will give each opposed candidate an opportunity to answer reader-submitted questions in a video that will be posted on MyNassauSun.com on Aug. 16.

If you have a question for a primary candidate running for property appraiser, sheriff, county commissioner, school board, Amelia Island Mosquito Control or the Ocean, Highway & Port Authority, please e-mail it to Tracy.Jones@jacksonville.com by July 30. Questions must be specific to the elected position and not to the individual candidate.

By KEVIN TURNER

kevin.turner@mynassausun.com

Lightning from a thunderstorm yesterday afternoon has triggered a West Nassau County wildfire that's consumed 3 acres as of noon today.

The blaze is near near County Road 121 and Tracy Road.

It joined another West Nassau fire near the intersection of County Road 119 and County Road 121.

That fire started May 22, also sparked by lightning. It has consumed 32 acres.

More fires may crop up from Sunday's storm because lightning strikes sometimes will cause brush to smolder before flames break out, Florida Division of Forestry Wildfire Mitigation Specialist Annaleasa Winter said today.

By Kevin Turner

kevin.turner@mynassausun.com

Two Callahan residents were killed and one critically injured in two separate highway accidents during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, the Florida Highway Patrol reported.

John Douglas Kilgore Jr., 21, was killed in a head-on collision with a tractor-trailer early Monday.

Nina D. Thomas, 56, was killed after Nathan L. Thomas, 60, lost control of the car in which she was riding and veered into the path of another car Friday night. Nathan Thomas was critically injured.

Kilgore was driving east on a two-lane segment Florida A1A four miles east of Callahan when he moved into the westbound lane to pass another car. His 1995 Chevrolet pickup truck slammed into a 2003 Freighliner semi driven by Joseph W. Allbritton, 32, of Nahunta, Ga.

Any of our regular MyNassauSun.com viewers have probably already noticed the change to the top, black menu bar.

We've added another section, Living History.

Clicking on that link will take you to our brand-new video page, with five short clips of Alice Nolan,the 100-year-old Fernandina Beach native.

Alice recently sat down with My Nassau Sun Editor Amelia Hart and professional videographer Chad Watts to reflect on her life.

Each clip is about a minute long, and we hope to continue adding other Nassau residents to the page, people who have a strong understanding of our community and how it's changed through the years.

The Nassau County Emergency Management Department said Thursday that a red tide advisory issued Sept. 25 will remain in effec although the phenomena in the Atlantic Ocean off Amelia Island has dissipated.

Reports of eye, lung and throat irritation have declined sharply since Sept. 25, and laboratory tests for water samples collected Wednesday, Oct. 3 are expected by Friday, Oct. 5.

Meanwhile, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellites have identified patchy red tide algae blooms in the Atlantic remained there Oct. 4. Moderate impacts in Nassau County were expected through Oct. 7.

The Nassau County Sheriff's Office and Fernandina Beach Police Department dispatches both reported Wednesday morning that there haven't been any reports of flooding despite intermittent heavy rains since Sunday afternoon.

But that doesn't mean there isn't any unreported flooding. Is there any near you? Please post to this blog if there is, so we can stay on top of what's going on until our skies clear.

Thanks!

   Greetings, Nassau County! My name is Wendi Zongker and I am the new reporter here at My Nassau Sun. Allow me to tell you a little bit about myself. I'm sure that you would like to know where I'm from. But, as the product of a military family, that has always been a difficult question to answer. I was born in Killeen, Texas and raised primarily in Columbia, S.C. and Brunswick, Ga. I have one older sister, who is preparing to welcome my nephew into the world, and two younger brothers.
   I attended the University of North Florida and received a bachelor of science degree in journalism in 2005. In 2007 I received a master's degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of Georgia. That's right! I'm a proud Bulldog fan. I'm also a Jacksonville Jaguar fan and an Atlanta Falcons fan. When you've lived in as many places as I have, it's hard to cheer on just one team.