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Despite the efforts of the first responders, O'Connell was pronounced dead around 11:48 that night. Quickly ruled a suicide by authorities, family and friends have insisted O'Connell, a young mother who had just accepted a new job, would not end her own life. In addition, questionable policework at the crime scene and during the subsequent investigation provided further proof to skeptics that something else was at play, and that Banks may have played more of a role in the incident than he led authorities to believe. "Citizen P.I.," A new series by Discovery+ that begins streaming Tuesday, t...

The suspect lived less than a mile from the victim in this tight-knit community in northwest St. Johns County, and the pair was captured on surveillance video from the subdivision's recreation center at around 1:15 Sunday morning, which is what, according to Hardwick, makes the situation so difficult.  "This is one of those cases — I hate to use the words, but — it's our worst nightmare," Hardwick said in an interview with The Record Friday morning. "These kids both went to school together. ... It's going to be a long process to heal for our community." The community has been trying...

Some parents and students are calling the policy flat-out sexist for both its wording and enforcement as more than 80% of infractions over the last three years have been issued to female students, according to data provided by district officials.   A March 26 large-scale inspection of students' dress at Bartram Trail High School resulted in 31 students cited for issues such as the length of their skirts or exposed midriffs. All of the violations were against female students. The problem, critics say, is that verbiage in the policy, such as "modest," "not revealing" and "too distractin...

Arts and culture make for a vibrant community for local residents and visitors alike and that's why Christina Parrish Stone, executive director of the St. Johns Cultural Council, sees expansion of the Art in Public Spaces program as a coup. County commissioners on Jan. 21 approved Stone's proposal to increase funding for the program which provides public access to free visual and performing arts in St. Augustine and the surrounding areas. The expenditure is for $5,000 for the year, and another $5,000 for events related to the 200th anniversary of the founding of St. Johns County, which wil...

St. Johns County teachers will go to the negotiation table on Jan. 19 to ask the district to consider a plan that would allow instructors to take medical leave for COVID-19 rather than use personal sick days. Educators in the school district, like so many others across the country, are seeking help to fill the gap created by the non-renewal of a policy under the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The legislation, enacted April 1, allowed for full-time employees to receive up to 100% of their regular salary for as many as 10 work days based on several qualifying factors, incl...