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First Coast Connect: Local Author Finds Happiness In ‘Sno-cones’

It’s the little things in life that matter the most, like sno-cones. That’s what local author Abby Vega talks about in her memoir “Sno-Cone Diaries: A Sweet Route to Happiness.” After spending 35 years in sales and marketing for Fortune 500 companies, Vega said she simply needed more in her life. Vega appeared Wednesday on First Coast Connect to talk about why she quit her six-figure salary job and bought a sno-cone truck. “I thought I was living...

Beaches Homelessness – First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross

Non-profit combines martial arts and Scripture into 34 years of service

When Chuck Coker was introduced to martial arts at age 19 he couldn’t have predicted that the sport would change his life. “I was the typical 94-pound weakling with a big mouth who got in trouble a lot,” he said. “I started when I was young and it’s been a part of my life ever since.” The nearly 70-year-old was a Kung Fu competitor while in the United States Marines and continued until 1983 when he retired after...

St. Johns County teen heart transplant patient is back in the game

Mission House is ‘the little engine’ for Beaches area homeless

Jane McIntosh sees people from all walks of life sit in the plastic chair across from her desk from 10 a.m. to noon, each with one thing in common: Homelessness. How she helps each of them get out of it is different. As Mission House’s social service manager, she is their first step in getting off the street and back into a place they can call home. Some have a place to stay but need steady jobs. Others are...