Old is relative. There is Washington, D.C. old. Then there is St. Augustine old.

At 5:54 p.m. this evening, St. Johns County Sheriff’s spokesman Chuck Mulligan informed Historic City News reporters that the “self-evacuation” has been lifted in the area of the gas station fire on SR-16 and Masters Drive, however, the fire has still not been extinguished.

Historic City News has learned that Liberal Studies Assistant Professor Tracy W. Upchurch will kick-off the 2011-2012 season of the Flagler College Community Lecture Series on Tuesday, September 6th, with a presentation on “Friends of the Old Flag: Unionists in Civil War Florida”.

St. Augustine Visitors and Convention Bureau Communications Director Jay Humphreys informed Historic City News that although the Amphitheatre performance Friday night is sold out, there are many other entertainment choices this weekend.

The St. Johns County Education Foundation is notifying Historic City News readers that they are looking for volunteers who want to give back, and are interested in being a positive influence in a student’s life through “Take Stock in Children”.

St. Augustine Heritage Tourism Director Dana Ste. Claire, informed local Historic City News reporters a number of items on a “conceptual list” of 450th commemoration events under consideration by city officials.

St. Johns River State College reported to Historic City News that twenty-one students have been recognized for completing the teacher certification program offered through the college’s Educator Preparation Institute.

“At National Beef, simply meeting industry standards isn’t good enough,” according to the website of the company who is announcing that the company is recalling approximately 60,424 pounds of ground beef products.