EDITORIAL: Mr. Crist gets a D in politics
Charlie Crist, Florida’s formerly Republican former governor, made it official Thursday: He’s now a Democrat. But if he wants his old job back, he shouldn’t expect much help from Okaloosa County. If...
View ArticleOne seriously injured in morning wreck
MILTON — A 58-year-old man was hospitalized with serious injuries Friday morning after failing to stop at a stop sign. Pensacola resident Michael Johnson was driving a 2008 Toyota truck at 6:40 a.m....
View Article27 dead in Connecticut school shooting
NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) — A gunman opened fire inside a Connecticut elementary school, killing 26 people, including 20 children, by blasting his way through the building as young students cowered...
View ArticleMan gets life in prison following molestation conviction
DeFUNIAK SPRINGS — A 47-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted of child molestation this week. Kevin Williams Phillips was convicted Thursday by a Walton County jury on...
View ArticleDeath toll 28 in Connecticut elementary school shooting (PHOTOS)
NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) — A man killed his mother at their home and then opened fire Friday inside the elementary school where she taught, massacring 26 people, including 20 children, as youngsters...
View ArticleAP source: Suspect drove to mother's school
WASHINGTON (AP) — The suspect in the Connecticut school shootings is Adam Lanza, 20, the son of a teacher at the school where the shootings occurred, a law enforcement official said Friday. A second...
View ArticleJury convicts Mayatte of second-degree murder
Daryl Wade Mayatte was convicted Thursday in Walton County Circuit Court of second-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder. A jury deliberated for more than four hours before reaching its...
View ArticleOkaloosa geocaching plan delayed until spring
Okaloosa County’s effort to create a niche for itself in the world of geocaching has hit a couple of snags. “The plan was to have it done by now, but things haven’t gone smoothly,” said James Puckett,...
View ArticleTrespasser leaves property - for 45 minutes
FORT WALTON BEACH - A homeless man was told to stay away from the Circle K on Miracle Strip Parkway, but he either forgot or chose to ignore that requirement and was arrested. On Nov. 29 a Fort Walton...
View ArticleLocal families, educators react to mass school shooting
Shock waves from the deadly shooting at a Connecticut elementary school reverberated through the community Friday. Emotions ranged from anger to heartbreak as people struggled to absorb the news....
View Article10-year-old Niceville girl aims for All-American Soap Box Derby
NICEVILLE — A few summers ago, Cate Rasinski went to an ice cream shop while visiting her dad, John Rasinski, in Ohio. She noticed a huge hill, the site of the All-American Soap Box Derby, and asked...
View ArticleOne seriously injured in morning wreck
A 58-year-old man was hospitalized with serious injuries Friday morning after failing to stop at a stop sign. Pensacola resident Michael Johnson was driving a 2008 Toyota truck at 6:40 a.m. heading...
View ArticleMan denies saying he'd whip his wife's backside
FORT WALTON BEACH - Witnesses say a Wright man served with an injunction on behalf of his wife threatened to "whip her ass," according to a Fort Walton Beach Police arrest report. On Nov. 19 a woman...
View ArticleK9 Catty alerts to cannibas bud, resin, cigarettes
FORT WALTON BEACH - An 18-year-old man faces drug charges after he was stopped and a drug-sniffing dog alerted to narcotics in his vehicle. On Dec. 2 a Fort Walton Beach Police officer noticed a...
View ArticleConn. police find 'very good evidence' on gunman
NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) — Investigators tried to figure out what led a bright but painfully awkward 20-year-old to slaughter 26 children and adults at a Connecticut elementary school, while townspeople...
View ArticleSchool Board’s discretionary spending under scrutiny
Conversations about public school budgets have always been heated. In recent years, the fervor has intensified and few districts, including Okaloosa County, have walked away unscathed. In the time...
View ArticleRegion sees shake-up among economic leaders
Economic development in Northwest Florida is going to look much different in 2013 compared to recent years. Scarlett Phaneuf, the executive director of the Walton County Economic Development Alliance,...
View ArticleMan airlifted after I-10 crash
A man was airlifted to a Pensacola hospital Saturday afternoon after a traffic accident near mile marker 87 on westbound Interstate 10. Lt. Garrett Miller with the DeFuniak Springs Fire Department...
View ArticleCRA Board talks transit stops
While city leaders agree that improvements are needed at the Marler Street parking lot, some could do without the proposed transit stop that would sit beside it. “We are trying to get the traffic off...
View ArticleVICTORA: The spirit of Christmas comes from within
My relatives up north will almost certainly have a white Christmas. They got over a foot of snow last week and were sliding along roadways, stuck in traffic jams and breaking out the snow shovels....
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