Man arrested after impregnating 13-year-old
DeFuniak Springs - A 19-year-old man has been arrested after a 13-year-old girl gave birth to his child, according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office. The girl gave birth to the child in June 2012,...
View ArticleOkaloosa nixes 300-foot swimming limit in Gulf
FORT WALTON BEACH — County Commissioners on Tuesday rejected a bid by beach safety officials to prohibit swimmers from going more than 300 feet from shore in the Gulf of Mexico. The board voted 4-1 to...
View ArticleFWB to renegotiate with Landmark Center developers (DOCUMENTS)
FORT WALTON BEACH — The City Council has allowed its staff to continue to negotiate with the developers of the Landmark Center in hopes that they can come up with a development agreement that will...
View ArticleLETTER: Lying or inept?
Not that long ago, the Okaloosa County School District refused to honor teachers’ contractually mandated pay raises. District officials said they just flat-out didn’t have the money, so too bad! I’m...
View ArticleEDITORIALS: Okaloosa's 3 percent switcheroo
The Florida Supreme Court last week upheld a law that requires state and county workers to set aside 3 percent of their pay for their state pensions, a law that sparked angry opposition two years ago....
View ArticleEDITORIAL: To shorten lines, trim the ballot
The solution to the long lines that jammed some Florida voting sites on Election Day isn’t complicated or expensive. Just restore the early voting days the Legislature chopped and stop putting so many...
View ArticleMeyer lemon pie is perfect for National Pie Day
Today is National Pie Day. So what would be better than a Meyer lemon pie? The seeds are the only part of the lemon not used in this sweet yet tart pie recipe. Meyer Lemon Shaker Pie 2 Meyer lemons 2...
View ArticleSoda spills, freezes on Pa. road when rigs crash
READING, Pa. (AP) — Everyone knows soda can be bad for your teeth. Sometimes, it can apparently threaten the morning commute, too. Police say two tractor-trailers collided on U.S. Route 422 outside...
View ArticleFugitive wanted for lewd and lascivious, aggravated incest captured
A 34-year-old Louisiana man was arrested last week on an outstanding warrant for lewd and lascivious offenses from Santa Rosa County. Eric Atwell was wanted on outstanding warrants for aggravated...
View ArticleWyndham to lay off 18 ResortQuest employees
FORT WALTON BEACH — ResortQuest’s parent company will lay off 18 local employees starting next month in an effort to “streamline” operations. Employees in ResortQuest’s finance and marketing...
View ArticleAP sources: Panetta opens combat roles to women
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senior defense officials say Pentagon chief Leon Panetta is removing the military's ban on women serving in combat, opening hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and...
View ArticleAir Force general calls sex assaults a 'cancer'
WASHINGTON (AP) — Likening sexual assault in the Air Force's ranks to a cancer, the service's top officer resolved Wednesday to tackle the problem by screening personnel more carefully and putting an...
View ArticleHappy birthday Kigali: 'I still can’t believe it's been a year' (GALLERY)
GULF BREEZE — On a sunny Wednesday morning, Kigali the western lowland gorilla looks up at the hammock his mother so easily climbs into and jumps, stretching out his arms in the hope of getting in....
View ArticleReport: Tag team tries to scam store of dog food, cider
CRESTVIEW - A man and woman tried to scam a local discount store out of cash for items they didn't buy, according to a Crestvew Police Department arrest report. On Dec. 7 a woman allegedly took three...
View ArticleDriver tells officer his female passenger has 'a little' marijuana
CRESTVIEW - A man and his female companion were arrested on various charges after a Crestview Police officer spotted the man making an illegal U-turn on Ferdon Boulevard. The incident occurred Jan. 7....
View ArticleSanta Rosa to discuss extending pier contract (DOCUMENT)
MILTON — The existing management contract for the Navarre Beach fishing pier is set to expire in the middle of the upcoming tourist season and could disrupt services there for weeks. To see Santa Rosa...
View ArticleWho's that at the door? Just your neighborhood bear
NICEVILLE - Sometimes the crime rate in Niceville is unbearable. Make that un "bear" able. Such was the case on Jan. 13 when Niceville Police received a call from an Evergreen Avenue resident who said...
View ArticleGifts fit for a first lady (SLIDESHOW)
DeFUNIAK SPRINGS — History will truly come to life during Florida’s Chautauqua Assembly this weekend, thanks to the hard work of three high school students. Two identical wooden lecterns, made to...
View ArticleSchumacher resentenced to four years for DUI manslaughter
FORT WALTON BEACH — Okaloosa County Circuit Judge John Brown didn’t try to hide his distaste Wednesday for an appeal’s court order that he change a carefully crafted sentence he handed down in April...
View ArticleTDC scandal to be addressed at legislative delegation meeting
Okaloosa County’s mismanagement of millions in taxpayer dollars and BP grants will be under scrutiny at the next meeting of Northwest Florida’s legislative delegation. The meeting will be from 5 to...
View Article