LETTER: Watered-down ethics
We have often heard about the toughness that will be brought to our state Legislature by ethics reform. Legislative leaders have addressed the practice of elected senators and representatives, and...
View ArticleEDITORIAL: An airline gives in, pays up
If the long-running disagreement between Okaloosa County and Vision Airlines was the legal equivalent of a staring contest, then Vision was the first to blink. On Feb. 18, State Attorney Bill Eddins...
View ArticleFlorida man swallowed by sinkhole under bedroom
SEFFNER, Fla. (AP) — A huge sinkhole about 30 feet across opened up under a man's bedroom and swallowed him, taking all of the furniture too. Jeff Bush, 37, was feared dead after the floor gave way...
View ArticlePocket dialing calls police to Oregon drug deal
MOLALLA, Ore. (AP) — Police in the Oregon town of Molalla say a dispatcher received a cellphone call and overheard a drug deal taking place. A phone in the woman's pocket inadvertently dialed 911...
View ArticleNearly 100 quilts displayed at show in Destin (GALLERY)
DESTIN — Hundreds of crafters meandered through the Palms of Destin Resort and Conference Center on Friday morning for the Flying Needles Quilt Guild quilting show. The Emerald Coast Quilt Retreat...
View ArticleNiceville gets new fire boat (GALLERY)
NICEVILLE — The Fire Department now is prepared to respond to just about any situation on the water, thanks to a new piece of equipment. The department received a 27-foot fire boat this week. It is...
View ArticleSheriff’s investigators revisit woman’s killing
It’s been nearly 40 years since Debra Espey was discovered dead. The 19-year-old girl’s body was found partially clothed in a shallow grave on Eglin Air Force Base’s reservation more than a month...
View ArticleShed-hiding, profanity-screaming man blames it all on 18 1/2 beers
CRESTVIEW – A man who was found hiding in a shed after standing in a back yard screaming profanities blamed his actions on the 18½ beers he drank that night, lawmen say. On Feb. 25 an Okaloosa County...
View ArticleCamper trailer catches fire
NICEVILLE - A camper trailer in front of a home on Perdido Circle caught fire Friday morning, according to Niceville Fire Department. No one was injured. The camper was a total loss, The call came at...
View ArticleThe Pig returns to Milton
MILTON — The Pig has returned to Santa Rosa County after an absence of about 20 years. Don and Stuart Norris, the father-son owners who opened The Grocery Store in East Milton on State Road 87 about...
View ArticleMiracle Strip Aviation owes county nearly $500,000
Miracle Strip Aviation, one of two fixed-base operators at Destin Airport, owes Okaloosa County almost $500,000 in back rent and other fees. The company apparently amassed the $485,382 debt in part...
View ArticleArtists inspiring artists (GALLERY)
FORT WALTON BEACH — Local ballet dancers will take center stage in an upcoming Okaloosa Public Arts display. Beginning in May, sketches, photographs and oil, watercolor, pastel and wax paintings of...
View ArticleAdditional money found to widen entire SR 123
State funding continues to flow in to widen State Road 123 to four lanes. Gov. Rick Scott’s office announced recently that it will add $19.9 million to funds already secured for the project by state...
View ArticleHead-on collision sends 6 to hospitals
BLUEWATER BAY - A head-on collision on State Road 20 under the Mid-Bay Bridge Connector overpass on Friday night sent six people to hospitals, according to North Bay firefighters. The accident...
View ArticleFlood warning near river continues
BRUCE - A flood warning continued for the Choctawhatchee River on Friday, according to the National Weather Service. At 9:01 a.m., the river was at 18.5 feet, the Weather Service reported. It is...
View ArticleNiceville LB commits to Troy
NICEVILLE – When it was time to make his decision on where to play college football, Niceville linebacker Barrett Perry took his time. Waiting until after National Signing Day to narrow his options,...
View ArticleLions, bears removed from gangster's property
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A man known as Nutzu the Pawnbroker has been indicted for leading a fearsome criminal gang, but the public seems to be more interested in his pets: four lions and two bears....
View ArticleWoman says husband hit her - but first he put their baby in crib
DESTIN – A man who beat his wife first took their 3-month-old daughter, who was lying on a mattress beside her mother, and moved her into a crib, lawmen report. The incident occurred Feb. 24 at a...
View ArticleReport: Stepdad's admonishment earns him a slap, eye-gouging
FORT WALTON BEACH – A 33-year-old man did not take kindly to being told to clean up after himself by his stepfather, an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office arrest report indicates. On Feb. 26 a deputy...
View ArticleDeFuniak gets new antique store, gift shop opens in Destin
THE MARKET PLACE AT THE BIG STORE If you are undergoing withdrawal symptoms between seasons of the popular Masterpiece Classic series “Downton Abbey,” you might enjoy a visit to The Market Place at...
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