NAVARRE BEACH — Thousands of people gathered along the side of Gulf Boulevard on Saturday for this year's Mardi Gras parade.

Click here to view the photos >>

VIDEO: View a video from the parade >>

FORT WALTON BEACH — One-year-old dachshund Nike looked perfectly content as he cuddled with his foster mom Katie Tener at an Adopt-a-thon at Petland on Saturday.

When he was passed to a prospective adopter, he sank into her arms as his eyes began to close for a nap.

Just moments before he had been tearing around and playing with the other dachshunds up for adoption.

“He’s got little wings on his feet,” Tener had said earlier.  

Being able to run around has been a struggle for Nike. The pup was found covered in ticks as he hobbled around Pensacola favoringhis right back leg.

He’s had four surgeries so far to repair a broken pelvis and two broken back legs. A recent visit to a veterinarian found a bullet in his right back leg that likely will remain there for life, Tener said.

“I don’t understand how a dog who has been through so much could be so loving,” she said.

Nike’s story of abuse is not unusual to the group that has undertaken his care. Rescued Rescuers takes in dachshunds from all over the Emerald Coast. Most of them were facing euthanasia at shelters because of their medicals problems or simply a lack of space.

“We want the unwanted,” Tener said. “We make them all better and shine them up. Sometimes they just need someone to scratch their ear and put the pieces back together.”

Dawn Michael, the rescue’s founder and director, said the area has a lot of dachshunds looking for homes. The rescue currently is caring for about 25 dachshunds.

“Dachshunds have huge personalities,” Michael said. “They’re very willful and stubborn little dogs. If you are not a conscientious owner, they will take over your house.”

Instead of a central location, the rescue has a network of foster homes.

“A very patient person,” is how Michael described a good foster parent. “Most of the dogs that come in have quirks and things to be worked with to make them suitable for a forever home. (They need) patience and a whole lot of love.”

All of the money from donations and the adoption fees go straight to the dog’s care, Michael said.

“There are so many dogs out there in need of a wonderful home,” Michael said. “Please check into a rescue when you’re looking into a furry friend for your home.”

All the foster parents are volunteers. It’s more than worth it, Tener said.

“You do it for the love of the dog,” Tener said. “You don‘t do it for any other reason.”

TO LEARN MORE: Visit Rescued Rescuers’ website at www.werescuedogs.org or its Facebook page. Adopt-a-thons are held at Petland on Mary Esther Cut-Off the first Saturday of the month.
 

Daily News Staff Writer Lauren Delgado can be reached at 850-315-4445 or ldelgado@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenDnwfdn.

NAVARRE - A 46-year-old Gulf Breeze resident was hospitalized Friday night after a traffic accident on U.S. Highway 98 and Coral Street, the Florida Highway Patrol reported.

The driver’s name was not immediately released because family members had not been notified.

The driver was traveling west on U.S. 98 in the inside lane about 8:15 p.m. when the 2001 Kia Sephia veered to the left onto the median, according to the FHP. The driver over-corrected, which caused the Kia to overturn and continue across the eastbound lanes before it stopped on the south shoulder.

The driver was taken to Fort Walton Beach Medical Center with serious injuries.

The driver was wearing a seat belt. Charges and an alcohol test are pending.

BAKER - The Florida Highway reported a fatality in a traffic accident at the intersection of State Road 4 and County Road 4A on Saturday evening. 

The accident was reported to the FHP at 5:40 p.m.  

A pickup truck overturned, the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office reported.

No more details were available late Saturday.

BAKER — A 58-year-old man was killed after his pick-up truck rolled over on State Road 4 Saturday evening, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Joseph Wallman of Holt was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after the wreck about 5:20 p.m., the FHP reported.

He was eastbound on State Road 4 east of County Road 4-A when he veered his Chevrolet pick-up truck onto the grass shoulder and then into a concrete ditch. The truck hit a culvert, which caused it to overturn onto its roof.

Wallman was wearing a seatbelt.

The cause of the crash was unknown, according to the FHP. Alcohol was not a factor.

FORT WALTON BEACH — On any given day you can see a group of people sitting in a small corner at Emerald Coast Center nursing facility.

Members of the reading club deal with disease, death and heartache, but there are no tears because of the special attention Covenant Hospice volunteer Brice Horwell gives them.

They enjoy their books, some conversation and milkshakes Horwell brings.

Horwell does more than visit with patients. He becomes their friend.

Horwell brings fresh flowers to the nursing facilities he visits each week. He tours the halls to say hello to each person he sees; he knows most by name.

He also visits hospital rooms and people’s homes.

“I feel like I’m doing something,” Horwell said. “I don’t want to see anyone die alone.”

Horwell, who is retired from the Navy, has volunteered with Covenant Hospice for eight years. He visits his clients weekly, runs errands and finds ways to make hard days better.

“I‘ve done some weird things,” Horwell said, laughing. “There‘s a patient that loves pigs feet. I would never eat pigs feet, but I’m happy to go and get them.”

Tim Morgan is a member of the Emerald Coast Center’s reading club. Morgan, who is no older than 60 but suffers from kidney failure, says Horwell’s weekly visits add joy to his day.

“Life wouldn’t be what it is without this guy,” Morgan said. “He brings us outside contact and is a great conversationalist. It means a lot to have somebody come to visit.

“It really makes a difference and lifts your spirit.”

In the last year, Horwell has accumulated more than 350 volunteer hours through his weekly visits, 11th-hour work and Hospice’s We Honor Veterans.

“He is the last face they will see as a measure of comfort,” said Dennis Krebs, Covenant Hospice’s volunteer services outreach assistant. “That means something to him and it means something to the people he’s with.
 

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.

DESTIN — Sand pumping on Holiday Isle is a welcomed sight for a lot of residents — even those who opted out of the restoration project.

“We felt like we didn’t need sand on our beach, but they really needed it,” said Joseph Hughes, who built his single-family home on the beach in 1973.

Crews from Great Lakes Dredge and Docks have been pumping sand on the critically eroded beach on Holiday Isle for the past several days, only stopping Wednesday because of bad weather. Between 500,000 and 600,000 cubic yards of sand will be pumped onto a 6,200-foot stretch of beach that has been ravaged by storms in recent years.

Because of legal challenges, city leaders agreed to skip some properties and leave a roughly 2,600-foot gap in the middle of the project. Crews will skip Oceania, a group of 18 single-family homes, Holiday Isle Towers and the Martinique Condominiums.

Hughes said he doesn’t oppose the eroded beaches being renourished.

“The state wanted to fill in the area in the middle of the project for continuity,” Hughes said. “We agreed that the seven condos to our west needed sand, as did the properties to the east past Oceania.”

His objection was that he has a “beautiful” beach right outside his back door that he would like to keep.

“From my house to the water, we have over 300 feet of beach” and a 14-foot sand berm, he said. “According to my mortgage documents, we own that property up to the water.”

Hughes said that if the state placed sand on the beach behind his home, it ultimately would own the new shoreline and do whatever it wanted.

During a restoration project an erosion control line is created on the beach, and any sand that is placed to the south of the line becomes public property.

The West Destin Restoration project carries a $7.5 million price tag funded with bed tax dollars from the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council. Destin officials signed a $6.77 million contract with the Oak Brook, Ill.-based Great Lakes Dredge and Docks last November.

Great Lakes was the contractor for the $28 million Destin/Walton County beach restoration in 2007.

Work began near the Jetty East Condominiums and will move toward the east jetty, which is expected to take 10 to 14 days. The crews then will pick back up near Holiday Surf & Racquet Club and move east for another 10- to 14-day stretch.

The work must be completed by March 15.
 

Destin Log Staff Writer Matt Algarin can be reached at 850-654-8446 or malgarin@thedestinlog.com. Follow him on Twitter @DestinLogMatt.

OKALOOSA ISLAND — The Tourist Development Council has recommended spending $30,000 to sponsor annual beach volleyball tournaments that would expand their reach this year.

The TDC voted last week to recommend the sponsorship to Okaloosa County commissioners, who have final approval.

“All of these events are made to bring people to town,” said Mike Minich, president of Southern Events Management, the Fort Walton Beach company behind the tournaments. “That’s our No. 1 goal.”

The company usually hosts Emerald Coast Volleyball Week in April and the Emerald Coast Fall Classic in October, both on Okaloosa Island. This year, Southern Events will add a third tournament in May to target junior players.

“Last year was the first year beach volleyball became a college sport for women,” Minich said. “I’ve seen in the past couple of years it’s really starting to grow (in popularity.)"

Emerald Coast Volleyball Week will be April 17-21 and the Emerald Coast Volleyball Juniors Open will be May 18-19. The Emerald Coast Fall Classic is scheduled for Oct. 2-6.

Minich said the events draw singles and families from the nearby states of Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia as well as from across the country.

“Some people bring, like, their whole family,” he said. “We estimate that for every player there’s at least one other person.”

The new juniors tournament is expected to attract families who also want to vacation in a beach town, Minich added.

Last year, Southern Events’ two volleyball tourneys generated about 4,280 room nights at local hotels, condos and resorts. Minich said he expects to exceed that this year.

“The history of this event and the economic impact it has brought over decades … really is phenomenal,” said Dan O'Byrne, director of the county’s tourist development department. “He’s generating room nights at a time when we really need the business.”

O’Byrne said he will present the TDC’s recommendation for the $30,000 sponsorship to commissioners at their meeting Tuesday.
 

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari C. Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.

Waste Management is unveiling its new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fleet of trucks that are the first of its kind in Northwest Florida.

There should be 30 of the new vehicles serving Okaloosa County by the end of 2013. The trucks will reduce emissions by an average of 8,000 gallons a year per vehicle and cut 22 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per vehicle annually.

“Waste Management is committed to sustainability and to providing our customers with a cleaner environment,” said Domenica Farmer, senior district manager with Waste Management.

The conversion is part of the company’s larger corporate sustainability initiative to convert a minimum of 80 percent of its fleet to alternative fuel vehicles by 2020.

The Compressed Natural Gas trucks also are 50 percent quieter than the traditional diesel-powered trucks, according to a news release from Waste Management.

Waste Management has converted more than 2,000 vehicles nationwide thus far.

“Natural gas is so much better for the environment,” said Lynn Yort of Crestview, who is with Waste Management’s Gulf Coast region. “We plan to have all of the (local) diesel trucks replaced with the CNG trucks by the end of this year.”

The company also has developed a solar-powered trash compactor that can alert a truck operator when the canister is near full and has provided teachers with educational materials online on environmental sustainability.

“We have a commitment as the leader in this industry and we are putting our words into action,” Farmer said.
 

Crestview News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown can be reached at 850-682-6524 or matthewb@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbMatthew.

DESTIN — A hotel may rise one day in front of Regatta Bay if Okaloosa County approves a modification to the gated community’s build-out plans.

The request has been filed with county officials.

“It’s an amendment to their development order for their master plan,” county planner Marissa Martinez said. “No plans (for development) have been submitted yet.”

According to documents on file at Destin City Hall Annex, under the current Planned Unit Development for Regatta Bay, developers were approved to build 549 units as part of “future development,” which would consist of 367 single-family homes and 150 apartments. It would also permit a community called The Enclave, which would have 32 units.

The developers want to reduce the number of future apartments from 150 to 32, which would allow them to build a hotel. There also would be a reduction in the amount of square footage that’s been approved for office space on the property.

“With the reduced density and intensity, we are proposing to include a 209-unit hotel complex with meeting rooms,” the application reads. The maximum intensity of the proposed hotel would be no more than 333,875 square feet.

The proposed apartments cannot exceed a height of 75 feet and the hotel cannot exceed 99 feet, documents show. The proposed project would be on a series of parcels along U.S. Highway 98 and Legendary Drive.

The land to be developed is owned by Emerald Grande Development LLC and Robert J. Guidry Financial Services LLC.

Legendary Inc.’s Thomas Patton, who is listed on the paperwork, said there are no immediate plans to build on the parcels. He said the change would allow developers to build something more useful given current market trends, as opposed to office space, which is plentiful in Destin.

“This is not a project. We’re just trying to get the land use changed to something the economy will support,” he said. “We feel as though there is a potential demand for hotels in this market.”

The county Planning Commission will consider the request at its meeting at 5 p.m. Feb. 14 at Niceville City Hall.

County commissioners are expected to address the changes March 19.
 

Destin Log Staff Writer Matt Algarin can be reached at 850-654-8446 or malgarin@thedestinlog.com. Follow him on Twitter @DestinLogMatt.

Snowbirds Dan Koch and Mike Pease had a little fun with Groundhog Day this year.

They brought a stuffed groundhog, dressed her in beach attire and set her on the the white sands of Okaloosa Island to see if she saw her shadow on the day rumored to tell the future of winter.

"Olive the Groundhog" did see her shadow, which her handlers say means there will be six more weeks of margaritas. But Koch of Ontario and Pease, who is from Michigan, say it wouldn't matter if she hadn't seen her shadow. They were still planning on six more weeks of margaritas.

Up in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the official groundhog, Phil, did not see his shadow, which is considered a harbinger of an early spring.

NAVARRE -- Two Miramar Beach residents were slightly injured in a Sunday afternoon wreck on U.S. Highway 98 near the intersection with Estate Circle.

Allyson Sundal, who is 17, was driving the 1999 Toyota 4Runner when it left the roadway and went onto the grass median, according to the Florida Highway Patrol media release. She overcorrected to the right, causing the vehicle to slide sideways and overturn on the highway.

She and her father, 42-year-old Donald Sundal, were taken to Gulf Breeze Hospital. Both were wearing seatbelts.

Allyson Sundal was cited for careless driving.

CRESTVIEW — Police are searching for information about two armed suspects who robbed Taco Bell on South Ferdon Boulevard early Saturday morning.

Employees said a black man and a black woman entered the restaurant at about 1:30, carrying firearms and demanding money and cellphones, according to a Crestview Police Department press release. They then fled on foot.

The man, who was about 6 feet tall, wore gloves, a grey hooded jacket, blue shirt and a blue bandanna, which covered his face, the release said.

The woman, who was about 5-foot, 8 inches tall, wore all black clothing with a white undershirt. She also wore sunglasses and a blue bandanna over her face.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Crestview Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division at 682-3544 or Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 863-TIPS.

The rules of the game are changing once again at public schools across the United States, but this time the demands are focused outside the classroom.

For decades, districts have been required to provide disabled students with equal access to extracurricular activities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. But far too many schools are failing to observe the law, according to a letter released by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

“The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report that underscored that access to, and participation in, extracurricular athletic opportunities provide important health and social benefits to all students, particularly those with disabilities,” the Jan. 25 letter stated.

“Unfortunately the GAO found that students with disabilities are not being afforded an equal opportunity to participate in extracurricular athletics in public elementary and secondary schools.”

Read an overview of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 »

Read the letter sent out by the U.S. Department of Education »

Local school officials said they are still processing the finer nuances of the clarifications provided but, on the whole, it likely won’t change much.

“I do not see where this will be like a learning curve for us or something that will be difficult for us to implement because we’ve been doing it for years,” said Melody Sommer, program director of exceptional student education in Okaloosa County.

Just like countless educators across Florida, officials in Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties sit down with the parents and guardians of every student that meets one of the 13 eligibilities to be considered disabled under state law. Together, they figure out what needs to be done to ensure students are given ample opportunity for “meaningful participation.”

Under the law, the disabilities can range from autism to a hearing impairment to a medical issue.

South Walton High School junior Zachary Reese has personal experience with just how far educators will go to ensure he can do everything he is capable of and qualified for.

This year, that meant playing on the school’s football team and running with the track team.

During football and track, Reese’s after-school interpreter, James Burns, is always on the sidelines to communicate any information from coaches or teammates.

“It’s pretty good,” the 18-year-old signed when asked about his experiences on the teams.

He said the most difficult parts had nothing to do with his hearing impairment and everything to do with the physical demands of the sports.

“I grew up around hearing people, so I was kind of used to it,” he said.

According to Burns, who goes to football camp, practices and even travels with Reese during the away games, the district has done a lot to accommodate Reese.

“It’s difficult at times, but for the most part, we get it (information) to him,” Burns said.

According to Quinn Sanders, who is Reese’s track coach and an assistant football coach, learning to communicate with Reese was an adjustment, but things are mostly smooth these days.

For track race starts, since Reese can’t hear the traditional gunshot, someone is in front to give him a hand signal or a light goes off. But many times Reese is tipped off to the start of the race by his own senses.

“Sometimes we don’t even say go,” Sanders said. “He can just feel everyone else move.”

The big question, and likely challenge, for local educators lies in the future, according to Tim Wyrosdick, superintendent of Santa Rosa County Schools.

Under the newly clarified law, if disabled students aren’t able to participate in traditional activities, no matter how many accommodations are made, then schools need to create a separate but comparable activity.

If the current financial situation carries into the future, in order to meet the law, districts might have to scale back existing programs or look for other creative solutions, he said.

Ultimately, though, Wyrosdick said the new emphasis on the law can only be a positive for students.

“I applaud that we open pathways for all disabled students to participate,” Wyrosdick said. “I think that’s an integral part of a student’s life.”
 

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Katie Tammen at 850-315-4440 or ktammen@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieTnwfdn.

For Jim Harvey, life can be measured in three-mile increments. That’s how far he walks every day, a trash-grabber in one hand and a garbage bag in the other.  

This summer will mark 20 years and 20,000 miles since he started trying to change the world, one piece of garbage at a time.

“I’ve got the technique down,” said Harvey, who was a runner before arthritis forced him to slow to a walk. “I grab trash, put it in my bag and keep on going.

“A lot of people who live around the route stop and talk to me,” he added. “They thank me, share the time of day.”

Margo Yourick lives in the same neighborhood as Harvey — Lake Pippen Estates — and is amazed by his dedication.

“Rain or shine, he’s out there picking up trash,” she said.

Over the years, Harvey has picked up cash, fast food bags, women’s underwear, empty syringes and bags of “vegetation” along his route, which includes a stretch of the Okaloosa–Walton county line.

Thursday and Sunday mornings, he finds the highest concentration of beer bottles and beer cans, which leads him to believe Wednesdays and Saturdays are big drinking nights.

The deputies along that route know Harvey, which eases his fears that he’ll be arrested for having drugs in his trash bag.

The dogs know him, too.

“They know me as the guy who brings the cookie and then goes away,” Harvey said. “I don’t go into their territory.”

Editor's Note: This series recognizes people who make a difference in their communities. To nominate someone, call Wendy Victora at 315-4478 or email wvictora@nwfdailynews.com

Okaloosa County Tax Collector Ben Anderson has plans to open a satellite office on Hurlburt Field in the spring.

Anderson currently has offices on Eglin Air Force Base and Fort Walton Beach, Crestview, Niceville and Destin.

He said he has wanted a location on Hurlburt Field since he took office in August 2011.

“Here they are Special Ops, and they are shipped in and out, and in a moment’s notice they’re gone,” Anderson said. “We should be delivering our services to them instead of making them come downtown to us.”

As tax collector, Anderson has the authority to open satellite offices where he sees fit, but because his office also collects county revenue such as business and property taxes, he must have the approval of the Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners.

Commissioners are scheduled to vote on the proposal Tuesday at a meeting in Crestview.

“It’ll be a full-service office that we provide out there,” Anderson said.

Those services include driver license renewals, vehicle registrations, hunting and fishing licenses and property tax payments. The office would hold daytime hours Monday through Friday.

“I am honored and I am humbled that we will be on base at Hurlburt Field working in a partnership with the military,” he said. “They’ve located a facility to put us in, but they have a little bit of remodeling they want to do for us.”

Anderson said he anticipates the office will be open by mid-March.

“It’s a convenience to the military, but it’s also a neighborly outreach to recognize and appreciate economically what they mean to our area,” he said.
 

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.

A 71-year-old woman was seriously injured in a wreck Monday afternoon on U.S. Highway 98 near the entrance to Hurlburt Field.

Norma Taylor, of Bull Shoals, Ark., was a passenger in a car that was attempting to make an illegal left turn at the intersection with Cody Avenue, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The car pulled out in front of an SUV that was headed east on U.S. 98 about 12:50 p.m. The SUV crashed into the car, which then spun out and into a traffic signal pole.

A helicopter landed nearby to fly Taylor to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola for treatment.

The driver and one of the two passengers in the SUV suffered minor injuries. The passenger was taken to Fort Walton Beach Medical Center for evaluation.

Fredrick Taylor, 72, also from Bull Shoals, was charged with making an improper left turn, the FHP reported. A sign was posted at the intersection stating that no left turns or u-turns could be made.