Dolly Parton-backed development may serve up cowboy/pirate dinner theater
DESTIN — While lips are tight regarding a large project along Commons Boulevard and U.S. Highway 98, Okaloosa County property records suggest a Dolly Parton-backed development is in the works. “I...
View ArticleThe cost of a crime
Nine months ago, Doris Guthrie hadn’t thought much about what happens to victims of violent crimes. She was still mourning the loss of her only son in a car accident and coping with the illness of her...
View ArticleConvention offers outlet for fans of anime, role playing and gaming
OKALOOSA ISLAND —Some heated debates took place at Destination Anime on Saturday. Which anime series is better, Gundam or Macross? Who would win a fight — Batman or Kal-El? Would Chuck Norris be able...
View ArticleNYC iPhone owner tricks thief using dating app
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City musician used a combination of technology, seduction, brute force and a bribe to reclaim his missing iPhone from a confused crook. Jazz trombonist Nadav Nirenberg...
View ArticleCat used in Brazil prison smuggling try
SAO PAULO (AP) — Guards thought there was something suspicious about a little white cat slipping through a prison gate in northeastern Brazil. A prison official says that when they caught the animal,...
View ArticleSome gun shows canceling after Conn. mass shooting
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — Several gun shows, all about an hour's drive from Newtown, Conn., have been canceled. A show in White Plains, N.Y. — brought back a few years ago after being called off...
View ArticleFire destroys house; no injuries reported
FREEPORT - A fire destroyed a home on Cypress Street Saturday morning, according to Walton County Fire Rescue. The residents were not at home and no one was injured. A neighbor reported the fire must...
View ArticleDetour set for South Bay Grove Road
FREEPORT - Crews from Anderson Columbia will close a section of South Bay Grove Road in Walton County on Monday for drainage work, according to the state Department of Transportation. Signs will be...
View ArticleActivities planned to honor Martin Luther King
FORT WALTON BEACH — The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee will present three events this month to honor the civil rights icon. This year’s theme is “Living the Legacy.” The celebration...
View ArticleDestin shooting range proposal dead
DESTIN — A “For Sale” sign is up again at the abandoned Club Overboard/Twisted Palm building on U.S. Highway 98. “ … the deal is now dead,” local developer Damon Becnel said in a text message. The...
View ArticleLaurel Hill to plan for proposed dissolution
LAUREL HILL— Officials on Tuesday will move toward placing an ordinance dissolving the city on an election ballot in 2014. Two items on the meeting agenda pertain to the ordinance that would allow...
View ArticleNew hospital CEO likes what he sees
FORT WALTON BEACH — Mitch Mongell has spent much of the past 25 years along Florida’s eastern seaboard. If the new chief executive officer of Fort Walton Beach Medical Center has his way, he’ll spend...
View ArticleNew application filed for Landmark Center
FORT WALTON BEACH — Ft. Walton Development Partners has submitted an application for a new development agreement with the city for the Landmark Center. The first of two public hearings on the...
View Article'World guy' walks for diabetes awareness (VIDEO, SLIDESHOW)
NICEVILLE — On Sunday a 50-year-old man from Kentucky and his dog had the world on a string and were rolling it down State Road 85. Erik Bendl and Nice the Dog pushed their world – an inflatable ball...
View ArticleResidents plan to protest 'racist' signs on Beal Parkway
FORT WALTON BEACH — Some residents plan to show their opposition later this month to a series of signs posted on private property along Beal Parkway. About 100 people are expected to gather Jan. 26 to...
View ArticleEglin conducts prescribed burn (SLIDESHOW)
Eglin's Jackson Guard burned 2,000 acres of prescribed woodlands on the west side of State Road 123 in Okaloosa County. View a slideshow by Daily News photographer Nick Tomecek.
View ArticleHelen Back owner to be honored at Pentagon
Helen Back owner Chris Sehman was asked recently if his bar would host a fundraiser for an EOD technician who had been severely injured. Sehman’s response, like it is to so many other requests for...
View ArticleMatt Gaetz spars with League of Women Voters (SLIDESHOW)
FORT WALTON BEACH — For 50 years, the League of Women Voters of Okaloosa County has been holding political feet to the fire. It was Republican state Rep. Matt Gaetz’s turn Tuesday to face a group that...
View ArticleShalimar students shine in national math contest
SHALIMAR — Some students at Shalimar Elementary School were skeptical when their teacher told them they were competing in a math contest. Then the fifth-graders tried the online program and ended up...
View ArticleScientists say U.S. was 'off the charts' hot in 2012
WASHINGTON — America set an off-the-charts heat record in 2012. A brutal combination of a widespread drought and a mostly absent winter pushed the average annual U.S. temperature last year up to 55.32...
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