FHP investigating fatal evening crash
MILTON — Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that killed an unidentified driver Thursday night on Interstate 10 at Mile Marker 20. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the driver,...
View ArticleOkaloosa Island boil water notice lifted
Officials have lifted the boil water notice for Okaloosa Island. The precautionary notice was ended Friday morning after state-mandated bacterial tests came back negative, according to Jeff Littrell,...
View ArticleMan found guilty of cooking meth in motel
CRESTVIEW — A 31-year-old man was convicted Thursday of trafficking methamphetamine while staying at the Hilton Motel. Joshua Ray Little is scheduled to be sentenced May 8 after a jury found him...
View ArticleTwo teens charged with home invasion robbery
FORT WALTON BEACH — Two teenagers were arrested Friday on charges of home invasion robbery. Rico T. Gamble, 19, of Panama City and Bravin I. Gamble, 16, of Fort Walton Beach are accused of robbing a...
View ArticleAlmost 100 apply for airports director job
The search for Okaloosa County’s new airports director has drawn dozens of applicants from across the country. “Currently we have 89 applications from 20 different states,” county Human Resources...
View ArticleReport: Man grabs woman's buttocks, says, 'Move that *** girl!'
DESTIN – A 69-year-old man was arrested after he allegedly approached one woman at a store and made a lewd remark, then fondled the buttocks of an employee. On March 10 an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s...
View ArticleWoman is electrically induced out of neighbor's house
FORT WALTON BEACH – A woman accused of slapping her boyfriend took refuge in a neighbor’s house and had to be electrically induced – twice – to come out, according to an arrest report. The incident...
View ArticleWoman busted for having crack in her genitals
CRESTVIEW – An Alabama woman was arrested after she was found with drugs hidden in her private parts. On March 9 an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s deputy stopped a Jeep on U.S. Highway 90 for faulty tag...
View ArticleCar catches fire alongside U.S. Hwy 331
DeFUNIAK SPRINGS -- A car caught fire alongside U.S. Highway 331 late Friday morning and slowed traffic while firefighters put out the blaze. The driver told firefighters he smelled smoke in the car...
View ArticleStudents vie for title in chefs competition
NICEVILLE — The challenge of healthy eating turned competitive Friday morning for more than a dozen Okaloosa County students. For three hours the students prepped, shared and discussed their take on a...
View ArticleTeacher, children’s advocate passes away
A beloved educator who helped pave the way for change in Okaloosa County in more ways than one has passed away. Mary Burnette died unexpectedly early Sunday evening from kidney failure just shy of her...
View ArticleTeam building handicap-accessible deck at Topsail
SANTA ROSA BEACH — Louis Svehla waded in the water Friday and grasped at a measuring tape as he and other members of Leadership Walton began building a handicap-accessible deck at Topsail Hill...
View ArticleSheriff’s Office to use volunteers to help patrol beach
SANTA ROSA BEACH — A few extra sets of eyes and ears for the Walton County Sheriff’s Office may be patrolling the beach in the coming weeks. About 20 residents attended an orientation Thursday about a...
View ArticleFamily of woman found injured offers reward for information
FORT WALTON BEACH — A local family is asking the community for answers. The last thing 20-year-old Paige Mascia of Fort Walton Beach remembers after work Thursday night was leaving her job downtown...
View ArticleMan arrested in Mississippi on local charges
A man arrested in Mississippi has been charged with sexual battery, lewd and lascivious molestation, child neglect and contributing to the delinquency of a minor in Okaloosa County, according to the...
View ArticleThree arrested by drug task force
MARY ESTHER - Three people were arrested Thursday during an investigation by the Okaloosa Multi-County Drug Task Force. Sheriff’s deputies responded to a domestic disturbance at a home on Stephen...
View ArticleOkaloosa agrees to offer for yacht
Okaloosa County is slowly but surely recovering its financial losses from the fraud scheme concocted by former tourism head Mark Bellinger. Most recently, county commissioners agreed to sell the...
View ArticleDestin fire district to ask voters for higher millage cap
DESTIN — Given decreased property values and budget shortfalls, the Destin Fire Control District will ask voters for permission to raise its mileage rate cap to the maximum allowed by state law. “It...
View ArticleHow healthy is your county?
Local health officials are using recent county health rankings to focus their attention on residents’ needs. Santa Rosa County ranks the best along the Emerald Coast and is considered the 10th...
View ArticleSasquatch Zoo getting a facelift (GALLERY)
CRESTVIEW — Tech. Sgt. Bradford Shanahan huffed Saturday as he and a partner worked an enclosure’s chain-link gate off its hinges. It was rusted in places and took nearly 10 minutes to free. As a...
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