Niceville Republican Women’s president Jan Howard presented a $1000 donation to Alaqua Animal Refuge executive director Paul Arthur at the club’s October meeting. Arthur’s earlier private Alaqua tour led the group to purchase a park bench for future guests to enjoy when they visit.
In celebration of Constitution Week, members of the Choctawhatchee Bay Chapter NSDAR and guests met for lunch on September 14 at the Fort Walton Yacht Club. The Society was honored to have Florida Supreme Court Justice Jamie R. Grosshans as the guest speaker.
Choctawhatchee Bay Chapter, NSDAR Honorary Chapter Regent, Caroline Maney was recognized on October 12 for 50 years of membership in the DAR. Thank you for your service!
The Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida recently participated in the Smoke on the Coast contest held at Destin Commons garnering Judges Choice—4th place, Most Spirited—2nd place and People’s Choice—2nd place. The theme was “Red, White and Blue, Flag History for You.”
Pictured are trustees Marie Hallion and Barbara Palmgren with manager Arthur Edgar and second place ribbon for the “most spirited” award.
The “most spirited” volunteers at Smoke on the Coast. From left to right: Mike Weaver, Arthur Edgar, Yvonne Early, Debbie Edgar, and Ken Walsh. Over 400 beautiful flags were handed out to the public. There was also a dance routine, constructing an original flag, chatting with Betsy Ross, and posing with your face as Uncle Sam surrounded by Uncle Sam’s and two beautiful Statue of Liberty ladies, Nancy Reynolds and Kristina Duffy holding their torches high!
David Deitch, Niceville City Manager, is pleased to extend a warm invitation to the residents of Niceville and their friends to join him for an informal coffee and conversation, Thursday, Nov. 2, 7:30 – 9:30 a.m. at the Niceville Senior Center, 201 Campbell Dr. Open to the public, no prior registration is required. This drop-in event is an excellent opportunity for the community to come together, share thoughts, and discuss matters that are important to the City. Residents are encouraged to provide valuable feedback on City programs and services while also seeking answers to any questions or concerns they may have. For more information, please contact Julie Mooney, Senior Center Manager, jmooney@nicevillefl.gov, (850) 279-6436 ext. 1601.
Okaloosa County recently completed an 11.6-mile reclaimed water pipeline which allows residents and businesses to use reclaimed water, or treated wastewater, to irrigate their lawns instead of having to drill more wells into the aquifer. “We are proud of the work performed by our Water and Sewer Department and are excited for the positive environmental and economic impacts this will have for the Niceville area communities,” said Okaloosa County Board Chairman Trey Goodwin. “This is another example of the County working smarter to use resources that already exist for the betterment of the residents.”
The southern portion of the pipeline begins at the Arbennie Pritchett Water Reclamation Facility in Fort Walton Beach. It continues through the Eglin reservation with an eastern terminus near the Mullet Festival site in Niceville. It will primarily provide supplemental reclaimed water to Niceville, with Valparaiso and Eglin AFB as future possibilities.
This interagency, regional project, was led by the Okaloosa County Water and Sewer Department with funding through the Northwest Florida Water Management District, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and funding from the County using the Capital Improvement Fund. The total cost of the project was $12.8 million.
Okaloosa County began this partnership with the City of Niceville and Eglin AFB in 2014, when the three parties agreed on the concept and executed an initial agreement.
The annual Walton County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner will be held Friday Nov. 17 at 5:45 p.m. at the Hilton Sandestin in Miramar Beach. The VIP reception will begin at 4:30 pm. Senator Rick Scott is the Keynote speaker with Congressman Matt Gaetz and CFO Jimmy Patronis also attending and speaking. Individual tickets can be purchased at Eventbrite (see link below), where more detailed information is available. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/walton-county-2023-lincoln-day-dinner-with-senator-rick-scott-tickets-661834814747?aff=oddtdtcreator
The Deer Lake Restoration Project was recently showcased with a tour to highlight the ongoing restoration activities at Deer Lake State Park. With grant funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s (NFWF) Gulf Environmental Fund (GEBF), the Florida State Parks and Atlanta Botanical Garden partnered up to restore highly diverse wetland ecosystems within three coastal dune lake watersheds.
The Walton Republican Executive Committee (WCREC) will meet Monday, Nov. 13, 6 pm. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Hammock Bay Clubhouse, 1850 Great Hammock Bend in Freeport. Registered Republicans of Walton County are welcome to attend. Come find out what the Republican Clubs in Walton County are doing and how to become a Precinct Committeeman/woman.
The Freeport Republicans will meet Tuesday, Nov. 14, 6 p.m. at the Hammock Bay Clubhouse, 1850 Great Hammock Bend in Freeport. Registration begins at 5:30 pm. Registered Republicans of Walton County are welcome to attend.
Niche is an online platform that provides data-driven reviews on schools, neighborhoods, and cities, giving Okaloosa County Schools an overall A grade. With 32,340 students across dozens of schools, the district ranked fourth out of 67 school districts evaluated by Niche.
“We are proud to be notified that the Okaloosa County School District has achieved the rank of #4 in Best School Districts in Florida by Niche,” stated Superintendent Marcus Chambers. “Niche evaluates school districts based on various factors, including academic performance, teacher quality, diversity, and parent and student reviews. This recognition is a tribute to our students, teachers, staff, and administrators.” For more information or to provide a review, please visit https://www.niche.com/k12/d/okaloosa-county-school-district-fl/.
The Okaloosa County School District is thrilled to announce that the Okaloosa STEMM Academy has achieved a remarkable milestone by being recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School. In January, the U.S. Florida Department of Education (FDOE) nominated STEMM Academy to the United States Department of Education (USDOE) due to exemplary high performance based on the 2021-2022 performance data. On Tuesday, September 19, USDOE recognized STEMM as one of 353 schools nationwide and one of 13 from Florida as a National Blue Ribbon School for 2023. The recognition is based on all student scores, subgroup student scores, and graduation rates. This achievement is a testament to the unwavering dedication of STEMM’s students, educators, families and the broader community in creating an environment where students are intellectually curious, critical thinkers, and creative problem solvers. Superintendent Marcus Chambers stated, “This is one of the most prestigious awards a school can earn, and I am very proud! Congratulations to each and every student, teacher, staff, administrator and family member of STEMM.”
Okaloosa County Schools will be closed for the Thanksgiving Holidays Nov. 21-25 and Walton County Schools Nov. 20-24. Have a safe and happy holiday!
