Community

By Chris Balzar “It’s not easy being green,” sang a very wise frog. What does “being green” mean? Being green includes many different elements: reducing, reusing and recycling, not littering, living sustainably, conserving energy and materials, going zero-waste, utilizing fair-trade and ethical production, being carbon neutral, growing organic crops, being...

Adopt-A-Family! Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center (ECCAC) is seeking donors who will purchase gifts for individual families who have been identified by the Center. Last year, the program helped 197 children in 70 families have a brighter Christmas. Sign up to Adopt-a-Family online at www.eccac.org. Or, contact Angie Harder at...

Alaqua Animal Refuge’s inaugural Animoré weekend was truly a festival to celebrate the love of animals. Showcasing two epic events — the 6th Annual 100 Point and Cult Wine Dinner and the first ever Barn Jam — the weekend took place October 18 and 19 in Freeport and raised...

Cats to watch. Cats to cuddle. Cat merchandise. Cat yoga. Cat parties. All things cat! The Panhandle Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) is very excited about being offered a retail location at the Santa Rosa Mall in Mary Esther; to show off their adorable, up-for-adoption kittens and cats, and also...

By Lori Leath Smith Bad libraries build collections; good libraries build services; great libraries build communities! –R. David Lankes As well-known, classic actress Katharine Hepburn once said, “What in the world would we do without our libraries?” It’s true: Statistics show where there’s a great library, there’s a great community. A...

By Rita L. Sherwood We’re honored to introduce Byron Beplay, a local who grew up in Destin and Pensacola, joined the military in 1990 and served our country as a Special Ops Army Ranger. While serving, he participated in the Iraqi and Afghanistan invasions, risking his life to protect ours,...

Destin Commons’ Jolly Jubilee Now through Dec. 24, FREE Join in on a joyous series of holiday happenings at Destin Commons starting Black Friday through Christmas Eve, with the spectacular 50′ Christmas tree and 12 large reindeer topiary shrubs, multiple Christmas trees, Christmas carolers and live performances from Jazz Abouts, 4...

By Joe and Lea Capers Every time a storm threatens our state, we are reminded of how many homeowners and business owners either do not carry flood insurance at all or have inadequate limits to cover their loss.  Almost everyone in a participating community of the National Flood Insurance Program...

By Matthew Vanderford, Insurance Claims 911 So, after being gone for the day, you finally pull in the driveway, walk into your house and find water on the floor coming from a small leak from the icemaker. You grab your phone, look up a local plumber and start to get...

From Jeremy Neel Question: My home sustained water damage recently and I experienced a very confusing and frustrating process. Can you lay out an idea of what should be done in case I experience this again? -Misty B. ANSWER: Thank you for your question. We would be happy to help, but...