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By Lori Leath Smith Did you know? There are more than 55,000 active duty service members in the Northwest Florida region with more than 44,000 veterans in our area alone. Approximately 73% have deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan since the tragic events of 9-11. Roughly 41% have service-connected disabilities. Approximately every...

By Aether Van Dyke Nightmares are not always only in the realm of the unconscious. They are often manifested through abuse and addiction. It is overwhelmingly common for people to find themselves going from a bad situation to a worse situation when drugs and other abuses become involved. Those struggling...

By Chad Perko, CBA Ecology Technician As an Ecology Technician for Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance, one of my primary duties is to oversee our oyster shell recycling program. You may ask, “Why does an oyster shell need to be recycled and what does CBA do with it?” Well, it’s all about...

By Sula Skiles At age 20, I was given a modeling opportunity with a clothing line in another country. I was overwhelmed by the thought of this huge dream, that this could possibly be my big break in my new modeling career. It was too good to be true. They...

Safe. Smart. Step-By-Step. Plan Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Florida’s move into Phase 2 of his Safe. Smart. Step-By-Step. Plan for Florida’s Recovery with Executive Order 20-139. Phase 2 applies to all counties in Florida except Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties that began June 5. Restaurants, Bars, Pubs Restaurants may allow bar-top...

By Martha J. LaGuardia-Kotite, former Captain USCG Immense Pacific Ocean seas rolled ashore. The frigid salt water swept into the mouth of the Oregon cave at the foot of Cape Lookout with a roar so loud, the Coast Guard helicopter hovering above was quieted. For Aviation Survivalist Tristan Heaton, the rescue...

By Kay Phelan “When children are isolated, they can’t tell anyone until the end of the crisis, but it is still happening. Child abuse was an epidemic before the pandemic.” —Julie Porterfield, CEO ECCAC According to the non-profit information and networking resource that deals with all aspects of criminal justice, The Crime...

Publisher’s Note: Having been raised in a part of the country that doesn’t experience forest fires like the one which erupted in South Walton recently, I was at a complete loss to write anything meaningful other than the basic facts. And then I read a Facebook post from a...

Just in time for Memorial Day, vacation rentals in the Florida panhandle are allowed to book guests again. As of May 19th, officials have approved the Walton County plan to reopen short-term rentals effective immediately. View the Walton County Short Term-Rental Plan here. View the Okaloosa County Short Term-Rental Plan here. Walton, Okaloosa, Bay, Gulf,...

Psalm 91 begins with this message of hope: “He who dwells in the shelter of The Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” These words can infuse you with faith and give you the assurance you need in uncertain times. No insurance company, bank or government...