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By Michelle Ruschman On September 9th, 2022, Niceville High School’s marching band, Eagle Pride, cheered as Director of Bands, Dan Wooten, announced they were invited to perform in Pasadena’s 2024 Rose Bowl Parade. Now, over a year later, all their hard work will finally culminate in a trip to California...

By Doug Stauffer Imagine a world where every night brings the uncertainty of finding a safe place to sleep, where danger can be right around any corner, and feelings of fear, demoralization and alienation are constant companions. This isn’t a hypothetical scenario for many; it’s the everyday reality for those...

By Lori Leath Smith Anyone can be a Holiday Hero when they help those in need in our community. As always during the holiday season, there is an ongoing need for giving or volunteering. Many children don’t have enough food to eat over a weekend, much less over Thanksgiving or...

By Ellen Fannon Her motto is, “Just one more child.” This is what the shoebox lady, Elaine Lauderdale, has on her mind when she encourages everyone to participate in Operation Christmas Child at Rosemont Baptist Church in Niceville. Rosemont, a small church with an average attendance of approximately 50 people, has...

By Kenneth Books Recovery from addiction is hard. Resources are limited and the lure of drugs and alcohol can be overwhelming. But there is a resource in our area that helps women break the cycle of addiction, get and stay sober and create a normal, fulfilling life for those who...

Welcome the Holidays Through Times Past By Margaret Zonia Morrison Walton County will celebrate its bicentennial in 2024. Commemorations like this call to mind history and tradition. Both the stately Wesley House, located at Eden Gardens State Park in Walton County, and the Christmas celebration that has become a welcome herald of the holiday...

By Will Estell If you’re a fan of the arts—whether visually, musically or through their power of healing, and if you live anywhere in Okaloosa, Walton or Bay Counties, then you’re likely already familiar with Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation (MKAF)—the outreach and events this organization has been bringing to Northwest...

By Barbara Palmgren, Bay Life Reporter and Author, “Saving A Golf Course” I’ve come to realize that sometimes in life we are fortunate to have opportunities to step up in times of adversity, to be one more person to say, “Let’s roll. Let’s do...

By Kenneth Books The average human body contains about 60 percent water. And we die after about three days without ingesting liquids. Yet, most of us take water, the most crucial element in the world, for granted. The...

Resilience and Courage Define One Hopeful Place’s Sherry Jones By Doug Stauffer This story began four decades ago and details the extraordinary journey of a local girl who, at the tender age of 18 and fresh out of high school, found herself...