News Archive

Effective May 1, 2016, new changes to Social Security could affect 21.3 million Americans who will no longer be eligible to collect an estimated $11.4 billion in crucial benefits.   If you are currently enrolled in Social Security, or are about to become eligible, this may affect you.  Appointments at Social Security offices will need to be made no later than April 29, 2016, if you are implementing any of the two below programs which will end May 1.

The Western Gate Chapter of the Florida Trail Association has several events planned for the month of April.  All activities are free, except as noted, but donations from non-members are welcome and will be solicited. More information on the events can be found at www.westerngate-fta.org.

Ball pythons have quickly become the snake of choice among beginner snake owners and experienced breeders.  In an article addressing the history of ball python morphs, Reptile Magazine accurately described ball pythons saying, “At the beginning of the 1990s, the ball python was a snake that everyone in town danced with, but no one wanted to take to the prom.” Today, ball pythons have become one of the most popular snakes in the herp world. 

The health of bald eagles in the state of Florida has improved significantly in 40-plus years. Nests are being observed throughout Florida this year, including in Santa Rosa County.

The word “team” perfectly describes the essence of retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Frank Dailey II’s being. 

Zika virus, a viral relative of yellow fever, West Nile and dengue fever, was first classified in 1947 within rhesus monkeys in Uganda. Named after the forest in which it was first discovered, in 1952, this virus was first observed in humans.  According to a 2015 article in the Journal of Emerging Infectious Diseases by researchers from the University of Bahia (Brazil), outbreaks of Zika are not a new scenario for many parts of the world. In fact, over the course of 2007-2014, multiple outbreaks were known to have occurred in countries across the Asian-Pacific and Western Hemisphere. In February of 2016 however, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international public health emergency. According to a statement by the WHO, Zika is spreading “explosively.” In the same statement, the WHO expressed that the level of concern over this public health emergency is “extremely high.” Since 2007, a total of 61 countries have reported transmission of the virus. During the next 12 months, the World Health Organization estimates that millions more cases will arise within the Americas.

With all the hype surrounding the possibility of an unconventional convention taking place for Republicans this election cycle, understanding what a “brokered” or “contested” convention is becomes important. Also important is an understanding of how a national political convention works and just how volatile a process it is.

A two-year joint narcotics operation dubbed “Operation Cagney & Lazer” in south Okaloosa County has nabbed at least 17 individuals and additional arrests are pending.  One of the 17 arrested was a Navarre man, 54-year-old Eugene Klamer of Paloma Street.  He has been charged with conspiracy to possess a controlled substance (cocaine) and illegal use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.

The shortage of land available to expand recreational facilities in Santa Rosa County is prompting commissioners to ask the Navy to let it use part of a vacant 300-acre parcel in a section of Whiting Field.

On the eve of Good Friday, nearly seven weeks after he went missing, Senior Airman Keifer Huhman’s body has been recovered along the banks of the C&D Canal.  While questions continue to surround his death, his family is thankful to have his body put to rest.