News Archive

Hurlburt Field, Fla. – “Is there a doctor on board?”

Sitting in his aisle seat toward the back of a commercial flight, Air Force Staff Sgt. William Flaspoehler saw the flight attendants scrambling for help.

Hurlburt Field – Active-duty personnel, local veterans and members of the public gathered Dec. 14, 2024, at Beal Memorial Cemetery in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, for the annual Wreaths Across America Placement Ceremony.

On Jan. 9 at the Santa Rosa County Legislative Delegation meeting, Rep. Alex Andrade and Sen. Don Gaetz discussed the funding of various projects. The state has worked with a surplus in its budget over the past few years, but now Florida is trending toward a deficit of more than $6 billion.

The public is invited to join Santa Rosa County for a ribbon cutting ceremony at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16, to celebrate the opening of the new pickleball courts at Lenny James Tolbert Memorial Park (formerly Holley Ball Park), 3124 Bob Tolbert Rd. in Navarre.

A fatal crash in the parking lot of a Destin hotel Jan. 10 led to the death of a 50-year-old Navarre man, per Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. According to the agency, the man was driving in the early morning hours of Jan. 10, when his Black Dodge Charger ran off the road, crashed down an embankment, and collided with several parked vehicles outside Hampton Inn & Suites in Destin.

As much of the state experiences significantly colder temperatures due to an arctic front, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is sharing reminders about what to do – and what not to do – when seeing certain wildlife that could be impacted by the colder weather.

Children and staff at Childcare Network on Oriole Beach Road had an eventful Friday afternoon when a small fire broke out inside the childcare facility. Reportedly, no one was injured.

On Friday, Jan. 10, at 1:23 p.m., Midway Fire District responded to a small fire at Childcare Network (1269 Oriole Beach Road), which began because of a short-circuiting exhaust fan in a bathroom.

The Holley Navarre Water System (HNWS) Board of Directors has been mulling over the utility’s 2025 budget for the past several months. A major impediment to the budget getting to the go-ahead has been a proposed 12% rate increase for all members.

Crews began replenishing sand within the first phase of Navarre Beach on Mon., Dec. 23 from near 7631 Gulf Blvd. to the west end of Navarre Beach. Due to mechanical issues, the west end of Phase 1 will be completed at a later date. Crews began working in Phase 2 of the project and have completed this portion, which is east of 7361 Gulf Blvd. to the Sundunes Condos, 7979 Gulf Blvd. Once the Glenn Edwards returns from port at the end of the week, crews will finish the remaining portion of Phase 1, west to the Gulf Islands National Seashore boundary.

A former Navarre High School substitute teacher will spend six years in prison for an inappropriate relationship with a student, which was initially disclosed in 2022.

John Kapolczynski, 48, was found guilty on several charges, including obscene communication, authority figure soliciting or engaging in a romantic relationship with a student, and a person of 24 years or older touching a victim 16 or 17 years of age.