News Archive

ATMORE, Ala. (AP) — The National Weather Service says winds blowing as strong as 110 mph are responsible for storm damage in the southwestern Alabama town of Atmore.

A driver of a semitrailer backed into a transformer behind Wal-Mart in Navarre March 12, causing a fire that damaged the store’s main power supply for more than a day.

For three weeks Santa Rosa County Commission Chairman Jim Melvin heard citizens protesting county plans to spend $3.75 million on a site for the proposed courthouse. Opposition was so strong that Melvin felt it doomed the entire project, which depends on voters passing a temporary sales tax increase. Therefore, he added site selection back to board’s agenda March 13.

TripAdvisor® announced March 18 its Travelers’ Choice™ awards for Beaches and Navarre Beach was named the #25 beach in the U.S. Florida and Hawaii tied for having the most beaches in the top 25.

Navarre area business owner Karen Aloy filed papers March 14 to enter the race for Santa Rosa County Commission District 4, a seat currently held by Commissioner Jim Melvin.

A second request for the county commission to allocate $7,500 to survey Navarre residents by phone about a future community center failed again due to lack of support. Now an advisory committee will revisit conducting another online survey.

What a difference two weeks make. Nearly twice as many people attended the March 12 Citizens to Incorporate Navarre meeting as the one held Feb. 26. Additionally, the most recent meeting included lively discussion about the benefits of incorporation and the timing of the current effort.

K-9 handlers Scott Walker and Robby Hermans have started a new club in Gulf Breeze for people interested in training their dogs for personal protection.

Gainesville, Fla. (UF Health Newsnet) — University of Florida veterinarians have reported a recent spike in cases of leptospirosis in dogs treated at UF’s Small Animal Hospital. This emerging bacterial disease affects multiple animal species as well as humans.

The Fort Pickens area of Gulf Islands National Seashore can be explored many ways, but Park Ranger Mike Aymond said biking is the best. “It’s quiet, so it allows you to sneak up on things,” he told a group of about 35 cyclists March 8 who had gathered for the park service’s “Peddling at Pickens” program.