Stan McDaniels does not describe himself as an activist. He describes himself as someone who got beaten up by a system he knew was wrong and decided to do something about it.

After hours of pointed arguments, emotional appeals and tense deliberation, the Santa Rosa County School Board voted April 22 to give district teachers a fully recurring 2% salary increase, ending months of failed negotiations and leaving union leaders relieved.

American Legion Post 78 in Milton is hosting the inaugural Young Patriots weekend this Saturday and Sunday, a two-day program aimed at bringing civics, community service, and patriotism education to middle and high school students across Santa Rosa County.

John Frankman didn’t plan on running for Congress. The former Army Special Forces Green Beret says he spent years after leaving the military fighting for service members punished under the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, writing op-eds, testifying on Capitol Hill and appearing on national media. What he saw in Washington convinced him that wasn’t enough.

The prolonged dry spell settling over the Florida Panhandle may feel unprecedented to residents, but a National Weather Service meteorologist said drought conditions like these are a well-documented feature of the region’s spring climate.

Researchers at Colorado State University are predicting a quieter-than-normal Atlantic hurricane season in 2026, citing an expected shift to El Niño conditions as the primary driver of the subdued outlook.

The Santa Rosa County School Board voted April 2 to table a proposed student ID card policy after members raised concerns about child safety, data security and the burden the cards could place on low-income families.

The policy would authorize the district to issue ID cards to students districtwide and require students to scan the cards when boarding a school bus, paying for lunch, checking out library books and logging into classroom computers.

The Santa Rosa County School District has devised a temporary, cost-neutral transportation plan to help families navigate the split grade-level transition to Soundside High School, Superintendent Karen Barber told the school board April 2.

Santa Rosa County broke ground April 8 on a new wastewater treatment plant at Milton Interchange Park, launching a $30.2 million infrastructure project officials say will unlock years of stalled economic growth in the East Milton area.

A new internal report by Northwest Florida State College obtained by the Crestview News Bulletin says the college improperly stored more than 170 pounds of live medications, including controlled substances such as morphine, fentanyl and a paralytic drug, in its School of Nursing building for an unknown period.