A week before children began flocking the halls of schools across Santa Rosa County, school administrators and Santa Rosa County District Schools personnel were hard at work getting ready for the 2025-26 school year.

From Aug. 4 through Aug. 8, school employees including teachers and front office staff returned to full time work at their respective school sites for a ‘planning week.’

Bishop Mark Williams spends most weekends preaching the Word of God at New Life Deliverance Temple Church (NLDTC) in Navarre.

Code Ninjas, an international afterschool learning center franchise, held an open house Saturday, Aug. 2, marking the first public event the organization has held since moving to their new location in Midway.

Dogs can be man’s best friend; they can also help save their lives.

Legacy K-9 Search Team, an all-volunteer 501c3 nonprofit based in Milton, has been helping locate missing persons for law enforcement and emergency response agencies since August 2022. The team, which currently consists of 11 people, was formed when the Pensacola branch of Klaas Kids dissolved.

The arrest of a Gulf Breeze man for child pornography possession has stirred up anger and calls for accountability in the Gulf Breeze community.

Matthew McChesney, 18, is charged with 20 counts of possession of child pornography and three counts of trading child porn. According to a warrant report for McChesney, he accessed, traded and saved child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from a Discord chatroom.

An animal shelter in Fort Walton Beach is on the verge of shutting down, according to their executive director. If shut down, it may lead to an influx of needy animals for Santa Rosa County Animal Services.

Santa Rosa County District Schools is seeking to increase its millage rate from 5.398 to 5.414 for the upcoming tax year. The increased millage rate will mean an increase in property taxes.

The move comes as the district proposes a decrease to its total budget size.

The Sandollar condominiums on Navarre Beach is no more.

The 40-year-old structure, located at 7885 Gulf Blvd., was demolished over a period of several days starting Wednesday, Aug. 6. The Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners approved the demolition of the beachfront condominium April 24.

School officially starts Aug. 11. While most Navarre High School students will be thinking of where their next class is, members of the Class of 2026 have spent the final days of summer break crafting custom parking spaces.

Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Air Force Base are continuing to address the toxic pres-ence of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on their respective properties, also known as “forever chemicals.” PFAS is found in a variety of products, from clothing to heat-resistant pans to adhesives. They are also present in certain kinds of firefighting foams commonly used by military fire-fighters.