East Bay K-8 is one of 14 schools in Santa Rosa County to be recognized as a PBIS Model School for the 2024-25 school year. This is the first year the school has been named a model school. It has had a PBIS program for four years.

The smell of Thai food cooking. The sight of a martial arts demonstration. The sound of Thai music over a loudspeaker.

These are some of the experiences that greet visitors at Wat Florida Buddharam. On Sunday, April 12, the Buddhist temple hosted a celebration of Songkran, the Thai New Year.

Community Life Church will hold a special event for people living with disabilities in Northwest Florida.

On May 8, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., the church will host the “Chosen & Cherished Ball.”

The Navarre Park splash pad is expected to open May 1.

Navarre Community Access Road is heralded as a solution to Highway 98 congestion issues through Navarre.

The 16-mile, two-lane Community Access Road, which has already undergone a Project Development and Environmental (PD&E) Study, is slated to be a combination of expanded residential roadways and new roads going east and west from Edgewood Drive to Panhandle Trail. Other alternate plans would have it extend to Fox Den Drive or Whispering Pines Boulevard.

Student Led Academic Teams (SLAT) have become a major focus of Santa Rosa County District Schools in recent years. This teaching technique gives students an opportunity to show and develop leadership skills, while allowing teachers to take a step back and focus on student needs for subjects.

Recently, a teacher at Oriole Beach Elementary School was given an honor only one other teacher in the U.S. can claim for her implementation of SLAT.

A couple of dogs on Quail Roost Drive are causing concern, neighbors said.

In late February, a group of dogs allegedly charged at Leila Flack in what her husband, Brandon Ryan, described as an “attack.” On April 6, one of the dogs reportedly bit Chris Hempel, who lives on El Dorado Court.

Highway 98 has long dealt with traffic issues, especially through south Santa Rosa County. Several proposals have been made on how to fix the roadway, including installing a flyover with roundabouts below it, creating a connector roadway to relieve congestion and widening the road to six lanes.

The proposals have largely sat on the drawing board, either waiting for further planning or funding.

Tim Kinsella’s call sign in the U.S. Navy was “Lucky.” It fits.

Not just because he grew up in Ireland and speaks with a characteristic Irish accent, but also because of his journey from the son of immigrants to a leader in the military and the community. Kinsella is the former commanding officer at NAS Pensacola. He served 33 years in the U.S. Navy, where he spent time on submarines, attended the U.S. Naval Academy and later became a helicopter pilot.

Firefighters from across the Southeast descended upon Pensacola Beach this past weekend for the Pensacola Beach Firefighters Challenge. The event is held annually and features individual competitions, team relay events and an opportunity for kids to get in on the action.