The sound of children hollering and music blaring filled the Navarre United Methodist Church sanctuary June 25 as the church held its third day of Vacation Bible School.

This year’s VBS featured approximately 260 children, ranging from prekindergarten to fifth grade. The theme of this year’s VBS was “Live it Out,” a mantra designed alongside daily curriculum, to teach children how to live out their faith and be more like Jesus.

Although school’s out for summer break, local educator Angie Taylor is still being celebrated for her accomplishments in the classroom and community.

An Exceptional Student Education (ESE) teacher at Navarre High School for the past 23 years, Taylor was recently recognized as “Educator of the Year” by the Arc Gateway, an organization providing academic, social skills and workforce training for people with special needs.

Shane Reynolds, better known by his professional moniker, “Shane O,” has spent the past 25 years documenting the world through the lens of a video camera.

He has videotaped whale sharks up close, surfed waves in The Maldives and El Salvador, hiked through the jungles of Guyana, explored ancient relics in Egypt and stood mere feet from grizzlies in Alaska. To date, he has filmed in over 30 countries.

The Holley-Navarre Fire District has seen an uptick in calls related to gas main leaks in the past couple of months, outside of the typical calls for medical emergencies or structure fires.

According to HNFD Fire Chief Kevin Lewis, within the last six months there have been six calls for gas leaks. Lewis says he knows the reason why.

Late last month, Dr. Natalie Dyson of St. Francis Veterinary Center got a call late in the afternoon asking if she could open the clinic after hours for a patient in desperate of need of help.

She didn’t hesitate to say yes.

It wasn’t that long ago that local Navarre resident Juliet Martinez was going to college to become an Emergency Medical Technician. One at-risk pregnancy later, she decided to pursue a different path: making jewelry.

A bill recently signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis will require teenagers earning their learner’s permit to complete a six-hour driver’s safety course, in addition to a driving rules knowledge test.

The current safety course, known as Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education, is four hours in length.

St. Paul United Methodist Church has entered its golden years.

In July, the church will celebrate the 70th anniversary of its founding. The church began in 1955 with a single building as its sanctuary. That building still stands but now serves as the church’s fellowship hall.

When the Holley-Navarre Fire District doesn’t have its hands full with calls, some of its firefighters can be found helping a new generation find its footing in the fire service.

Through its monthly cadet program, teens interested in firefighting come together once a month to train, familiarize themselves with equipment and learn more about what it takes to be a firefighter.

As a strong line of severe weather made its way through the Navarre area Monday evening, June 23, emergency crews from across south Santa Rosa County had their hands full. At approximately 6:30 p.m., there were at least five calls for service answered by first responders, namely Holley Navarre-Fire District and Navarre Beach Fire Rescue District. Midway Fire District also ran a call in HNFD’s district at the time.