With early voting starting Oct. 19, citizens are beginning to look at who they will want to vote for.

One option for voters in State House District 2 is Johnny Austin Thompson.

Pirates on the Panhandle, a social group that organizes fundraisers for local charities and nonprofits, recently set their sights on Soundside High School’s exceptional student education (ESE) student-athletes.

Wednesday, Oct. 7, members of the social group were joined by Soundside High faculty and students for a check presentation. The check, worth $7,500, was presented to the school to support the school’s unified sports program and its Special Olympics activities.

The Santa Rosa County Library System will resume operations at select locations on Monday, October 19, following temporary closures caused by the recent hurricane.

As Hurricane Isaias made landfall in Northwest Florida, it brought dangerous winds and storm surge. After the storm passed, dangers were still present with downed power lines and trees.

Even the lack of electricity in homes presented dangers. Carbon monoxide buildup due to generator misuse led to hospitalizations and the death of at least one person in Escambia County.

Following the Oct. 9 landfall of Hurricane Isaias, SpringHill Suites on Navarre Beach closed for renovations, mostly to repair damage to part of the hotel’s roof and Beach House Social, the restaurant attached to the hotel.

On Tuesday, Oct. 13, the hotel announced it was back open for business.

Dozens of vehicles lined the roadways around Destiny Worship Center in Navarre Sunday, Oct. 11, to get a hot meal. In the subsequent days, more vehicles made their way to Destiny Worship Center for a hot meal, pack of water, ice and even prayer.

In all, over 4,000 people made their way to the church during the multiday, drive-thru event.

Early voting for the 2026 general election in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties will begin Monday, Oct. 19, as scheduled.

According to Tappie Villane, the supervisor of elections for Santa Rosa County, and Paul Lux, the supervisor of elections for Okaloosa County, Hurricane Isaias didn’t significantly impact their offices and there have been no major delays in getting things ready for early voting.

Following Hurricane Isaias, the majority of people were left without power throughout Northwest Florida. Navarre was no exception.

To restore electric power, linemen with Florida Power & Light, as well as contractors from across the nation, descended upon Navarre.

Navarre Beach Fishing Pier, which sticks out a mile into the Gulf of America, was the first thing in Santa Rosa County to feel the effects of Hurricane Isaias.

Due to the storm’s winds of more than 100 mph and storm surge, the pier was damaged.

Hurricane Isaias made landfall along the Emerald Coast Friday as Category 2 storm.

With the hurricane came strong winds and lots of damage. Here are some pictures from the day after the storm.