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Author: Hansen Hasenberg

Artists, locals gather in Holley for pottery festival

For the past 18 years, people from Santa Rosa County and beyond have gathered at the Gulf Coast Kiln Walk Society’s Woodstoke Festival for fun, food and friends, but mostly for pottery. On Saturday, Feb. 18, they came back to celebrate the latest kiln firing, look at the pottery and, in some cases, buy it. Woodstoke Festival, named as an homage to Woodstock, brings together potters and ceramics artists from across the region with the chance to use some of the high-quality kilns at Holley Hill Pottery (7507 Buckeye Drive in Holley).

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Beach nourishment held up by Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, FEMA surveys

Once every 10 years or so, Navarre Beach goes through beach nourishment, a process in which sand, lost through erosion, is replaced through other sources. This can help widen the beach, making it more resistant to the effects of erosion and storms. The last time Navarre Beach went through this process was 2016 and it was due to happen again in 2026. That was until Hurricane Sally’s impact bumped up the timetable. Now, nearly three years after Sally hit the Gulf Coast, the beach has still not been restored.

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Love (jail)birds: Pace man, woman arrested after hiring someone to kill husband

The old ball and chain has been given a new meaning. On Tuesday, Feb. 14, Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson spoke at a news conference about a murder for hire case involving a man and a woman from Pace. “I think this is my first Valentine’s Day press conference,” Johnson said. “That’s kind of appropriate because we’re going to tell you about a love story.”

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Take Stock In Children helping students throughout Santa Rosa

There are many educational opportunities available to students in Santa Rosa County. Take Stock In Children is one such opportunity. Started in 1995, Take Stock In Children is a multiyear, statewide nonprofit scholarship program in which students are paired with mentors to help them build academic success toward college. It began as a way to combat public school dropout rates.

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FWC grant to fund more artificial reef construction in Santa Rosa County

The waters off Santa Rosa County could see more artificial reefs in the coming years thanks to a new $1.3 million grant. As of 2021, the last time reefs were deployed, there are 557 reef modules in the gulf off Santa Rosa County. During a Jan. 23 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners approved the $1.3 million grant, which comes from Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC). It was initially awarded during the 2021-2022 fiscal year.

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New vacation cottages expected to open this spring

If you have driven on Granada or Carlos streets in Navarre at any point in the past month, you may have noticed work being done on the lot across from the Childcare Network. There are approximately nine new cottages going in as part of a rental project called Sum Beach Rentals. Before these cottages, which are not finished, the lot was home to a trailer park that had become dilapidated. The project to create Sum Beach Rentals began when Jeff Perrett, an entrepreneur and developer, bought the property July 15, 2022.

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