Santa Rosa Professional Educators (SRPE), the union representing teachers and other instructional staff in Santa Rosa County schools, has been at the negotiating table with Santa Rosa District Schools for the past five and a half months trying to agree to terms for a contract for the 2023-24 school year. The two sides have been through eight negotiation sessions with no end in sight. One of the most recent sessions was held Jan. 18.

If you think 50 years in any career field is a milestone, try 65.

That’s how long Bob Archer, who turns 91 in 2024, has been preaching the Lord’s Word. Archer has been pastor of Navarre Chapel, an independent Baptist congregation located next door to Navarre’s Walmart Supercenter.

The sound of rain couldn’t drown out the sound of Santa Rosa’s All County Band Saturday, Jan. 27.

In spite of the gloomy weather, parents, school district employees and the community packed Pace Assembly of God to hear both middle school and high school students perform a variety of tunes from classics such as the Wizard of Oz and Star Wars to more recent compositions such as Tarantella by Carol Brittin Chambers.

A bus bound for West Navarre Primary School Monday morning, Feb. 5, didn’t make it to its destination. Instead, the bus, filled with 24 kindergarteners, first graders and second graders were involved in a collision with another school bus, which had no children in it at the time. The crash left the buses and the children stuck on the side of Highway 98 for over half an hour. The incident occurred around 8 a.m. near the intersection of Highway 98 and Sunrise Drive in Navarre.

Throughout the first two months of 2024, Santa Rosa County staff, namely those who oversee the budget, have been attending various community meetings to discuss the budgetary process, what the county’s budget has looked like and, most importantly, what future plans for county spending might be.

The Santa Rosa County School Board reviewed school district policies for 2024 during their Jan. 16 meeting. The policies pertain to everything from internet safety to school volunteers to the administration of medication. Every policy change was approved.

With limited budgets and resources available to schools, volunteers play a crucial role in allowing teachers and other faculty to focus on providing students with a quality education. Each year, Santa Rosa District Schools names their volunteers of the year for the whole district.

Balancing funding for fire departments with residents who have to pay for it can sometimes be tricky.

On most days, firefighters are the ones helping others but on Jan. 20, firefighters with Navarre Beach Fire Rescue District (NBFRD) received a helping hand from a young man.