Stories by Wendy Victora Rudman

Photo of the Day

December 8, 2020

Kyle Adams shot this photo during the recent Blue Angels flyover on Navarre Beach.

Florida tourism recovery still at least year away

December 7, 2020

TALLAHASSEE — Effects of the coronavirus pandemic on state tourism decreased in October, but recovery for Florida’s vital revenue-generating industry is still at best a year away, according to an association study released Monday.

The Destinations Florida study indicated that businesses in October were having fewer problems finding supplies than in June. The research for Destinations Florida, an association of local tourism promotion organizations, also found a slight uptick in people planning Florida trips.

Photo of the Day

December 7, 2020

Thanks to Kevin Horn Sr. for today’s Photo of the Day!

Man accused of killing convenience store clerk extradited to Florida

December 7, 2020

A man who fled to Georgia after allegedly shooting a clerk at a Milton Tom Thumb store has been extradited to Santa Rosa County.

Hakeem D. Peterson was booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail Dec. 4.

American Legion holds annual turkey shoot

December 5, 2020

When some folks think of a turkey shoot, they think of shotguns and turkeys dropping in a flurry of feathers.

Last weekend’s 13th annual American Legion Post 382 Turkey Shoot was not like that. Think pellet guns, pictures of turkeys and heading home with a frozen bird for the Thanksgiving Day table.

Brown pelicans are one of the most photographed birds along Navarre Beach

December 4, 2020

If Navarre Beach had an official bird, brown pelicans would likely be in the running. They fly in a graceful V-formation over the beach, dive straight down in the water to catch fish, and pester fishermen on the pier for a free meal. They’re also frequently photographed, appearing almost to be posing for photos. But […]

Wise Words

December 4, 2020

About 10 years ago, my husband and I bought a beautiful lot in Holley by the Sea about two blocks from the water. It’s more than an acre, completely wild and unusable – at this point – for anything but animal habitat.

We like it that way.

2020 marked by weather extremes; snow unlikely

December 4, 2020

With overnight lows predicted to hover in the 40s this weekend, Northwest Florida residents might be feeling a bit chillier than usual. But those temperatures, which will rise into the 60s during the day, are more than 10 degrees warmer than they were in the beginning of the week. Pensacola recorded a low of 30 degrees on Dec. 1, according to Jack Cullen, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mobile.

Confederate holidays targeted by lawmaker

December 4, 2020

State Rep. Mike Grieco, D-Miami Beach, wants lawmakers to eliminate legal holidays honoring the birthdays of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and Confederate President Jefferson Davis, along with a Confederate Memorial Day.

Grieco on Thursday filed a bill (HB 6007) to remove the Lee, Davis and Confederate Memorial days from a list of legal holidays on the books in Florida. A similar effort in 2018 was approved by one Senate committee but did not pass the Legislature. It drew objections from people who argued the proposal would erase Southern history. Lee’s birthday, Jan. 19, and Confederate Memorial Day, April 26, have been legal holidays in Florida since 1895. Davis’ birthday, June 3, was added in 1905.

Photo of the Day

December 4, 2020

Lulu Jahn submitted this photo of Navarre Beach