Ted Lockwood was excited about being interviewed, so that’s probably why he didn’t waste time or mince words, and hit the ground running when I asked where he was born and raised.
Navarre and the surrounding area make for a beautiful place to run and exercise outdoors. Dozens of races mark the calendar throughout the year, including the McGuire’s 5K that had more than 9,000 runners this year. Local races like the Sunset Stampede and Flag Day 5k at St. Sylvester mark the end of the spring racing season as temperatures and humidity begin to climb.
What do you get when you merge water and technology? A five-day STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) camp called Sea3PO hosted at the Navarre Beach Marine Science Station. Campers learned to take water samples, conducted research with microscopes and built and drove remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).
Navarre Beach firefighters and lifeguards conducted a joint training earlier this year in an effort to better coordinate their responses to water rescues. The training was taken to new heights July 15 and 16 as a helicopter from Lifeguard Ambulance Service and personnel from Santa Rosa County Emergency Management joined in the training exercise. The groups worked on four different scenarios including a swimmer in distress, unconscious person, animal bite and a heart attack.
Gulf Breeze Police Chief Robert Randle admitted July 21 that he jinxed himself when he told a local reporter July 4 than not much happens in the city during the holiday. But July 4, 2014, was different. Randle said that due to the efforts of a local citizen and three police officers, a man wanted in connection to a murder in Alabama was apprehended and taken off the streets.
A costly project to repair a broken waterline under East Bay is expected to be complete in early August, according to Holley-Navarre Water System General Manager Ken Walker. The announcement of the pending repair should be welcome news for some local water customers who have recently expressed concern about the way their water smells and tastes.
Back in 2012, not much was expected of the Lady Raiders’ softball team. The team had been decimated by graduation including four scholarship players. Coach Scott Murphy was forced to start three freshmen and the team surprised everyone, finishing the regular season second in the district.
A juvenile loggerhead sea turtle returned to the Gulf of Mexico July 9 after several months of rehabilitation at the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park in Fort Walton Beach. The turtle, named Captain Hook by Gulfarium staff members, was released 60 miles from Pensacola by a team of researchers from the University of Florida.
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel met with pilots at Eglin Air Force Base before speaking to troops inside a hangar there July 10. Hagel said he was confident in the F-35 aircraft, which is currently grounded and under investigation after one of the aircraft caught fire on the runway June 23.
Reverend Pete Belmain was all smiles as he welcomed 20 children into Bible B.O.O.T. camp at Midway Baptist Church July 10. The children checked in before heading to stations where they had an id photo taken, got physicals, had “gun range” training with BB guns before running through a timed obstacle course.