The days of being able to quickly depart Navarre Beach during summer weekends have mostly come to an end.  Lengthy waits to get off Navarre Beach Bridge and onto U.S. Highway 98 are the new normal for the summer season, and many locals are frustrated over it, especially members of the south end committee of the Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Council (TDC).

Leigh Bowden was devastated by the disappearance of her adored Yorkie, Toot.  Like many devoted pet owners who find themselves in a such a tragic situation, she spent hours each day looking for her dog, frantically posting flyers, combing neighborhoods and sending requests for help on social media, gradually losing hope he would ever be located.  However, ultimately it was her continued effort, specifically the flyers, which reunited Toot with his family, which had grown by another Yorkie via adoption in his absence.

A local chapter of Ducks Unlimited, a nonprofit waterfowl conservation organization, works to spread awareness and raise money for the protection of natural habitats. The Okaloosa chapter of Ducks Unlimited has 12 members, including Chairman and Navarre resident Steve Adams.

Reading the variety of pesticides used on ordinary lettuce is like reading a chemical chart. According to pesticideinfo.org, there can be up to 50 different kinds of pesticides typically used on the leafy vegetable, which helps explain why it’s ranked No. 14 on Environmental Working Group’s list of produce with the most pesticides.