Community

By Sherry Jones May is a month known for blooming flowers, warmer days and a pause to honor the women who nurture, guide and hold others up. But not all maternal care happens inside a family. Sometimes, it takes place behind the quiet walls of a shelter, where love shows...

By Christopher Manson It was the day before my birthday, and I was talking to my mother (Pauline Manson, nee Weekley) about the legendary movie star Charles Bronson. Mom expressed her dismay at the lack of Bronson movies being shown on broadcast television these days. Good son that I am, I...

Get Your Pirate on at the Billy Bowlegs Festival May 15-19 The 69th Annual Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival will take place in Fort Walton Beach from May 15 to May 19, 2025. Festivities begin Thursday evening with a Pre-Invasion meet-and-greet downtown. On Friday, May 16, the Landing hosts a Pirate...

Fort Walton Beach Welcomes New City Manager The City of Fort Walton Beach has named Jason Davis, currently Deputy County Administrator for St. Lucie County, as its new City Manager. Davis, who brings two decades of public service experience, will step into the role on June 2. He holds a...

By 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs In the heart of the Iranian desert, the sound of approaching helicopters broke the stillness, kicking up clouds of sand as they landed. U.S. Air Commandos and other military forces ventured into the unknown. Even through uncertainty, a sense of determination drove them to bring their...

By Dave Parisot, NWFMOA Scholarship Fund Eight JROTC cadets and one ROTC cadet from seven local schools were honored on May 1 with a total of $55,000 in prestigious scholarships from the Northwest Florida Military Officers Association (NWFMOA) via their Scholarship Fund. The scholarships were presented at NWFMOA’s annual scholarship luncheon...

Any person requesting access to Hurlburt Field, to include active duty sponsored guests, will now need to present a REAL ID. To determine if a driver's license is REAL ID compliant, look for a star in the upper right-hand corner of the ID. If a visitor does not have a REAL...

Hurlburt Field Memorial Air Park is entering a new phase of development aimed at enhancing the visitor experience and highlighting the legacy of Air Commandos. The air park is projected to undergo a series of upgrades— including relocating the aircraft in front of the chapel to the south portion of...

No Child Should Carry Their Life in a Trash Bag: Kay’s Carry-On Gives Foster Kids Hope on Wheels By Michelle Ruschman When children in foster care are forced to leave their homes because of dire circumstances or because they’ve aged out, they are provided with garbage bags to transport their personal...

By Wendy Rudman The Emerald Coast Fitness Foundation (ECFF), a nonprofit formed around a kitchen table 10 years ago, is celebrating hitting a key milestone. The foundation operates two facilities in Fort Walton Beach and an aquatic center in Destin – all of which are open to the public. Over the...