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Chamber Life: Stories from the life and times of Fort Walton Beach Chamber members… By Kelly Murphy-Redd Toasting fallen comrades is a military tradition going back thousands of years to the Vikings, Roman Legions and King Arthur’s Roundtable. At the Doolittle Raider’s annual reunion in 1959, the city of Tucson, Arizona, presented...

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 Doug Stauffer Two prestigious organizations revealed their 2023 award winners, both of whom attend Choctawhatchee High School. The Taylor Haugen Foundation awarded Chi Anchors Medina the highly sought-after Taylor Haugen Trophy. The All Sports Association awarded Blake Garland the Male Athlete of the Year. These awards are the first...

From the Publisher: “I’m here with Karen Scholz, the person who’s brought The Touchless Cover to the Emerald Coast area. Karen, let’s begin with an introduction of you, and why you felt it made sense to bring The Touchless Cover here.” Karen: I own a marine custom canvas and upholstery...

By Julie A. Martin, Licensed Agent FL It’s the middle of summer, and you just heard on the radio that a Category 4 storm is about to hit in your area. What should you do to prepare? Stocking up on non-perishable food and bottled water is a given and also batteries. Those...

By Rev. Guery Clendenning There is a prophecy in the Old Testament of the Bible concerning the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.It is found in Isaiah 52: 13-15 in the New Living Translation: “See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. But many were amazed when they...

By Kay Phelan It’s back to school and the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center’s (ECCAC) prevention team is ready. They have had their Child & Teen Safety Matters prevention programs in place for the past several years. Each year, ECCAC’s staff educates and empowers Okaloosa and Walton students with information...

By Carolyn Newcomer Ketchel, Okaloosa County Commissioner, District 2 Many of us patriotic individuals refer to the military aircraft that fly over our area daily as “The Sound of Freedom.” However, there is a new movie called the Sound of Freedom in theatres as this goes to press. It is...

By Pastor Doug Stauffer In the tapestry of American public servants, few threads are as colorful and resilient as that of General Judge Representative (GJR) Patt Maney. From military battlegrounds to the judicial bench and into the halls of the Florida State House, Patt Maney’s life epitomizes leadership, patriotism and an unyielding...

By Carolyn Newcomer Ketchel Our Founding Fathers gave us a form of government that has withstood wars, financial crises, weak presidents and difficulties with the legislative and judicial branches. We have just witnessed our constitutional process in action. The power of the citizen’s vote. Our Democracy in a Republic has...