By Michelle Ruschman
Foster parenting helps kids and enriches families. A common misunderstanding about fostering is that foster families are gatekeepers between children and biological parents. April Hight, the Foster Home Recruitment Specialist with FamiliesFirst Network for Okaloosa and Walton County, wants to clarify that a foster parent is more...
Congratulations to veteran-owned and operated Coastline K9 on its recent grand opening in Fort Walton Beach! With an elite team of prior military, Special Operations and Law Enforcement K9 handlers, Coastline K9 is a business that provides customized training for dogs and world-class protection dogs for family and other...
Local Sheryl Rohan has been selected to receive a $2,000 non-traditional scholarship from the Republican Women of Okaloosa Federated to apply to her major field of study at the college of her choice. She is pictured with RWOF members: Bottom row from left: RWOF President Deborah Stone; Sheryl Rohan-2022...
Okaloosa County has produced a limited supply of Okaloosa County Hurricane Guides. For convenience, the hurricane guides have been distributed to various pickup locations across the county. As hurricane season began June 1 and ends November 30, the county has also published an online version which will remain available...
From the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office
One of Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden’s top goals is enhancing communication to build even stronger relationships between the citizens of Okaloosa County and our Deputies. One way of accomplishing this is through promoting the concept of community policing and establishing Community Resource Deputies...
From Okaloosa County Superintendent Marcus Chambers
Statewide assessment scores were released recently for Florida’s public-school students in English Language Arts (ELA) Grades 4-10, Mathematics Grades 3-8, Science Grades 5 and 8, and End-of-Course exams in Algebra, Geometry, Biology, U.S. History and middle school Civics.
School and district grades were released by...
Do you have a library card? Use it this summer to check out a day pass to your favorite local Florida State Park. The Florida Department of State, Division of Library and Information Services, in conjunction with public libraries across Florida, has partnered with the Florida Department of Environmental...
By Michelle Ruschman
Cindy Smith has taught child abuse prevention in schools since the 1990s. This earlier work led her to become an advocate, author, speaker and founder of Living Hope for Today, whose mission is twofold: to teach our kids, even as young as age 3, how to deter...
By Lori Leath Smith
In April, local business F45 hosted a “Playoff” event to raise money for the 4th Annual Hope for the Hungry Emerald Coast packing event taking place August 6. No small feat, on this day, community volunteers are planning to pack 300,000 meals at the Emerald Coast...
By Michelle Ruschman
“Twenty-two veterans take their lives every day. We are just trying to reduce that 22 by giving them more purpose and giving them a distraction if nothing else.”
~ Jeff Powell
Our Hometown Hero Jeff Powell is the founder and President of Veterans 48, a 501c3 non-profit organization,...
