CRESTVIEW — Need something to do this weekend?

Check out these family-friendly events.>>

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 3 things to do this weekend in Crestview (PHOTOS)

SHALIMAR — Okaloosa County road closures and detours are scheduled to start the week of Aug. 8.

Detours or closures are as follows:

●CSX Railroad repairs, starting 6 a.m. Aug. 10 and ending Aug. 12: on the tracks beside US Highway 90 at Kelly Mill Road in Holt. Though lengthy, the detour option is to take Cooper Lane from US 90 to John Road west, back to Kelly Mill or Bryant Bridge.

●Lovejoy Road, Fort Walton Beach closure for stormwater pipe installation., Aug. 9-12: just west of Poplar Avenue. The detour will be clearly marked, but will utilize Anchors Street, which runs parallel to Lovejoy, to the south.

●Schneider Drive, Fort Walton Beach closure due to cross drain replacement, Aug. 8 to approximately Aug. 11: just east of Green Acres Boulevard. Access will be available up to each side of the closure, but no through traffic will be permitted. The detour is from Willow Bend to Landview Drive, to Green Acres Boulevard.

●South Avenue, Fort Walton Beach closure for drainage repairs started Aug. 1: The closure will continue for seven weeks. A detour is set up for Woodham Avenue to Davenport Road, to Taylor Street, and back to South Avenue. Residents will be allowed access to and from their homes, but no through traffic will be permitted. This is a heavy traffic area, so please plan for delays.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Road closures, detours to impact Holt, Fort Walton Beach

MILTON — A Milton firefighter caught more fish than expected on his wife’s 30^th birthday.

That is, the couple encountered an unexpectedly large fish while aboard a Chew on This charter boat with Capt. Ben Chancey in Cape Coral, Fla.

Stephen Rampersad reeled in the 400-pound grouper after four hours of fishing, according to GrindTV.

He used the boat’s biggest fishing rod and baits to land the goliath fish, which pulled him overboard and cost him some expensive sunglasses, according to the site.

The whole time, he held onto the rod, not giving up on his pursuit for the trip’s largest grouper.

The couple took photos with the fish before releasing the fish back into the water.

Rampersad’s wife, Christen, recorded the experience on video, and the couple shared these photos of the event with the Press Gazette.  

See more of this story>>

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Milton man catches monster grouper (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

CRESTVIEW — "Social Security: Your Questions Answered" is the topic of a free presentation by Yvonne Shanklin of Edward Jones.

The event is set for 6 p.m. Aug. 8 at Hideaway Pizza in downtown Crestview.

As the main foundation of U.S. retirement income, it's important to understand options and the effect decisions have on retirement beforehand, organizers said in a media release.

Dan Cronin, regional vice president of Transamerica, will be available to answer any questions.

Attendees may bring a guest, but reservations are required. Call Marcia at 682-2497 by noon, Aug. 8 to RSVP.

Dinner will be served.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview presentation on Social Security set

CRESTVIEW — The Okaloosa County Department of Public Safety’s EMS Division has received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold Award.

Okaloosa EMS earned the honor for implementing quality improvement measures to treat patients with severe heart attacks. 

Every year, more than 250,000 people experience a STEMI, or ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction, a heart attack caused by a complete blockage of blood flow to the heart; it requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it’s critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by surgically opening a blocked vessel or by giving clot-busting medication.

Mission: Lifeline seeks to save lives by closing gaps that separate STEMI patients from timely access to appropriate treatments. Its EMS recognition program recognizes emergency responders for their efforts in improving STEMI systems of care and improving patients’ quality of life.

Agencies that receive the Mission: Lifeline Gold award have demonstrated at least 75 percent compliance for each required achievement measure for two years and treated at least eight STEMI patients per year.

“EMTs and paramedics play a vital part in the system of care for those who have heart attacks,” said Nancy Brown, the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association’s chief executive officer. Since they often are the first medical point of contact, they can shave precious minutes of life-saving treatment time by activating the emergency response system that alerts hospitals.

“We applaud Okaloosa County Department of Public Safety-EMS Division for achieving this award that shows it meets evidence-based guidelines in the treatment of people who have severe heart attacks.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa EMS receives American Heart Association award

HUNTSVILLE — A Crestview resident recently attended Robotics Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center’s Official Visitor Center.

The weeklong educational program promotes science, technology, engineering and math, while training students and adults with hands-on activities and missions based on teamwork, leadership and decision-making.

Aidan Bush was part of the Robotics Camp program, which is designed for trainees interested in engineering. The camp shows trainees how engineers develop solutions for real-world problems using real-world technologies.

Trainees at all age levels used robotics systems to compete in air, sea and land activities and missions.

Using the Office of Naval Research’s SeaPerch undersea robotics, Aidan and other trainees tested payloads on an unmanned aerial vehicle, all while strengthening teamwork and leadership skills.

At the end of their missions, the teams arrived in time to graduate with honors.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview resident graduates from robotics camp

CRESTVIEW — Ghosts of the city’s past will lurk on Main Street Oct. 14, but not to fear. They’re benevolent ghosts, portrayed by local actors.

Planners from the Crestview Centennial Committee are finalizing plans for “The Spirits of Crestview” ghost walk, the first of several centennial-themed events planned for October.

Committee secretary Rae Schwartz and publicist Viola Owens met View From the Stage producer and director Berit Faust in Casbah Coffee Co. July 28 to iron out details for what will be an approximately 90-minute theatrical experience.

But unlike most stage productions, during “The Spirits of Crestview,” the audience will move from scene to scene rather than sitting sedentary.

CHARACTERS FROM HISTORY

Beginning at the Fox Theatre, participants will stroll in groups down Main Street, encountering along the way characters from Crestview’s past as interpreted by actors from Faust’s troupe.

Among the city’s historic luminaries participants will meet are:

●Purl Adams, a 1920s mayor who was instrumental in bringing power, municipal water, paved streets and the Alatex sewing factory to the town

●Corrine Cox, beloved piano teacher who was legendary for crocheted potholders—including some in the White House’s collection—during her students’ lessons

●Evelyn Kelley, a leader in the black community praised by U.S. Rep. Bob Sikes for projects including an annual seniors picnic and “helping hands” committee

●Hamner “Doc” Powell, Crestview’s first citizen and builder of its first home and first hotel

●Romulus Thompson, 1938 founder of the Okaloosa School Band, the predecessor of today’s Crestview High School Band

●Mable Edge, whose cheery “what fer ya?” greeted patrons at Coney Island Hotdogs for years

●Lance Richbourg, a former professional baseball player who got elected to superintendent of schools and turned around a district in shambles, and

●Bertha Henry, who founded the Crestview Public Library in the Pine Street home she shared with her blind mother, Miss Lucy.

 Audiences will meet about 12 to 14 characters in all before the walk culminates at the Hub City Smokehouse. Tickets will be $5 a person and are expected to go on sale within the next few weeks, Schwartz said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview centennial 'ghost walk' planned

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is looking to hunters to help monitor the state’s deer herd this coming season for chronic wasting disease, or CWD as it’s more commonly called. And any Florida hunter planning to hunt deer, moose or elk out of state this year needs to be aware of certain laws and regulations aimed at preventing CWD from entering our state.

CWD belongs to a group of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Scientists still have much to learn about CWD, which appears to occur only in the deer family, but is believed to be caused by an abnormal protein called a prion.

Fatal CWD attacks the brains of infected cervids (mule deer, white-tailed deer, moose and elk), causing them to become emaciated, display abnormal behavior and lose control of bodily functions.

Warning signs of CWD hunters can look out for while in the field include deer that are extremely thin or appear sick, or those exhibiting odd behavior such as excessive salivating or urinating, staggering, walking in circles, standing with a wide stance, head tremors, or deer found dead from unknown causes. If you see a deer that fits this description, call 866-CWD-WATCH (293-9282).

Transmission of CWD occurs by direct contact with bodily fluids (feces, urine or saliva) or through contact with a contaminated environment. In this second scenario, the prion stays in the environment, and may remain infectious for years.

The good news is, there’s no evidence that CWD can be transmitted to humans or livestock, and it’s not yet been found in Florida or any other southeastern state. But it’s going to take the help of all hunters and the FWC to keep it that way.

Currently the only practical method for diagnosing CWD is through analysis of brain-stem tissue or lymph nodes from dead deer. Therefore Florida’s more than 200,000 hunters can play an extremely important role in CWD surveillance by providing samples from harvested deer for testing.

How to help

The FWC is collecting these samples throughout Florida, and asks that private landowners and hunting clubs participate in this surveillance effort. Since 2002, the FWC has tested nearly 9,000 hunter-killed, road-killed and sick or diseased deer for CWD.

To assist, call the toll-free CWD Hotline at 866-CWD-WATCH (293-9282) for further information and to coordinate collection and pick-up of deer samples.

 To date, CWD has been found in mule deer, white-tailed deer, moose and elk in Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

It also has been detected in Canada (Saskatchewan and Alberta), Norway and in South Korea.

Deer import laws

The primary objective of CWD management is to prevent it from entering Florid, so laws now regulate the transport of harvested deer into Florida.

What is legal to bring back when hunting out of state

It’s illegal for hunters to bring into Florida whole carcasses of any harvested cervid from any of the affected states or countries.

From these areas, hunters can bring back only deboned meat and finished taxidermy mounts, hides, skulls, antlers and teeth, as long as all soft tissue has been removed. Citizens are encouraged to report illegal importation from affected areas by calling the toll-free FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline, 888-404-FWCC (3922).

Effective management

Should a CWD outbreak occur in Florida, the keys to effective management will be detecting it early and taking swift action to limit its spread. The FWC has a CWD action team in place made up of veterinarians, biologists, law enforcement officers and media members. They are ready to respond, along with other government agencies such as the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This season, if you come across or harvest a deer that appears sick or emaciated, or one that has died from unknown causes, don’t handle it. Instead, contact the FWC, 24/7 on its toll-free hotline at 866-CWD-WATCH (293-9282).

It’s important to call as soon as possible so the carcass can be collected and tested while it is still fresh.

We all can help keep CWD out of Florida’s deer herd by staying well-informed, taking precautions and acting quickly when necessary.

For more information, go to MyFWC.com/CWD.

Tony Young is a columnist with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: YOUNG: Florida hunters may help monitor deer for disease

CRESTVIEW, MILTON — Pokemon Go users should be on the look-out for an email that tries to fool them into paying to play.

Scammers are sending emails that read: "due to the overwhelming response to our new Pokemon Go app and the need for more powerful servers we can no longer afford to keep your account as free. The developers are now charging $12.99 a month, and your account will be frozen if you don't upgrade."

The email urges players to click a link, log in to the app store and purchase the "full version." The log-in form that shows up isn't run by an official app store or Ninatic Labs, the game's developers. It's on a third-party site, and it is a way to steal users' passwords.

Here's how to spot potential phishing scams.

●Beware of unexpected emails with links or attachments. Do not click on links or open files in unfamiliar emails.

●Check the reply email address. One easy way to spot an email scam is to look at the reply email. The address should be on a company domain, such as jsmith@company.com.

●Don't believe what you see. Just because an email looks real, doesn't mean it is. Scammers can fake anything, whether it’s a company logo or the "Sent" email address.

●Consider how the organization normally contacts you. If an organization normally reaches you by mail, be suspicious if you suddenly start receiving emails or text messages without opting in to the new communications.

●Be cautious of generic emails. Scammers try to cast a wide net by including little or no specific information in their fake emails. Be especially wary of messages you have not subscribed to or companies you have never done business with in the past. 

For more information:

To find out more about other scams, check out BBB Scam Stopper (bbb.org/scam). To report a scam, go to BBB Scam Tracker (bbb.org/scamtracker).

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Pokemon GO players fall for phishing con