A Planning Commission meeting originally scheduled for Thursday evening, is slated for Thursday, April 9, at the Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners chambers in Shalimar. One item on the agenda has drawn the attention of several residents who plan to speak against issuing a development order for Buttonbush Meadows, a 22-lot community planned for the Galliver Cutoff area.

Longwood Elementary in Shalimar, at the southern end of Okaloosa County, celebrated major renovations during the summer of 2023. The improvements, funded by the half-cent sales tax, included converting open-concept “pod” classrooms into enclosed classrooms, along with new flooring, furniture, roofing and technology. Mary Esther Elementary also underwent upgrades through the district’s capital improvement program.

Temperatures may be sitting in the upper 60s along the Florida Panhandle today (Jan. 23, 2026), but the National Weather Service in Mobile has issued an Extreme Cold Watch for Alabama, Mississippi and Northwest Florida.

After the cancellation of the 2025 Old Spanish Trail Rodeo in Baker, some very dedicated people stepped forward to bring the rodeo to the community and host the first annual Sandy Sansing Baker Pro Rodeo.

Historic Winter Storm Enzo brought upward of 6″ of snowfall to Crestview and more in some areas. Stores, schools and businesses shuttered their doors to keep staff off roadways. Okaloosa County Schools remain closed through Friday, January 24. Roads and bridges remain impassable and I-10 on/off ramps are still closed while the Florida Department of […]

The new Southside Primary principal, Amy Bowles, says all the learning, education and life circumstances brought her to the school at the right time and in the right way.

An ordinance that the City Council declined to move to action last month was back on the agenda for the meeting on Oct. 24.

A developer, The Grand Reserve Columbus LLC, out of Phenix City, Ala., appeared before the council seeking annexation and a change to the land development code for 13 acres located at 2909 Airport Rd.

The City of Crestview announced the Crestview Animal Services facility at 715 N. Ferdon Blvd. will be closed to the public as of Friday through Oct. 21 due to a potential outbreak of Feline Parvovirus (FPV). “We take the health of the animals we care for very seriously, and we are taking all the necessary […]