At the Okaloosa County Jail, where the air of troubled lives permeates much of the facility, many inmates find solace and hope by conferring with the Rev. Shane Hardesty.

At his planned Emerald Exxxotics pet store in downtown Crestview, Andrew Rencich intends to showcase emerald tree boas and other reptiles, a tarantula and other arthropods, and a wallaby and other mammals, all with an educational component.

Ryan Bullard, who is resigning from his Crestview City Council Precinct 2 seat on Dec. 31, said today that while he recently bought a home that is outside of the city limits, he maintains his primary residence within Precinct 2.

The portion of the southwest Crestview bypass between U.S. Highway 90 and Interstate 10 is on track to be open to traffic in the first quarter of 2026, Okaloosa County officials said today.

At its regular meeting on Jan. 12, the Crestview City Council plans to vote on whether to adopt an ordinance that would prohibit the use of electric bicycles and motorized scooters on downtown streets and sidewalks.

Okaloosa County and Florida Department of Transportation officials are looking at the possibility of having an Interstate 10 interchange built next to the Shoal River Industrial Park, County Commission Chairman Paul Mixon said at the county Legislative Delegation’s annual meeting on Monday.

Supporting school choice while ensuring public and nonpublic schools are on a level playing field financially and implementing a public reporting system on bullying incidents at schools are some of the tasks Cynthia West would like to tackle as a potential Okaloosa County School Board member.

The Okaloosa Correctional Institution Rapid Response Team, which among other tasks prevents or quells disturbances at the institution to protect inmates, staff, and visitors, recently was named the top RRT in Florida for 2025.

In early 2026, the Okaloosa County Commission plans to approve ballot language for a measure that would appear on next November’s general election ballot and seek voter approval of extending the county’s half-cent infrastructure surtax for a second 10-year term.

Briana J. Carrera, 38, of the 5200 block of Old Bethel Road in Crestview, recently was arrested by city police on charges of battery on hospital staff, assault on a law enforcement officer, and resisting an officer without violence.