The Okaloosa County Tourist Development Department’s recently adopted fiscal year 2024 budget includes $421,000 worth of tourist development tax money for a potential welcome center on the north end of the county.

The end finally might be in sight for the widening of the two-lane P.J. Adams Parkway to four lanes on the south end of Crestview.
This 1.7-mile-long project began in late 2019, includes many above- and below-ground utility line relocations and is scheduled to be substantially completed in the spring of 2024, Okaloosa County Public Works Director Jason Autrey said on Sept. 27.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) arrested Christopher Roy Poppell, 45, of Crestview, on 30 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, one count of promotion of sexual performance of a child, and one count of use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.

Vaneesa Harrington, assistant principal of Richbourg School in Crestview, recalls the moment that inspired her in 2019 to start a food pantry at the school.

Listening to people tell their stories has been one of the best parts of the Rev. Mark Broadhead’s long run as a minister.
“I have loved leading worship, and one of the great things about being a pastor is you just get to know people on a deeply personal level, and you get to play a part in their lives and let them know that no matter what they’re going through, God is right there with them,” Broadhead said on Sept. 26.

A millage rate of 6.85 mills and a budget of more than $74 million for fiscal year 2024 were unanimously adopted by the Crestview City Council after it conducted its final public budget hearing on Sept. 25.
The new budget year starts on Oct. 1.

FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) at 1:20 p.m. (central time) Wednesday, Oct. 4.

The national test will consist of two portions, testing WEA and EAS capabilities. Both tests are scheduled to begin at approximately 1:20 p.m. CT/2:20 p.m. ET Wednesday, Oct. 4.

The 188th Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany ends on Oct. 3, but the festival of German food, drink and frivolity continues on this side of the Atlantic.

An estimated $550,000 to $650,000 worth of Okaloosa County Tax Collector’s Office unused revenue from the current fiscal year will help pay for the planning, design and construction of a new tax collector’s office in Crestview.

After conducting its second and final budget hearing on Sept. 21, the Laurel Hill City Council adopted a 3.5 millage rate and a budget of almost $2.5 million for fiscal year 2024.