Okaloosa County plans to pay a firm about $500,000 to provide construction engineering and inspection services for the roadway portion of the upcoming Live Oak Church Road improvement project.
The County Commission on June 6 approved paying Mott MacDonald Florida LLC, of Pensacola, $498,734 in county half-cent sales tax money for its services.

Okaloosa County Water and Sewer Department Director Jeff Littrell, who led the department for more than 25 years, died on June 5.

Keep Okaloosa Beautiful, which recently hosted a popular document-shredding event at the Crestview Library, plans to remove litter from several areas of the Hub City later this year.

“Some walk on the Earth, others on water, still others need clouds to walk on.”
— Walter Inglis Anderson

The Chili’s restaurant at the Crestview Commons mixed-use development plans to open on June 26, the nearby Texas Roadhouse restaurant could open by Christmas and a left-hand turn lane for northbound State Road 85 motorists going to the Commons should be built by the end of this year.

The sign on the message board outside the Blackman Volunteer Fire House tells the story. Simply stated, it says “Volunteers needed.”

The need for volunteers reaches beyond the obvious need for help fighting fires.

While many communities across the United States berate and disrespect the local law enforcement, that isn’t the case in Okaloosa County.

The seventh annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Day was held May 23 at Blackwater Golf Club in Crestview.

A corner of the façade of the Florida A&M pharmacy school building in downtown Crestview involves some humorous and perhaps little-known history.

The pharmacy school, which opened in 2012, represents the university’s Durell Peaden Jr. Rural Pharmacy Education Campus. The two-story building it uses at 153 W. Woodruff Ave. was built in 1937 and housed a garment factory for many years.

Divers participating in the fifth annual Emerald Coast Open Lionfish Tournament set a new record with the successful removal of 24,699 lionfish.

Last year’s total was 13,835. Divers from around the country competed for prize money totaling more than $100,000 in an effort to eradicate this invasive species in the Gulf of Mexico. Lionfish have few known local predators due to their venomous spines.

The Crestview High School Class of 2023 celebrated graduation last Thursday night with 482 newly minted alumni taking part in the ceremony before a packed house at Jack Foster Stadium.

Dignitaries in attendance were Okaloosa County Superintendent of Schools Marcus Chambers, School Board Chairman Tim Bryant and Okaloosa County Commissioner Paul Mixon.