An 18-year-old Crestview man died on May 31 after he was struck by lightning while kayaking on the Blackwater River and fell from his vessel, according to a news release from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Before every performance, Pamela Strecker made one final walk.
She moved through the backstage area from one side to the other, checking on every actor, calling out final cues, making sure nothing had been missed. Then, just before heading up to the booth, she would turn around, look out at the cast and raise a hand in the air.
“Be brilliant.”
It caught on. Cast members started saying it to each other.
Strecker,61, who served as stage manager and eight-year president of Stage Crafters Community Theater in Fort Walton Beach, died earlier this month after a battle with cancer. She had been part of the organization for more than two decades, arriving as a shy backstage helper in 1999 and becoming the heartbeat of one of Northwest Florida’s most beloved volunteer arts organizations.

The celebration for America 250 continues as First Baptist Church Crestview and Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church join forces to bring “In God We Trust: A Community Celebration of Faith and Freedom”.


“In God We Trust” is a musical celebration of the faith in God, commitment to freedom, and attitude of thankfulness that our nation was built upon.

This past Thursday, Okaloosa County held their annual Hurricane Exercise/Simulation in preparation for the upcoming hurricane season.


Varying departments met at the Okaloosa County Emergency Operations Center at Northwest Florida State College to simulate their responses if a hurricane were to hit the Florida panhandle.

The City of Crestview is letting local residents know to use caution as resurfacing projects begin on May 26.

The Okaloosa County Big of the Year is an award that recognizes a mentor who has made a lasting impact through consistent support, strong connection, and a meaningful commitment to a young person’s growth.


It is a high honor that has now been bestowed upon Jessica Valek.

Okaloosa County is winding down its fixed-route bus service, shifting to providing only paratransit and demand-based services as officials say decades of fixed routes have drained the general fund with almost nothing to show for it.

Around 730 acres of natural greenspace near Holt will be added to the Blackwater State Forest after a vote by the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners on May 19.

Crestview High School held off the rain last Friday as the senior class took to the football field for their victory lap. Red robes and caps wrapped behind the home side bleachers while others lined the fence of the neighboring softball field.


As the music began, the graduating class was greeted by a full stadium with family and friends spectating from the track to the top of the press box.

Seats filled under the stadium lights of Doug Griffith Stadium as family members gathered to celebrate Baker’s 2026 graduating class.


Graduates stepped on to the newly turfed field, signaling their first step into life after high school.