A Walton County 4th-grade teacher has been formally disciplined by the state for giving her students the answer to a question on a standardized test last year. Gina Ealum, an Exceptional Student Education teacher at West DeFuniak Elementary School, administered the Florida Standards Assessment test to her students on April 20, 2017, and gave them…… MORE
Yearly Archives: 2018
NEW STATE PRESCRIPTION DRUG LAW
A new law requires more than 92,000 health-care providers in Florida to use an electronic database that tracks patients who are prescribed controlled substances. The law is designed to reduce what is called “doctor shopping,” where substance abusers seek prescriptions for addictive drugs from multiple physicians. The Legislature also banned doctors from writing prescriptions for…… MORE
OPIOID FUNDING
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says Florida has been awarded almost 62 million dollars to help fight opioid addiction. The agency said the majority of the funding, will be go to medication-assisted treatment and prevention. The remaining money will be used to help community health centers, academic institutions and rural organizations expand…… MORE
FT. WALTON TO CHICAGO NON-STOP FLIGHTS
Airport officials at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport have announced that American Airlines will be offering non-stop service to Chicago. The flight from Fort Walton Beach to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport begins March 9, 2019, but tickets will go on sale Monday, September 24th. The airport’s explosive-detection equipment was also recently replaced at a cost…… MORE
FORMER PROSECUTOR CONVICTED
The former chief prosecutor of the State Attorney’s Office in the 14th Judicial Circuit was found guilty yesterday of possessing contraband in a detention facility and perjury. Greg Wilson was second-in-command at the State Attorney’s Office, but resigned in 2016 to mount an unsuccessful run for state attorney against his former boss, Glenn Hess. After…… MORE
RABID ANIMALS
Another raccoon captured in the Cove neighborhood of Panama City has tested positive for rabies. According to the Florida Health Department in Bay County, the animal was captured at the intersection of Cove Boulevard and Cherry Street, only a few blocks away from where the first rabid raccoon was captured back in February. This is…… MORE
BAYVIEW CROSS DECISION APPEALED
The City of Pensacola is asking the U.S Supreme Court to hear the case of the Bayview Park cross. The appeal comes as the Supreme Court is considering a similar case involving the Bladensburg Peace Cross, a World War I memorial in Maryland. Pensacola has asked the Supreme Court to join the two cases together…… MORE
FORMER PROSECUTOR ON TRIAL
Jury selection in the trial of a former chief prosecutor on charges of possession of contraband in a detention facility and perjury has begun in Panama City. Greg Wilson was second-in-command at the State Attorney’s Office, but resigned in 2016 to mount an unsuccessful run for state attorney against his former boss, Glenn Hess. Wilson…… MORE
MARY ESTHER POLICE AND FIRE CONTRACT
The Mary Esther City Council is still deciding if they will contract with Fort Walton Beach for fire and police services. Discussion began some months ago after the City Council did not renew the law enforcement services contract with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. That contract – which cost $386,000 last year – provided the…… MORE
FLORIDA COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS
Governor Rick Scott and First Lady Ann Scott have invited all Florida students to participate in the annual Hispanic Heritage Month art and essay contests. Three Florida students will have the opportunity to earn 4-year Florida prepaid scholarships. This year’s contest will be featured around the theme “A Celebration of Innovative Hispanic-American Leaders.” Participating students…… MORE
