The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said a 77-year-old Ohio woman with Alzheimer’s was found alive but barely conscious Thursday afternoon, 10 hours after she was reported missing from her Destin hotel. Joyce Troutman, was severely dehydrated and was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast, after landscape workers found her in some bushes.… MORE
Yearly Archives: 2018
POSSIBLE POWER PLANT PURCHASE
The Northwest Florida Daily News is reporting that the Destin City Council has voted to exercise an option that preserves the city’s right to buy Gulf Power’s electric plant and other property within the city. The council also agreed to continue to negotiate a potential new franchise agreement with Gulf Power. Destin entered into a…… MORE
WALMART BONUSES
More than 915,000 Walmart U.S. hourly associates across the country will receive a share of more than 200 million dollars in cash bonuses for the second quarter. The bonuses reward associates whose stores achieve sales and customer service goals. Associates in Florida earned more than 17.3 million dollars in bonuses. In January, Walmart announced plans…… MORE
OXYCONTIN COVERAGE DROPPED
Tennessee’s largest health insurer will stop covering OxyContin prescriptions as part of several measures to combat opioid addiction, a trend that may spread to other parts of the country. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee will encourage doctors to recommend two alternative opioid pain relievers, which are designed to be more difficult to abuse. The insurer will…… MORE
DEATH PENALTY UPHELD
Circuit Court Judge David Rimmer has upheld the death sentence of a double-murderer. Jonathan Lawrence was sentenced to die for the 1998 murders of two people and the attempted murder of a third in Santa Rosa County. A rehearing of the penalty phase of his trial was required by the Florida Supreme Court, which ruled…… MORE
RED TIDE IN THE PANHANDLE
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission says red tide has been detected in low quantities off Bay County and Panama City Beach after dozens of dead fish began washing ashore Sunday afternoon near Saint Andrews State Park. Red tide was also detected in very low concentrations in Walton County. Red tide has impacted 125 miles of…… MORE
STATE ROAD TO BE RENAMED FOR SENATOR EVERS
A portion of State Road 4 will be named after former state Senator Greg Evers, who died last year in a single-vehicle traffic crash. Signs will be placed at both ends of State Road 4 between Munson Highway and State Road 189 in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties designating that portion as “Senator Greg Evers…… MORE
FLORIDA HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE
The U.S. Census Bureau says about 12.9 percent of Florida’s population in 2017 lacked health insurance, up from 12.5 percent in 2016, which is higher than the national average of 8.8 percent. Florida has the fifth-highest rate of uninsured residents in the nation, exceeded by Texas, Oklahoma, Alaska and Georgia. About 45 percent of people…… MORE
NORTHWEST FLORIDA VOLUNTEERS READY TO ASSIST
Many volunteers from Northwest Florida volunteers are on the way to help ahead of Hurricane Florence’s landfall. Jerry Kindle, the executive director for the American Red Cross of Northwest Florida, said four emergency response vehicles and 75 people will be assisting and his teams are preparing for the worst. Gulf Power is sending 75 line…… MORE
NAVY AIRCRAFT EVACUATING
As Hurricane Florence approaches the east coast Navy aircraft are flying south to NAS Pensacola. NAS Pensacola Commanding Officer Chris Martin said over 60 aircraft from Pax River in Maryland, the Norfolk, Virginia Beach area and Beaufort, South Carolina will be evacuated. He said it’s crucial to move high value assets like aircraft out of…… MORE
