Northwest Florida Daily News (Fort Walton Beach, FL) articles from June 2011

Northwest Florida Daily News (Fort Walton Beach, FL) archives from June 2011

Gaetz to be next Senate president.
June 30, 2011... Byline: Tom Mclaughlin June 30--Wednesday's announcement that state Sen. Don Gaetz will be the next Senate president wasn't a real shocker for those who follow Florida politics. But a unanimous vote of the Republican caucus in support of...

Judge orders mediation in sheriff's lawsuit.
June 30, 2011... Byline: Tom Mclaughlin June 30--With claims and counter claims flying back and forth between Shalimar and Pensacola, Okaloosa County Circuit Judge Thomas Remington has ordered mediation in a lawsuit filed by former deputies against Sheriff...

Col. James Slife takes over 1st SOW.
June 30, 2011... Byline: Mona Moore June 30--HURLBURT FIELD -- It took only 35 minutes Wednesday morning for Col. Michael Plehn to turn over command of more than 5,000 airmen. In a brief ceremony that included all of the age-old traditions, Col. James C....

Airport USO lounge celebrates first year.
June 30, 2011... Byline: Kari C. Barlow June 30--The USO Freedom Lounge at Northwest Florida Regional Airport marked its first year of service Wednesday with a community celebration. More than 100 people gathered in the airport's terminal to honor the...

Sharing their passion.
June 30, 2011... Byline: Katie Tammen June 30--CINCO BAYOU -- Local dancers Georgia Ambarian and Eric Luna will be guest performers on "So You Think You Can Dance" tonight at 7 on FOX. "It's really exciting right now for us to be able to share what we do...

Oyster reef offers environmentally friendly alternative to sea walls.
June 30, 2011... Byline: Katie Tammen June 30--Local volunteers gathered Wednesday morning to help build yet another oyster reef in Choctawhatchee Bay. The new reef is being built in shallow water behind James and Nan O'Connor's home in Point Washington...

Airman an 'ideal model for a man'.
June 29, 2011... Byline: Mona Moore June 29--When Ramon Maldonado talks about the death of his longtime friend, Tech. Sgt. Daniel Douville, he calls it a loss for society, a loss for this country and a loss for the world at large. "Hewas,honestly,anideal...

Things looking up DOWNTOWN.
June 29, 2011... Byline: Dusty Ricketts June 29--FORT WALTON BEACH -- Past years have been a struggle for the downtown district. Plans for large developments fell through, several businesses closed and then last year's oil spill affected almost everyone. ...

State agency calls for water conservation.
June 29, 2011... Byline: Tom Mclaughlin June 29--Drought conditions that went from severe to extreme in May on the Emerald Coast have turned "exceptional" in June. That status is as bad as it gets on the U.S. Drought Monitor put out each week by the...

Correction.(Correction notice)
June 29, 2011... June 29--It is the policy of the Daily News to promptly correct all errors that appear in news stories. If you wish to report an error, or clarify a news story, please direct your call to 862-6397. All corrections or clarifications will be...

Vision to cancel 5 flights.
June 29, 2011... Byline: Dusty Ricketts June 29--Vision Airlines has helped Northwest Florida Regional Airport break passenger records for the past two months. But not all of Vision's destinations have performed as the airline had hoped. Vision...

Longtime journalist Peggy May dies.
June 29, 2011... Byline: Wendy Victora June 29--She was steadfast in every aspect of her life, unfailingly precise with her language and saw each task through to completion. Peggy May was 82 when she died Tuesday morning at Fort Walton Beach Medical...

BRIEF: Kisela learning on the run as Walton's new administrator.
June 29, 2011... Byline: Angel Mccurdy June 29--DEFUNIAKSPRINGS -- Greg Kisela was driving around Walton County on Monday morning getting acclimated to his new role as county administrator. The former Destin city manager accepted the position almost seven...

BRIEF: Colvin indicted on first-degree murdercharges.
June 29, 2011... Byline: Tom Mclaughlin June 29--Charles Lenear Colvin Jr., who lawmen believe caused a fatal skull fracture to a 6-month-old child left in his care, was indicted Tuesday for first-degree felony murder. Fort Walton Beach police responded to...

Officials: Drought, fireworks dangerous mix.
June 29, 2011... Byline: Kari C. Barlow June 29--As drought conditions worsen along the Emerald Coast, fire officials are urging caution during the upcoming Fourth of July weekend. Although some of the region saw scattered storms Tuesday, no significant...

Local airman killed.
June 28, 2011... Byline: Mona Moore June 28--An Eglin airman was killed Sunday in Afghanistan. Tech. Sgt. Daniel L. Douville, 33, died as a result of injuries suffered from an improvised explosive device on the border of the Nad 'Ali district of Helmand...

Man charged with murder in girlfriend's death.
June 28, 2011... Byline: Angel Mccurdy June 28--FORT WALTON BEACH -- A local man was charged with murder Sunday night in the death of his girlfriend. Benjamin George Inman is accused of killing 34-year-old Tammy Lynn Shields on Sunday after the two had an...

List grows for tax collector job.
June 28, 2011... Byline: Tom Mclaughlin June 28--John Holguin, the No. 2 man behind Chris Hughes in the Okaloosa County Tax Collector's Office, has joined the list of applicants to become tax collector after Hughes retires Thursday. The application, received...

School Board votes to close Valparaiso School.
June 28, 2011... Byline: Katie Tammen June 28--CRESTVIEW -- The Okaloosa County School Board voted Monday to close Valparaiso School. More than two years after the district first proposed closing the former elementary school, a unanimous board approved...

McMasters-Wade sentenced.
June 28, 2011... Byline: Angel Mccurdy June 28--SHALIMAR -- John R. McMasters-Wade raised his right hand Monday and pleaded no contest in the 23-year-old murder case of Niceville High School student Ulai Sookruetai. McMasters-Wade was sentenced by Circuit...

Eglin debuts new dental clinic.
June 28, 2011... Byline: Mona Moore June 28--EGLIN AFB -- In preparation for the population boom expected from new BRAC missions, the base has built a 31,000-square-foot dental clinic. The two-story clinic near Eglin Air Force Base's hospital will replace...

In search of DEFUNIAK SPRINGS.
June 27, 2011... Byline: Tom Mclaughlin June 27--DEFUNIAK SPRINGS -- First, there was the lake. One of only two round lakes in the world, the body of water that would become Lake DeFuniak first attracted Native Americans, then railroad men and later members...

Correction.(Correction notice)
June 27, 2011... June 27--It is the policy of the Daily News to promptly correct all errors that appear in news stories. If you wish to report an error, or clarify a news story, please direct your call to 862-6397. All corrections or clarifications will be...

FWB to address tax rate.
June 27, 2011... Byline: Kari C. Barlow June 27--FORTWALTONBEACH -- The City Council is scheduled to set a tentative property tax rate for the 2011-12 fiscal year at its meeting Tuesday. At a budget workshop in mid-May, council members said they wanted to...

'Gateway of the Emerald Coast'.
June 26, 2011... Byline: Kari C. Barlow June 26--If you log on to Wikipedia and search for "Emerald Coast," you'll get a definition that includes places such as Pensacola Beach, Gulf Breeze and Perdido Key. Most locals realize that's not quite right, but...

Testing the WATERS.
June 26, 2011... Byline: Tom Mclaughlin June 26--Sue Goetz is 73 and has a bum shoulder and bad back. But this month, as she has every month for many years, Goetz troops to the shoreline with her bucket, clipboard and homemade "scoop of a type" to sample...

Correction.(Correction notice)
June 26, 2011... June 26--It is the policy of the Daily News to promptly correct all errors that appear in news stories. If you wish to report an error, or clarify a news story, please direct your call to 862-6397. All corrections or clarifications will be...

Community activist Jim Glenn dies.
June 26, 2011... Byline: Tom Mclaughlin June 26--Jim Glenn, who friends remember for his dedication to the armed services and the community, died Friday at the age of 82. "He was a real gentleman," said Larry Sassano, president of the Economic Development...

APPRECIATION OF CULTURE.
June 26, 2011... Byline: Tom Mclaughlin June 26--FORT WALTON BEACH -- Haydee Acevedo was multi-tasking. Even as she scribbled on a reporter's pad the Puerto Rican specialties she and her group had prepared (and mostly sold out of) for Saturday's Latin Salsa...

Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach, Wendy Victora column.(Column)
June 26, 2011... Byline: Wendy Victora June 26--Although I realize change doesn't always make sense, I'm all for calling things what they are. And if we're going to mark the first day of summer, let's choose a day that makes sense to most people. Or,...

Of business and marriage.
June 26, 2011... Byline: Dusty Ricketts June 26--DESTIN -- According to experts, only about 50 percent of businesses survive their first five years. It's about the same for marriages. So Jim and Kim Dettle are beating the odds as they celebrate the 30th...

BALANCING ACT.
June 26, 2011... Byline: Pat Flynn June 26--No matter what the season, if you warch Freeport high school athletics, you can't help but notice Michael Graziani. He's the guy playing the key role, leading the team and out-.floor or in the field. Superior...

Eric Fiel assumes command of AFSOC.
June 25, 2011... Byline: Angel Mccurdy June 25--HURLBURT FIELD -- Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel took over leadership of the Air Force Special Operations Command on Friday with the passing of the guidon. Squadrons, family members and other military personnel stood...

Men lost at Khobar Towers honored 15 years after bombing.
June 25, 2011... Byline: Katie Tammen June 25--EGLIN AFB -- It has been 15 years, but people have not forgotten what happened on the evening of June 25, 1996. Just before 10 p.m., a car bomb exploded at Khobar Towers at Dhahran Air Base in Saudi Arabia,...

Correction.(Correction notice)
June 25, 2011... June 25--It is the policy of the Daily News to promptly correct all errors that appear in news stories. If you wish to report an error, or clarify a news story, please direct your call to 862-6397. All corrections or clarifications will be...

Destin woman files TSA complaint.
June 25, 2011... Byline: Lauren Sage Reinlie June 25--A woman has filed a complaint with federal authorities over how her elderly mother was treated at Northwest Florida Regional Airport last weekend. Jean Weber of Destin filed a complaint with the...

Disaster averted.
June 25, 2011... Byline: Wendy Victora June 25--F O R T W A L T O N BEACH -- An Ocean City-Wright fire truck responding to an accident Friday afternoon veered off Racetrack Road to avoid hitting a motorist who cut it off. No one was injured, but the...

Day for kids.
June 25, 2011... Byline: Katie Tammen June 25--FORT WALTON BEACH -- Children raced around Fort Walton Landing on Friday during the city's annual Kids Day. The long-running event provides a few hours of free fun -- with a little education mixed in -- during...

BRIEF: Summer brings Vacation Bible School to local churches.
June 25, 2011... June 25--Area churches are offering Vacation Bible School options: CRESTVIEW St. Mark UMC St. Mark United Methodist Church, 2250 PK Adams Pkwy., will hold Vacation Bible School June 27-July 1. Are you ready to rock, Jesus style, with...

Cool to be Kaim.
June 25, 2011... Byline: Travis Downey June 25--As a multi-sport standout at Rocky Bayou Christian, Katie Kaim had grown used to the spotlight. Following a junior year that saw her pace the Knights' volleyball, soccer and softball teams to unprecedented...

Okaloosa competes for money from BP.
June 24, 2011... Byline: Kari C. Barlow June 24--Local officials hope to get a share of the first $100 million BP is funneling to Florida for natural resources recovery. The oil giant has provided an initial $500 million to be divided equally among the five...

Plane crash kills 2 civilians.
June 24, 2011... Byline: Katie Tammen June 24--EGLIN AFB -- Two people were killed Thursday morning after an Aero Club Beechcraft crashed on the base. David A. Miles of Shalimar and Thomas E. Lewis of Apalachicola, who were both licensed pilots, were the...

Correction.(Correction notice)
June 24, 2011... June 24--It is the policy of the Daily News to promptly correct all errors that appear in news stories. If you wish to report an error, or clarify a news story, please direct your call to 862-6397. All corrections or clarifications will be...

Training for the real deal.
June 24, 2011... Byline: Dusty Ricketts June 24--EGLIN AFB -- When it arrives at the base, possibly as soon as next week, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will mark a huge technological step forward in fighter jets. The pilots and mechanics who will work on...

something 'It's we love'.
June 24, 2011... Byline: Katie Tammen June 24--Sometimes it is all about finding a niche. For siblings Jeff Ring and Cheryl Griffin, that meant maintaining the feel of a 1950s general store their father created while still appealing to locals and tourists. ...

DOT conducts inspections of local bridges.
June 24, 2011... Byline: Katie Tammen June 24--The Florida Department of Transportation is in the midst of its biennial inspections of local bridges. Inspection crews have been busy in south Okaloosa County looking for potential problems. "The...

New law to govern severance pay, bonuses.
June 23, 2011... Byline: Tom Mclaughlin June 23--The day after Okaloosa County Tax Collector Chris Hughes leaves office, the state will have a new law aimed at ending employee bonus practices like those he used. State Sen. Don Gaetz and his son, state...

DANGEROUSLY DRY.
June 23, 2011... Byline: Lauren Sage Reinlie June 23--FORT WALTON BEACH -- Firefighters battled two simultaneous brush fires that burned about 33 acres of Air Force land in Wright on Wednesday. Both fires spread quickly because of the extreme drought in...

Drought could prompt burn bans.
June 23, 2011... Byline: Angel Mccurdy June 23--Firefighters and local officials are becoming increasingly concerned about worsening drought conditions. Advisories against outdoor burning have been issued in Okaloosa and Walton counties, and the situation...

BRIEF: 4 apply to succeed Chris Hughes.
June 23, 2011... Byline: Tom Mclaughlin June 23--Four men have submitted applications to succeed Okaloosa County Tax CollectorChrisHughes,includingone of his employees and a candidate for Ray Sansom's former House seat. Hughes, who has served as tax...

Pranzo picks up the pieces.
June 23, 2011... Byline: Dusty Ricketts June 23--OKALOOSA ISLAND -- Pranzo Italian Ristorante is returning to normal five days after a man broke inside, assaulted the staff and wrecked the dining area. New windows have been installed, shattered glass has...

Man found dead in hoctawhatchee Bay.
June 23, 2011... Byline: Angel Mccurdy June 23--FREEPORT -- A man was found dead Tuesday evening in Choctawhatchee Bay after he apparently fell off his personal watercraft. Dennis Padgett was found floating faceup in the bay about 6:30 p.m. near Shady Lane,...

FISHING RETURNS.
June 23, 2011... Byline: Travis Downey June 23--Shawna Meisner, tournament director for the Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic, an event widely regarded as one of the top 10 "big money" tournaments in the world, can still vividly recall the day last summer...

Redistricting process begins.
June 22, 2011... Byline: Tom Mclaughlin June 22--FORT WALTON BEACH -- The question on most everyone's tongue was answered quickly Tuesday night at what might have been the largest-ever gathering of Florida legislators in Okaloosa County. Before almost 30...

Critic: Tell legislators to 'show us the maps'.
June 22, 2011... Byline: Tom Mclaughlin June 22--FORT WALTON BEACH -- State lawmakers were running around Northwest Florida on Tuesday listening but not speaking as constituents aired their concerns about redistricting. But many people say the...

Beach wedding restrictions fail to get an 'I do'.
June 22, 2011... Byline: Kari C. Barlow June 22--FORT WALTON BEACH -- Okaloosa County commissioners took no action Tuesday to limit beach weddings at James Lee Park in Destin. "I'm relieved," said Cheri Pope, who owns Forever I Do Weddings. "I think that...

Correction.(Correction notice)
June 22, 2011... June 22--It is the policy of the Daily News to promptly correct all errors that appear in news stories. If you wish to report an error, or clarify a news story, please direct your call to 862-6397. All corrections or clarifications will be...

Military housing.
June 22, 2011... Byline: Mona Moore June 22--EGLIN AFB -- The Air Force has proposed building privatized housing within the gates of Eglin and Hurlburt Field. The proposal was issued in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Military...

Shuttle bus plan for 30A stalled.
June 22, 2011... Byline: Lauren Sage Reinlie June 22--SANTA ROSA BEACH -- Organizers still are trying to sway enough business owners to chip in to finance a shuttle bus system along County Road 30A this summer. The buses originally were slated for a first...

Rooms To Go to open store at Destin Commons.
June 22, 2011... Byline: Dusty Ricketts June 22--DESTIN -- Rooms To Go has been looking to expand here for a year. It will accomplish that goal Saturday with the grand opening of a new 30,000-square-foot store at Destin Commons. The store opens at 10 a.m....

Man laments loss of granddaughters in traffic accident.
June 22, 2011... Byline: Angel Mccurdy June 22--Phil Pippins still can't believe his three granddaughters will never come back to his home for a visit. Eight-year-old twins Danielle and Jenelle Pippins and 11-year-old Savannah Furr Pippins were killed June 14...

Henderson returns to Florida State Amateur golf Championship.
June 22, 2011... Byline: Travis Downey June 22--Trey Henderson so thoroughly enjoyed his last experience playing in the Florida State Amateur Championship last summer that he's trying his hand at the event once more this week. After qualifying at a recent...

Attorney: City can contract services.
June 21, 2011... Byline: Kari C. Barlow June 21--FORT WALTON BEACH -- Under current Florida law, Fort Walton Beach appears to have the go-ahead to provide contracted law enforcement services to the cities of Destin and Mary Esther. "It seems pretty clear...

'A WAY OF LIFE'.
June 21, 2011... Byline: Angel Mccurdy June 21--Michelle Minton slowly made her way down the canned vegetable isle. She flipped through one of her two binders, which she says weigh about the same as a small child, looking for the coupon she clipped the week...

Doctor abruptly closes practice.
June 21, 2011... Byline: Dusty Ricketts June 21--FORT WALTON BEACH -- A longstanding local obstetrician has surprised members of her staff and patients by secretly cleaning out her office during the weekend. Three of the employees at Dr. Candace Cooley's...

Ruined garden riles library supporters.
June 21, 2011... Byline: Angel Mccurdy June 21--NAVARRE -- Until Friday, colorful trees and bushes greeted visitors to the Navarre Library. Now, where the plants once sat, are clumps of dirt and scraps of trees. Ginger Eisele, president of the Navarre Garden...

Autopsy report not completed in teenager's death.
June 21, 2011... Byline: Lauren Sage Reinlie June 21--An autopsy report for Courtney Wilkes, the 15-year-old girl killed in Seagrove Beach on Thursday, had not been completed Monday, according to the Medical Examiner's Office. Wilkes, of Lyons, Ga., was...

A new HOME.
June 21, 2011... Byline: Katie Tammen June 21--FORT WALTON BEACH -- The adoption process at PAWS remains the same, but the atmosphere has changed. When people walk into the new Panhandle Animal Welfare Society's cat adoption center, renovations are...

EDITORIAL: Wrangling over Mitt's religion.(Editorial)
June 21, 2011... June 21--Call us naive, but we misjudged the intensity of emotions stirred by Mitt Romney's religion. Romney, a top contender for the Republican presidential nomination, is a Mormon. We knew that some Christian conservatives were uncomfortable...

The school that changed a calendar.(Calendar)
June 20, 2011... Byline: Katie Tammen June 20--When Emerald Coast Career Institute South opened its doors, the mission was simple. Okaloosa County educators wanted to help struggling students get back on track and earn their high school diplomas. The...

Okaloosa commissioners to discuss limits on beach weddings.
June 20, 2011... Byline: Kari C. Barlow June 20--FORT WALTON BEACH -- Okaloosa County commissioners will host a public hearing Tuesday on a proposal to limit weddings at James Lee Park in Destin. The proposed ordinance would require registration and...

A RACE TO DIE FOR.
June 20, 2011... Byline: Del Stone Jr. June 20--To most folks, the idea of running a marathon is crazy talk. But running a 10-mile course through the woods, chopping wood for two hours, carrying a 20-pound stump, cutting a bushel of onions, crawling through...

Deal struck in 23-year-old murder case.
June 20, 2011... Byline: Tom Mclaughlin June 20--John R. McMaster-Wade won't face a trial or the death penalty under terms of a plea deal negotiated between his lawyer and the state attorney's office. However, he will have a second life sentence for the...

THE BAND BACK TOGETHER.
June 20, 2011... Byline: Angel Mccurdy June 20--FORT WALTON BEACH -- They're on a mission from God. The Emerald Coast Blues Brothers may not be working to help pay the taxes for an orphanage, but they are on a mission to tell locals they are here to play and...

Klinger to run at junior nationals after stellar year.
June 20, 2011... Byline: Travis Downey June 20--Rachel Klinger's freshman track season at the University of South Florida can be called a lot of things: impressive, eye-opening, recordbreaking, historic even. Just don't call it lucky. One year removed...

'Like everybody's lost a sister'.
June 19, 2011... Byline: Lauren Sage Reinlie June 19--Courtney Wilkes would have been 16 next month, a junior at Toombs County High School in Georgia in the fall and the starting sweeper on the school's soccer team. But her life was cut short Thursday...

'Island' getaway.
June 19, 2011... Byline: Lauren Sage Reinlie June 19--DESTIN -- On a recent Saturday afternoon 6-year-old Kiara Soler was perched on a white seat cushion on the front end of a boat on Crab Island, quietly observing the mass of vessels and people floating...

State redistricting meetings on tap.
June 19, 2011... Byline: Tom Mclaughlin June 19--Tuesday is redistricting day in Okaloosa County. Members of the state House and Senate redistricting committees will gather from 6 to 9 p.m. at Fort Walton Beach High School for a first round of public hearings...

Correction.(Correction notice)
June 19, 2011... June 19--It is the policy of the Daily News to promptly correct all errors that appear in news stories. If you wish to report an error, or clarify a news story, please direct your call to 862-6397. All corrections or clarifications will be...

Redneck olympics.
June 19, 2011... Byline: Angel Mccurdy June 19--DESTIN -- Grammy Sue kissed the frozen fish and tossed it perfectly through the hanging tire in her quest for the title of Champion Redneck. "My husband tells me I should win because I'm the biggest redneck...

Working with Dad.
June 19, 2011... Byline: Mona Moore June 19--FORT WALTON BEACH -- Lisa Schomburg said she doesn't regret selling a successful business to return home and work with her father. "It's my dad. I love my dad," Lisa said as she watched him make a pie in the...

Daily News business briefs.
June 19, 2011... June 19--NICEVILLE Sears donating to Red Cross The Niceville Sears Hometown Store kicks off its charitable organization events to benefit The American Red Cross. Sears is supporting the local community by donating 2 percent of the...

30 degrees COOL.
June 19, 2011... Byline: Dusty Ricketts June 19--SANTA ROSA BEACH -- Exposing the body to temperatures of 220 degrees below zero might not seem like the best way to improve one's health. But a new Santa Rosa Beach business is bringing the cold therapy...

PORTFOLIO.
June 19, 2011... June 19--DESTIN Stengall named senior VP at Synovus Tripp Stegall will join Synovus Securities as senior vice president of investments and financial consultant. Stegall will be at Coastal Bank and Trust of Florida, a division of Synovus...