Josh Pulliam and the Vikes have epic spring game lineup as they row hard to Valhalla
Fort Walton Beach High School head football coach Josh Pulliam, a local who graduated from Choctawhatchee High School, returned to Okaloosa County after playing college ball and coaching at USF to rebuild the Vikings program. Now leading the team, Pulliam is focused on developing his players into better men through “small daily disciplines,” guided by the mantra “chop wood and carry water”. Despite the program having been “down for a little bit,” he notes that the community passion remains, and the Vikings are “rising from the ashes” with a committed staff. Looking ahead, the Vikings plan for offensive creativity, utilizing versatile players like Lavin McDaniel and Cannon Wilbur, while rebuilding a sound, aggressive defense. The coach is urging the community to come out and support the team at the upcoming spring game against Crestview, Mosley, and Pine Forest.
“We are on a war footing” Pentagon brass’s blunt message for the Emerald Coast:
When Dale Marks, Assistant Secretary of War for Energy, Installations, and Environment, spoke to the Niceville-Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, he delivered a blunt message: Northwest Florida is on the front line of America’s industrial “arsenal of freedom,” and time is now the nation’s most dangerous adversary. Marks, who is also Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Acquisition and Sustainment, credited his time on the Emerald Coast with shaping his view of defense, stating, “The military does not operate in a vacuum… We operate within the strength of our host communities”.
Massie accuser Cynthia West talks Okaloosa School Board race in exclusive interview
Okaloosa County School Board District 5 candidate Cynthia West addresses a high-profile deposition involving Representative Thomas Massie and explains why she walked away from a $60,000 settlement requiring a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to uphold the transparency she demands of district staff. West supports school vouchers, arguing that public education must adapt to school choice, and suggests co-locating charter schools in underused facilities to retain capital outlay funds. She criticizes recent school closures as “irresponsible to taxpayers” and proposes funding teacher raises by scrutinizing and reworking expensive contracts, such as for IT and School Resource Officers (SRO). She also highlights the current board’s lack of dissenting votes, warning against “groupthink” and an “echo chamber” in governance.
The return of ‘School Prayer?’ This candidate’s spicy take you’ll love or hate:
Walton County School Board District 3 candidate Gordon Porter, a senior project manager, is running on a platform that blends professional expertise in fiscal oversight and construction management with an ideologically driven push for conservative change. He is challenging two-term incumbent Bill Eddins Junior, hoping to close the three percent margin he lost by in the last election. Porter emphasizes a need for a proactive budgeting mindset and design oversight for the district’s construction boom, arguing his value is in managing “large sums of money”. Ideologically, Porter aligns with an “America First” worldview, defining school board members as “gatekeepers” against liberal drift and advocating for a thorough review of the curriculum, including American history, math, and science, while challenging DEI policies. A central plank of his campaign is returning prayer and teaching the Bible as a core cultural text in schools, even if it means anticipating and structuring legal challenges to existing case law. He also pledges to quickly move for live-streamed school board meetings to increase transparency.
Chase is on the case in Niceville!
Niceville introduces its newest officer, K-9 Chase, a 1½-year-old German shepherd, and his handler, Officer Bronson. Already making an impact, Chase detected narcotics leading to an arrest and the seizure of 49 grams of methamphetamine in his first week on the street. The community-funded K-9 replaces retired K-9 Kodi.
Amy Morgan named Destin Elementary School’s New Principal
Amy Morgan will lead Destin Elementary School into the 2026-7 school year thanks to a vote from the Okaloosa County School Board Monday Night.
The undiscovered, unexpected history of Watercolor, Florida
How the German Kaiser, a family fortune and a former Disney Exec created the 30a we know today:
The Rebels abandon Pensacola. Here’s how it devastated the Emerald Coast.
On May 9, 1862, the Rebel army abandoned Pensacola to the Union. Here’s what happened next:
Niceville author’s memoir on the terrifying, hilarious and often hidden, authentic side of the War in Afghanistan released
What makes Dan Pace’s story different isn’t just the combat; it’s the middle-of-the-night watch rotations, and the jarring reality of being a 21-year-old kid tasked with life-or-death decisions just months after graduation.
North End development advances over first hurdle in Okaloosa
Tuesday’s actions captured the county’s broader challenge: north Okaloosa is growing fast on land mostly entitled for housing since the 1990s or earlier, while roads, utilities and environmental standards struggle to keep up. For now, River Park will move forward under a phased review process, while Millwood Ranch waits for answers on whether its roads and septic‑based design can be squared with today’s expectations for safe, sustainable growth.
