Man sentenced for trying to hide identity
PANAMA CITY — A Canadian ex-con has been sentenced to about a year in jail for disguising his identity after a marijuana possession arrest. Brandon Robert Humphreys, 31, pleaded no contest to two of...
View Article2 new parkways could link near Southport
SOUTHPORT — Officials listened to suggestions from residents on Thursday night about how to link two major future highways that would cost hundreds of millions of dollars and provide a regional...
View ArticleLobbying becomes issue in congressional campaign
PANAMA CITY — A blast from Gwen Graham’s past is raising questions about the way she has presented herself in her bid to regain the Florida 2nd Congressional District seat for Democrats. Rep. Steve...
View ArticleBay unemployment rises with end of summer
PANAMA CITY — After jumping from 5.6 to 6 percent in July, Bay County’s unemployment rate continued its climb in August, rising slightly to 6.1 percent. Bay County’s labor force and number of employed...
View ArticleAt 50, Head Start still ‘lifts up’ families
PANAMA CITY — Although the mission of Head Start is to get children started early on a lifetime of learning, the director of the local centers said the program actually is “a whole-family kind of...
View ArticleServices held for man who died in suspected electrocution
PANAMA CITY BEACH — The family of a 27-year-old man who was found dead in a pool earlier this week laid him to rest Friday. Cook, who worked for Cox Pools, and a co-worker were sent to a repair job at...
View Article3-year hunt ends with $350 fine
PANAMA CITY — “Blown Away,” a bane to wildlife authorities, hadn’t blown anywhere in at least three years. Ever since they noticed the 27-foot 1986 Newport MKII sloop sunk in St. Andrew Bay in August...
View ArticleMLK Jr. Blvd. to close for weekend near U.S. 231 in Panama City
PANAMA CITY — Motorists on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (State 77) will encounter a detour this weekend. Repairs on the railroad crossing, located on State 77 just south of U.S. 231, will cause...
View ArticleTyndall honors POW/MIAs during 24-hour vigil
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE — For the 25th year in a row, the 81st Range Squadron’s annual Prisoners of War and Missing in Action vigil run has helped the community to remember those who “gave it all.”...
View Article3 Franklin prison guards among 32 fired for misconduct
CARRABELLE — In what has become a frequent exercise, Department of Corrections Secretary Mike Crews on Friday fired 32 workers accused of breaking the law, including three prison guards involved in...
View ArticleMan jumps from condo during drug sting
PANAMA CITY BEACH — A meth-den sting at a beach condominium complex yielded four arrests Friday and prompted one cuffed man to jump from the second story in an escape attempt. The Bay County Sheriff’s...
View ArticleLegal troubles had plagued Bell family for years
BELL -- When Donald Charles Spirit killed his daughter and six grandchildren Thursday afternoon, as authorities allege, it was not the first time he had killed a family member. On Nov. 14, 2001, in...
View ArticleUPDATE: FSU increases Winston suspension to entire game
TALLAHASSEE (AP) — Florida State has suspended Jameis Winston for the entire game against Clemson on Saturday, extending its initial punishment of one half after the quarterback made "offensive and...
View ArticleAuthorities need help to ID fraud perpetrators
PANAMA CITY — Local authorities are asking for help to identify people using fake credit cards to make fraudulent transactions at various businesses around Bay County. “They were seen in town on...
View ArticleSometimes, 'staying small' is secret to success
HILAND PARK— Katrina Stallworth never imagined she and her two daughters would be living in a shelter. Stallworth, 35, and her family lived comfortably on dual incomes until her husband went to jail,...
View ArticleLocal mom finds new beginning
HILAND PARK — Last year, Cassie Anthony was in jail and pregnant. “I had a lot of substance abuse problems,” Anthony said. “I realized I had to change my people, places and things.” The Transformation...
View ArticleGovernment Calendar
The following public meetings are scheduled in Bay County this week. Monday What: Panama City Commission budget hearing and meeting When: 5:01 p.m. Where: 9 Harrison Ave. ——— What: Lynn Haven...
View ArticleHere's how local congressmen voted
WASHINGTON — Here’s how area members of Congress — U.S. Reps. Jeff Miller, R-Chumuckla, and Steve Southerland, R-Panama City, and Sens. Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio — voted on major issues during the...
View ArticleWalton ending half-cent bed tax used for ECP airport
WEST BAY — Walton County officials are letting the sun set on a half-cent tourist development tax levied since 2009 to help recruit and promote low-cost air carriers at Northwest Florida Beaches...
View ArticleEyewitnesses scarce in Franklin County killing
EASTPOINT — The 46-year-old Eastpoint man charged in the bludgeoning death of a registered sexual predator in May has said he doesn’t recall striking the victim with an axe handle, and so far there...
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