Flu season off to strong start in Florida
PANAMA CITY — The flu bug arrived a little earlier than usual this year. The Centers for Disease Control began recording increased activity of “influenza-like” illnesses as early as Oct. 1, an early...
View ArticleBig dog rides bear, protects home, saves trash can
CARRABELLE — A bear got a big surprise from a big dog last week while raiding a trash can in Carrabelle. The bear was on the back deck of a home snacking on a resident’s garbage when a 150-pound great...
View ArticleUPDATE: FBI searches medical office
PANAMA CITY — The early morning shift at Gulf Coast Dermatology was interrupted Friday when FBI agents raided the medical complex on Harrison Avenue in search of documents, authorities said. The...
View ArticleHoliday pets: Safely include animals in Christmas festivities
PANAMA CITY — With Christmas approaching, some pets don reindeer ears and holiday sweaters and others have stockings waiting to be filled. “We have to remember that our pets share our ‘area,’” pointed...
View ArticleCaz: The call is now out for Empty Stocking
I used to lead a life full of coincidences, like a great-great-grandmother-by-marriage who I hadn’t seen in years unexpectedly bypassing two generations to leave me money at a time that I was deeply...
View ArticleGraham outspent Southerland $4.78 per vote
PANAMA CITY — Each vote cost Gwen Graham a little more than Steve Southerland, but can you really put a price on winning a seat in Congress? Post-election campaign finance reports do. According to the...
View ArticleReady for takeoff? Airport vying for new industry
WEST BAY — Like an aspiring musician, Bay County is waiting for its big break. With the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) making way for United Airlines service and aerospace...
View ArticleAnalysis calls Panama City 'unaffordable' for homebuyers
PANAMA CITY — The Panama City housing market is unaffordable for local homebuyers, according to an analysis by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., also known as Freddie Mac. The Panama City-Lynn...
View ArticleNew Mexico Beach City Hall plan inches forward
MEXICO BEACH — The City Council is considering building a new City Hall that would be a 3,200-square-foot structure. Elizabeth Moore of Preble-Rish Engineering met with the council recently and...
View ArticlePCB to buy land for Front Beach Road project
PANAMA CITY BEACH — The Panama City Beach City Council has approved of two land purchases tied to the Front Beach Road improvement project. The council approved a contract with Holiday Resort PCB,...
View ArticleMarie Hotel back on CRA agenda
PANAMA CITY — While the Panama City Commission agenda is packed with items, it might lack the intrigue of the Community Redevelopment Agency meeting that will precede it at 8 a.m. Tuesday. The City...
View ArticleCounty may sign short-term lease for Bay Dunes
PANAMA CITY — Bay County has offered to lease Bay Dunes Golf Course for three months to a company that operates a course on Panama City Beach. The Bay County Commission on Tuesday will vote on the...
View ArticleGulf World building interactive stingray tank
PANAMA CITY BEACH — Visitors to Gulf World in Panama City Beach will soon have the opportunity to get up-close and personal with stingrays, and even small sharks. "Stingray Bay" is currently under...
View ArticleOyster shelling program gets rolling
APALACHICOLA — Just in time for the holidays, the planting of Apalachicola Bay began last month, with close to 200 of the county’s oystermen busy thrice a week spreading shell to replenish the oyster...
View ArticleArea police cautious about body cameras
PANAMA CITY — A large majority of Bay County law enforcement agencies do not use body cams, and several local leaders express a skeptical outlook on using the technology. Of the local police agencies...
View ArticleResidents hope Rudolph thieves caught red-handed
ROLLING HILLS ESTATES, Calif. (AP) — Thieves have made off with a statue of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer that's been a holiday fixture in a Los Angeles-area neighborhood for half a century....
View ArticleMassachusetts baby born at 10:11, 12-13-14
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts couple is celebrating the birth of their daughter with a numerically unusual birth time and date. Clare Elizabeth Keane was born at 10:11 a.m. Saturday — making...
View ArticleResortQuest honors top producers
PANAMA CITY BEACH — ResortQuest Real Estate recently announced its top producers this fall in the Northwest Florida region, which spans from Panama City Beach west to Perdido Key and includes more...
View ArticleRings given to Salvation Army fetch $21K for toys
BOSTON (AP) — The Salvation Army in Boston says a former bell ringer has offered to pay $21,000 for two rings that a widow dropped into a red donation kettle in hopes they'd be sold to buy toys for...
View ArticleUPDATE: 6 dead, suspect on loose in suburban Philadelphia
PENNSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A man suspected of going to three houses in the Philadelphia suburbs and fatally shooting six people, including his ex-wife and her 14-year-old niece, was at large Monday night,...
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