Changes ahead: New ZooWorld director hopes to draw more locals
PANAMA CITY BEACH — New ZooWorld director Kayte Wanko sees big potential in the small park. “Obviously, there’s work to be done, but I hope we can bring a lot of changes that people will appreciate,”...
View ArticleGrant will help fund extension of Gayle’s Trails
PANAMA CITY BEACH — A contract has been executed to extend Gayle’s Trails for a short but critical segment of what will eventually become a 30-mile multi-use trail named in honor of the mayor. With...
View ArticleLocal Girl Scouts ready for cookie time
PANAMA CITY — The world’s largest girl-run business operation is underway again, and local Girl Scouts are ready for the rush of cookie time. “The Girl Scout Cookie Program provides girls with the...
View ArticleBusiness opening natural gas pump
PANAMA CITY — A local company will install and open a natural gas pump by March 1. James Walker of CNG Technologies, 1607 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., said he hopes to appeal to personal vehicles,...
View ArticleCallaway may limit number of chickens
CALLAWAY — A Callaway resident may have to remove more than 50 chickens from her property if the Callaway City Commission passes an ordinance that restricts how big a flock residents can keep. At its...
View ArticleCity to ponder hiring collector for liens
PANAMA CITY — The question for Panama City Commission on Tuesday will be: How much is it worth to speed up the collection of liens? “Sometime in the future that property will change hands and when it...
View ArticleCitrus marketing studies will aim at millennials
WINTER GARDEN — Retail orange juice sales at major U.S. supermarkets continued a five-year decline, but help may be on the way. Orange juice sales dropped 9 percent in the four-week period ending Dec....
View ArticleFather accused of dropping child over bridge appears in court
ST. PETERSBURG (AP) — A man seen throwing his 5-year-old daughter off a bridge refused to answer questions Monday as a judge appointed him a public defender. John Jonchuck had rejected a...
View Article69 people die after drinking beer contaminated with crocodile bile
MAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) — When a crocodile is killed, the bile of the animal must be immediately removed and buried in front of witnesses to prove that it has not fallen into the wrong hands, to be...
View ArticlePolice find dead body, grow house inside Ocala home
OCALA — Police responding to reports of a man found dead inside his Ocala residence on Friday afternoon stumbled upon a marijuana grow house upon their arrival. In addition to finding a body inside...
View Article3 arrested on drug charges
PANAMA CITY — Authorities have arrested three individuals after developing information about a drug transaction that was to take place on Kurze Avenue, according to a Bay County Sheriff’s Office news...
View ArticleCallaway man to dispute gargantuan water bill
CALLAWAY — The Callaway Commission will consider Tuesday what to do about Chris Coffey’s unusually high water bill. In October, Coffey reportedly used 454,830 gallons of water, amassing a bill of...
View ArticleMan charged with distributing heroin
PANAMA CITY BEACH — Police have arrested a Panama City Beach man on charges of intending to distribute heroin — the first incident of its kind for 2015, according to court records. Clayton Merrill...
View ArticleCourt: Magic investors can keep fighting
PANAMA CITY — The 1st District Court of Appeal has given a former broadcasting company and its many local investors a resurrection of sorts by overturning a judge’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit...
View ArticleLocal copy technician wins big prize
PANAMA CITY — A small-town copy shop employee is now the proud recipient of a big-time award. Omar Torres, a technician at Reliable Copy Products in Panama City, took home first place at a nationwide...
View ArticleBCSO: Man defrauded area Wal-Marts
CALLAWAY — Deputies have arrested a man accused of running a variety of schemes to defraud local Wal-Marts, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday. BCSO responded to the Wal-Mart in Callaway...
View ArticleElementary students look to raise awareness with Everglades posters
CEDAR GROVE — Elementary school students hope their artwork can inspire conservation efforts for the Florida everglades. “These animals are endangered and we should help them,” third-grader Madison...
View ArticleJudge: Sex offender didn’t violate his probation
PANAMA CITY — A sex offender whose release drew complaints from law enforcement has again been released after a Bay County judge found he did not violate the terms of his probation. Horace Monroe...
View ArticleGraham joins up to support Everglades bill
PANAMA CITY — Rep. Gwen Graham is among a bipartisan group of Florida lawmakers getting behind a plan to increase the flow of clean water to the Everglades, which supporters said would preserve and...
View ArticleWelcome, Angel: Gulf World dolphin ‘a blessing’
PANAMA CITY BEACH — Gulf World’s newest addition may not have survived birth outside of captivity. With the help of park staff, however, the 2-month-old Atlantic bottlenose dolphin is now thriving....
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