Butler sentenced to 28 years in racially charged shooting case
PORT ST. JOE — A white man who claimed he shot his black neighbor in self-defense was sentenced to 28 years in prison for second-degree murder. Judge John Fishel sentenced Walt Butler, 61, to a...
View Article‘That is the Christmas spirit’ // PHOTO GALLERY
NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY PANAMA CITY — The already high-charged room of 100 dancing and laughing children erupted with excitement when Santa Claus entered with stockings and large, red sacks of presents...
View ArticleStudents spend an hour learning computer language
PANAMA CITY BEACH — They analyzed the problem, entered a code, then tested the program. And if the program didn’t execute properly, they tweaked the code until it did. Kindergartners at Hutchison...
View ArticleClinic’s laboratory gets accredited
PANAMA CITY -- Bay Walk-In Clinic recently was recognized by a national health-care organization for its quality laboratory services, a Bay Walk-In Clinic news release stated. The clinic earned...
View ArticleDCF investigator charged with sexual battery
LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — A state Department of Children and Families investigator has been charged with two counts of sexual battery, police said Thursday. Twenty-seven-year-old Jason Conrad Montgomery...
View ArticleCity hopes to create new town center
LYNN HAVEN — Main Street members broached the subject of how to turn the old town center into the new town center during Thursday’s meeting. After hearing a success story from Vilano Beach, a Florida...
View ArticleCallaway charter changes halted
CALLAWAY — Two city commissioners who had voted to put changes to the city’s charter on April’s ballot helped kill the resolution at Callaway’s City Commission meeting this week. Commissioners Dennis...
View ArticleQB Winston wins Davey O'Brien Award
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Florida State star Jameis Winston has won the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the nation's top quarterback. The redshirt freshman was presented with the award Thursday...
View ArticlePCB moves to tackle nuisance properties
PANAMA CITY BEACH — The Panama City Beach Council moved forward on an ordinance Thursday that would help expedite the process to remedy nuisance properties in the area, including one the city has been...
View Article2 stories of love: ‘Whatever you want us to do, we’ll do’ // VIDEO
PANAMA CITY — The question could have been taken as another one of Nathan Skinner’s spunky flirts. “Will you be my auntie?” the 6-year-old boy asked parent liaison Jeanette Best one day at school. The...
View Article2 stories of love: Josue’s journey ends with adoption by teacher // VIDEO
PANAMA CITY — At the end of a school day, Tracy Frigon found one boy couldn’t go home. The Department of Children and Family called “and told me not to put him on the bus to go home,” said Frigon, the...
View ArticleMan killed in wreck on I-10
DeFUNIAK SPRINGS -- A North Carolina resident was killed Sunday morning when he drove into the path of an oncoming truck on I-10 in Walton County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. FHP is...
View ArticleOUT OF THE PAST: Diary reveals life in Apalachicola in 1872
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a series of articles from an old Apalachicola diary. Old diaries provide us one of the best ways to learn about life in the early days. Samuel A. Floyd kept such a...
View ArticleCost of dredging Venetian Villa could increase
PANAMA CITY — Residents are looking at city commissioners to unearth an additional $125,000 for a private dredging project during Tuesday’s city meeting. Residents of Venetian Villa are seeking the...
View ArticleThe next Bush
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The latest scion of one of America's most powerful political dynasties is trying to convince voters he's something other than what his famous surname suggests. George P. Bush, Jeb...
View ArticleTornado destroys 7 homes in central Florida
PALM COAST, Fla. (AP) — Seven homes were destroyed and more than 150 damaged when a tornado struck a central Florida neighborhood Saturday, city officials said. The National Weather Service said the...
View ArticleJohnny Football passes torch to Famous Jameis
NEW YORK (AP) — Famous Jameis has replaced Johnny Football as the face of college football. Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night. Texas A&M quarterback...
View ArticleTyndall to hold forum on restricting waterways
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE— Tyndall Air Force Base officials want to hear from Bay County residents on the possibility of waterways surrounding the base being subjected to periods of closure to the...
View ArticleCounty pays demolition expenses on condemned properties
PANAMA CITY BEACH — As many as 15 houses bit the dust in the county this year — not by fire or act of God, but because they fell into disrepair and the county had them razed. When that happens, Bay...
View ArticleFDA raises safety concerns on antibacterial soaps
WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration says there is no evidence that antibacterial chemicals used in liquid soaps and washes help prevent the spread of germs, and there is some evidence they...
View Article