On Dec. 31, OCSO Sheriff Larry Ashley’s term ended and Sheriff Eric Aden was sworn in this month.
Sheriff Ashley served tirelessly as Okaloosa County Sheriff the past 10 years in the elected office, but was in law enforcement for more than 30 years.
Having a desire to be sheriff ever...
The Taylor Haugen Trophy award given each year will now include a $1,000 donation to the athletic department of the Trophy winner’s school! This is in addition to the winner earning the trophy and a $1,000 scholarship.
Every February the prestigious Taylor Haugen Trophy is awarded to a high school...
“Unprecedented” is the Word for 2020
By Dave White, Publisher, SoWal Life
Users of the online dictionary, Dictionary.com, voted “unprecedented” as the People’s Choice 2020 Word of the Year. Can anyone disagree? 2020 has certainly been an unprecedented year of problems, challenges, pivots, solutions and, perhaps, even successes. For many Americans,...
New Location Will Open in 2021-22 School Year
By Kay Phelan
The much-anticipated Destin High School (DHS) is slated to open for 9th and 10th graders (and currently investigating the possibility of 11th graders) in August of 2021. The tuition-free public charter school is under contract to purchase the Grace...
By Lori Leath Smith
Longtime local and Destin Life favorite Sean Dietrich (sometimes better known as “Sean of the South”) is a traveling storyteller, podcaster and Southern Living writer known for his daily column filled with stories of steel workers, church potlucks and trusty bloodhounds. His penned words seem to...
Heartwarming Soups & Stews with the Destin Library
Come join the latest, mouthwatering new Beanstack Challenge from the Destin Library: Heartwarming Soups and Stews. From now-Feb. 28, warm your heart and tummy with interactive cooking activities, videos, recipes and cookbooks each week. Have fun creating your own soup or...
Although COVID-19 has made Christmas seemingly the worst holiday ever, somehow it also made it more important. In The Absolute Worst Christmas of All Time, Sean Dietrich shares anecdotes from his beloved homeland (our area and South Alabama), essays taken from his column and blog over the past 7...
Despite warnings this holiday season, 2.4 million people will be flying and even more will be on the road. Travelers with pent up demand are heading somewhere—anywhere—away from where they’ve spent too much time, to where they haven’t spent enough time, whether it’s home to see family or just...
By Catherine Card, Public Information Manager, City of Destin
In November, firefighters from Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa Island and North Bay, took part in scenario based high rise structure training. The Destin Fire Control District hosted the training through the Joint Training Committee (JTC), which is comprised of multiple...
Serenity Village Will Offer Safe, Protected Environment
A vision that began with a handful of residents in 2008 now supports 33 women, three graduates and a 5-year-old in transition in the program! The Path of Grace Women’s Recovery Home has steadily been growing over the past 10 years.
The Path of...
