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By Lisa Woodrum Path of Grace (POG) provides a way out for women caught in the destructive lifestyle of addiction through discovering their identity and purpose in Christ. Eddie Mansfield has been its director for 12 years. He compassionately understands these residents’ journey as he too had wandered off...

More public beach access in Destin is coming soon. A nearly 340-foot beachfront “Tarpon Beach Park” is now on its way to becoming a reality. The City of Destin, Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners, Trust for Public Land and Destin-Fort Walton Beach Tourist Development Council have partnered to...

By Lori Leath Smith, Publisher As the new year is now a reality, I have been thinking about our city’s rich heritage and how it influences our local lifestyles today. It helps to know some of our history in order to appreciate our piece of Paradise and how far we’ve...

By Kenneth Books In the late 1990s, three teenagers ran their hearts out as members of the Fort Walton Beach High School cross-country team. Today, all three – Mike Lowe, Ken Dwyer and Austin White – are colonels in the armed forces. Lowe and White are in the Air Force,...

Visits with Santa, Holiday Lights, Parades and Much More! By Lori Leath Smith For many years, our piece of Paradise has ignited the holiday spirit in each of us and allowed the season to come to life for the young and young at heart. With a unique blend of theatrical storytelling,...

By Gueary Clendening Many years ago, My wife, Linda, and I lived in Illinois. Memories of driving to southern Illinois to spend Christmas with her family are truly cherished! On one particular Christmas, we left on Christmas Eve, driving down on Interstate 57. We traveled at night and had the...

By Lori Leath Smith Are you looking for ways to help our community? As always during the holiday season, there is an ongoing need for giving. Many children don’t have enough food to eat over a weekend, much less over Thanksgiving or Christmas, and have to return to school hungry....

By Doug Stauffer “You don’t lose until you quit trying!” is an oft-repeated quote from Sammy Davis. You might recognize that name, but this Sammy is not an entertainer, he’s a Vietnam War American hero. I love to meet inspiring people, but there is always more to the story. These two...

By Zandra Wolfgram How do you frame up a festive, fall weekend on the Emerald Coast? Come take part in Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation’s 27th annual Festival of the Arts. With dozens of artists taking part, this year’s free event, set for Saturday, Oct. 29 and Sunday, Oct. 30 at the...

By Doug Stauffer Okaloosa County recently gathered together to celebrate the military, first with the U.S. Air Force’s 75th Anniversary celebration, followed the next day with a salute to several veterans inducted into the Florida Veterans’ Hall of Fame at the Northwest Florida State College Mattie Kelly Arts Center in...