The Milton City Council has reined in the Hurricane Isaias emergency declaration that Mayor Heather Lindsay extended, with questions regarding whether there is still an emergency.

The men at the center of the controversial killing of a Milton-area alligator in March have entered into a pretrial diversion (PTD) contract. If the men complete the court-ordered tasks, their charges could be dismissed.

Kevin Lacz, Richard Reder and Jason Griffin are accused of illegally removing an 8.5-foot alligator from a retention pond in Milton and bringing the live alligator to a residence, where it was killed with a power drill. Lacz had previously been a SNAP trapper.

Another sea turtle nesting season has come and gone. This year, there were 17 total nests on Navarre Beach, with an estimated 1,700 eggs in total. All were loggerhead sea turtles.

While it was a relatively high number of nests compared to recent years, the promising season turned sour in July. A series of storms inundated 13 nests with water, in essence destroying them. Hatchlings breathe through their porous shells before emerging and crawling to the sea.

A first-grade teacher who has spent 21 years in education was named Pea Ridge Elementary School’s Teacher of the Year earlier this fall, an honor she said caught her completely off guard.