Community Archive

Wednesday, Feb. 18, marks the annual tradition of Ash Wednesday in the Christian faith.

Ash Wednesday is a time of reflection and renewed focus on Christ, his teachings and each person’s faith journey. The day will also mark the beginning of the Lenten period, a season of prayer and fasting which lasts for 40 days until Easter Sunday.

The sidewalks at the intersection of West Spencer Field and South Spencer Field Roads are now closed to all pedestrian traffic for the construction of a roundabout. This is only for the portion of the sidewalks within the project area. Sidewalks past these points remain open for use.

Caleb Champion is headed to the Super Bowl.


Not as a player, but as a pilot. The Milton High alum is set to be part of a flyover for the NFL’s biggest game Sunday night at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Come all ye faithful!

Covington Mercantile & Coffee Co. will host a special evening of acoustic worship music Friday, Feb. 27, at its 5675 Highway 90 location in Milton.

The Santa Rosa County Library System will mark its 20th anniversary in 2026, with celebrations planned throughout the year.

Maggie Benham is involved with many things.

From volunteering at the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center (NBSTCC) to instructing people on whitewater rafting to creating art, Benham is a sort of “jack-of-all-trades.” Or rather, a “Jill of all trades.”

It was March 6, 2024, when Joy Zuraff returned home from the park with her 5-year-old daughter, Kenlee. The afternoon had been ordinary — swings, sunshine, a brief escape from the medical stress that had shadowed their lives. Then Zuraff’s phone rang. A friend told her the Department of Children and Families planned to stop by, take a quick look at Kenlee and close the case.

What happened next would upend her family’s life.

In addition to Monday, Jan. 26, and Tuesday, Jan. 27, the cold weather shelter for the homeless and/or heatless will be open on the nights of Wednesday, Jan. 28, Thursday, Jan. 29, and Friday, Jan. 30 at Ferris Hill Baptist Church, 6848 Chaffin St. in Milton.

The Milton Fire Department entered Tuesday night, Jan. 13, without full staffing but began Jan. 14 with three new firefighters and fully staffed A and C shifts.

During the City Council’s work session, Fire Chief John Reble said the department had vacant positions during the latter half of 2025. He told council members the department was able to hire new firefighters who recently completed training at Northwest Florida State College’s fire academy, as well as one firefighter from George Stone Technical College.

Monday marked the observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday held on the third Monday of January each year.

King, a civil rights leader and pastor from Atlanta, spent much of his adult life campaigning for an end to Jim Crow laws in the American South and advocating for fair and equal treatment of minorities, particularly African Americans, in the United States.