The University of West Florida is known for its trails as well as its academics.

Much of the trails traverse through longleaf pine forests. The plant, which once spread over 90 million acres across America, is famously fire-resistant and relies on fires to clear out dead underbrush to make room for its seedlings.

With an art career spanning 40 years, Dan Beck has built a name for himself.

Beck, an impressionist painter, has won numerous awards and recognitions for his artwork, which bridges traditional impressionism and contemporary art concepts.

Northwest Florida Construction Career Days celebrated a record-breaking sixth year in 2026.

The annual construction and transportation career fair drew more than 1,400 students and chaperones from schools across seven Northwest Florida counties. Counties involved in this year’s event included Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Jackson and Washington counties.

Vernon Compton stands on the edge of Clear Creek Nature Preserve, where Longleaf Alliance, a conservation organization he belongs to, is currently working to create trails for public recreation.

He said it’s an exciting time for conservation in Northwest Florida.

Despite being a well-known figure in Northwest Florida in his time, Jackson Morton’s name has fallen into obscurity.

Born in 1794 in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Morton moved to Milton in the 1820s and began a successful brickmaking enterprise, selling mainly to those building Pensacola’s Naval fortifications.

He later parlayed his business success into a political career, eventually serving a term in the U.S. Senate from 1849 to 1855. Years later, he served in the Confederacy’s version of the Senate.

Pensacon, the annual pop culture convention held at Pensacola Bay Center, was back in full force Friday, Feb. 20, through Sunday, Feb. 22.

Santa Rosa County’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is holding a four-part event across two weekends to train county residents how to be prepared for emergencies and help their neighbors out when disaster strikes.

The basic CERT course will serve as an overview of emergency response. The first part of the course will be held Friday, Feb. 20, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Additional dates are Feb. 21 (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.), Feb 27 (6 p.m. to 8 p.m.) and Feb. 28 (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.).

Jacob Hullett, the City of Milton planning director, spoke to the City Council about a state Senate bill currently moving through committee.

Duane Brewton Jr. has lived a long life. From fighting in World War II to providing for his family to helping found Pensacola’s Brownsville Assembly of God, Brewton has done many things across his 109 years.

Despite his lifetime achievements, he had not been read into the Congressional Record until Feb. 12.

Documents submitted to a federal court in Alabama last month reveal new details about Marcus Spanevelo’s alleged actions the night of Cassie Carli’s disappearance and the days that followed.

Spanevelo is in federal detention awaiting trial in the Northern District of Alabama on a charge of kidnapping resulting in death.