A popular kids’ song teaches, “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world….”

Many young students first heard those words at Vacation Bible School, a longstanding summer tradition among Protestant denominations that is becoming more popular with Catholics in recent years.

A lifelong farmer and longtime flight paramedic, Ryan Jenkins of Jay realized most emergency responders don’t know anything about farming and farm machinery. In 2023, he organized the first Farm Agriculture Rescue Management Day to provide training for first responders and emergency room nurses, training he said he is uniquely qualified to offer.

Kids love gadgets, especially gadgets they can operate themselves. Combine that with the prestige that comes from earning the right to use the gadget, and the concept of East Milton Elementary School’s new book vending machine becomes clear.

The future starts now for the Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization; actually, in Santa Rosa County, it started last week.

Joel Beck, a youth pastor at West Florida Baptist Church in Milton, said mental health is one of the major challenges facing area residents, along with hunger and drugs. This Saturday and Sunday, March 16-17, the church will host a Wellness Weekend with Inspire Counseling Ministry. The topic? “Find Hope in the Scriptures: Overcoming Burnout, Depression, and Anxiety Through Clinically Informed, Spiritual-Applied Wisdom.”

Milton brothers Sam and Brandon Howell were looking for a new challenge after both retired from the U.S. Air Force; they decided to focus on shared passions: Good beer and the Milton community.

The City of Milton had until March 1 to satisfy conditions set by two federal agencies that have committed almost $9 million to the city’s wastewater treatment project. It met the deadline but whether it met the agencies’ requirements is questionable. Now, the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation and the U.S. Economic Development Administration must decide whether to again extend the deadline to spend grant funds or terminate the grants.

The 25th anniversary of the Blackwater Heritage State Trail in February was bittersweet for Richard Collins. In 1996, the Pace man earned recognition as a National Conservation Hero for helping create the trail.

Matt Dobson’s vision is becoming reality before his eyes. Dobson, interim pastor at Cora Baptist Church in Jay, competed in cross country and track at Florida State University and has built a career in health and wellness education.

Several agencies and businesses are joining forces to present Farm Agriculture Rescue Management Day from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, March 15 at Jenkins Farm, 4350 Darney Road, in Jay.