An approved background check is now required for Eglin Recreation Permitholders who hike on any of the more than 60 miles of the Florida Trail that cross the Eglin Air Force Base reservation, as well as for permitholders who explore other parts of the reservation’s nearly 255,000 acres that are open to conditional public access.

In Okaloosa County, the ballot for the Aug. 20 primary election includes races for county sheriff, the District 1, District 3 and District 5 County Commissioner seats, and the District 2 School Board seat.

Bob DeMauro, the fish hatchery manager at the Blackwater Fisheries Research & Development Center near Holt, is eager to see the latest results of the center’s ongoing efforts to replenish the Chipola River’s population of shoal bass.