Sit on a front porch facing Forsyth Street long enough and you’ll see the traffic.

Large trucks breezing by, people speeding and the twice-a-day congregation of cars coming and going from Bagdad Elementary School are fixtures on the main drag through this otherwise sleepy community.

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 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.”

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.

Bagdad Elementary School, one of the oldest schools in Santa Rosa County, recently celebrated its 100th anniversary at its current location on Forsyth Street.

The milestone was celebrated by staff and students Jan. 6.

On Saturday, Jan. 17, people from across Santa Rosa County gathered at Santa Rosa Auditorium in Milton to share a breakfast meal in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Late last month, a Milton resident posted a picture of a river otter swimming through Annie’s Basin near the Blackwater River. The woman was on her dock when a little furry head stuck out of the water.
While not an uncommon sight, river otters are not exactly the poster child for Florida animals. Despite not being as famed as alligators, manatees and Florida panthers, river otters play an important ecological role.