The overcast weather did not stop the rain of colorful beads, sweet treats, and toys for every boy and girl thrown at this year’s Mardi Gras Parade.

The 2025 Milton Mardi Gras Parade hosted by the Krewe of Airship Pirates brought smiles to adults and children alike on Feb. 15.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Florida of the March 17 deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by the severe storms, straight-line winds and tornadoes that occurred May 10, 2024. 

On the last day of January, Lighthouse Private Christian Academy closed on a new property in Milton to continue providing their students with new opportunities and a transformational, Christ-centered education.

It was the end of a workday and, as is our custom, my wife and I were “debriefing” one another. I initiated, “How was your day?” My wife’s workdays of late have been exceedingly busy but today was less so. “It was okay,” she answered, “I only had about 40 phone calls.” Yes, that is a less busy day for her. She reciprocated, “And how was your day?” As I answered, I began to do something that I have done for my entire life. Leaning on my right elbow, my head cradled in my right hand, the fingers of my right hand were tugging on the flesh under my right eye. Yeah, it’s weird, but I do it unconsciously.

On Saturday, Feb. 8, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., United Way of West Florida will be hosting a distribution for children’s coats at the Pensacola State College Century Campus in Building 1, 440 E. Hecker Road in Century. This event is open to Santa Rosa County residents.

Hit the ground running on your business idea! Attend the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) start-up workshop from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at the Santa Rosa County Economic Development Office, 6491 Caroline St., Suite 4 in Milton. The workshop will highlight how to launch a small business operation with the foundation for success.

In order to meet the required instructional minutes and missed time for weather, the following updates were made to the 2024-2025 school calendar and approved at the February 4, 2025 school board meeting.

I have been a Christian for 40 years, having put my faith in Christ Jesus on April 2, 1984, in a small church in south Florida. I began to perceive familiar things differently my mind being renewed in Christ. However, there were aspects of my new life that were not familiar. I quickly realized there was an entirely new vocabulary that I needed to learn. For example, many in my new church family referred to certain Bible verses as their “life verse” and spoke of having a daily “quiet time.” I had no idea what they were talking about.