Tennessee Governor Bill Lee gave Jelly Roll a Christmas gift he won’t soon forget …. a pardon. Jelly Roll, whose birth name is Jason DeFord, has been open about his past and how he has transformed his life. DeFord petitioned for a pardon in 2024, requesting that the state grant him clemency for past felony […] More Country Music Nation  Read More

Cody Johnson has some simple but powerful words for anyone who idolizes him. There are a lot of young people out there who look up to Cody Johnson, and it’s easy to see why. The country star has built a very impressive career. He has six albums with multiple songs that have climbed to the […] More Country Music Nation  Read More

Palmer Seeks Public Input on Holiday Isle Park Staff Reports December 18, 2025 4:21 pm Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa County, Tourism In Brief: Who: Commissioner Drew Palmer and Okaloosa County residents What: Town hall meeting for public input on a new Holiday Isle park When: Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, at 3 p.m. Where: Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center Why: To gather community feedback on developing a 4-acre waterfront property into a public park OKALOOSA COUNTY, FL — Okaloosa County Commissioner Drew Palmer is inviting residents to share their input on a newly acquired 4-acre waterfront property on Holiday Isle that the County plans to develop into a public park. The town hall meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, at 3 p.m. at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center. County staff will give a brief presentation, followed by an opportunity for attendees to provide feedback and suggestions on the park’s design and use. “This is an amazing opportunity to create something special on that property for the benefit of Okaloosa County residents and visitors,” said Commissioner Palmer (District 5). “We are committed to keeping this process open to the public and value their input as we move toward finalizing the details of this endeavor.” The property boasts scenic views of Destin East Pass and Destin Harbor, with access to the adjacent Norriego Park. Once slated for a dense condominium project, the site includes a new 53-slip marina and sea walls, but otherwise remains an open 4-acre canvas for... Read More

Patronis Calls for Public Input on Offshore Drilling Staff Reports December 18, 2025 3:52 pm Eglin Air Force Base, Emerald Coast, Okaloosa County, State Government In Brief: BOEM is seeking public input on a draft offshore drilling plan covering 2026–2031. The proposal includes new drilling areas near Florida’s Gulf Coast and Eglin AFB. Patronis is urging Floridians to submit comments before the January 23 deadline. WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Jimmy Patronis is urging Floridians to make their voices heard as federal officials consider a sweeping new plan that could open large portions of the eastern Gulf of Mexico to offshore oil and gas drilling for the first time in decades. The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is accepting public comment on its draft offshore leasing plan for 2026 through 2031. The comment period closes January 23, 2026, at 10:59 p.m. CST. “It is our right to share our concerns and perspectives, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s responsibility to listen to what we have to say,” Patronis said. “I encourage all my constituents to let their voices be heard during the comment period.” As currently proposed, the draft plan includes expansive new drilling areas off Florida’s Gulf Coast, including locations roughly 100 miles east of the Military Mission Line beginning in 2029. Those waters, near Eglin Air Force Base, have long been closed to new oil exploration due to sensitive munitions testing conducted in the Eastern Gulf Test and Training Range. For drilling... Read More

With Walls’ Execution, Northwest Florida Confronts Its Serial Killer Past Tricia Elliott December 18, 2025 3:14 pm Crime, Emerald Coast, Okaloosa County In Brief: Frank Walls, Okaloosa County’s most notorious serial killer, is scheduled for execution today. Mark Riebe operated in Northwest Florida from the late 1970s through the early 1990s, suspected of over a dozen murders. Other notable violent crime cases in the region include Edward Zakrzewski II, Aileen Wuornos, and Danny Rolling. Okaloosa & Walton Counties, FL – As Florida prepares to execute Frank Athen Walls on December 18, 2025, the region reflects on the history of serial killers in Northwest Florida. Since 1980, law enforcement and historical records have identified two serial killers as the most prominent in Okaloosa and Walton counties. Frank Athen Walls is widely recognized as Okaloosa County’s most notorious serial killer. Active between 1985 and 1987, Walls was convicted and admitted to five murders, including the 1987 slayings of Ann Peterson and Edward Alger in their Ocean City mobile home. After decades on death row, his execution is set for today. Mark Riebe is often mentioned alongside Walls. Operating in the Northwest Florida Panhandle from the late 1970s through the early 1990s, Riebe was formally convicted for the 1989 murder of Donna Callahan in Gulf Breeze. He has confessed to, and is suspected of, over a dozen additional murders across the region, including cases in Okaloosa County. Many of these confessions remain unverified, but his activity has left a lasting mark on the... Read More

Congress OKs More Than $590M for Panhandle Military Construction Projects Congress OKs More Than $590M for Panhandle Military Construction Projects Staff Reports December 18, 2025 2:51 pm Military In Brief: Congress authorized more than $590 million in military construction projects across five Panhandle installations Eglin Air Force Base would receive the largest share, with funding tied to the F-35A program and new facilities Tyndall Air Force Base continues its post–Hurricane Michael rebuilding with a new fire and crash rescue station NICEVILLE — Congress has approved its annual defense policy bill, authorizing hundreds of millions of dollars for military construction projects at several major installations in Florida’s Panhandle, including Eglin Air Force Base, Hurlburt Field, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Naval Air Station Whiting Field and Tyndall Air Force Base. The National Defense Authorization Act authorizes more than $590 million for projects at the five installations, according to figures released by Sen. Ashley Moody’s office. The bill outlines defense policy priorities for the coming fiscal year and authorizes funding levels for military construction and other Pentagon programs. Eglin Air Force Base would receive the largest share among the installations, with more than $219 million authorized for a range of projects. Those include funding for new and upgraded facilities supporting the F-35A program, a child development center, a spectrum warfare wing facility and barracks construction. Hurlburt Field is authorized to receive $66 million for a new intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission operations facility. At Naval Air Station Pensacola, the bill authorizes $164 million... Read More

NASCAR Driver Greg Biffle & His Family Are Feared Dead After A Plane Crash On Thursday (December 18) around 10:20am local time, a private plane owned by NASCAR driver Greg Biffle crashed at the Statesville Regional Airport, which is just north of Charlotte, North Carolina. The plane’s owner is GB Aviation Leasing, LLC., which is […] More Country Music Nation  Read More

Charges Against Former AFSOC Chief Anthony Green Revealed Christopher Saul December 18, 2025 1:58 pm Hurlburt Field, Military In Brief:  Former AFSOC Enlisted Leader Faces Trial: Anthony Green, the command’s former top enlisted member, is scheduled for a General Court-Martial on February 10, 2026.  Serious Charges Filed: He has been charged with four counts, including indecent recording, obstructing justice, and two counts related to child pornography.  Court-Martial Process Explained: The article outlines the three types of courts-martial and details the step-by-step process of a General Court-Martial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Anthony Green, the former highest enlisted member of the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), will have a court-martial scheduled on February 10, 2026. Green was relieved of his post by Lt. General Michael Conley in May of 2025. General Conley cited a loss of confidence when he made his decision.  The Air Force’s Judge Advocate General’s docket website had the information available as of 0900 on December 18.  The Judge Advocate General has charged Green with four counts, including: Indecent recording Obstructing justice Child pornography; posses, recieve, view Child pornography; production “Green is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at trial by courts-martial, “ said a news release by Air Force Special Operations Command on Wednesday. “AFSOC is committed to the welfare of our Airmen and maintaining good order and discipline to preserve the trust placed in us to execute our critical global missions.” How Courts Martial Work The Air Force court-martial operates under the Uniform... Read More

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – A Panama City man was sentenced to five years in federal prison for receipt of child pornography to be followed by five years of supervised release. According to the Northern District of Florida U.S. Attorney’s Office, Chad Ryan Puffinbarger, 39, came under investigation in 2021 when he was believed to […] Read More

FLORIDA (WMBB) – Several of the Panhandle’s local law enforcement agencies helped with the recovery and location of 43 critically missing children in Operation Northern Lights. According to the U.S. Marshals Service, Operation Northern Lights was a missing child operation that was executed in 14 counties across North Florida for two-weeks in December. The operation […] Read More