February 23, 2023 WALTON COUNTY, Fla— A Freeport man is arrested after it’s found he violated his probation and attempted to hide fentanyl up his anal cavity during his arrest. Information obtained in search warrants done by Walton County Sheriff’s Office VICE/Narcotics Unit earlier this month prompted investigators to contact probation to inform them of their findings. On Wednesday, February 22nd, State Probation Officers with the Florida Department of Corrections conducted a probation search of Robert Seth Whittaker and his house on Power Line Road in Freeport where they discovered traces of fentanyl and other paraphernalia and immediately contacted Walton County Sheriff’s Office. A search warrant was obtained by VICE/Narcotics which revealed numerous items of drug paraphernalia including digital scales, packaging material, syringes, items to conceal drugs, and other items used to take controlled substances throughout the home. Investigators arrested Robert Seth Whittaker, Travis Weidenhaft, and Danea Harris as a result. Following his arrest, Whittaker was found to have a purple powder which he tried to conceal in his anal cavity while being booked at the Walton County Jail. That substance tested positive for fentanyl. Whittaker is charged with possession of a controlled substance, the introduction of contraband into a county detention facility, possession of drug paraphernalia, and violation of probation. At the time of his arrest, Whittaker was already serving three years probation because of a narcotics search warrant in July 2022 where he was charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of fentanyl, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Weidenhaft... Read More

Spring is quickly approaching and Holi Indian Restaurants will be ringing it in with the traditional Festival of Colors! The community is invited to participate in this joyous holiday on March 20, 2023, at the Fort Walton Beach Landing, from 1 to 7 p.m. Media Alert WHO: Holi Indian Restaurants WHAT: Holi Festival of Colors WHEN: Monday, March 20, 2023 | 1 – 7 p.m. WHERE: Fort Walton Beach Landing Park  139 Brooks Street SE   Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547 DESCRIPTION: Holi Indian Restaurants brings the Indian tradition of Holi to the Emerald Coast with Florida’s largest Holi Festival of Colors. In celebration of spirituality, community, love, and diversity, the festival boasts live music, multi-cuisine food trucks, drinks, and family activities. The community is invited to take part in the Holi Festival of Colors from 1 to 7 p.m. on March 20, 2023, at the Fort Walton Beach Landing. Admission is free and attendees are encouraged to wear white, as all are welcome to throw gulal, the traditional colored powder, on one another. The powder comes in many colors, each carrying a special meaning, to include red, symbolizing love and passion; yellow, symbolizing happiness and peace; and blue, symbolizing calm and serenity. The gulal is non-toxic and will wash out of most clothing. Those interested in becoming a vendor can request more information by emailing info@holirestaurants.com. For updates and additional event information, visit the Holi Festival of Colors Facebook event. ABOUT HOLI: Holi Indian Restaurants feature the flavors of... Read More

The First American Vodka in a Recyclable Paperboard Bottle Leans Further Into Sustainability With Ingredients From Local, Family-Farmed Crops Half Shell Vodka, the newest spirit developed by Florida-based Distillery 98 and distributed by North America’s leading beverage wholesaler Breakthru Beverage Group, makes history as the U.S.’s first spirit brand packaged in a recyclable paperboard bottle. Made from 94% recycled paperboard, Half Shell Vodka’s Frugal Bottle embodies the Florida Panhandle’s legacy of community and sustainability by using 6x less carbon than traditional glass bottles. “When we discovered the Frugal bottle in the U.K., we immediately realized that this packaging represents the future for our industry,” said Distillery 98 co-owner Harrison Holditch. “We hope that our commitment to Half Shell’s transformative bottle persuades more companies to embrace environmentally friendly packaging.” Half Shell’s dedication to sustainability extends far beyond packaging, encompassing everything from ingredient sourcing to the incorporation of circular economy principles into the company’s business practices. Half Shell sources its corn locally from the Florida Panhandle and leverages a distillation process that features a one-of-a-kind activated coconut carbon and oyster shell filtration system. The family-run distillery also partners with local farmers for the use of Half Shell’s spent grains as livestock feed. While some distilleries can claim farm-to-bottle cred, far fewer can identify themselves as farm-to-bottle-to-farm. Half Shell Vodka heightens its company-wide homage to the Florida Panhandle with a blue bottle reflecting the Emerald Coast’s world-class subtropical waters and a distillation process that harnesses shells from the Panhandle’s economically important and ecologically... Read More

Maestro Demetrius Fuller to conduct Sinfonia Gulf Coast orchestra Sinfonia Gulf Coast presents award-winning violinist Geneva Lewis as part of its Classical Connections program on Saturday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Destin High School. Lewis will perform Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64 with the full Sinfonia Gulf Coast orchestra conducted by Music & Artistic Director Demetrius Fuller. The orchestra will also perform Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 2, Op. 61. “We are thrilled to welcome an artist of Geneva’s caliber to Sinfonia Gulf Coast. Supporting the development of a young musician already on a trajectory of a major career is as rewarding as watching this talent blossom and flourish for years to come,” Fuller says. New Zealand-born, Lewis has forged a reputation as a musician of consummate artistry whose performances speak from and to the heart. Lauded for “remarkable mastery of her instrument” and hailed as “clearly one to watch,” Lewis is the recipient of a 2022 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant, and Grand Prize winner of the 2020 Concert Artists Guild Competition. Deeply passionate about collaboration, Lewis has performed with many prominent musicians such as Jonathan Biss, Glenn Dicterow, Miriam Fried, Kim Kashkashian, Gidon Kremer, Marcy Rosen, Sir András Schiff, Mitsuko Uchida among others. Born in Hamburg, Germany, Mendelssohn (1809-1847) is usually regarded as a conservative composer, who despite his allegiance to Romanticism, closely followed the classical forms and feelings of Mozart and Haydn. But Mendelssohn also was a true Romantic who... Read More