Thirty Years Strong, One Night of Impact: Café Thirty-A Breaks Fundraising Record Staff Reports January 9, 2026 3:35 pm 30a, Charities and Nonprofits, South Walton, Walton County In Brief: Who: Café Thirty-A, Caring and Sharing of South Walton, 250+ guests, local sponsors, and donors What: Annual Christmas Charity Ball, raising a record $90,905 When: Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025 Where: Café Thirty-A, Seagrove Beach, along Scenic Highway 30A Why: To support local families with food, financial assistance, and crisis relief services SEAGROVE BEACH, Fla. — Café Thirty-A’s Annual Christmas Charity Ball raised a record-breaking $90,905 for Caring and Sharing of South Walton, marking the most successful fundraising total in the event’s history and coinciding with the restaurant’s 30th anniversary. The sold-out celebration, held Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, welcomed more than 250 guests into the festively transformed Seagrove Beach restaurant, where community members gathered to celebrate both the holiday season and three decades of Café Thirty-A’s presence along Scenic Highway 30A. Presented by honorary sponsors Coastal Luxury Real Estate, Earl Bacon Agency, Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A., and the Ellis Family, the evening blended fine dining, entertainment, and philanthropy. Guests were greeted with complimentary valet parking provided by All Access Coach and Leasing and champagne courtesy of Clear Title and Escrow, before enjoying heavy hors d’oeuvres, a gourmet dinner buffet, and desserts supplied by Haney Holloway, LLC. Sponsors and VIP attendees received exclusive access to a pre-party event hosted by The Watson Group, while the main event featured an expansive silent auction offering... Read More

  A very Happy New Years to all and may this year be blessed with an abundance of big fish. January, although typically cool, is a great month to fish the shallow flats and backwaters surrounding Panama City Beach. The weather can change quick this time of the year and can go from warm and cloudy to   Read More

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – The second Friday of the new year and the Chamber of Commerce met for its First Friday meeting of the year, welcoming its new chairman, Allen Armstrong. St. Joe Foundation announced Friday its expansion to Watersound and its efforts to increase tourism to the area by increasing advertising at Laguardia […] Read More

FLORIDA – High-school sports coaches would be able to spend their own money, up to $15,000 annually per team, to help players in need of food, transportation or recovery services, under a bill filed Thursday for the upcoming legislative session. The bill (HB 1253), filed by Rep. Chip LaMarca, R-Lighthouse Point, would direct the Florida […] Read More

Niceville’s Campbell Wins Taylor Haugen Award! Christopher Saul January 9, 2026 12:14 pm Niceville, Sports Niceville’s Football, Cheer, and Dance teams gathered in the Niceville High School Multipurpose facility on January 9th to surprise Taylor Haugen Trophy winner Harper Campbell. Haugen Foundation Voters selected Campbell, a senior a Niceville High School who will play football at Samford University in the fall, over 12 other candidates with impressive resumes.    Harper was called to the multipurpose room with Principal Charlie Marello for the surprise. Marello told him he was to sit down with Mid Bay News for an interview.    Instead, about 100 classmates joined him to cheer his accomplishment, along with his family, Coach Richard Morgan, and youth pastors from Crosspoint Church.    He remembers thinking “Well, I hope this is what I think this is.”  After years of workouts in the gym, late nights studying for advanced classes and summers of giving back to the community – the Taylor Haugen Foundation welcomed him with a celebration.    “I was honored to even be in the running,” Campbell said, “to be the Niceville nominee is super crazy because we have about 500 people in my class and a lot of them are athletes. Just to be  the one nominee from Niceville is super special. I’m shocked, I’m still shocked.”   His principal, Charlie Marello, is less surprised.    “If you had to make a mold to say, ‘Hey, Eagles, let’s be like this,’ we’d make one of Harper Campbell,” Principal... Read More

Elvis Presley’s ‘The Classic Christmas Album’ Rose To The Top For Holiday Season Next year will mark 50 Christmases without Elvis Presley, who died in 1977, but his mark on music and the public’s affinity for him remains strong. Already this year, fans of the “King of Rock and Roll” can anticipate Baz Luhrmann’s new […] More Country Music Nation  Read More

High-Impact Testing to Temporarily Close Roads Near Eglin AFB Staff Reports January 9, 2026 9:30 am Eglin Air Force Base, Hurlburt Field, Military, Niceville, Okaloosa County, Walton County In Brief: Who: 96th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base What: Temporary closures of Highways 85 & 285 and State Roads 123 & 293 When: Friday, Jan. 16, between 9 a.m. and noon Where: Eglin Test Complex and surrounding roadways Why: To support scheduled testing missions at Eglin AFB EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — Drivers across Okaloosa and Walton counties should prepare for temporary road closures later this month as Eglin Air Force Base conducts scheduled testing operations. The 96th Test Wing will carry out missions on the Eglin Test Complex on Friday, Jan. 16, requiring the temporary closure of U.S. Highways 85 and 285, along with State Roads 123 and 293, between 9 a.m. and noon. According to base officials, individual closures are not expected to exceed 90 minutes, though multiple closures may occur throughout the three-hour window as testing operations progress. Motorists are encouraged to plan alternate routes and allow additional travel time during the testing period. The closures are part of routine operations tied to Eglin’s role in weapons and systems testing for the Department of Defense. For additional information, the public can contact the 96th Test Wing Public Affairs Office at 850-882-3931 or visit www.eglin.af.mil. More Local News Niceville Niceville’s Campbell Wins Taylor Haugen Award! Eglin Air Force Base High-Impact Testing to Temporarily Close Roads Near... Read More

 [[{“value”:” The air in the Village of Baytowne Wharf changes every February. It isn’t just the crisp winter breeze coming off the bay, it’s the heavy, savory scent of dark roux and slow-simmered spices drifting through the streets. If you follow your nose toward the center of the Village, you’ll find the 37th Annual Sandestin Gumbo Festival in full swing. “}]]  SoWal.com  Read More

Chase Rice is taking a well-deserved break from life on the road. The country star shared a post on his Instagram on Wednesday, January 8, letting fans know that he is scaling back on touring. He only has a few shows scheduled this year, and after those wrap up, he will be taking time to […] More Country Music Nation  Read More

Brandon Lake’s Ode To The Power Of Prayer Reimagined As A Duet With Country Star Cody Johnson “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”– Matthew 18:20 Christian artist Brandon Lake found success in a big way last year, and he’s continuing that upward trend […] More Country Music Nation  Read More