FORT WALTON BEACH — Okaloosa County ranked seventh in the state for boating accidents last year, and fourth in the number of boating accidents involving personal watercraft, according to the latest Boating Accidents Statistical Report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.The report covers accidents reported between March 27 of last year and March 13 of this year.According to the FWC's compilation, there were 34 "reportable accidents" in Okaloosa [...]

PANAMA CITY BEACH — Laws the city and county passed in 2015 to tame spring break are working to keep crime down during the celebration, Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford said Tuesday.Ford told Bay County commissioners they need to be vigilant and continue the course.County Commissioner Guy Tunnell, a former Bay County sheriff, questioned whether the laws — which include a ban on drinking on the sandy beach in March — [...]

Net neutrality prevented providers such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon from interfering with internet traffic and favoring their own sites and apps.

WASHINGTON - Congress will consider tightening the rules on service animals allowed to accompany passengers on airliners under legislation introduced this week. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., has introduced an airline bill that would align the definition of a service animal to fit the stricter regulations in the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Burr, noting that things have gotten out of hand when people try bringing support kangaroos onto a plane, said in a news release that [...]

TALLAHASSEE — Shore-based shark fishing, which attracts sharks already near land to feed in areas that often have low visibility, is increasing in conflict with where people swim and surf. And now, amid calls to restrict or ban shark fishing from beaches, piers and bridges, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Wednesday directed staff members to craft new rules. Commissioner Michael Sole, a former secretary of the Florida Department of [...]

Angela Merkel gets a 20-minute private chat Friday in the Oval Office followed by a working lunch.

DESTIN — A fugitive from Indiana wanted on several felony gun charges was arrested Wednesday after two Okaloosa County sheriff's deputies recognized him while on their lunch break.According to a press release from the Sheriff's Office, the deputies were their lunch break at a Destin restaurant when they noticed a man leaving who seemed “nervous” about their presence.Deputies thought the man resembled an individual in a “Be On the Lookout,” or [...]

Cosby, 80, could end up spending his final years in prison after a jury concluded he sexually violated Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

Cosby, 80, could end up spending his final years in prison after a jury concluded he sexually violated Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

A white shark dubbed Hilton recently made a close approach to the Florida Panhandle and is now headed for the Mississippi River delta in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the shark-tracking website Ocearch.org .The shark was originally caught and tagged off the coast of Hilton Head, S.C., and was named after the community.It measures 12 feet, 5 inches in length and weighs a whopping 1,326 pounds.So far, [...]