30A Breaking News

10 players to watch ahead of the 2026 football season Collin Bestor January 5, 2026 5:07 pm Sports NICEVILLE — With the 2025 season in the books and spring workouts on the horizon, the Emerald Coast’s next wave of stars is already coming into focus.   From reigning Mid Bay News Players of the Year to proven quarterbacks, explosive running backs and defensive tone-setters, these 10 athletes headline the players we’re most excited to watch when the 2026 high school football season kicks off.     Niceville RB Jakobe Gilyard The defending Mid Bay News Offensive Player of the Year, Gilyard, looks to enter his sophomore year as one of the most exciting players to watch in 2026. Ending the 2025 campaign as one of the Emerald Coast’s leading rushers, behind Destin RB Junior Harris, Gilyard had 223 carries, 1,211 yards on the ground and 14 scores. Gilyard also ended his first year with two offers (Florida State and South Florida) and looks to pick up more as he continues to progress.   South Walton LB Connor Rooney The defending Mid Bay News Defensive Player of the Year, Rooney, enters 2026 as the de facto leader of a Seahawks team looking to get one game better than last year’s second-round playoff loss to Pensacola Catholic. Rooney led the team with 100 tackles and had two blocked field goals and a blocked punt. Look for him to end his high school career with either the same or increased production.   South... Read More

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Aaron Lee, Vice President of Administration for the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, is accused of turning a company credit card into a personal bank account. “He’s a con man, and he has been weaving a tale for quite some time,” Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford said. On […] Read More

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – The outline of a new entertainment venue is now clearly visible at the former Spinnaker Beach Club site. It’s the new 30,000 square foot Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. The project follows a deal between former Spinnaker owner Sparky Sparkman and Tootsie’s owner Steve Smith. Spinnaker first opened in the early 1970’s […] Read More

The U.S. is changing which vaccines are recommended for children, slashing the number of shots endorsed for everyone and leaving more decisions in the hands of parents and pediatricians. Read More

From the 850 to the Nation: Emerald Coast Athletes Close Out 2025 College Football Season Collin Bestor January 5, 2026 3:00 pm Sports NICEVILLE — While some players had breakout seasons and saw some take to the field for the first time, 2025 also marked the end of some college careers.   From humble beginnings at Joe Ethridge Stadium and the Eagles Nest, local kids repped the 850 and made their hometowns proud.   Here is a look back at former standout athletes as the 2025 football season comes to a close.     Stanford RB Cole Tabb (Choctaw) After a 27-carry, 130-yard performance in year one, the former Choctaw standout and current Stanford Cardinal had his breakout year in 2025, getting 114 carries, 445 yards and 3 TDs. This includes a game against Florida State, which saw him go for 118 yards on 28 carries and one score. The Cardinals would go on to finish 4-8 (3-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference). Air Force QB Kemper Hodges (South Walton) It may have taken a few years, but after two and a half years of patience, the former South Walton QB took snaps under center for the first time in his career in 2025. Gaining reps in garbage time against Navy on Oct. 4, Hodges would get his first start against New Mexico on Nov. 22, but the Lobos beat the Falcons 20-3. His first win as a starter would come one week later, beating Colorado State 42-21, where he... Read More

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – The Panama City Parks, Culture, and Recreation Advisory Committee has set multiple dates in January for Town Hall meetings to discuss multiple parks under consideration for potential consolidation. The committee was established by the Panama City Commission last year for the purpose of refurbishing public parks. The committee takes community-driven […] Read More

 [[{“value”:” By Helen Petre It is time for us humans to break out the blankets and jackets, but what do our wild animals do to prepare? Fortunately, they have everything they need to stay warm. In the fall, most animals start eating a lot. They need to add a layer of fat to keep them warm and provide energy to sustain them through the winter when there is little food. The Florida black bear, Ursus americanus floridanus The Florida black bear is the only bear in Florida. There are about 4,000 in all of Florida, but only about 120 in the western Panhandle, mostly in Eglin. They prefer dense undergrowth in scrub oak ecosystems, swamps, and flatwoods. One was seen in Grayton Beach State Park recently, and it was not small. Should we be worried about large, dangerous animals while walking in the woods or on the beach? Probably not. As with all wildlife you encounter in their habitats, give them room and do not try to interact with them. If you are hiking in an area that is bear habitat, make noise. If the bear hears you, he will most likely move away from you. Bears mate in the summer, but the eggs do not implant until November, and then, only if the female has gained enough weight. The cubs are born in January as tiny, helpless things weighing less than a pound. Females feed and protect them denned in the saw palmetto understory until spring. Males are much larger than... Read More

 [[{“value”:” By Michelle Ruschman One of the most important missions we have as a nation is to ensure that our children, teachers, administrators, and the support staff in our schools can focus on education without the distraction of feeling unsafe. Retired veteran Joshua Yirkovsky was inspired to start his private protection company, Angel Force Protection, and his nonprofit organization, Angel Force Foundation, when he saw firsthand what can happen when a school day is halted to deal with an intruder. “In 2024, I was in the car lane waiting to pick up my kids from a private Christian school. I looked up to see a vagrant pulling on the doors, insisting to be let in, thinking it was the church. He was agitated and using foul language, and I could see the students and teachers through the door, clearly scared, trying to handle it on their own. With my sons being in there, I knew we needed a solution. That was the seed for Angel Force Protection and Angel Force Foundation.” The business and the foundation are two sides of the same coin. The business employs military veterans to become Angel Guards, primarily for schools. The other focuses on providing children, their families, and educators with resources that are “dedicated to advancing school safety through proactive education and comprehensive initiatives.” This includes programs like Future Leaders Academy and safety seminars. They also conduct fundraisers so schools have the resources to utilize the instruction and protective services they need to equip... Read More

 [[{“value”:” By Kay Phelan For a quarter of a century, the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center (ECCAC) has been dedicated to providing hope, healing and justice to child abuse victims and their families in Florida’s Okaloosa and Walton Counties. ECCAC has two centers—the Pierce Family Children’s Advocacy Center in DeFuniak Springs and the Julie Sacco Porterfield Children’s Advocacy Center in Niceville. ECCAC is an accredited part of the National Children’s Advocacy Center non-profit organization. There are 900 Centers across the country, with 28 of them located in Florida. How ECCAC Works The centers don’t house children, but instead provide many needed services 24/7 in a child-friendly environment where children can safely tell their stories. Along with ECCAC’s staff and volunteers, both of our local centers house a multidisciplinary team of child protection representatives from the Florida Department of Children and Families, Child Protection Team, State Attorney’s Office, local law enforcement and licensed mental health counselors. In ECCAC’s 25-year history, over 33,000 children have received more than 200,000 services at no cost. The single most important hallmark of ECCAC’s process is the fact that the impacted child, dealing with the immediate trauma and stress of their situation, can tell their story in one room, just one time. They do not have to repeat it numerous times at different places to different people. In other words, all pertinent parties that can help the child victim are all there at the centers at the same time. Once the child tells their story, action... Read More

 [[{“value”:” It’s another exciting lineup and fantastic weekend of music and reverie at Stinky’s Bait Shack and Stinky’s Fish Camp in Santa Rosa Beach! “}]]  SoWal.com  Read More