By LEAH STRATMANN At a time when counties across Florida are being forced to tighten budgetary belts to make up for the loss of property tax revenue, the Tourist Development Council (TDC) voted last week to discard more than $260,000 worth of signs after unrelenting pressure from several scenic corridor groups.

By ALICIA LEONARD Council members James Huffman, James Coffield and Don Harrison were sworn back into office for another three years by Mayor Harold Carpenter at this week’s DeFuniak Springs City Council meeting. After the ceremony Harrison moved to re-appoint James Huffman Mayor Pro Tempore. The re-appointment was approved unanimously by the Council.

By DOTTY NIST The county cannot rescind the plat for an interior portion of the Driftwood subdivision except by request of the lot owners, according to Mike Burke, Walton County legal counsel. Acceptance of a subdivison plat is the final step in the approval process for subdivisions. Plat approval is necessary prior to lots being [...]

By ALICIA LEONARD In 1995 hurricane Opal swept through our area taking more than shingles and tree limbs from some. Dan Thomasek was one of those people. When Thomasek evacuated for Opal, his home was broken into and burglars took items such as his great-grandfather’s watches, rare coins and almost anything that could be sold.

By JEFFREY POWELL The Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) is the nation’s most -visited national park. Located on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, the park has an estimated 9.2 million visitors annually. Practically speaking, the main reason for this amazing number of visitors is the proximity of the park to major metropolitan [...]

By PATRICK CASEY Shelby Watson pitched a two-hitter as South Walton won their first Walton County softball tournament title with a 4-1 win over the Walton Braves in DeFuniak Springs on Friday night. Walton(8-10) took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, only to see South Walton rally with three runs [...]

NOTICE OF INTENT OF THE SCHOOL BOARD OF WALTON COUNTY, FLORIDA TO ADOPT A REVISED RULE – CHALLENGED MATERIALS The School Board of Walton County, Florida, hereby gives notice of its intent to adopt a revised rule entitled Challenged Materials. PURPOSE AND EFFECT: The purpose and effect of the adoption of the revised policy, Challenged [...]

HARRISON, COFFIELD RE-ELECTED IN DFS Referendum on City Clerk voted down. ELEVEN STUDENTS ARRESTED

By DOTTY NIST Walton County is limiting a proposed fill dirt pit operation to excavating no more than five acres at a time, with each portion to then be reclaimed and planted in native vegetation.

On Friday, April 4, 2008, at approximately 11:45 p.m., several subjects forcibly entered Walton High School (WHS) and committed approximately $10,000 worth of damages. Video surveillance footage from WHS revealed that the subjects wore masks to conceal identity.