DFS CITY COUNCIL JUNE 10 MEETING Regular town hall meetings to get trial run. _____ WALTON COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD JUNE 4 MEETING Workshops and budgets discussed. _____ WALTON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC WOMEN’S CLUB MEETS Hears speaker on restoration of felons’ civil rights. _____ FREEPORT PLANNING BOARD JUNE 5 MEETING Update on industrial park, new businesses. _____ [...]

By BEN GRAFTON The June 6 meeting of the Walton County Economic Development Alliance Board (WCEDA) meeting opened with the presentation of the financial report by Board Member Laurie Kelley. Following Kelley’s report, Board Chair County Commissioner Kenneth Pridgen introduced Art Miller of the Institute of Senior Professionals (ISP), an organization of mostly retired professionals [...]

By DOTTY NIST Cindy Meadows had identified garbage collection as one of the main issues to be discussed at her June 6 town hall meeting, and that certainly proved to be true. The Walton County District 5 commissioner’s first town hall meeting focusing on this topic and recycling took place at Edgewater Condominiums on Scenic [...]

By BEN GRAFTON The Freeport City Council Workshop of June 4, featuring good employee attendance and participation, opened with discussion of a policy that would allow employees to donate accumulated sick leave to another employee suffering from illness and in need of assistance. At the previous Council meeting Councilman Charlie Simmons and Councilwoman Elizabeth Brannon [...]

By REID TUCKER Recently re-elected DeFuniak Springs City Councilman Mac Work wasted no time starting off his new term in office, bringing several items before the board in his first meeting back. Among the nine discussion items Work got on the June 10 agenda were Public Works requests to fix a few bumps in roads [...]

By DOTTY NIST The Walton County Democratic Women’s Club was joined by members of the Democratic Black Caucus of Walton County and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for a June 7 luncheon meeting at Freeport Community Center. Attendees heard from featured speaker Dale Boswell about the challenges that felons face in having their civil [...]

By REID TUCKER It ended a week after it began, but the result of the Dixie Youth Baseball District 2 pitching machine tournament was worth the wait for Freeport’s club. Thanks to a late-night nail-biter of a 6-5 win against Paxton, Freeport will represent the district at the state tournament starting June 28 in Wildwood. [...]

COUNTY STAFF AND WCSO SEEK SOLUTIONS TO “EVENT HOUSE” ISSUES Developing proposed amendments to noise ordinance. _____ MAY 30 WATERSHED WORKSHOP Multi-county discussion on impact of paving on water quality. _____ TDC AND BCC TO TALK FUNDING OF ARTIFICIAL REEF GROUP Grass roots organization seeks to permit 18 reefs. _____ GRAYTON BEACH PIER OFF THE [...]

By DOTTY NIST There will be more discussion on funding recommended by the South Walton Tourist Development Council (TDC) to allow a local grass-roots artificial reef organization to proceed with permitting of 18 artificial reefs in the gulf and bay. On May 14, the TDC voted unanimously to provide almost $395,000 from their current year [...]

By DOTTY NIST Gerry Demers, interim county administrator, recently requested direction from the Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) on the possibility of county staff working with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office to develop proposed amendments to the noise ordinance. These would be for procedures that would help with enforcement of the ordinance in [...]