Latest news with #NorthwestFloridaDailyNews
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Eglin Air Force Base to close Highway 85, State Road 123 on June 4 due to testing
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE — Eglin Air Force Base announced on May 29 that due to testing on the Eglin Range Complex, Highway 85 and State Road 123 will close on Tuesday, June 4, from 9 a.m. to noon. In a news release, base officials state that the roads will not be closed for more than 90 minutes and may be closed multiple times during the mission. Remembering Vietnam: Vietnamese refugees reunite at Eglin Air Force Base, 50 years after Operation New Arrivals For more information about current road conditions, visit This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Testing on the Eglin Range to cause local road closures
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Right turn lane on Perry Avenue in Fort Walton Beach will close on Saturdays beginning May 24
FORT WALTON BEACH — Beginning May 24 and continuing through Labor Day, the right turn lane from Perry Avenue onto eastbound U.S. 98 will be closed every Saturday to reduce neighborhood traffic congestion near the Brooks Bridge. The closure, which runs from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. each Saturday, is aimed at discouraging motorists from using residential streets north of the bridge to bypass traffic and cut through to U.S. 98 via Brooks Street and Perry Avenue. To alert drivers, a message board will be placed on Hollywood Boulevard. Officials warn that navigation apps like Google Maps and Waze may not reflect the closure in real time. Okaloosa Commission: Okaloosa County will remove Crab Island buoys following repeal of boat exclusion zone Motorists are encouraged to access U.S. 98 at Eglin Parkway (State Road 85) instead. This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Fort Walton Beach to close right turn lane on Perry Avenue for summer
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Triple oops: Okaloosa County elections office addresses three missteps on Election Day
CRESTVIEW — The Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections Office reported and addressed multiple voting issues early Tuesday, ensuring all ballots would be properly counted. According to Paul Lux, Okaloosa County's supervisor of elections, some precinct ballots were mistakenly printed with 'VBM' in the official use box, a designation typically used for vote-by-mail ballots. This mark prevents mail ballots from being tabulated in precinct machines. As a result, affected voters placed their ballots in a secure auxiliary bin. These ballots will be returned to election headquarters at the close of polls and reviewed by their respective city canvassing boards. Officials said the issue affected fewer than 0.5% of eligible voters. In a separate incident, a Fort Walton Beach precinct encountered a configuration error that prompted some voters to go to Niceville City Hall instead of their correct voting location. Poll workers resolved the issue by providing preprinted emergency ballots, which were also placed in the auxiliary bin. The Fort Walton Beach canvassing board will review and count these ballots. Additionally, election officials discovered that a cached version of the 2025 Municipal Results page displayed test data from the logic and accuracy test on Monday night. In an email conversation with the Northwest Florida Daily News, Lux explained that there is a testing procedure to upload a test results file, similar to a file uploaded as election results roll in, to ensure everything is working correctly and then "zero" those results out of the system. Staff cleared the test results Tuesday morning and confirmed they would not affect election night reporting. Officials are working with the office's vendors to prevent similar incidents in the future. Looking up: The lunar eclipse is this week. Will you be able to see it in Fort Walton Beach? All issues were corrected early Tuesday, according to election officials. 'Situations such as these are regrettable but are not up to the standard Okaloosa voters have come to expect from our elections,' Lux said in a news release. 'I take full responsibility for this. We immediately took the necessary steps to correct these situations, and we are using this opportunity to improve our election processes. I want to assure voters who voted early this morning that their votes will be tabulated before election night activities are concluded.' This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Okaloosa Co. elections office addresses three issues on Election Day
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Okaloosa and Walton County GOP voters strongly back Jimmy Patronis in congressional race
CRESTVIEW — Ten Republicans have campaigned for the past month for the seat vacated by former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz in Florida's First Congressional District. On Tuesday, Republican voters across the district went to the polls to choose their party's nominee. Okaloosa and Walton County voters — like voters in the other counties in the district — overwhelmingly chose Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who also is President Donald Trump's choice to succeed Gaetz. Now Patronis will face Democratic challenger Gay Valimont and three write-in candidates in a special election on April 1. The full story: Jimmy Patronis wins Republican Primary in race to replace Matt Gaetz in Congress As of 8:20 p.m. Tuesday, Patronis had 65.77% of the vote districtwide. The closest challenger districtwide was Joel Rudman, with 9.96% of the vote, according to the state Division of Elections. The district covers Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties and part of Walton. Here is what you need to know: Jimmy Patronis - 9,410 Joel Rudman - 1,590 Aaron Dimmock - 778 Gene Valentino - 586 Michael Dylan Thompson - 462 Greg Merk - 252 Kevin Gaffney - 232 Jeff Peacock - 173 John Mills - 136 Jeff Macey - 70 Jimmy Patronis - 2,745 Joel Rudman - 302 Aaron Dimmock - 130 Gene Valentino - 101 Michael Dylan Thompson - 52 Greg Merk - 45 John Mills - 39 Kevin Gaffney - 37 Jeff Peacock - 23 Jeff Macey - 13 (This story was updated to add a photo) This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Jimmy Patronis gets overwhelming GOP vote totals in Okaloosa, Walton County
