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Good morning!
Okaloosa County has committed $10 million toward widening a stretch of State Road 85 in Crestview, addressing traffic growth in the area, while exploring paid parking options at beaches, parks and boat ramps for non-county residents. Kenwood Elementary’s Kimberly Day-Scanlon is named Okaloosa County’s ‘Teacher of the Year,’ Rodric Starks’ final-second shot gives Fort Walton Beach an upset win over Milton, HCA Florida Twin Cities Hospital hosts a ribbon cutting for its new DeFuniak Springs emergency room, and Fort Walton Beach High School presents ‘Mamma Mia!’ starting January 30.
- Plus, try today’s WordroW puzzle.
SCHOOL
Kenwood Elementary’s Kimberly Day-Scanlon named Okaloosa County’s ‘Teacher of the Year’
Kimberly Day-Scanlon, a 4th and 5th-grade ESE CBA teacher at Kenwood Elementary, was named Okaloosa County School District’s 2027 Teacher of the Year at a banquet Tuesday night.
- Day-Scanlon earned a Bachelor of Science in Special Education from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, and a Master of Science in Inclusive Education/Special Education from Nazareth College in Rochester, New York.
“Ms. Day-Scanlon exemplifies the heart of teaching in Okaloosa County,” said Superintendent Marcus Chambers. “Her dedication to students, particularly those with unique learning needs, reflects the very best of our profession. She represents the compassion, skill, and excellence we see every day in classrooms across our district, and we are incredibly proud to honor her as our Teacher of the Year.”
Kimberly Moran, an art teacher at Fort Walton Beach High School, and Sarah Theres, a music teacher at Florosa Elementary School, were named runners-up.
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GAMES
WordroW: January 22, 2026
WordroW is brought to you by Fort Walton Beach Chiropractic – keeping your mind sharp and your spine aligned, one game at a time.
Can you guess today’s 5-letter word in six tries?
WordroW is Get The Coast’s daily word puzzle featuring local words, places, and phrases from our community. You have six guesses to find the mystery word – green letters are correct and in the right spot, yellow letters are in the word but wrong position, and gray letters aren’t in the word at all.
PARKS+REC
Okaloosa to explore paid parking at beaches, parks and boat ramps for non-county residents
The Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved direction for staff to procure a vendor for paid parking services at select beach access points, parks and boat launches.
- The system could be tested initially at Beach Access Lots 1-7 on Okaloosa Island, Beasley Park, and boat launch parking at Marler Park and Cinco Bayou.
Jeff Peters, parks and facilities director, presented project guidelines that would keep parking free for Okaloosa County residents, likely reduce or eliminate fees during winter months from November through February, and maximize technology while minimizing upfront capital costs to the county. The system would operate through a revenue-sharing arrangement with a vendor rather than requiring significant upfront investment.
Staff noted the funding would be used for capital improvements and maintenance of park and recreational facilities and could potentially lower the park MSTU rate. Peters said that with potential state legislative funding changes, “the county may need to pursue revenue efforts like these as replacement funding for revenue shortfalls.”
SPORTS
Rodric Starks’ final-second shot gives Fort Walton Beach upset win over Milton
With 0.3 seconds remaining and the game tied at 62, overtime seemed inevitable. But Vikings forward Rodric Starks took the inbound pass and put it through the net, stunning the Milton Panthers and completing Fort Walton Beach’s upset over the area’s clear-cut best team.
- While the final play was incredible, everything leading up to it was just as wild.
“We got the ball to him and made a shot for him. He got it up, and it went in for us,” Fort Walton Beach coach Chris Carswell said.
Carswell believes the resilience the Vikings showed will help them come playoff time and that this is a statement win proving the Vikings are for real.
GAMES
This week’s mini local crossword
Ready to test your knowledge with this week’s mini local crossword puzzle? We usually tie all of our Crossword clues to local topics, recent stories, history facts, etc.
BUSINESS
HCA Florida Twin Cities Hospital hosts ribbon cutting for new DeFuniak Springs ER
HCA Florida Twin Cities Hospital hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony and tours Tuesday for the new HCA Florida DeFuniak Springs Emergency, a $19 million emergency care facility located just north of the intersection of Interstate 10 and U.S. 331 at exit 85.
- The 11,570-square-foot facility will provide 24/7 full-service emergency care to residents and visitors of DeFuniak Springs and surrounding Walton County communities, tentatively set to open in early February
The facility will be staffed with board-certified emergency medicine physicians, nurses and healthcare professionals. HCA Florida DeFuniak Springs Emergency can treat life-threatening or serious illnesses or injuries in patients of all ages, including children.
The facility includes 10 private emergency patient care rooms, a trauma and cardiopulmonary resuscitation room, CT scan, digital X-ray and a laboratory on site.
SCHOOL
Fort Walton Beach High School presents ‘Mamma Mia!’ starting Jan. 30
Fort Walton Beach High School’s Theatre Department will present “Mamma Mia!” beginning Jan. 30, marking the first full-length musical under new director Kailey Madison.
- The production features over 40 students and runs for five performances across two weekends. Shows are scheduled for Jan. 30 at 7 p.m., Jan. 31 at 7 p.m., Feb. 1 at 2:30 p.m., Feb. 7 at 2:30 p.m., and Feb. 8 at 2:30 p.m.
“This is my first full-length show here, and we’re going big,” Madison said. “To return and lead this department is incredibly meaningful, and I’m so proud of the work these students have done.”
The jukebox musical features ABBA’s music, including “Dancing Queen,” “Take a Chance on Me,” “Super Trooper,” “Waterloo” and “The Winner Takes It All.”
TRAFFIC
Okaloosa commits $10M toward widening a stretch of State Road 85 in Crestview
Okaloosa County Commissioners unanimously approved allocating $10 million in surtax reserves toward widening a congested stretch of State Road 85 in south Crestview, fulfilling a local funding commitment needed to advance the Florida Department of Transportation project.
- The funding targets a one-mile segment between Live Oak Church Road and PJ Adams Parkway that FDOT refers to as “the miracle mile,” according to Public Works Director Scott Bitterman. Construction alone is estimated at $36.2 million to expand the roadway to six lanes.
The widening would enhance the $200 million investment from FDOT, Okaloosa County and the City of Crestview for the Southwest Crestview Bypass and Interstate 10 interchange projects. But the new bypass loses much of its value without addressing the bottleneck on Highway 85.
“Mayor [JB] Whitten earlier mentioned that going back up to Crestview, he’s going to get stuck in the traffic,” Bitterman told commissioners, referring to the mayor’s earlier comments. “So to get the full benefit of that bypass, we need to six lane Highway 85 between Shoal River and PJ Adams Parkway.”
FDOT has designed improvements for SR 85 from SR 123 to I-10 to widen the roadway to six lanes, addressing current capacity constraints. Estimated costs for the full improvement reach $219 million for right-of-way acquisition and construction.
The segment from just north of the Shoal River bridge to PJ Adams Parkway represents the most critical portion of the project, with right-of-way and construction costs estimated at $54 million, according to the county. FDOT has this segment in its draft five-year work program for fiscal year 2028, which starts July 1, 2027.
OK, that’s all I have for you this morning! I hope you have a great Thursday! Help us shape the future of local news and make a meaningful impact on your community. Click here to learn how you can support us!
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Jared
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