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Good morning!
A 12-year-old student has been charged with attempted murder in the Walton Middle School stabbing incident. Fort Walton Beach City Council approves $3.1 million for Liza Jackson Park upland improvements, Niceville flag football defeats Choctaw 20-12 in the first game on Eagle Stadium’s new turf, Mosaic Theatre Company’s ‘School of Rock’ opens this weekend in Fort Walton Beach featuring live instruments, and Crestview announces its 6th annual ‘Keep Crestview Beautiful’ spring clean-up. Also, get an inside look at how Catherine Card tells the story of Okaloosa County schools through communication and community.
HOW I WORK
How Catherine Card tells the story of Okaloosa County schools through communication, community, and connection
“How I Work” is brought to you by the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce. Join the most influential organization in Okaloosa. Learn more here.
Catherine Card has been connected to the Emerald Coast for most of her life, first visiting Destin as a child before eventually calling the area home.
Today, she serves as the Public Information Officer for Okaloosa County School District, where she helps tell the stories of students, teachers, and programs across the district.
Her role blends media relations, writing, strategic communication, and community engagement — often working behind the scenes to make sure important information reaches families, staff, and the public. No two days are the same, but the mission remains the same: communicate clearly, support the district, and highlight the successes happening in Okaloosa County schools.
Here’s our interview with Catherine
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GAMES
WordroW: March 26, 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
FWB City Council approves $3.1M for Liza Jackson Park upland improvements
The Fort Walton Beach City Council on Tuesday night approved a $3.1 million contract to renovate Liza Jackson Park, moving forward with upland improvements while the city continues to wait on a federal permit for its planned boat ramp replacement.
- Council members voted 6-1 to award the project to H&T Contractors of Freeport after a competitive bidding process that drew six proposals.
The project includes a new 832-square-foot restroom building, stormwater improvements, concrete sidewalks, and revamped boat trailer and vehicle parking. It does not include the boat ramp replacement, which remains on hold pending a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that has been pending for more than a year.
“Instead of just sitting and waiting and waiting, like we did with The Landing — five years later — we decided to at least go ahead with the upland improvements,” Public Works Director Daniel Payne told the council.
The city plans to issue a notice to proceed on Aug. 1 so construction doesn’t disrupt summer boating traffic at the park, which sits on Highway 98 on the city’s western edge. The project is expected to take 180 days from that start date.
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SPORTS
Niceville flag football takes down Choctaw 20-12 in first game on Eagle Stadium’s new turf
Tuesday night was a special one for Niceville High School. The Lady Eagles took down Choctaw 20-12 in the first game on Eagle Stadium’s new turf field, picking up their first win over the Lady Indians since 2021 and improving to 7-0.
Choctaw struck first and led 12-6 at the half, but Niceville came alive in the second half. Freshman Jori Blechler hauled in a touchdown from quarterback Peyton Carter on the first drive out of the break, and Carter hit Blechler for the extra point to give the Lady Eagles a 13-12 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Late in the fourth, RaMyan Tripeaux picked off Choctaw’s Diaris Morales, setting up a Carter-to-Avery Cowles touchdown that sealed it.
“They’ve worked so hard. All summer, all fall, they’ve earned this,” Niceville head coach Adron Robinson said. “That Choctaw team is the best team in the Panhandle. By far. If we want to get to that level, that’s the type of team we’ve got to beat.”
ART+CULTURE
Mosaic Theatre Company’s ‘School of Rock’ opens this weekend in FWB, featuring live instruments
Young performers with Mosaic Theatre Company have spent months not just memorizing lines and blocking, but learning to play instruments for the organization’s upcoming production of “School of Rock the Musical.”
- The show opens Friday at the Fort Walton Beach Civic Auditorium and runs for five performances through April 4.
Based on the 2003 film starring Jack Black, the musical follows Dewey Finn, a down-on-his-luck musician who fakes his way into a substitute teaching position at an elite prep school. After discovering his students have musical talent, he transforms them into a rock band and enters them in a Battle of the Bands competition — all while dodging the school’s strict administration.
What sets this production apart is the commitment from its young cast members, many of whom learned instruments specifically for the show, according to director Sophia Hagan-Metcalfe.
GIVING BACK
Crestview announces 6th annual ‘Keep Crestview Beautiful’ spring clean-up
From giving back to investing in the future, FPL is powering strong communities. Learn more here.
The City of Crestview is gearing up for its 6th Annual Spring Clean-Up, inviting residents to help spruce up their neighborhoods over a two-week stretch this April.
The event, branded “Keep Crestview Beautiful,” runs from Monday, April 13, through Sunday, April 26. During that window, the city will station free manned dumpsters at three locations for residents to drop off items ranging from mattresses and electronics to small household items and appliances.
“I encourage our residents to take advantage of this free service and help us Keep Crestview Beautiful,” Mayor JB Whitten said. “This is a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together, clean up our neighborhoods, and take pride in the city we call home.”
PUBLIC SAFETY
12-year-old charged with attempted murder in Walton Middle School stabbing
A 12-year-old Walton Middle School student has been formally charged for Tuesday morning’s stabbing attack in DeFuniak Springs.
- The suspect faces attempted murder, two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, wearing a mask during the commission of a felony, tampering with evidence and disrupting a school function. He is being held without bond in juvenile detention in Crestview.
Sheriff Michael Adkinson said the suspect brought a kitchen knife from home, entered a bathroom upon arrival and emerged wearing a balaclava before attacking two students and a paraprofessional in roughly 45 seconds. A knife was later found in a retention pond near the school.
Adkinson said the attack appears to be completely random, with no known connection between the suspect and the victims.
Both student victims remain in intensive care after undergoing medical procedures Tuesday. The paraprofessional has been treated and released.
Walton Middle School reopened Wednesday with approximately 41% of students in attendance and additional counselors and law enforcement on campus. State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden said her office will determine whether to keep the case in the juvenile system or present it to a grand jury for possible adult charges.
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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