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Two Navy divers will be honored with 3,000-pound memorial reefs off the Destin coast, adding to the area’s growing artificial reef program. Navy Secretary Hung Cao visited the Lenah Higbee statue at Okaloosa Veterans Park, and three local teams are heading to the Elite 8 — Choctaw flag football rolled past Booker T. Washington 31-6, Niceville baseball rallied past Mosley to book a rematch with Lincoln, and South Walton swept West Florida Tech. The 9th annual TeCMEN Industry Day is set to showcase the region’s defense, aerospace, and tech sectors, and construction trades scholarships are available through BIA Okaloosa-Walton with a May 11 deadline.
BUSINESS
9th annual TeCMEN Industry Day to showcase region’s defense, aerospace and tech sectors
The 9th annual TeCMEN Industry Day returns to the Destin Fort Walton Beach Convention Center on Wednesday, May 13, bringing together defense contractors, aerospace firms, manufacturers and workforce development partners for a full day of programming and networking.
Hosted by the Technology Coast Manufacturing and Engineering Network, a committee of One Okaloosa EDC, the event will feature 46 expo booths, keynote addresses on Florida’s Advanced Air Mobility Strategy and aerospace growth, panels on rural health transformation and women in STEM, and the debut of Go Hospital — a full-service mobile hospital from Planned Systems International.
New this year is a CareerConnect Opportunity Showcase and Job Fair from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Speed matchmaking sessions with small business representatives from Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field are also offered.
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GAMES
WordroW: May 5, 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.
NEWS
Navy Secretary Hung Cao visits Lenah Higbee statue at Okaloosa Veterans Park
Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao paused before Saturday night’s EOD Memorial Ball to visit a statue of Lenah Higbee, the first female recipient of the Navy Cross, at the Women Veterans Monuments at Veterans’ Park on Okaloosa Island.
- Cao, dressed for the ball at the adjacent Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center, stopped at the park with state Rep. Patt Maney, a retired Army brigadier general and personal friend, and Okaloosa County Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel, who spearheaded the effort to create the park. Ketchel said Cao had just learned of the Higbee statue.
The Lenah Higbee statue stands among 12 bronze sculptures honoring women who have served in the U.S. military in heroic ways. Cao, a former Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal diving officer, had returned to Eglin Air Force Base earlier that day to deliver the keynote at the 57th annual EOD Memorial Ceremony, the same school he graduated from on Sept. 13, 2001. He also keynoted the 58th EOD Memorial Ball that evening.
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SCHOOL
Construction trades scholarships available through BIA Okaloosa-Walton, deadline May 11
Students pursuing careers in the construction industry have until May 11 to apply for two scholarships offered through the Building Industry Association of Okaloosa-Walton Counties Foundation.
The Mike Josey Memorial Scholarship and the Jeremy Stewart Tools of the Trade Scholarship honor two leaders who served the association before their passing. The BIA said donations to the Emerald Coast Dream Home make the scholarships possible.
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SPORTS
Choctaw flag football rolls past Booker T. Washington 31-6, advances to Elite 8
A trip to the Elite 8 has become familiar territory for Choctaw flag football, but Monday’s 31-6 win over Booker T. Washington in the 2A Sweet 16 was closer than the final score suggests.
The Lady Indians opened with a Diaris Morales touchdown pass to KK Hardy, but the Lady Wildcats answered quickly and seized the momentum. Choctaw’s defense responded with a key stop that proved to be the turning point. Morales finished with five touchdown passes, including two to Kady Folsom, while Hardy added two interceptions.
Head Coach Jim Bay said Hardy was “on fire.” Choctaw will host Paxon School for Advanced Studies at Joe Etheredge Stadium on Thursday in a rematch of last year’s 2A Elite 8, which the Lady Indians won 33-6.
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SPORTS
Niceville baseball rallies past Mosley, books Elite Eight rematch with Lincoln
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, the game tied and the series on the line, Lincoln Broussard stepped to the plate.
The senior swung. The ball cleared the wall and struck the roof of the multipurpose building.
Grand slam.
The hit sealed a 10-6 Game 3 victory Sunday and a regional semifinal series win over Mosley, sending the Eagles to the Elite Eight for the second straight year and to the doorstep of their first Final Four appearance since 2008.
“I’m just so happy and excited for Lincoln to have that moment,” Niceville head coach Justin Bruce said. “We needed some runs, and he came through in a big moment for the team.”
Up next: Niceville hosts Lincoln in the Elite Eight — a rematch of last year’s regional final.
SPORTS
South Walton Seahawks sweep West Florida Tech to advance to Elite 8
In a rematch of the district championship, South Walton quickly dispatched West Florida Tech in two games to advance to the Class 3A Elite 8 for the third straight season, continuing to show why the Seahawks are the unquestioned 3A state championship favorites.
In Game 1, the heart and soul of Seahawks baseball, Coleman Borthwick, delivered another no-hitter, striking out six in a 10-0 win. Parker Granse launched a three-run home run, while Carter Hawk added a two-run shot in the fifth inning.
In Game 2, South Walton broke open a pitchers’ duel with a six-run fourth inning, fueled by a three-run home run from Vaughn Howard and a solo shot from Justin Didier, en route to a 12-1 victory.
The Seahawks will face Suwannee in the Elite 8.
COASTAL RESOURCES
Two Navy divers to be honored with 3,000-pound memorial reefs off Destin coast
Two 3,000-pound custom fabricated steel artificial reefs will be towed and deployed off the coast of Destin on May 4 and 5, serving as underwater memorials to Navy Master Chief Master Diver Bruce Eugene Earnest and Navy Senior Chief EOD Diver Clay Simmons Hedricks, Sr., according to the Warrior Memorial Reefs Foundation.
- The reefs were fabricated by Harman Metal Arts in Panama City Beach and are designed to support marine life while serving as final resting places for fallen warriors.
A celebration of life for Hedricks will begin at 7:30 a.m. July 3 at the EOD Wall in Niceville, followed by an escorted procession to the Destin Marina. Hedricks’ son, James, will descend with Navy divers to inter his father within the reef structure during an underwater ceremony.
The Warrior Memorial Reefs Foundation is a volunteer-run, veteran-led nonprofit that creates custom artificial reefs as final resting places and ecological tributes for fallen military service members and first responders.
OK, that’s all I have for you this morning! I hope you have a great Tuesday. 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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