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Good morning!
The Okaloosa County School District has approved a new sports medicine partnership for its student-athletes. South Walton’s Denton Lord was drafted by the San Diego Padres but is opting to honor his Mississippi State commitment, and the City of Crestview wrapped up its first-ever Citizens Academy with 16 graduates. Scenic Walton is celebrating progress on underground utilities and gateway projects across the county, and the Okaloosa County School District will host a bus driver job fair on July 23. Also, the Salvation Army will host a “Stuff the Bus” school supply drive at the Santa Rosa Beach Walmart.
BUSINESS
City of Crestview wraps up first-ever Citizens Academy with 16 graduates
The City of Crestview celebrated the completion of its first-ever Citizens Academy on Tuesday, graduating 16 residents who spent six weeks learning the inner workings of local government.
The program, created by Crestview City Manager Jessica Leavins, was designed to give residents a closer look at daily city operations. It launched with 13 signups but grew to 16 participants after the first week. The graduation ceremony was held July 7 at the Crestview Community Center.
“A strong community begins with informed and engaged citizens,” Leavins said. “The Citizens Academy is about opening the doors of City Hall and providing transparency into how local government works.”
Each week, city leaders spoke to the class on topics ranging from public safety and city budgeting to community programs, utilities and planning. Participants also toured the new Crestview Recreation Center, got an up-close look at fire trucks and police vehicles, and received a demonstration of how local water lines work.
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GAMES
WordroW: July 14, 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.
SPORTS
South Walton’s Denton Lord drafted by Padres, opts to honor Mississippi State commitment
Story by Travis Espy
A day after teammate Coleman Borthwick heard his name called in the first round, South Walton right-hander Denton Lord joined him as an MLB draft pick on Sunday.
The San Diego Padres selected Lord with the 515th overall pick in the 17th round, making him the second Seahawk drafted by San Diego in as many days. Despite the selection, Lord has announced he will not sign with the Padres, instead opting to honor his commitment to Mississippi State.
Niceville infielder Deacon Avery was also draft-eligible but went unselected over the two-day event. Even so, Avery has a clear path ahead, as he’ll head to Florida State this fall. Avery originally signed with Coastal Carolina but flipped his commitment to the Seminoles after Chanticleers head coach Kevin Schnall left for South Carolina in June.
Per MLB draft rules, both Lord and Avery must now wait until they are either 21 years old or have completed their junior seasons at their respective colleges before becoming eligible for the draft again. That means neither player will be draft-eligible until 2029.
SCHOOL
Okaloosa County School District to host bus driver job fair on July 23
The Okaloosa County School District will host a Bus Driver Job Fair on Thursday, July 23, giving community members a chance to explore a career transporting students to and from school each day.
The event will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the district’s Transportation North Bus Barn, located at 555 Anderson St. in Crestview.
Attendees will have the opportunity to test-drive a school bus before applying, meet with Human Resources staff for on-site application assistance and learn about paid training to earn a Commercial Driver’s License.
Those interested in joining the OCSD Transportation team are encouraged to attend and apply on-site. For more information, contact the Okaloosa County School District Human Resources Department at 850-833-5800.
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BUSINESS
Scenic Walton celebrates progress on underground utilities, gateway projects across county
Scenic Walton is celebrating progress on several initiatives across Walton County, including advances in countywide underground utilities planning, additional funding for a Freeport landscaping project and momentum on a gateway project along 30A.
- Funding for an Opinion of Probable Cause — the critical first step toward a countywide underground utilities implementation plan — has advanced into the county’s draft 2026/2027 budget.
- In Freeport, a $100,000 FDOT Highway Beautification Grant has doubled funding for the U.S. 331 Gateway Landscape Project, which Scenic Walton helped develop through its Walton Safe & Beautiful Program.
- And in South Walton, the 30A West Gateway Landscape Project has advanced into the proposed Tourist Development Council budget as the only capital improvement project included.
“These projects may look different on the surface, but they all share the same purpose: protecting what makes Walton County special while investing in its future,” said Leigh Moore, executive director of Scenic Walton.
Click here to read the full story or leave a comment
GIVING BACK
Salvation Army to host ‘Stuff the Bus’ school supply drive at Santa Rosa Beach Walmart
From giving back to investing in the future, FPL is powering strong communities. Learn more here.
The Salvation Army of Okaloosa and Walton Counties will host its “Stuff the Bus” school supply drive from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 25, at the Walmart located at 6712 U.S. 98 W. in Santa Rosa Beach.
The event invites shoppers to purchase and drop off new school supplies at Salvation Army collection bins at the store. The organization has set a goal of helping 300 students in the two-county area start the school year with the supplies they need.
All donations collected during the drive will stay in the local community, according to the organization. The Salvation Army said the supplies will go toward providing backpacks, notebooks, pencils and other essentials to area children in Okaloosa and Walton counties.
WEATHER
Today’s weather outlook
TODAY: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. West wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.
TONIGHT: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 79. West wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.
SCHOOL
Okaloosa School District approves new sports medicine partnership for student-athletes
The Okaloosa County School Board has approved a new sports medicine partnership that will provide athletic training services and physician oversight for student-athletes across the district beginning this school year.
Under the agreement approved at the board’s June 22 meeting, Orthopaedic Associates will serve as the district’s sports medicine director, providing medical oversight and physician consultation, while Axis Physiotherapy Institute will supply licensed athletic trainers for the district’s athletic programs.
The agreement runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.
Licensed athletic trainers from Axis Physiotherapy will be assigned to each of the district’s five high schools: Baker, Choctawhatchee, Crestview, Fort Walton Beach and Niceville. Coverage will also extend to Okaloosa County Middle School Athletic Conference football games.
Orthopaedic Associates physicians will serve as team physicians for the district, with responsibilities that include sports medicine consultation, concussion management, return-to-play protocols, emergency planning and providing medical supplies for each high school athletic training program.
Athletic trainers will provide:
- On-site injury evaluation
- First aid
- Injury prevention and rehabilitation support
- Concussion assessment
- Communication with parents, coaches and school administrators regarding injuries and treatment plans
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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