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It’s a slightly active early morning on radar with the last gasp of our front creating a thin ribbon of passing showers early on. Most of this rain will be east of the region by sunrise with the exception of the Forgotten Coast. To the west where we have already seen the front pass through, some patchy dense fog is developing and won’t last long past sunrise. The rest of the day shapes up beautiful and mostly sunny!
We’ll get the day started on the mild and muggy side near the low 70s for most. Dress comfortably and grab the shades as sunshine returns to the Panhandle today. Temperatures will get much warmer than days prior that were cooled by midday and afternoon rains. Under the sun we’ll reach the 80s by mid morning and highs in the mid 80s on the coast to upper 80s inland.
The cold front responsible for yesterday’s rains never quite clears the Panhandle. But it’s parent trough in the upper atmosphere does. So we’ll see this front remain rather dormant overhead.
Having said that, with warm moist air still in place, we’ll see a 10% chance for a quick afternoon shower today and over the weekend. You’d be rather unlucky to catch it. But if you do, it won’t be a day killer. Any of these isolated small showers that try to develop in the afternoons, largely away from the coast, will last only 15-30min and you’re right back outside.
We’ll warm up our highs in the mostly sunny skies over the weekend and into Memorial day to the upper 80s, some by Monday may see 90.
For today, skies turn mostly sunny with a 10% chance for a stray inland shower late in the afternoon. Highs today top out in the mid to upper 80s. Your 7 Day Forecast has a beautiful Memorial Day Weekend ahead with warming temperatures in the afternoons. | 2022-05-27T13:49:19Z | www.wjhg.com | Friday Forecast | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/27/friday-forecast/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/27/friday-forecast/ |
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - NewsChannel 7 Today is kicking off summer with live music on Friday mornings.
During the summer, Today’s Tunes will feature local musicians and their original music, and also share where you can find them performing around the community.
Today’s Tunes first-ever segment featured Glenn B and Cassandra with True Soul. You can find True Soul on social media here. Glenn B performed two original songs; All I do and Begging you to Stay. His daughter, Cassandra, joined for the third song and they sang If You Love Me.
You can find True Soul around town on Friday at Baracuda Beach, Saturday at The Alibi Beach Lounge & Grill, and Sunday at The Big Chill, formerly The Hub.
To hear some tunes from True Soul, you can watch the segments attached to this article. | 2022-05-27T13:49:37Z | www.wjhg.com | Today’s Tunes with True Soul | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/27/todays-tunes-with-true-soul/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/27/todays-tunes-with-true-soul/ |
A Picture Perfect Memorial Day Weekend
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Stormy conditions are now a distant afterthought after a perfect day today across northwest Florida. Skies will remain clear into the evening hours tonight with light to calm winds and low temperatures in the mid to upper 60′s. If you’re looking to take advantage of some cooler conditions, you’ll want to be up early, as temperatures will soon race back into the mid 80′s through the morning and mid-day hours. Afternoon high temperatures will sit around the mid 80′s along the coast and slightly warmer in inland areas thanks to an abundance of sunshine. This sunshine will continue to be the story through the remainder of Memorial Day Weekend as skies will be mostly clear once again for Sunday and Monday, with highs hanging around the mid 80′s. Morning lows will creep up into the low 70′s through this time frame as well, and humidity will increase again as we get closer to next week, where we may see a slight change in our weather pattern.
Get the details on the forecast in the WJHG.com weathercast. | 2022-05-28T01:52:41Z | www.wjhg.com | Weekend Forecast | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/28/weekend-forecast/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/28/weekend-forecast/ |
Brandon Tyus was arrested for armed robbery in Panama City Beach.(Bay County Sheriff's Office)
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - A multi-county manhunt ends with the arrest of an alleged armed robbery suspect Brandon Earl Tyus Friday evening.
According to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, investigators received information that Tyus was at a home off of SR 73 in Calhoun County.
Officials said BCSO along with the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office and U.S Marshals Fugitive Task Force went to the home around 10 p.m. Deputies said that when they arrived Tyus went into the woods behind the home.
BCSO Air One was on scene and used a new camera system and located Tyus.
Tyus was arrested and taken into custody. | 2022-05-29T03:05:48Z | www.wjhg.com | BCSO arrests suspect wanted for armed robbery | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/29/bcso-arrests-suspect-wanted-armed-robbery/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/29/bcso-arrests-suspect-wanted-armed-robbery/ |
Florida Highway Patrol and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have partnered up to make sure folks stay safe throughout the holiday weekend.(WJHG/WECP)
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Florida Highway Patrol Troopers and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have partnered up to make sure folks stay safe throughout the holiday weekend.
“We’re out in force looking for impaired drivers on the water. As well as what our partners at FHP are for land-based DUI investigations,” Lieutenant John Allen, with FWC Bay County said.
“Enforcing DUIs, while they enforce BUIs and bringing home the safety message,” Lieutenant Jason King, with the Florida Highway Patrol Troop A said.
The FWC is encouraging the following tips on staying safe on the word.
“Looking for the boating safety gear that’s required, the life jackets, a throw cushion if it required, a fire extinguisher is required. Flares, sound-producing devices, and even vessel registration,” Allen said.
These are just a few initiatives folks can continue to follow to achieve one goal.
“To be safe while we’re out here on the water. The water is unforgiving, when things happen you’re not staying on dry grounds,” Allen said.
Stay safe if you’re going out and about this holiday weekend.
“If you can help it after you’ve been drinking,” you know we have Uber, we have Lyft, we have designated drivers, we have wrecking companies that will take you home. You have walked, there are so many other options you have. Use those, don’t drink and drive,” King said.
For more tips and information on boating safety, visit the FWC Facebook page and website.
For general driving safety, visit FHP’s Facebook page and website. | 2022-05-29T20:49:10Z | www.wjhg.com | Staying safe on the waters this Memorial Day Weekend | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/29/staying-safe-waters-this-memorial-day-weekend/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/29/staying-safe-waters-this-memorial-day-weekend/ |
Heat dangers for pets
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - There are a few dog walking tips that sometimes get overlooked during the steamy summer months.
“Pets don’t sweat the way a human does,” said Beverley Walterson, volunteer foster parent at Lucky Puppy Rescue. “Make sure you’re walking them early in the mornings or later at night when the temperatures haven’t peaked out.”
Checking the temperature of the pavement is also crucial.
Walterson said if you can’t keep your hand on the pavement for more than five seconds, it’s a telling sign the ground is too hot for your dog’s paws.
“They’re going to get excited to be going on the walk,” Walterson said. “They’re not going to necessarily show signs that their little pads are burning, but then you get home and they might have blisters.”
Keeping them hydrated is also important, especially when you head to the beach.
“Definitely lots of water and make sure they have a bowl and just a way they can intake the water as they need to,” Walterson said.
Having enough water bottles on standby is also necessary so they don’t ingest any saltwater if they’re thirsty.
Keeping your pet cool doesn’t only apply to being at home or the beach, though.
You should never leave it by itself in a hot car, either. The Humane Society says your pet can die from heatstroke or suffocation.
If you find yourself in a situation where your pet gets overheated, Walterson said pouring cool water on its belly will bring down its body temperature.
You should then contact your vet immediately.
Following these steps can make the difference between life and death for your four-legged family member.
Walterson said taking a pet first-aid class can also come in handy as temperatures climb. | 2022-05-30T04:25:29Z | www.wjhg.com | Pet heat safety tips to follow during summer | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/30/pet-heat-safety-tips-follow-during-summer/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/30/pet-heat-safety-tips-follow-during-summer/ |
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee and Florida-based fishing and outdoor apparel company FloGrown have partnered together to work to fight the lionfish invasion.
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - With summer right around the corner, an annual fishing competition has found its way back to the area.
”This challenge has been going on since 2014 - so it’s something FWC did to get rid of the evasive species,” Kim Christian, Diver’s Den Store Manager said.
This makes the seventh year, the Lionfish Challenge has returned to the area and the goal is still the same: remove as many lionfish as possible in just three and a half months.
With events like the Lionfish Challenge, shops like the Panama City Dive Center, say they are able to play just a small part in helping their community.
“It’s actually very rewarding, in two ways. You know It allows other divers that come in and help with these preservation efforts and it’s a very positive feeling to be able to give that back to the community. So that future generations can enjoy the wildlife as we do,” Cade King, Panama City Dive Center Dive Master said.
Now many may be wondering, what is a lionfish?
“Lionfish are beautiful fish and when you see them in the wild, while you’re diving, even while you’re snorkeling. You do not want to approach or touch them, they have poisonous or venomous spines. They are an invasive species.”
For those unsure of what it means to be an invasive species.
“They have no natural predators, because of their spines. They reproduce amazingly fast, and they consume 50 different species of fish in their native habitat in the Caribbean and Atlantic,” Christian said.
Local dive shops, like Panama City Dive Center and Diver’s Den, help assist competitors in registering their catches.
“You bring a bag with the tails with a little bit of meat left on there. The bag will have your name, it will have how many lionfish and the date that it was harvested and we will verify that. Fill out your entry form and once we feel that out, they are giving away some awesome prizes,” Christian said.
Prizes will be awarded in four tiers:
•Tier 1 ¬- Harvest 25 lionfish (recreational category) or 25 pounds of lionfish (commercial category).
•Tier 2 - Harvest 100 lionfish (recreational category) or 250 pounds of lionfish (commercial category).
•Tier 4- Harvest 600 lionfish (recreational category) or 1000 pounds of lionfish (commercial category)
This year’s tournament shirt was custom-designed and printed by FloGrown and will be awarded to participants who reach the first prize tier.
Additional prizes are provided by FloGrown, Neritic, ZooKeeper, Divers Alert Network, Shearwater, Smith Optics, GoPro, YETI, and MORE!
The challenge will last through September 6th.
To read the full tournament rules or register, visit this website.
Keep up with The Challenge on Facebook.
For more information on FloGrown, visit this website.
For more information on Diver’s Den, visit this website.
For information on Panama City Dive Center, visit this website. | 2022-05-30T06:32:28Z | www.wjhg.com | 2022 Lionfish Challenge underway | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/30/2022-lionfish-challenge-underway/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/30/2022-lionfish-challenge-underway/ |
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Good Monday morning everyone and a good Memorial Day to you and your family.
It’s a quiet start on satellite and radar this morning with just a bit of patchy dense fog in spots. We’ll see plenty of sunshine come our way today with limited rain chances. Any outdoor plans you have today are looking good.
Temperatures are warm and humid to start. We’ll get the day going in the upper 60s inland to near 70 on the coast. There will be no shortage of the heat and humidity ahead for you either. Highs today under mostly sunny skies reach the mid 80s for the coast to low 90s inland with a heat index for all from 90-94°. Let’s be sure to stay hydrated during our day, especially if doing any outdoor activity.
We’ll keep a small look out this afternoon in the peak heating of the day for a stray or isolated downpour to develop in NWFL. There won’t be much more than one or two of them across all of NWFL. But if you do happen to catch it, it could come down quite heavy and gusty.
Our pattern is largely dominated by ridging aloft. But a weak disturbance in the ridge is forecast to move through tomorrow. That in combination with daytime heating and the sea breeze could ignite a more widespread shot at some hit or miss storms tomorrow afternoon and evening.
For today, mostly sunny skies with a less than 10% chance you’ll catch the stray downpour inland. Highs today reach the mid 80s on the coast to low 90s inland. Your 7 Day Forecast has a decent chance for hit or miss afternoon and evening chance for rain tomorrow followed by stray afternoon rain chances through much of the rest of the week. | 2022-05-30T12:37:04Z | www.wjhg.com | Monday Forecast | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/30/monday-forecast/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/30/monday-forecast/ |
Ceremony at Kent Forest Lawn Cemetery honors fallen servicemembers
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - While Memorial Day does mean a three-day weekend for most, others want you to remember the real reason we honor this holiday. Monday morning, dozens of people gathered at Kent Forest Lawn Cemetery in Panama City to do just that, remember the fallen.
“It will wake you up when you got rockets coming in and occasionally an unfortunate causality on base. So it’s, you never forget that,” Kevin Kellett, Quartermaster of Veterans of Foreign Wars POST 8205, said.
Veterans like Kevin Kellett and community members filled the cemetery to honor the fallen and the flag they stood for.
“You know when we first enlist in the military, we sign up. Well, it’s not on the contract but we sign up for what’s called the unlimited liability clause, knowing that we might go into combat somewhere and may not come back,” Jamie Warrick, Member of Veterans of Foreign Wars POST 2185, said.
It’s the ultimate sacrifice that gives us Americans the freedoms we enjoy today.
“I think it’s that peace that if we were to pay the ultimate sacrifice, that’s the silver lining in it,” Erich Frandrup, Commanding Officer of The Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center, said.
The Bay County Commission worked together with The Bay County Veterans Council to put on this year’s memorial day observance. It’s a ceremony Kellett said he’s been attending for years.
“We come here every year,” Kellett said. “We have been for probably well ever since this began.”
Kellett was one of the many young men drafted to defend our country. While he hopes everyone takes a moment to remember those brave troops who never returned, he said he also wants to honor the men and women who continue to volunteer today.
“It’s unbelievable to me. I was back in the draft, and now it’s all volunteers and I am so proud of those young people who volunteer and they know going in, what can happen,” Kellett said. “So, I want the public to remember that.”
We continue to reflect and remember why we proudly wear red white and blue.
“We remember the story of America and how we became who we are today,” Frandrup said.
Fort Walton Beach community remembers the fallen on Memorial Day | 2022-05-31T00:20:35Z | www.wjhg.com | Ceremony at Kent Forest Lawn Cemetery honors fallen servicemembers | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/30/ceremony-kent-forest-lawn-cemetery-honors-fallen-servicemembers/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/30/ceremony-kent-forest-lawn-cemetery-honors-fallen-servicemembers/ |
With the holiday, more people are hitting up our beaches and that means lifeguards are busy.(WJHG)
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Memorial Day is a day to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. For many, it’s also a day spent at the beach surrounded by loved ones.
“It’s going good because I have my dog with me. He’s having fun, well kind of, and I’m here with my family having fun,” Chipley resident Tuyauna Mack said.
But for some, the holiday is not a day off from regular duties.
“I think the lifeguards out here on the beach, PCB. They’re doing a great job,” Panama City Resident Eric Schmitt said.
A job that holiday or just another Monday, lifeguards work to keep beachgoers safe.
“Really proud of my team. They’ve done an excellent job. Tons of preventative actions, keeping people from getting in trouble, lots of education,” Beach Safety Director Wil Spivey said.
Spivey said his lifeguards work to educate the public on beach safety.
“They’re doing a great job upholding the public safety of everyone with riptides. I would say yeah, they’re doing fantastic,” said Schmitt.
And safe is what beachgoers we talked with said they feel.
“I’ve seen a bunch of lifeguards coming by helping people out. It seems like everyone is safe out here,” Alabama tourist Jack Coskrey said.
Spivey said they currently have six full-time and 12 seasonal lifeguards. Compare that to last year when they only had four full-time, but still 12 seasonal lifeguards.
“We’re hoping to get up to 16 this year. If I had about four more I’d be really happy about it. So we’re still recruiting and training lifeguards,” said Spivey.
But beachgoers said they’re happy with the patrol they see now.
“You’ve got enough lifeguards out here and everything is going great, I can reassure you that,” Alabama tourist DJ Arias said.
A great end to a holiday weekend...
“I’m 1000% happy. This is amazing. Memorial Day in Panama City Beach, it’s all so amazing,” said Arias.
And even more amazing for some to say it was a safe one.
Spivey said they have three guarded beaches, Russel Fields Pier, M.B. Miller Pier, and the Boardwalk Beach Resort.
For more information on how to apply to be a Panama City Beach lifeguard, contact Spivey at Wil.Spivey@pcbfl.gov. | 2022-05-31T03:24:13Z | www.wjhg.com | PCB lifeguards doing “great” Memorial Day | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/31/pcb-lifeguards-doing-great-memorial-day/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/31/pcb-lifeguards-doing-great-memorial-day/ |
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Water plant dedications and basketball games are a blast from the past in this week’s Time Travel Tuesday.
Local Video Historian Bill Hudson joined NewsChannel 7 to show us what he’d found.
This week’s video shows a 1967 water plant dedication. Bill says this happened off Transmitter Road in Bay County, and county commissioners and other very important people were there, but he’s not sure who they all were? Do you recognize some of them?
Another piece of history, the early stages of what is now known as Project 25. Project 25 is a Christmas fundraiser held by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office each year where people can donate money or toys. But before it is what it is today, it was the Stocking Stuffer Classic, featuring local media and emergency personnel.
Bill gave us a little tease, saying that then Bay County Sheriff Frank McKeithen deputized the men’s basketball team from the college to play against local media, but we have to wait until next time to find out how that went.
If you recognize someone in this video, please give Bill a call at 850-785-3364 or email news@wjhg.com. | 2022-05-31T17:44:45Z | www.wjhg.com | Time Travel Tuesday with Bill Hudson | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/31/time-travel-tuesday-with-bill-hudson/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/31/time-travel-tuesday-with-bill-hudson/ |
After a fight at Vibez Night Club was seen on social media, Panama City Police began an investigation.(WJHG/WECP)
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Five people have been arrested and eight more are wanted on charges of rioting after a brawl at a Panama City nightclub.
Police say they contacted the management of Vibez Dance and Night Club on Highway 98 about an incident that happened inside the business a little more than a week ago. They say social media posts from May 22nd show a group of about 16 people split in half, facing each other, and exchanging what appeared to be gang signs. Police say after the signs were shown, things got violent.
During the fight, police say people not involved in it ran out of the club in a panicked state. They say during the riot, multiple injuries were sustained on both sides. Police were able to see video provided by management showing people with bloodied faces and torn clothing.
Police say they were not contacted regarding the riot by club management or people at the club. Social media posts were discovered by the Street Crimes Unit. They say warrants were issued for the arrest of as many people who were involved and could be identified in the video. Those arrested include:
Devontie Stovall, 28
Nikolas Rivers, 24
Antonio Roulhac, 24
Jaiaustin Harrell, 25
Tarryan Anderson, 28
Warrants have been issued for:
L to R: Joshua Hepburn, Jordan Young, Jerrick Mackall, Antoine Leverett(Panama City Police Department)
L to R: Zachary McClelland, Alancia Johnson, Tyrone Francis Jr., Tyeus Paul(Panama City Police Department) | 2022-05-31T21:52:18Z | www.wjhg.com | Multiple people arrested, more wanted after brawl at Panama City nightclub | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/31/multiple-people-arrested-more-wanted-after-brawl-panama-city-nightclub/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/31/multiple-people-arrested-more-wanted-after-brawl-panama-city-nightclub/ |
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - It’s that time of year again. Hurricane season officially starts Wednesday, and there’s no way to say for sure what the next few months will bring. But weather experts are predicting another above-average season.
With 155 miles per hour winds ripping up trees and tearing down homes, it’s hard to say anyone was truly prepared for the Category 5 storm that surged through Bay County back in 2018.
“Most of our residents are familiar with surviving a hurricane like a Cat 5 storm as we saw with Michael,” Chief of Bay County Emergency Services Brad Monroe said. “It’s not very likely that we’ll experience another Cat 5 storm this year but it could happen. And even a Cat 1 or a Cat 2 storm can give us severe damage and flooding to the area.”
It’s time to get ready. Planning ahead is key for this year’s hurricane season.
“Disaster plan for your family, for your business, for your pets,” Monroe said. “Having relatives out of state that you can go visit or stay with or friends. Having a plan before the storm gets here is the most important step.”
Start prepping your hurricane kit.
“If you’re going to stay and hunker down for the storms you need to have supplies that you may need if we lose power or water, that sort of stuff,” Monroe said. “So having these emergency supplies like food, water, and a full tank of gasoline or diesel, whatever you need for your vehicle.”
Items like flashlights, coolers, batteries, and generators are all tax-free right now as part of the 2022 Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday. The holiday ends on June 10th.
You can also be notified immediately of things like severe weather and mandatory evacuations by signing up for Alert Bay. The emergency notification system can call text or email you. So if something is happening in your area, you won’t miss it.
Hurricane season lasts through November 30th. | 2022-06-01T00:57:05Z | www.wjhg.com | How to prepare for hurricane season | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/31/how-prepare-hurricane-season/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/05/31/how-prepare-hurricane-season/ |
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Bay County is known for its beautiful beaches, and with Summer approaching, many people want to enjoy the water, sand, and sun. But, the sun can also be dangerous.
“Heat emergencies are very real and potentially life-threatening emergency,” Panama City Beach Firefighter/Paramedic Trent Poe said.
The three stages of a heat emergency are cramps, exhaustion, and stroke. Poe said during the Summer, he responds to many of these calls.
“Pretty often, especially when we start getting into the hotter months, we go to I would say probably two or three a day at least,” Poe said.
Ascension Sacred Heart Bay Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mario Pulido said one of the biggest issues around heat exposure is fluid balance. We lose water through sweat and urination, so it’s important to drink water throughout the day.
“Basically you wanna keep in mind that your body is 70, 75 percent fluids and so anything that puts you in those extreme elements is gonna really impact the amount and your ability of retaining those fluids,” Pulido said.
Dr. Pulido said drinking alcohol and energy drinks can also lead to dehydration.
“It can promote further agitation and just kind of this sensation of not quiet feeling themselves, so if you blend into that significant dehydration, some folks can get to the point of even passing out,” Pulido said.
Experts want people to continue drinking plenty of fluids throughout the day. Pulido said the best time to go outside is early morning or in the evening. | 2022-06-01T00:57:11Z | www.wjhg.com | Experts say staying hydrated will prevent a heat emergency during Summer | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/01/experts-say-staying-hydrated-will-prevent-heat-emergency-during-summer/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/01/experts-say-staying-hydrated-will-prevent-heat-emergency-during-summer/ |
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -Is the next landing spot for former Mosley baseball head coach Jon Hudson at Bay High School
We believe it is. Bay Athletic Director Michael Grady telling us Tuesday the Tornadoes have settled on their next head coach, and an announcement on that will come Wednesday morning. Grady would not confirm that next head coach is Hudson. But we believe it is. We do know coach Hudson did apply, and that as part of a relatively short applicants list.
Coach Hudson spent the last 7 seasons as Mosley’s head coach, amassing an incredible 150-43 record, with four trips to the state finals, and a state championship just one year ago! He also had a rather successful run while the coach at Rutherford, racking up a 302 and 147 record in 16 years there. He led the Rams to several playoff appearances in that span. Bay looking to replace Andrew Starr who led the Tornadoes the last seven seasons, the team just 4-19 this past season. Again look for the official announcement Wednesday morning.
North Florida Motorplex to take the holiday weekend off | 2022-06-01T04:00:36Z | www.wjhg.com | Hudson bound for Bay baseball job | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/01/hudson-bound-bay-baseball-job/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/01/hudson-bound-bay-baseball-job/ |
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - As the temperature heats up outside, it has left the NewsChannel 7 Today team looking for their summer wardrobe.
Luckily, Hy’s Toggery in Pier Park has just the outfits the whole team needs to stay cool and comfortable this season. Josh Wakstein, the owner of Hy’s Toggery, joined the team in studio to discuss the winning looks.
Sam, Jessica, Ryan, and Alex were all styled in breathable fabrics that can be dressed up for work or made casual for a day out.
To hear more about the team’s individual outfits, you can watch the segments attached to this article.
Man arrested after attempting to set house on fire with “firebombs” | 2022-06-01T13:11:59Z | www.wjhg.com | Wear it Wednesday styled by Hy’s Toggery | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/01/wear-it-wednesday-styled-by-hys-toggery/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/01/wear-it-wednesday-styled-by-hys-toggery/ |
It’s a quiet start on satellite and radar with clear skies overhead this morning. However, we may once again develop a bit of patchy dense fog away from the coast in typical foggy prone areas.
We’ll get the day started fairly warm and humid with most in the upper 60s to low 70s out the door. Dress comfortably again today for a toasty afternoon with not much for rain to cool us off today. We’ll warm fast this morning with temperatures reaching the 80s by mid morning. Highs today once again top out near 90 inland with upper 80s possible for the coast. Feels like temperatures for all return to the low to mid 90s.
Yesterday afternoon’s sea breeze was able to bring in some cooling storms into the afternoon. But with the lack of the rain in place today, we’ll certainly be feeling the heat across the majority of the Panhandle.
High pressure is building in over head in the atmosphere which stunts rain chances. Having said that, I can’t completely rule out a small isolated stray and brief shower. | 2022-06-01T13:12:05Z | www.wjhg.com | Wednesday Forecast | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/01/wednesday-forecast/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/01/wednesday-forecast/ |
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - All across the nation, teen drivers will be driving this summer. In recent years, law enforcement officials say it’s the most dangerous time for young drivers.
”As a general message, as a mom to mom dad to dad. Don’t allow other distractions to end your life, so that parents get that phone call,” Stephanie Holbrook, Florida Highway Patrol Troop A Victim Advocate with the Traffic Homicide Unit.
Law enforcement officials have labeled the summer months the most dangerous time for teen drivers, especially the first 100 days.
“The 100 deadliest days are the days between Memorial Day and Labor Day and we seem to see an increase in loss of life with our teen drivers during that time frame,” Lieutenant Jason King, Florida Highway Patrol Troop A Public Affairs Officer.
According to King, accidents like these can be avoided if people follow these simple tips:
“Put the distractionary device down, put the cell phone down, don’t eat and drive, don’t text and drive. That’s the main thing to focus on your driving. Don’t get distracted, wear your seatbelts and drive the speed limit,” King said.
But if the worst happens, FHP has a designated victim advocate to help guide families through the next steps.
“I would kind of just start making phone calls, seeing what people need, triaging, what’s important, what’s not important right now. Answering their questions about personal property, or maybe connecting them to a funeral home or the medical examiner’s office to kind of make them understand how this process works,” Holbrook said.
But parents practicing what they preach could save lives.
“I would encourage parents, you know hey let us lead by example. It’s our job to set the standard. And if we’re driving down the road texting, speeding, or not wearing our seatbelts. Then how is it we’re going to ask our teen drivers to do the same thing,” King said.
Troopers are also partnering with area schools to teach driver’s education programs.
Bay District Schools officials say they offer driver’s education during the summer and all the spots have been filled. | 2022-06-02T04:31:08Z | www.wjhg.com | Law enforcement raises awareness on The 100 Deadliest Days for Teen Drivers | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/02/law-enforcement-raises-awareness-100-deadliest-days-teen-drivers/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/02/law-enforcement-raises-awareness-100-deadliest-days-teen-drivers/ |
Colorado State updates Tropical Atlantic Forecast
CSU has increased their forecast for tropical activity for 2022 from their previous April forecast.(WJHG)
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Colorado State produces one of the few well known yearly hurricane season forecasts and they’ve increased their forecasted storms for the 2022 season. Due to a neutral ENSO phase or weak La Niña over the next several months and sea surface temperatures across the Atlantic Basin already above average, the forecast calls for an above-normal probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the U.S. coastline.
Colorado has increased their named storms from an earlier prediction in April of 19 storms to now 20 named storms. The number of hurricanes forecasted has been increased by 1 from 9 to 10 as well as the number of major hurricanes from 4 to 5.
At the moment we are currently monitoring the Western Caribbean and Southern Gulf for likely development of a tropical depression or storm within the next couple days. Regardless of development, heavy rains are forecast for South Florida, with several inches of rain possible anywhere down the peninsula south of I-4.
We're monitoring for likely development of a depression or tropical storm in the Southern Gulf today or Friday, June 3rd, 2022.(WJHG) | 2022-06-02T18:23:18Z | www.wjhg.com | Colorado State updates Tropical Atlantic Forecast | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/02/colorado-state-updates-tropical-atlantic-forecast/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/02/colorado-state-updates-tropical-atlantic-forecast/ |
More than 400 people will be losing their jobs when the mill closes.(WJHG)
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - The WestRock Paper Mill has been a staple to the Panama City community for decades. But on June 6, 2022, the mill will be closing its doors permanently.
More than 400 people will be losing their jobs when the mill closes, but the community wants to help.
Officials with the Panama City Police Department, the City of Panama City, and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office have said they have not employed anyone yet, but are still hiring.
So far, Bay County Officials say two mill employees have jobs with the county lined up.
There are also other resources in the community looking to help mill employees. Goodwill Big Bend’s Career Source Center in Panama City is offering multiple programs and services for employees still searching for their next step.
“We offer other programs like entrepreneur skills. We have We have basic compute skills if you need to brush up on that,” Trina Jackson, manager at the Goodwill Big Bend’s Career Source Center, said.
Many residents have voiced their concerns about wages, but officials said employees can work their way up.
“You might have to transition into something else that is not paying as much,“ Jackson said. “But eventually it will and quicker than you would think.”
Representatives with CareerSource Gulf Coast said they will be hosting more job fairs in the future. | 2022-06-02T21:43:57Z | www.wjhg.com | Community works to help laid off paper mill employees | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/02/community-works-help-laid-off-paper-mill-employees/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/02/community-works-help-laid-off-paper-mill-employees/ |
June 1 kicks off Hurricane Season.(FPL)
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - The Blake at Panama City Beach is getting ahead of the storm with hurricane season here.
“In the event of a hurricane headed our way we would evacuate if needed,” Director of Facility Management at The Blake at Panama City Beach Drake Garrett said. “Otherwise, we have plans in place to stay put. We have a generator and are currently in the process of ordering some supplies for water storage. Stuff like that to make sure we have everything we need to shelter in place.”
The assisted living facility is less than two years old and it’s built to handle a category four hurricane.
“As we saw with Michael in Mexico Beach, the older homes just got completely destroyed, so it’s very important to have up to date code,” Garrett said.
However, if residents need to evacuate the property, there are solutions in place.
“Our first choice would probably be Miramar Beach,” Garrett said. “It’s kind of close but hopefully far enough away where we could get out of the path. Next would be Pensacola, and then further down the line there’s multiple facilities across the Southeast.”
The Blake has a shuttle, but Garrett said they could coordinate additional means of transportation if necessary.
“We’d obviously probably have to get help from maybe, like, hospitals, emergency transport, stuff like that to help.”
The facility’s generator is also tested on a weekly basis to ensure it’s working properly when mother nature strikes. | 2022-06-03T00:26:48Z | www.wjhg.com | Local assisted living facility gears up for hurricane season | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/03/local-assisted-living-facility-gears-up-hurricane-season/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/03/local-assisted-living-facility-gears-up-hurricane-season/ |
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - With the recent mass shooting at a Texas Elementary school that killed 21 people, school safety is on everyone’s mind.
Including at Thursday’s Bay District Schools’ Superintendent’s Summit.
“Ever since the news of the Uvalde shooting, your hearts been broken and you’ve been soul searching on what we can do to respond and prevent school shootings in Bay County,” Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford said.
Student safety is always a big concern for local officials, but after last week’s Robb Elementary School shooting, many educators and parents are on edge.
“Let me tell you, my first priority and the thing that keeps me up at night, and the thing that I focus a lot of attention on, is the safety of you and your students and the schools and our kids in this community,” Ford said.
During the summit, Ford addressed school safety. Events like what happened in Uvalde and the Parkland school shooting in 2018 have really stuck with him.
“After Parkland, Superintendent Husfelt, Chief Jones, and I got together the next day, and really that situation really affected me,” Ford said.
That’s why they started using the SchoolGuard app.
“One of the things we did after Parkland is initiate the SchoolGuard app, which administrators have, certain teachers, that are able to put that on their phone,” Ford said. “Its sole purpose is to alert law enforcement in the event of an active shooter.”
A partnership they hope will keep kids and educators safer.
“It just brings a peace of mind, knowing that if something, God forbid, happens that our folks are prepared and willing to do what they need to do to protect everyone,” Bay District Schools Superintendent Bill Husfelt said.
In an active-shooter situation, district employees are able to notify local law enforcement through the SchoolGuard app. The alert will issue an alarm to all LEO officials in the area including those that may be off duty.
According to BDS officials, most district folks and all principals have the app and many other school staff have it as well. | 2022-06-03T00:49:53Z | www.wjhg.com | Bay County Sheriff’s Office and Bay District Schools pairing together for school safety push | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/03/bay-county-sheriffs-office-bay-district-schools-pairing-together-school-safety-push/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/03/bay-county-sheriffs-office-bay-district-schools-pairing-together-school-safety-push/ |
Waste amnesty days at the Steelfield Landfill off State Road 79.(WJHG)
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Bay County’s biannual waste amnesty days are here. This means, all Bay County residents can throw out their trash at the Steelfield Landfill off State Road 79. Residents can drop off their yard debris, household garbage, and hazardous waste at no charge. All you need to bring is proof of residency, such as a drivers license or voters registration.
“Get rid of that unwanted stuff your wife’s tired of looking at or you’re tired of looking at that may be in your yard,” Solid Waste Division Manager Glenn Ogburn said.
There are two waste amnesty days each year, one in the Spring time and one in Fall. Ogburn said it’s good to clean up Bay County.
“It cleans up the neighborhood, it cleans up the county and if you’ve got an eye sore in your property or in the neighborhood, it gives us a chance to clean it up,” Ogburn said.
Residents can come and go as they please as many times as they want for the two days. Bay County officials said all loads in commercial vehicles or trailers are subject to tipping fees.
Bay County officials said they will not accept gas cylinders, explosive materials, ammunition or flares. However, residential-sized propane tanks are accepted.
The following materials will be accepted:
• Appliances (air conditioners, dryers, stoves, washing machines, etc.)
• Construction and demolition debris (concrete, lumber, sheetrock, etc.)
•Trash (kitchen garbage, furniture, carpet, clothes, etc.)
• Household hazardous waste (pesticides, paints, used oil, fluorescent tubes, antifreeze, etc.)
• Small engine containing devices (lawnmowers, weed eaters, edgers, etc.)
• Yard debris (grass clippings, leaves, tree trimmings, etc.)
• Recyclables (batteries, paper, plastic, metals, computers, cell phones, etc.) | 2022-06-04T00:52:29Z | www.wjhg.com | Bay County waste amnesty days | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/03/bay-county-waste-amnesty-days/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/03/bay-county-waste-amnesty-days/ |
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Front Beach Road has been undergoing some serious upgrades, adding new sidewalks and lighting to help with pedestrian safety. But illuminating areas so close to the sand isn’t always a good thing. A local organization is worried it could harm our sea turtles.
Bright red ribbon and yellow caution tape mark the eighth sea turtle nest of the season Friday morning.
“We are on a good roll right now,” Nancy Evou, Senior Surveyor for Panama City Beach Turtle Watch, said.
Panama City Beach Turtle Watch is a group dedicated to protecting one of the area’s most precious creatures.
“Loggerheads, which are the most common on our beach, are threatening to become endangered due to many things,” Evou said. “Loss of habitat, fishing, shrimping, I could go on.”
One of the biggest concerns seems so simple, but it’s lighting.
“Because their cue is the brightest horizon so if they can’t see the brightest horizon which should lead them back to the water, because of all the lights,” Evou said. “They’re going the wrong way, they end up in the dunes, they end up in parking lots, swimming pools.”
It’s an upsetting possibility Turtle Watch Director Kennard Watson addressed in a letter to the city asking for, “information on street lighting upgrades along Front Beach Road as part of the Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) plan.”
According to Watson’s letter, there are some options for safe lighting that the city already has in place at Pier Park. There are shielded amber pole lights lining part of the road. They have a tint of color to them, which is less disruptive to the sea turtles than a bright white light would be.
“The wavelength that they see is not like us, so no lights are the best but humans need lights,” Evou said.
It’s a balance Panama City Beach City Manager Drew Whitman addressed in a letter back to Watson. He said the new lights are, “maintaining the shields that keep the light source from being visible from the beach and any turtles that may venture upon it.”
Turtle Watch officials are asking both residents and visitors that if they see a sea turtle come up on shore, make sure to call Beach Police. | 2022-06-04T00:52:35Z | www.wjhg.com | PCB Turtle Watch officials concerned about new Front Beach lighting | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/03/pcb-turtle-watch-officials-concerned-about-new-front-beach-lighting/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/03/pcb-turtle-watch-officials-concerned-about-new-front-beach-lighting/ |
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Thousands of people are in Panama City Beach this weekend for Pepsi’s Gulf Coast Jam. Not only are they jammin’ out to some music, but also jammin’ up the traffic.
Bay County Sheriff Lieutenant Billy Byrd said traffic has flowed well the past two days. He said they’ve already made adjustments to parking inside the venue, with modifications for pedestrian safety. The sheriff’s office is working in conjunction with the Panama City Beach Police for traffic safety.
“Beach PD is doing a phenomenal job with getting traffic flowing and keeping it going. We make adjustments as things back up, we’ll make some adjustments to help things flow. We’re in direct communications with them. They’ve got guys out here working it, so as things back up we’re adjusting for that and help keep things going,” said Byrd.
Byrd said traffic picks up around 8 p.m. He said they’re seeing the most congestion to the east, down Back Beach Road and Around Alf Coleman Road and Clara Avenue. He adds they’re also seeing congestion turning right into Frank Brown Park.
“We strongly encourage if you’re going to come out, give yourself some extra time to get here, be cautious because there are some intersections where there are some delays,” said Byrd.
Beach Police Chief J.R. Talamantez offered NewsChannel 7 a statement on traffic flow:
“We can expect heavy traffic this weekend, specifically in the pier park area. We are asking everybody to be patient and to plan ahead if they will be traveling through that area. If you are attending Gulf Coast Jam please be mindful of the no parking signs. Our officers will be out all evening helping direct traffic.”
Byrd said there were easily 10,000 people in attendance Thursday night. He expects there to be double Friday night. | 2022-06-04T04:08:07Z | www.wjhg.com | Law enforcement working to prevent Gulf Coast Jam traffic jam | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/04/law-enforcement-working-prevent-gulf-coast-jam-traffic-jam/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/04/law-enforcement-working-prevent-gulf-coast-jam-traffic-jam/ |
It’s a quiet start this morning after some active afternoons and evenings over the weekend on radar. We’ll see a return of some scattered storms this afternoon as well. So keep the umbrellas near for our return home from work or during our afternoon outdoor activities.
Otherwise, it’s a fairly warm and humid one out the door this morning with most starting the day near 70 degrees and a quite a bit of sunshine. Highs today reach the upper 80s on the coast to near 90 inland.
That will be enough heat to trigger the sea breeze and rising motion in our atmosphere this afternoon, which is an unstable atmosphere. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop from daytime heating and the sea breeze.
Like days prior, they’ll be fairly hit or miss. But those who do see the storms will get a heavy batch of rain for about an hour. We’ll likely see the storms fire up after 1pm and last into the early evening before dissipating after sunset.
High pressure builds in for the rest of the early week and midweek to limit afternoon rain chances and build more heat. Mostly sunny skies are expected for Tuesday and Wednesday with highs near 90 on the coast to the low to mid 90s inland. The heat index will rise into the mid to upper 90s Tuesday and Wednesday.
For today, mostly sunny skies turn a bit stormy into the afternoon as scattered, hit or miss, storms return. Highs today top out in the upper 80s to near 90. Your 7 Day Forecast has a couple drier but hotter days ahead for Tuesday and Wednesday before afternoon storms return for the end of the week. | 2022-06-06T13:39:31Z | www.wjhg.com | Monday Forecast | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/06/monday-forecast/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/06/monday-forecast/ |
Pregnant woman and child hit by truck on Thomas Drive.(Allison Baker)
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - A pregnant woman and a child were taken to the hospital with serious injuries after a truck hit them.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers say the crash happened around 11:00 a.m. at Thomas Drive and Hurt Street.
Eastbound lanes of Thomas Drive were closed for a brief time but have since reopened. | 2022-06-06T18:38:36Z | www.wjhg.com | Pregnant woman and child hit by truck on Thomas Drive | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/06/pregnant-woman-child-hit-by-truck-thomas-drive/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/06/pregnant-woman-child-hit-by-truck-thomas-drive/ |
It’s a quiet start on satellite and radar with clear skies overhead. We’ll have plenty of sunshine ahead today. It’ll go to work on temperatures fast as well.
We’re getting the day started in the low 70s. But we’ll warm fast into the 80s by 8 or 9am. Highs today easily reach the 90s inland to upper 80s on the coast. When you factor in the humidity, the heat index for the coast reaches the low 90s while inland areas feel more like the mid to upper 90s. Be sure to dress comfortably, and don’t worry too much about running into any afternoon rain.
There’s only a small chance later today. With high pressure building in from the Gulf, we’ll fall under a quieter afternoon pattern over the next couple days. High pressure brings sinking motion to the atmosphere which suppresses the rising motion needed for shower and thunderstorm development0.
It’s still possible a stray, small and brief, isolated shower can develop. We’ll give it a less than 10% chance you’ll catch it, mainly away from the coast today and tomorrow.
For today, mostly sunny skies with only an isolated small and brief stray shower possible inland, rain chance at less than 10%. Highs today top out in the upper 80s to near 90 with a heat index in the low 90s for the coast to mid to upper 90s inland. Your 7 Day Forecast has a couple drier but hotter days ahead for today and Wednesday before afternoon storms return Thursday and into the end of the week. | 2022-06-07T12:36:28Z | www.wjhg.com | Tuesday Forecast | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/07/tuesday-forecast/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/07/tuesday-forecast/ |
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - We’re taking a look at a blast from the past.
Local Historian Bill Hudson stopped by the NewsChannel 7 studio to show us some old videos he’s dug out of the coffers to share with viewers.
You can watch this week’s full interview segment with Bill by clicking the video attached to this story. | 2022-06-07T21:47:12Z | www.wjhg.com | It’s Time Travel Tuesday! | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/07/its-time-travel-tuesday/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/07/its-time-travel-tuesday/ |
Walton County residents Jake and Ashley Cole, have their first child at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast in Miramar Beach.(WJHG)
“We’ve had a great experience, from our appointments the whole nine months, up until the hospital delivery,” Ashley said.
According to Newsweek’s website, the evaluation is based on three data sources including a nationwide online survey, medical key performance indicator data relevant to maternity care, and patient satisfaction data. Family Birth Place Nurse Manager Erica Bottom said they strive for patient satisfaction.
“Just to know that all the effort, hard work, and caring we put in really makes a difference,” Bottom said.
The facility specializes in high-risk pregnancies, providing medical care to women and their babies. Making them one out of 11 centers in Florida that offer this. The Family Birth Place center is the only Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Walton County.
“We have a 10 bed, level two NICU, it has been open two years and that was kind of built to serve the community,” Bottom said.
The unit cares for premature and critically ill babies.
Officials said approximately 1,470 babies were born last year at the Emerald Coast hospital. It also received a Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade of an A for spring 2022. | 2022-06-07T23:42:15Z | www.wjhg.com | Newsweek lists Walton County facility as America’s Best Maternity Care hospital | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/07/newsweek-lists-walton-county-facility-americas-best-maternity-care-hospital/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/07/newsweek-lists-walton-county-facility-americas-best-maternity-care-hospital/ |
Rain chances are on the increase later this week
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - It’s going to be a warm and humid night tonight in NWFL w/lows in the 70s. The hot & mostly dry weather continues on Wednesday w/highs in the 80s (coast) and 90s (inland). Winds will be SW at 5-15 mph. On Thursday we will start to see better rain chances (30%). The rain chances increase Friday (50%) and Saturday (60%). By Sunday we may see some drier air return that will decrease rain chances. | 2022-06-08T00:48:09Z | www.wjhg.com | Tuesday Evening Forecast | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/08/tuesday-evening-forecast/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/08/tuesday-evening-forecast/ |
It’s another quiet start on satellite and radar this morning. We’ll see plenty of sunshine through the morning and midday today.
It’ll heat up our already warm and humid start quickly. Temperatures are getting going in the low to mid 70s. But we’ll be well on our way into the 80s after 8am. Highs today easily reach the mid 90s inland to upper 80s on the coast.
However, when you factor in the high humidity we’ll feel like the low to mid 90s on the coast to upper 90s approaching the triple digits inland. If we don’t reach the triple digit heat indices today, we’ll likely get there tomorrow! Dress comfortably for a hot and humid one with little to no rain in the afternoon to cool us off today.
That will eventually change heading into the end of the week. Our ridge of high pressure, which has suppressed the afternoon storms yesterday and today, sinks south into the Gulf and the frontal range to the north slides deeper into the South. This will help focus shower and thunderstorm activity into the afternoon and evenings of Thursday, Friday and the weekend.
Before the storms cool us off, however, we’ll likely see temperatures return to the toasty 90s inland to upper 80s on the coast. So we’ll hope that one of those afternoon storms shows up in our neighborhoods to help cool things down.
For today, mostly sunny skies with hot and humid conditions. Highs reach the upper 80s on the coast to mid 90s inland with a heat index from the mid 90s on the coast to upper 90s near 100° inland. Your 7 Day Forecast has us reaching those triple digit heat indices tomorrow afternoon before scattered showers and thunderstorms develop into the afternoon and evening at a decent clip. | 2022-06-08T12:58:30Z | www.wjhg.com | Wednesday Forecast | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/08/wednesday-forecast/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/08/wednesday-forecast/ |
The Jackson County School Board voted to keep the disiplinary rules the same.(WJHG/WECP)
JACKSON COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Being caught with drugs or drinking underage can cause problems outside of high school, but Jackson County School Officials say they want to put a stop to that behavior now.
“If we can deter kids from drinking underage or from using illegal substances underage, we’re doing our job,” Director of Middle and Secondary Education Jennifer See said.
School Board member Chris Johnson questioned if the punishment for some students was too harsh. Specifically, how long some students have to go to alternative school if they break the rules. However, school Principals and the Board voted to keep the rules the same.
Jackson County students who commit level three offenses, like bringing drugs or alcohol on campus, will be sent to Jackson Alternative School for 90 days, which is not a change from past rules.
“It’s for extreme behavior, drugs and alcohol, and it’s a 90 day program, and it’s based on days of good behavior,” See said.
However, the district did add a separate, fourth category of offenses, and those include things like sexual assault, arson and homicide.
“So anything that would now be in our class four, which are the most extreme behaviors, would be an automatic recommendation for expulsion,” See said.
District Officials say they want to discourage these behaviors as early as possible, and that’s why they voted to keep the rules the same.
For more information regarding discipline rules in Jackson County, call the Jackson County School Board at (850) 482-1200. | 2022-06-09T00:00:55Z | www.wjhg.com | Jackson County School disciplinary rules remain the same | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/08/jackson-county-school-disciplinary-rules-remain-same/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/08/jackson-county-school-disciplinary-rules-remain-same/ |
LYNN HAVEN, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - GENTRACON22 was held at Mosley High School this week.
School may be out for the summer, but the doors are still open for those who want to learn.
“We’re putting on this conference so that we can actually address trauma and let people know that intergenerational trauma can and does have an impact on the way people respond to situations,” said Ann Wing, Network Manager at NWF Health Network.
Wing said the community has gone through so much over the past few years. Hurricane Michael, coupled with the pandemic and the recent wildfires tested people’s resiliency. Wing said addressing mental health head on instead of ignoring it can prevent problems from getting out of hand.
“Early prevention is key,” Wing said. “If we can recognize it early on and we’re able to get services in place and then start to address the trauma, it can potentially lessen the onset of an illness.”
That’s why the conference serves as a learning tool for anyone in the social services field.
“Arm them with the knowledge and rejuvenate them so that they can get the tools that they need to help empower the families and put families back together,” said licensed clinical social worker Tasha Jackson.
These individuals can hear what other professionals in the field have to say and apply it to their clients.
“Coming here not only fills the brain with lots of new strategies and techniques that they can take back into their practices but it also brings more hope and motivation,” said Founder and CEO of Cope Notes Johnny Crowder.
Events like these also address misconceptions such as trauma only impacting a certain population.
Hosts said they hope to make GENTRACON an annual event. | 2022-06-09T02:43:54Z | www.wjhg.com | Conference in Lynn Haven focuses on mental health and addressing trauma | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/09/gentracon22-conference-brings-positive-impact-community/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/09/gentracon22-conference-brings-positive-impact-community/ |
It’s a quiet start on satellite and radar this morning with a partly clear start. Nothing is expected in the rain department under whatever clouds we develop this morning.
However, we’ll see a return of hit or miss afternoon storms to our skies today. So you may want to grab the umbrellas for the ride home from work later today.
Otherwise, it’s a warm and humid morning with temperatures and dew points well into the 70s. In fact, dew points have bumped up even higher into the 70s for very steamy feel out the door. It’ll lead toward a hotter feel overall today. Highs will be similar to yesterday’s low 90s inland to upper 80s on the coast. But with the increase in humidity, we’ll feel much more like the mid 90s on the coast to near 100° inland by lunchtime today.
We’ll see that heat and humidity create some scattered showers or thunderstorms this afternoon with support from a weak front draped across the Southeast as well. The frontal boundary will settle into the Southeast for the next several days. In combination with the warm and humid conditions, we’ll be primed for afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms from this afternoon through the weekend and even into a good chunk of next week.
The storms be largely hit or miss in nature each afternoon and evening. It’s even possible the coast could start off our mornings with a storm or two early in the day. If you do catch one, it’ll have plenty of moisture to work with to produce heavy rains and any storms will have frequent lightning associated with them.
For today, mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies as storms develop into the afternoon and evening. Highs today top out in the upper 80s on the coast to low 90s inland with a heat index from 95 to 100° by early afternoon. Your 7 Day Forecast has an unsettled afternoon and evening period starting up this afternoon and continuing into the weekend and early next week. | 2022-06-09T13:28:31Z | www.wjhg.com | Thursday Forecast | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/09/thursday-forecast/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/09/thursday-forecast/ |
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - During red snapper season, you can find anglers fishing from sunrise to sunset at Captain Anderson’s Marina.
“We’ve been seeing them bring in some really big fish,” Chelsea Ray, Marketing Director at Captain Anderson’s Marina, said.
“We’re going out ten hours,” Brenda Lewis, an avid fisherwoman, said. “Probably go about 30-33 miles. It’s going to be a calm day. Hoping for another big one!”
That marina being a staple in Bay County for so many years.
“We’ve been operating head boats since 1937 here in Bay County,” Pam Anderson, Operations Manager at Captain Anderson’s Marina, said. “It is generational.”
Many businesses benefit from the busy waterfront.
“We have 49 businesses that operate from Captain Anderson’s Marina,” Mrs. Anderson said.
The Anderson family, and their marina, are a staple in this area’s fishing community.
“It’s kind of a big family affair,” Mrs. Anderson said. “Fishing is in their blood.”
For Captain Anderson himself, Mrs. Anderson says this is a season that keeps him out on the water at all hours.
“He’s busy all day and into the night,” Mrs. Anderson said.
Many hours on the water bring in some big catches. This makes for the Anderson family to make their favorite red snapper meals in the kitchen.
“He would say fried,” Mrs. Anderson said. “I would say stuffed, a bread stuffing.”
No matter how you like your red snapper, Mrs. Anderson says keeping this marina hustling and bustling is a group effort.
“We’re not the only folks here,” Mrs. Anderson said. “All of these folks that work here and operate businesses here also have been here for generations.”
Generations hoping to keep Captain Anderson’s Marina as Bay County’s fishing hub for many more to come.
To book a charter, you can visit the marina’s website here. | 2022-06-10T04:42:58Z | www.wjhg.com | The hustle and bustle of Captain Anderson’s Marina in this week’s Faces and Places of the Panhandle | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/10/hustle-bustle-captain-andersons-marina-this-weeks-faces-places-panhandle/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/10/hustle-bustle-captain-andersons-marina-this-weeks-faces-places-panhandle/ |
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - When residents of The Glades neighborhood first heard of the Duplin Winery coming to Panama City Beach, they were overjoyed.
“With a vineyard, with a wedding chapel, with a restaurant, all within walking distance. Oh, that’s great,” The Glades Homeowners Association President Tom Trossen said.
But what’s described as the “winery of the south” might soon see some changes.
“To learn about that going to a high-density apartment complex with over 260 apartments, Absolutely shocking,” said Trossen.
It’s reported that the winery is selling as much as 20 acres of land to a developer for an apartment complex called Hombre Golf Apartments.
“Apartments, multi-family housing in a single-family residential area just doesn’t work out right,” 22-Year Glades Resident Terry Seaborn said.
NewsChannel 7 requested documents from the city asking about Hombre Golf Apartments. Emails confirm the city and the possible developer have been corresponding about plans to build the potential apartment complex.
“Now to hear that the plans have changed in such a dramatic way is an absolute disappointment and heartbreaking for a lot of residents who were really looking forward to having this facility,” said Trossen.
55 people attending the Panama City Beach city council meeting Thursday night decided to stand up for their community.
“That’s the love for our community. Who wouldn’t want to live here? They’re wanting to protect their area that they live in, their community,” Panama City Beach Councilman Phil Chester said.
Additional traffic being one of the biggest concerns for the community.
“If this does come to fruition and we do have apartments, we can not tolerate that amount of traffic. It just won’t happen,” said Seaborn.
Happening, or not, The Glades residents say they will work together for the change they want to see.
Chester wants to reiterate the city has not received a formal submission for the proposed Hombre Golf Apartments. Panama City Beach P-O Debbie Ward said the city cannot confirm if the reported 20 acres have officially been sold.
NewsChannel 7 reached out to Duplin Winery officials for comment but did not hear back. | 2022-06-10T04:43:22Z | www.wjhg.com | Residents concerned over proposed apartments on the old Hombre Golf Course | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/10/residents-concerned-over-proposed-apartments-old-hombre-golf-course/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/10/residents-concerned-over-proposed-apartments-old-hombre-golf-course/ |
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - A major cruise line had been eyeing Panama city as a place to drop anchor.... but, apparently things have come to a halt.
According to Panama City Port Authority officials, the once-promising deal of being a tender port for the Viking Cruise Line has run cold.
Officials say there has not been much talk about the future of the partnership these days.
”Viking was looking to start right in the COVID Pandemic to do an upstart a local cruising to try to restart operations and had a very good plan in place for what I understand. But we have not talked to Viking recently. Do not know any more about that opportunity since cruising worldwide has pretty well resumed to the islands and offshore and international cruising. So we haven’t talked any further with them about Viking,” Alex King, Panama City Port Authority Executive Director said.
The plan had been that the Viking Cruise would travel along the gulf coast as a 7-day trip departing from Tampa, carrying 930 passengers and 465 crew members, with a stopover in our area. | 2022-06-10T04:43:28Z | www.wjhg.com | Viking Cruise Line deal unclear at this time | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/10/viking-cruise-line-deal-unclear-this-time/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/10/viking-cruise-line-deal-unclear-this-time/ |
A fatal accident occurred after a man went off the highway.(Florida Highway Patrol)
GULF COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - A man ran his vehicle off US 98 on Friday due to what officials say was a medical emergency.
The 85 year old individual was traveling east in a blue 2022 Volkswagen when he began to run off the highway.
Officers say the front of the vehicle collided into the exterior steps of a home just off the roadway, as well as a trailer, as the vehicle came to a stop.
When officials arrived, the man in the car was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Florida Highway Patrol’s Traffic Homicide Team will be conducting this investigation. | 2022-06-10T21:03:30Z | www.wjhg.com | Fatality occurs when vehicle goes off the highway | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/10/fatality-occurs-when-vehicle-goes-off-highway/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/10/fatality-occurs-when-vehicle-goes-off-highway/ |
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Honor. Sacrifice. Service. Words CDR Erich Frandrup highly regards as leader of the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center in Panama City Beach.
Now it’s time for a change of command.
“I loved being here, CDR Erich Frandrup, Outgoing Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center Commander, said. “I loved the motivation. I loved the aspect of being here at the dive school because this is the first command in the navy for a lot of them. "
Now the former commander heads to his new post at the pentagon.
“Being in rooms where decisions are made that impact not only a small command like this, but the entirety of the navy, CDR Erich Frandrup, said. “That’s where the rewarding part of being there comes from. "
As former CDR Erich Frandrup moves on to the Pentagon in Washington, CDR Troy Lawson comes in to continue the legacy of diving here in Panama City Beach.
“Well my predecessor, Erich, has done an amazing job.”
CDR Troy Lawson is now taking over as leader of the local diving center.
“And my plan is to build on the things that he’s put in place and to continue training the world’s greatest divers, " CDR Troy Lawson, Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center Commander.
Striving to make this Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center, one of the world’s best. | 2022-06-11T00:30:31Z | www.wjhg.com | A change of command took place at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/10/change-command-took-place-naval-diving-salvage-training-center/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/10/change-command-took-place-naval-diving-salvage-training-center/ |
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Did you know there’s an opportunity for you and your family to check out Florida’s state parks for free this summer?
Well, you only need a Northwest Regional Library System library card to do it.
If you don’t have a library card, you can visit your local library to get one.
This is something the whole family can get involved in and allows folks to get out and see the state’s natural resources.
There are 175 state parks.
With the Real Florida Reader Pass, you can continue your learning adventure while enjoying time exploring new places.
”This would be perfect if you want to make it a family program, maybe you can check out some titles of your flora and fauna that’s going to be in the parks and study up ahead of time. And then go to the park service, it is good for one vehicle and so it will be for up to eight people in the car that you would be able to go into the park for free,” Sarah Burris, Northwest Regional Library System Library Communications Relations/Marketing Coordinator said.
The Real Florida Reader Pass is part of the “Oceans of Possibilities” Summer Reading celebrations for Florida Public Libraries.
The passes have a 5-day check-out period, one checkout per library card. Each Northwest Regional Library System location has park passes.
If all are checked out, place a hold by calling your library location. Passes will need to be checked out and returned from the same library location.
Northwest Regional Library System Locations:
Bay County Public Library
898 W. 11th Street, Panama City
Panama City Beach Public Library
Parker Public Library
4710 Second Street, Parker
Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Public Library
110 Library Drive, Port Saint Joe
Charles Whitehead Public Library
314 North Second Street, Wewahitchka
Jimmy Weaver Memorial Public Library
22149 NE State Road 20, Hosford
Harrell Memorial Public Library
13016 NW CR 12, Bristol
The Read Florida Reader Program is valid through September 12, 2022. | 2022-06-11T03:51:09Z | www.wjhg.com | Borrow a Real Florida Reader State Park Day Pass From Your Local Library | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/11/borrow-real-florida-reader-state-park-day-pass-your-local-library/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/11/borrow-real-florida-reader-state-park-day-pass-your-local-library/ |
Car crashes into Alvin’s Island on Thomas Drive overnight(WJHG/WECP)
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that left two people with serious injuries overnight.
Troopers said that a woman from Panama City was driving down Thomas Drive at a high rate of speed. When she came upon a curve troopers said that she lost control.
NewsChannel 7 is told that the car traveled across the northbound lanes of Thomas Drive and collided with a traffic sign and a light pole. Eventually, reports said the car hit the Alvin’s Island building and the passenger was ejected. | 2022-06-11T20:46:50Z | www.wjhg.com | Car crashes into Alvin’s Island on Thomas Drive overnight | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/11/car-crashes-into-alvins-island-thomas-drive-overnight/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/11/car-crashes-into-alvins-island-thomas-drive-overnight/ |
Accident on Hathaway Bridge
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - A crash involving an ambulance, caused major traffic delays along Hathaway Bridge Saturday night.
According to Panama City Police Department Media Specialist Ken McVay, a Ford F-150 truck was believed to come out of the nearby No Name Lounge parking lot. Allegedly the truck shot out across several lanes hoping to westbound.
Authorities said an ambulance happened to be coming from an accident that took place on the beach.
Allegedly according to McVay the ambulance happened to be traveling and had no lights or sirens going at the time.
Officials said the ambulance noticed the incoming truck and attempted to avoid it, to no avail.
According to McVay, the driver of the truck, a paramedic located in the back of the ambulance, a patient located in the back of the ambulance, and the driver of the ambulance were all transported to a nearby hospital. It is unsure at this time the status of those involved.
PCPD is doing a preliminary traffic homicide investigation at this time.
Officials say it could be several hours before the highway is completely cleared.
Currently, two lanes are cleared, and the crash remains in the inside lanes of US Hwy. 98 across from the No Name Lounge parking lot. | 2022-06-12T07:20:18Z | www.wjhg.com | Crash involving ambulance causes traffic delays | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/12/crash-involving-ambulance-causes-traffic-delays/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/12/crash-involving-ambulance-causes-traffic-delays/ |
Roots set for Saturday match at Tallahassee(WJHG)
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -The Florida Roots played host to Pensacola at Tommy Oliver Stadium on Sunday night.
The Roots were sitting at 3-3 headed into the match, hoping to tip the scales with a win.
Roots went up first with a headed in the 16th minute, but Pensacola struck back in the 23rd.
Pensacola added three more goals in the second half, and the Roots added one.
The final for the night was 4-2. The Florida Roots fall to 3-4 on the season. | 2022-06-13T03:14:52Z | www.wjhg.com | Roots fall to Pensacola in Sunday night match | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/13/roots-fall-pensacola-sunday-night-match/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/13/roots-fall-pensacola-sunday-night-match/ |
Florida School Safety Bill
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Administrators for Bay District Schools came together on June 7 to discuss how House Bill 1421 will help everyone involved.
“From the mental health aspect, to hardening our school campuses, providing officers for each school campus, and training our staff to be on the lookout for all things school safety,” said Director of Operations for Bay District Schools Josh Balkom.
The bill was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis earlier this month and is aimed at improving school safety across the state.
Part of the bill requires 80% of school personnel in districts to complete youth mental health awareness training.
School leaders in Bay County say mental health is something they take very seriously.
“Currently 95% of our administrators and instructional staff are youth mental health first-aid certified,” said Director of Student Wellness Programs at Bay District Schools Dawn Capes. “That was a priority for us this year and that brings us to about 68% of our total staff who are trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid.
Capes said Youth Mental Health First Aid isn’t the only resource offered to students.
“We have at every single school mental health teams,” Capes said. “That means they’re licensed mental health workers at every school.”
These teams consist of social workers and other health professionals who provide preventative support to students.
Counseling is also offered. School leaders said they want their students to know they are not alone. | 2022-06-13T04:43:05Z | www.wjhg.com | School Safety Bill puts emphasis on mental health resources | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/13/school-safety-bill-puts-emphasis-mental-health-resources/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/13/school-safety-bill-puts-emphasis-mental-health-resources/ |
Jackson County sheriffs are looking for a person of interest.(Jackson County Sheriff's Office)
JACKSON COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Jackson County sheriffs are asking for more assistance from the public in helping to local and identify a person of interest.
Officials have not made clear whether the individual is unknowingly a victim or suspected of having information that may assist in solving a crime.
If you recognize the identity of this person, you are encouraged to call JCSO Criminal Investigations at 850-482-9624 or by email at records@jacksonso.com. You can also leave an anonymous tip via the JCSO mobile app. | 2022-06-13T23:29:31Z | www.wjhg.com | Jackson County sheriffs asking for more assistance with identifying person of interest | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/13/jackson-county-sheriffs-asking-more-assistance-with-identifying-person-interest/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/13/jackson-county-sheriffs-asking-more-assistance-with-identifying-person-interest/ |
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - The summer months in Florida can bring out some annoying pests.
“The mosquitos primarily become mother nature’s vampires for a reason. They like to come out at dusk and at dawn, they return back to their resting areas during the daytime,” Cindy Mulla, Public Relations And Education Spokesperson for the Beach Mosquito Control District said.
Right now, Panama City Beach is seeing an uptick in mosquitos, comparing closely to the roughly 20,000 the Beach Mosquito Control District caught in its nets last summer.
“We are already close to what we caught last year and we’re not even halfway through June right now,” Mulla said.
When it comes to these annoying bugs, knowing where they are is the first step.
“We need our residents to let us know what’s going on in their backyard because we’re not at your home and we need to know if you’re having any issues with mosquitos,” Mulla said.
Then it’s time to dump your mosquito problem.
“And I mean look up. Check your rain gutter. A lot of people forget to look up and in their rain gutters. If they’re clogged, and holding water, they will be breeding thousands upon thousands of mosquitos,” Mulla said. “Watering cans, flowerpot trays, tarps, buckets, toys, tires. These are all examples. Kayaks, make sure your boats are upside down when you’re storing them.”
Prevention is key to fight the bite. Always make sure to wear mosquito repellent when you’re going outside.
“When you are using a repellent, you have to read the label. The label is the law and you need to know how to apply it appropriately. Just like sunscreen, you can’t just apply it one time,” Mulla said.
And don’t forget to protect your kids. A light spritz of repellant can go a long way.
If you’re seeing more mosquitos grouping up in one area, reach out to the Beach Mosquito Control District at (850) 233-5030 or visit https://www.pcbeachmosquito.org/. | 2022-06-14T00:36:04Z | www.wjhg.com | Panama City Beach sees uptick in mosquitos this summer | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/13/panama-city-beach-sees-uptick-mosquitos-this-summer/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/13/panama-city-beach-sees-uptick-mosquitos-this-summer/ |
It’s a quiet start right now, but we may get a few more widely scattered small and brief downpours to develop near the coast by late morning or lunchtime. You could once again reach for the umbrella in case you happen upon one. It’ll certainly still shape up the same as yesterday where most of the rain heads inland into the afternoon. Most this morning start off with quite a bit of sunshine.
It’s already a toasty start this morning with temperatures in the upper 70s and dew points as well. Feels like temperatures will easily reach into the 90s this morning after 8am. We’ll be well on our way to feeling much more like the triple digits after 10am this morning.
A Heat Advisory will go into effect from 10am CDT to 7pm CDT. Lets be sure to stay hydrated, take breaks, and find shade if doing outdoor activities.
We’ll only see a small chance for a few isolated downpours inland this afternoon to try and cool us off. Rain chance for the coast this morning and inland in the afternoon will only run around 20-30%.
I wouldn’t count on them to bring too much in terms of cooler conditions. While any rain that develops has the potential to be a downpour, they’ll still be small and brief in nature. When the sun comes back out after those lucky few who do catch a shower, it’ll still get hot and humid again. | 2022-06-14T12:54:50Z | www.wjhg.com | Tuesday Forecast | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/14/tuesday-forecast/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/14/tuesday-forecast/ |
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - This week’s Wear it Wednesday featured many boho-styled outfits with natural fabrics.
The Little Mustard Seed joined Sam and Jessica in studio to talk about the viewer-voted winning looks and all the store has to offer.
Both Sam and Jessica were styled in pastel-colored summer dresses.
To see the winning outfits, and learn more about the latest fashion trends, you can watch the segments attached to this article. | 2022-06-15T13:55:44Z | www.wjhg.com | Wear it Wednesday styled by The Little Mustard Seed | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/15/wear-it-wednesday-styled-by-little-mustard-seed/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/15/wear-it-wednesday-styled-by-little-mustard-seed/ |
It’s a quiet start on radar this morning after big storms rumbled through yesterday evening. Those storms came off a backdoor front in the Southeast located in the Carolina’s! There’s another chance later today we see another wave of storms from it as well.
We’ll get the day started with a bit of clouds still lingering from last night’s rain. They’ll decrease to partly sunny skies throughout the day.
Otherwise, we’re in for another hot and humid day ahead. Temperatures are a bit rain cooled from yesterday’s rains as we’re getting the day started in the low to mid 70s. However, it won’t take long after sunrise this morning to disperse some of the clouds in place right now and allow sunshine to crank up the heat into the midday.
We’ll have another Heat Advisory go into effect later this morning and last into the evening from 11am to 7pm CDT. Highs today reach up to 90 on the coast to some upper 90s inland with a heat index around 108° for some.
That’s enough heat and humidity to develop a few spotty showers or downpours into the midday and afternoon, widely scattered and only for a few. But the better possibility once again for storms comes later into the day and into the evening as the backdoor front develops another wave of storms in Georgia. Timing out that wave of storms is rather difficult at this time as they haven’t formed yet and initiation of those storms will make the difference as to whether they arrive in the late afternoon, evening, or overnight.
We’ll keep this general forecast of hot, humid, and partly sunny skies with spotty showers going through much of the work week ahead. The best chance for widespread coverage of rain over NWFL will be toward the day’s end and into the evenings.
For today, mostly to partly sunny skies with a few spotty showers around during the daylight, and very hot. Highs today top out near 90 on the coast to the upper 90s inland with a heat index at or above 108°. A heat advisory is in effect from 11am to 7pm CDT. Your 7 Day Forecast has a very hot and humid week ahead with a few scattered storms in the afternoon, each evening has the potential for storms through Saturday. | 2022-06-15T13:55:50Z | www.wjhg.com | Wednesday Forecast | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/15/wednesday-forecast/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/15/wednesday-forecast/ |
People gathered on the shores of Inlet Beach this morning for a heart warming event.(WJHG)
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - People gathered on the shores of Inlet Beach Wednesday morning for a heartwarming event.
As they waited with excitement and anticipation, the guest of honor finally arrived. The 170-plus pound sea turtle was released after being caught by a fisherman on Sunday.
The Gulf World Marine Institute took the turtle to give her a full health check. The Institute asks anyone to call them if they catch one.
“Anytime a fisherman accidentally hooks a sea turtle, we want them to call the pier management,” Lauren Albrittain, the Stranding Coordinator for Gulf World Marine Institute, said. “We know it may look like nothing or just a simple hook, but we want to make sure there’s nothing else wrong. In her case, she just had one easy hook to remove and she had no other issues internally.”
People who watched loved seeing the big turtle being released.
“I loved watching the sea turtle just be free,” Gwendolyn, an observer, said. “Thinking of what had happened to it at first and then watching it go back to where it belongs.”
The turtle and safe and back in her natural habitat. | 2022-06-15T23:07:05Z | www.wjhg.com | Sea turtle released after clean bill of health | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/15/sea-turtle-released-after-clean-bill-health/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/15/sea-turtle-released-after-clean-bill-health/ |
NextStep is hosting a few summer programs and gearing up for their two-year program in August.(WJHG/WECP)
JACKSON COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Six adults with Autism participated in the NextStep at Endeavor Academy pilot program in Marianna this past spring.
“Of those six individuals, all six of them became competitively employed, or they improved in their employment, for example moving from part time to full time employment or getting more hours,” Director of NextStep at Endeavor Academy Tammy Dasher said.
The students were able to work with job coaches to help them learn the ropes at their new jobs, as well.
“I have a few that I work with [on] some social skills, like some social goals, like staying on task at the job, as in like staying focused, and then there’s a lot of hard skills, like the actual job itself,” Transitional Coach Dillon Berry said.
After the success of the spring pilot program, NextStep is hosting several summer programs before they launch their two-year program in August.
Some of those summer courses are for students to continue learning about employment.
“So we are doing extended job coaching with five individuals, we added more goals and we are maintaining the goals,” Berry said.
While others are to help students learn more about fitness, friends and college success.
“A lot of times, people aren’t really sure what you can offer and that two year program, it’s such a huge commitment of time that I thought it would be nice to offer some shorter courses so parents and adults with Autism could see what we’re all about,” Dasher said.
All of the summer programs are leading up to the full two-year program coming in August.
For more information on how to sign up for the summer or two-year course, visit https://nextstepatendeavor.org/. | 2022-06-16T03:46:34Z | www.wjhg.com | NextStep at Endeavor Academy holds summer programs | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/16/nextstep-endeavor-academy-holds-summer-programs/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/16/nextstep-endeavor-academy-holds-summer-programs/ |
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Painting wands is just one of the crafts kids are enjoying at this camp.
“Each week has a theme,” Jessica Irber, a camp counselor, said. “This week is magic and make-believe. There’s a tie-dye week, there’s a Disney week, there’s outer space and some other ones coming up this summer too.”
Throughout the summer, campers at Pinspiration Panama City Beach use these themes to tap into their inner artist.
“Each day has a different craft that you do, a smaller project, and then a bigger project,” Irber said.
Projects like paintings, string art, and acrylic pours. But this art camp goes beyond the crafts.
“We do either something with a song, a dance, a game,” Irber said. “They like to play hide and seek. I like to do the minute to win it challenges with them.”
When asked if the camp was fun, one camper showed how thrilled she was.
“Yes! I’m glad I came on this day,” the camper said. “I love Harry Potter.”
It’s fun for the counselors, too.
“I love it,” Irber said. “I have always loved kids. I feel like that’s my calling.”
Passion leading the way for Pinspiration PCB.
For more information on the remaining camps this summer, you can visit Pinspiration PCB’s Facebook here. | 2022-06-16T14:15:55Z | www.wjhg.com | Picking up paintbrushes and markers in this week’s Summertime Learning | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/16/picking-up-paintbrushes-markers-this-weeks-summertime-learning/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/16/picking-up-paintbrushes-markers-this-weeks-summertime-learning/ |
It’s a quiet start on radar this morning. But we do have some remnant clouds cruising our skies from overnight storms that passed us by largely to the north in Alabama from Georgia. These clouds will linger some into the morning hours like yesterday. They’ll gradually thin out throughout the morning allowing for mostly sunny skies by lunch. Only a few in the afternoon see the cooling thunderstorm from an otherwise very hot and humid day.
Temperatures are starting out in the mid 70s this morning with a very humid feel. We’ll warm fast through the morning commute with another heat advisory going into effect from 11am to 7pm CDT. Highs today reach the low 90s on the coast to upper 90s inland. The heat index will push 105 to 110° this afternoon.
That heat and humidity, combined with the remnants of a weakening front in the Southeast will help create a few afternoon or evening storms today. I think the best spot to find one this afternoon will be for counties around the Tri-State; Calhoun, Jackson, Washington, and Holmes.
The heat cranks up further going into the next several days as highs reach the low to mid 90s on the coast to around 100°. Heat indices will push 105-115° by late morning on into the early evening. And we won’t have much if anything more than a stray or isolated small shower Friday and through the weekend.
For today, partly to mostly sunny skies with very hot and humid conditions. Highs today reach the low 90s on the coast to upper 90s inland. The heat index will push 105 to 110° this afternoon. A few storms pop up late in the afternoon inland, with a few possibly drifting toward the coast into the evening. Your 7 Day Forecast has us getting even hotter over the next few days where actual inland highs reach up to around 100° and heat indices push 105-115°. | 2022-06-16T14:16:15Z | www.wjhg.com | Thursday Forecast | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/16/thursday-forecast/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/16/thursday-forecast/ |
Deputies are asking the public to identify this individual.(Jackson County Sheriff's Office)
JACKSON COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Jackson County Sheriff’s deputies are asking for help from the public in identifying an individual involved in an incident that occurred in the area.
If you have any information or recognize something in the images, please contact the JCSO Criminal Investigations Division at 850-482-9624 or by email at records@jacksonso.com.
You can also submit a tip through the JCSO mobile app by contacting Chipola Crime Stoppers at 850-526-5000. | 2022-06-16T16:19:17Z | www.wjhg.com | Jackson deputies requesting assistance in identifying person of interest | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/16/jackson-deputies-requesting-assistance-identifying-person-interest/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/16/jackson-deputies-requesting-assistance-identifying-person-interest/ |
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Dogs and Drinks is calling all small dogs to take over their park.
Thursday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., all dogs under 30 pounds are welcome.
“That way they can all play comfortably,” Dagny Johnston, owner of Dogs and Drinks, said. “And we just love small dogs.”
There are a few rules if you bring a furry friend.
“They need to be fixed if they’re over eight months of age,” Johnston said. “And of course dog friendly.”
They even have a drink for you and a dog beer for your pups.
“They are based with bone broth,” Johnston said. “The dogs seem to enjoy them, so we keep them cold here.”
For more information, visit the Dogs and Drinks website. | 2022-06-16T18:11:24Z | www.wjhg.com | Small dogs take over at Dogs and Drinks in Panama City | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/16/small-dogs-take-over-dogs-drinks-panama-city/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/16/small-dogs-take-over-dogs-drinks-panama-city/ |
Residents who came to build a bucket were able to learn more about past hurricanes as well.(WJHG/WECP)
LIBERTY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Many Panhandle residents weren’t ready for what Hurricane Michael brought back in 2018.
“Although we always thought we were pretty prepared for a Michael, we were prepared for something like a Cat 3, never a Cat 5,” Director of Emergency Management Rhonda Lewis said.
Now, Liberty County residents are taking precautions to make sure they’re prepared should another disaster strike. One way officials are helping with this is by letting people build a bucket.
“We’re out here in support of Emergency Management, we’re giving away free essential items for hurricane preparedness,” Chief Deputy Dusty Arnold said.
The buckets being given out at Thursday’s event were filled with everything from goggles and masks to soap and combs to use in the event of a hurricane.
Even though Hurricane Michael brought tragedy, officials say now they know what they need in case of another storm.
“We know about what to expect, things that we did not think of before, such as bug spray, being a very important thing to have after a hurricane occurs,” Rachel Bryant with the Department of Health said.
“Being able to be at least a little bit prepared, have your bucket stocked with things you know you’re going to need, is a step in the right direction,” Lewis said.
Law enforcement officials say being prepared helps them help you.
“If they have all the essentials that they need, then they’ll be more prepared, that way law enforcement doesn’t have to respond necessarily to their house unless it’s an absolute emergency,” Arnold said.
Being more prepared for a disaster could mean more lives saved. If you missed out on Thursday’s event, you can still prepare for a hurricane by reaching out to the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, Health Department, or Emergency Management. | 2022-06-16T23:28:39Z | www.wjhg.com | Emergency Management holds ‘Build a Bucket’ event for hurricane preparedness | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/16/emergency-management-holds-build-bucket-event-hurricane-preparedness/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/16/emergency-management-holds-build-bucket-event-hurricane-preparedness/ |
The Bay County unemployment rate for April 2022 is breaking records at 2.1%. It’s the lowest it’s been in 30 years.(Allison Baker)
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -The Bay County unemployment rate for April 2022 is breaking records at 2.1%. It’s the lowest it’s been in 30 years.
But Bay County has had to overcome several obstacles in the last few years to get here from Hurricane Michael to a global pandemic.
“Our job force, our labor force has grown significantly since Hurricane Michael. So people are still here. People are coming here, and our job force is growing,” Becky Samarripa, communications manager, CareerSource Gulf Coast, said.
Just two years ago during the peak of COVID in April of 2020, the unemployment rate in the area was 12.5%
“In a two-year period from April 2020 to April 2022, we have seen over 13,000 people join the job force. So we are seeing people come off the sidelines and back into our workforce,” Samarripa, said.
Another trend is the demand from employers for employees, especially in certain fields.
“So anything in health care manufacturing construction hospitality retail, IT, financial services and education these are all jobs that are in high demand right now,” Samarripa, said.
If you are searching for a job places like Career Source Gulf Coast can assist you in the process.
Officials said on Thursday, that the May 2022 unemployment rates will be released on Friday and they are eager to see if the same trend is going to continue. | 2022-06-17T04:19:50Z | www.wjhg.com | Bay County unemployment rate is breaking records | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/17/bay-county-unemployment-rate-is-breaking-records/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/17/bay-county-unemployment-rate-is-breaking-records/ |
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -It is a big event ahead for some 30 or so student-athletes at North Bay Haven who are a part of the school’s Sporting Clay Target Team. Yes there is a team at NBH of budding expert marksmen!”
“We are having our national clay shooting tournament at at the Bay County Shooting Range on Saturday, June 18, from 8 to 2.” says North Bay Haven Sporting Clay Target team coach Bill Simmons. “And it’s the big national tournament. We had several kids that medaled last year. So we have a lot of expectation, high expectation for this tournament also. There’s clay shooting teams I want to say in almost all 50 states. As far as how many kids exactly are going to be competing in it, it’s in the thousands of kids that will be competing.”
So thousands of competitors, but the Buc’s will be shooting on their home range, the Bay County Gun Range.
“So basically there’s teams in about all 50 states.” coach Simmons says “And each team will shoot at their home range and all the scores are input remotely. And then they are tabulated by the Scholastic Clay Target Programming USA Clay Shooting League. And then the medals and things like that are awarded and sent right to them at their schools.”
And all that means the Buc’s will be competing against shooters they can’t see, or watch.
“Exactly, you really can’t see how your competition is doing.” says the coach “The whole goal behind this is for you to go out and play your best game. The great thing about our team is everyone competes. It doesn’t matter where they stack up as far as being the best shooter on the team or not. There aren’t really any tryouts. You come out, you shoot your best round of sporting clays. And then those scores are all tallied. And you really have no idea until those scores are all tallied and you get that report back on where everybody ended. "
We’ll pass along some highlights for you Saturday night on Newschannel 7 at 10. | 2022-06-17T04:20:03Z | www.wjhg.com | North Bay Haven sporting clay target team set for Nationals | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/17/north-bay-haven-sporting-clay-target-team-set-nationals/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/17/north-bay-haven-sporting-clay-target-team-set-nationals/ |
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Hard work is paying off for one mom in Panama City.
New homeowner Brittany Ward spent 500 hours of her time working on building her house from scratch with Habitat for Humanity of Bay County.
They dedicated her home on Thursday.
When Ward wasn’t building homes, she was working multiple jobs for her two sons.
She says she never told her boys about her project because she wanted it to be a surprise.
She started it in March of 2021 and just finished it.
One of her sons described Thursday as the best day of his life. | 2022-06-17T13:43:31Z | www.wjhg.com | Habitat for Humanity of Bay County home dedication surprise for one local mother | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/17/habitat-humanity-bay-county-home-dedication-surprise-one-local-mother/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/17/habitat-humanity-bay-county-home-dedication-surprise-one-local-mother/ |
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - NewsChannel 7 Today is bringing you live music with local musicians and their original songs every Friday this summer.
This week’s Today’s Tunes featured the Indie-Rock-Alternative musical duo Jack & Gin. You can find them on Facebook here.
They performed several of their original songs and debuted a brand new one. You can check out ‘You know My Name’ and ‘Life Gets Better’ on multiple streaming platforms. | 2022-06-17T16:49:08Z | www.wjhg.com | Today’s Tunes with Jack and Gin | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/17/todays-tunes-with-jack-gin/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/17/todays-tunes-with-jack-gin/ |
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - A new vessel coming to the area will be a big help for beach renourishment.
Eastern Shipbuilding Group held a christening and launching of the R.B. Weeks dredging vessel Friday afternoon.
The dredge will aid in beach sustainment as well as help maintain waterways for commercial activity.
The R.B. Weeks is the second trailing suction hopper dredge that the company has constructed for Weeks Marine Inc.
President of Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Joseph D’Isernia, says “we’ve realized over the years and especially since Hurricane Micahel, what we do requires a full community effort, and we’ve received so much great support from our community and it’s nice to celebrate things like that with milestones like today.”
The interior components of the dredge will be finished and trials will be conducted at Eastern’s Port St. Joe facility in 2023. | 2022-06-18T00:26:17Z | www.wjhg.com | Eastern Shipbuilding launches R.B. Weeks dredge | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/18/eastern-shipbuilding-launches-rb-weeks-dredge/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/18/eastern-shipbuilding-launches-rb-weeks-dredge/ |
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - It was a dream family vacation to Yellowstone National Park.
“My mother planned it last year we’ve always wanted to go, none of us had been up there before,” Kialea Madden, Defuniak Springs resident said.
Their six-day adventure seemed picture-perfect at first.
“Everything was beautiful the weather was beautiful, it was warm there was still some snow at the top of the mountains,” Madden said.
From the beautiful sights of mountains to the wildlife, and even getting to see a very famous geyser.
“We went to as many places as we possibly could. We saw old faithful - tons of places,” Madden said.
Madden said her family was having a fantastic time. That was, until one morning, when they had planned to go to Grand Teton National Park.
“We stopped at the gas station to grab some gas and ice and we saw a note on the door that said the north entrance was closed,” Madden said. “There are only four entrances to Yellowstone. So we needed to go through the north to get there.”
The Maddens said they decided to have a shopping day instead and quickly after learned they might not be leaving the city of Gardiner, Montana anytime soon.
”My husband and I drove to the entrance. That’s when he told us that the only other exit out of the park was also closed or out of Gardiner. So you can go through the north entrance to get into Yellowstone to get out,” Madden said. “Or you can go north up through Bozeman, Montana to get out and he said that road was also washed out.”
The Madden’s also said they witnessed something unusual floating down the river.
“An entire house was going down the river it was awful. But yeah I think it really sunk in at that point,” Madden said.
The Maddens realized, for the time being, they were stuck.
“We were there for two days where we were not able to leave Gardiner,” Madden said.
On Tuesday, they got some good news. There was a way out for visitors staying in Gardiner.
“They said if you need to get out, you need to go right now. So we started kind of panic packing and left,” Madden said.
Now the family is safely back home in the Panhandle. So what could’ve been a nightmare situation, is now a vacation they will never forget.
The city they were staying in has posted updates on Facebook. They said that five families lost everything.
We awoke yesterday to witness the most horrifying natural disaster that our community has possibly ever experienced in recent times. Unprecedented flood levels of the Yellowstone River and its tributaries have damaged highways in Yellowstone and along U.S Highway 89, leaving residents and visitors stranded in Gardiner, Mammoth, and Cooke City for an indefinite amount of time. Homes have been lost (please find GoFundMe details for the families below), the town water is undrinkable, entire bridges have been destroyed, the power is down, our local market has begun the unthinkable task of rationing purchases of food, and on a personal level our very own staff members are separated from their partners and children because roadways are impassable. We cannot stress enough the abruptness of the events at hand. The residents of our small community did not know that a situation of this magnitude was even possible let alone think that their livelihoods, homes, and families were in jeopardy when waking up on an otherwise sunny June day. To try and give this some semblance of perspective the previous record level for the Yellowstone River in Gardiner was in 1918 at 30,000 CFS, yesterday it was reported that the gauge monitoring CFS broke and its ending recording was 51,400 CFS. We trust that aid will come and that our community is a strong one that will surmount this hardship as it has always done before, but this is a difficult time for our small and close knit town and will continue to be for the foreseeable future as we do not know how long we will be unable to get access beyond our damaged travel routes. Even after the flood levels ebb, we could be looking at a significant loss to our tourism based economy. As the Gardiner Montana Chamber of Commerce, we bear the onus to implore our visitors with upcoming plans to be patient and kind with our small businesses with whom you may have booked your plans with this season. As previously mentioned, just yesterday we found ourselves facing the prospects of undrinkable water, limited food supply, and being indefinitely stranded; all of which is overwhelming aside from returning a wave of business related inquiries. If you have bookings that are more than 30 days out, we ask for you to be patient before cancelling your plans, and especially in asking for a return on your deposits as our hard working small businesses look at the potential prospects of terrible economic hardship this summer. We understand that your travel plans are important, however your understanding is not just wanted, but required. We will continue our efforts to stay abreast of and to share any updates specific to funding, relief efforts, and beyond as we know more. We will be sharing on www.VisitGardinerMT.com. At this time, our staff are unable to access our office due to road damages so we will be closed for the foreseeable future, but you can email us at info@gardinerchamber.com if you have pertinent questions. We will do our best to answer your questions but please know that the Chamber is a staff of three year round employees, all of whom cannot currently access Gardiner, and it is hard to prioritize correspondence at this time with so many unknown variables. Regarding the GoFundMe for the five families/individuals who lost everything please go to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/loss-of-home-in-gardiner-mt-after-major-flood?member=19954765&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer Please pray for our communities along Yellowstone's Northern Range and stay safe.
Posted by Visit Gardiner Montana on Tuesday, June 14, 2022 | 2022-06-18T00:26:23Z | www.wjhg.com | Local family gets stuck in Yellowstone National Park | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/18/local-family-gets-stuck-yellowstone-national-park/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/18/local-family-gets-stuck-yellowstone-national-park/ |
New portion of St. Andrews State Park campground is open after sustaining damage from Hurricane Michael.(WJHG)
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Ohio residents Mark and Taylor Thorne love going camping. They drive down to the panhandle just to go to St. Andrews State Park campgrounds in Bay County. Although, after the camping facility sustained damage from Hurricane Michael in 2018, it was temporarily closed.
“We were actually here when the hurricane hit and we had to evacuate,” Mark said.
On Thursday, another portion of the site was restored.
“We’ve been able to reopen 60 sites in this first phase, and then we introduced our second phase around 20 sites,” St. Andrews State Park Assistant Manager Amber Rounseville said.
This was made possible through a $60,000 grant from the St. Joe Community Foundation and partnership with the Florida State Parks Foundation. The rebuilding included new updates including an activities pavilion, restroom facilities, a fire circle, and benches. Officials said they’re also taking proper measurements to protect the campground during storms.
“We’ve been able to excavate to bring up the camp site so flooding’s not going to be an issue like it used to be in the old campsites,” Rounseville said.
Now, Mark and Taylor get to start new traditions with their newborn baby boy, Witt.
“We’ve got a three month old son so we’re trying to start these traditions with him.”
Park officials said a final completion date is not yet set. For more information on the campground, visit https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/st-andrews-state-park/hours-fees | 2022-06-18T05:00:42Z | www.wjhg.com | Portion of St. Andrews State Park campground reopened after damage from Hurricane Michael | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/18/portion-st-andrews-state-park-campground-reopened-after-damage-hurricane-michael/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/18/portion-st-andrews-state-park-campground-reopened-after-damage-hurricane-michael/ |
It’s a quiet start for most on satellite and radar with a few small storms over Gulf and Franklin Counties this morning. With a light east wind, it’s possible they could spread a bit into Southeastern Bay County early on. Otherwise, we’ll have a few very spotty afternoon showers or storms developing this afternoon, mainly inland.
It’s a very warm and humid morning. Temperatures are getting started in the upper 70s near 80 degrees. We’ll have no rest from the extreme heat today, or this week as it gets hotter. Today’s highs reach the low 90s on the coast to mid 90s inland. But we’ll all feel like 100 to 105°, only a slight reprieve from some of our weekend heat indices.
That heat returns for the midweek as a ridge of high pressure returns over the Southeast. Skies turn sunny into the midweek and highs reach the upper 90s on the coast to low triple digits inland for daytime highs Wednesday through Friday. Heat indices could reach up to 115°.
Brutal heat through the mid to late week before a frontal boundary moves in for the weekend to bring rain chances into the afternoons of Saturday and Sunday to try and keep us from getting as hot.
For today, mostly to partly sunny skies with a small shot at a stray shower near the coast in the morning and a small chance inland in the afternoon. Highs today reach the low 90s on the coast to mid 90s inland with a heat index of 100 to 105°. Your 7 Day Forecast has another heat wave moving in for midweek where inland highs will reach up over 100 degrees Wednesday through Friday. | 2022-06-20T13:40:19Z | www.wjhg.com | Monday Forecast | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/20/monday-forecast/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/20/monday-forecast/ |
DeFuniak Springs Police Department received a 911 hang up call located at Lake Stanley Park. While responding, another 911 call advised that an 11 year old swimmer was missing and had possibly drowned.(black | DeFuniak Springs Police Department)
DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Police responded to an incident on Sunday after first receiving a 911 hang-up call.
After determining the call was located at Lake Stanley Park, DeFuniak Springs Police Department received another 911 call while arriving at the park.
Officials were told that an 11 year old swimmer entered the lake to retrieve a beach ball, and was seen going under water.
Police, firemen, and citizens, immediately entered the water in hopes of locating the child.
The body of the child was eventually found approximately 25 feet from shore. | 2022-06-20T16:43:13Z | www.wjhg.com | 911 hang-up call alerts authorities to child drowning | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/20/911-hang-up-call-alerts-authorities-child-drowning/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/20/911-hang-up-call-alerts-authorities-child-drowning/ |
A damage assessment survey revealed nearly 20% more businesses are operating as usual in phase one compared to phase two of Florida’s reopening plan.(WJHG/WECP)
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - StoryWalk Downtown is a partnership between businesses in downtown Panama City and Bay County Public Library.
Families are encouraged to take a stroll along Harrison Avenue to read different pages of a story on certain windowsills.
There’s a new ocean-themed story each month to go along with the summer reading theme of “Oceans of Possibilities.”
A list of participating businesses can be found on the windowsills.
StoryWalk Downtown serves more than one purpose of promoting summer reading, though.
“Well we think it’s important that Downtown gets more exposure,” House of Henry General Manager Ben Liles said. “I think there’s a bad misconception that Downtown is dead. There’s so many new and exciting businesses down here that this allows families to come and give them something to do. They can walk around, read a book together, and be exposed to some really great businesses.”
The June StoryWalk Downtown route begins at History Class Brewing Company and ends at Tom’s Hot Dogs. | 2022-06-21T03:28:35Z | www.wjhg.com | StoryWalk Downtown has positive impact on businesses | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/21/storywalk-downtown-has-positive-impact-businesses/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/21/storywalk-downtown-has-positive-impact-businesses/ |
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - NewsChannel 7 received a tip from someone saying they saw Nazi symbols spray-painted on the side of the Deer Point Dam in Panama City.
NewsChannel 7 went to the area on Monday and found a swastika and some other graffiti that included two lightening bolts and the words, “Nar Town 317.”
We reached out to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office about the hate symbols. They then sent a deputy out to investigate it.
”I was very surprised because I feel like this community is a very loving community and there’s not a lot of hate, so to see that is very disappointing. It’s unacceptable,” local Amy Goodwin said.
A recent incident report from BCSO said they are investigating the situation. They also submitted photos of the graffiti into evidence.
The report didn’t mention any suspects or arrests at this time. | 2022-06-21T05:01:35Z | www.wjhg.com | Panama City Police investigate hate symbol graffiti spray-painted on side of Deer Point Dam | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/21/panama-city-police-investigate-hate-symbol-graffiti-spray-painted-side-dam/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/21/panama-city-police-investigate-hate-symbol-graffiti-spray-painted-side-dam/ |
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - In a time of soaring gas prices and pilot shortages, a cheaper way to travel is becoming more common. A new intercity bus is making the trip between Panama City Beach and Atlanta more affordable.
The Atlanta Beach Bus Express out of College Park, Georgia, will soon be making the roughly six-hour drive down to PCB daily, Thursday through Monday. The drop-off location is set to be by Margaritaville at Pier Park.
While most make their way to Panama City Beach by car or plane, this third option is one many said they never thought of.
“That’s a good idea because the traffic was terrible coming in,” visitor Becky Ward said.
“I think that’s amazing. I think that’s cool that they can do that,” local Sara Grogg said.
“Yeah, that is actually a good idea though,” visitor Cole Glover said.
The Beach Bus is that alternative route, giving rides for $85 each way.
“We wanted to do something where people here can go directly to the beach fast. And it’ll drop you off right at the beach,” Corey Gaines, CEO of Atlanta Beach Bus Express, said. “And also we wanted people in Panama City, if they have to go to the airport or go to a concert, that they have easier access to Atlanta.”
It’s a cheaper option for some, with prices at the pump pinching pockets these days.
“Gas is really expensive,” Glover said.
“I drove in a car. I much rather have a bus to take me,” visitor Blake McAllister said.
While this should bring more people into our area, officials with both the Tourist Development Council and the Bay County Chamber of Commerce said they didn’t have any part in this.
When NewsChannel 7 reached out to city leaders for comment, they declined.
But for some of our re-occurring visitors, they say next time they’ll be riding the beach bus.
“This is our vacation spot every year,” McAllister said. “So if i can go to Atlanta and hop on a bus, let’s go!”
The bus will run its first route down starting July 14th and stopping on October 31st. Officials said they’re considering starting back up as early as springtime but it completely depends on the demand.
For more information, you can visit https://atlantabeachbus.com/ | 2022-06-22T02:36:35Z | www.wjhg.com | New intercity bus between Atlanta and Panama City Beach coming in July | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/22/new-intercity-bus-between-atlanta-panama-city-beach-coming-july/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/22/new-intercity-bus-between-atlanta-panama-city-beach-coming-july/ |
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Bay County Commissioners are taking measures to keep providing residents and tourists clean water.
Commissioners say they want to replace three pumps in Deer Point Reservoir that pump water to the treatment plant. This as the demand for water goes up in the summer months.
Commissioners awarded a contract to Marshall Brothers Construction and Engineering, Inc. at Tuesday’s meeting.
The $3.1 million investment is being funded by FEMA. The pumps need to be replaced after damage from Hurricane Michael. | 2022-06-22T02:36:54Z | www.wjhg.com | Water pump replacement project at Deer Point Reservoir | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/22/water-pump-replacement-project-deer-point-reservoir/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/22/water-pump-replacement-project-deer-point-reservoir/ |
It’s a quiet start on satellite and radar this morning with clear skies overhead. We’ll see plenty of sunshine ahead today, but probably wish for some clouds to hold back the heat!
Temperatures are already warm and humid out the door as we get the morning started in the upper 70s near 80°. Under the sunshine we’ll warm quickly into the mid 80s by mid morning to near 90° by 10am. It only gets hotter from there into the afternoon. A Heat Index will go into effect from 9amCDT to 7pmCDT as that’s when temperatures will feel like the triple digits today. Actual highs will reach the triple digits away from the coast today, up to about 101 or 102°. Coastal highs reach the mid 90s. We’ll have a heat index not only reaching the triple digits through the Heat Advisory time frame, but they’ll max out close to 110° for some this afternoon.
From the National Weather Service...Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 911....
We’ll have similar conditions returning for both Thursday and Friday before some afternoon rain chances return to cool us off over the weekend.
For today, HOT under abundant sunshine. Highs reach the mid to upper 90s near the coast on up to 102° inland with a heat index this afternoon approaching 110°. Your 7 Day Forecast keeps this extremely hot stretch going for the rest of the work week until some afternoon storms can cool us off into the weekend. | 2022-06-22T13:21:44Z | www.wjhg.com | Wednesday Forecast | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/22/wednesday-forecast/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/22/wednesday-forecast/ |
Former Tallahassee mayor facing federal charges
Tallahassee Andrew Mayor Gillum in New York City with developer Adam Corey and Mike Miller, who is believed to be an undercover FBI agent.(WCTV)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Former Tallahassee mayor and gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum is currently facing federal charges.
The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida says Gillum and an associate, Sharon Lettman-Hicks, conspired to commit wire fraud.
The 21-page indictment alleges the two solicited funds through false promises and used third parties to divert some of the funds to Lettman-Hicks’ company.
The money was then disguised as payroll payments for Gillum’s personal use.
Both of the defendants are charged with 19 counts of wire fraud. Gillum is also charged with making false statements to the FBI.
Beat the Heat, Work Out Inside | 2022-06-22T18:01:44Z | www.wjhg.com | Former Tallahassee mayor facing federal charges | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/22/former-tallahassee-mayor-facing-federal-charges/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/22/former-tallahassee-mayor-facing-federal-charges/ |
Anyone bitten or scratched by an animal should get medical attention.(WCJB File)
By WJHG Newsroom and Steven Maxwell
WEWAHITCHKA, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - The Florida Department of Health in Gulf County has issued a rabies alert for Gulf County in response to a fox that tested positive on June 22, according to a news release.
The Dept. of Health reports a person was attacked by a fox near Hwy 71 and Church Ave in Wewahitchka. The rabies alert is for 60 days.
The Florida Department of Health advises residents to take extra caution while outdoors and be aware of your surroundings at all times. All residents and visitors of Gulf County should be aware that rabies is present in the wild animal population and domestic animals are at risk if not vaccinated. Officials say alerts are designed to increase awareness to the public, but they should not give a false sense of security to areas that have not been named as under an alert.
An animal with rabies could infect other wild animals or domestic animals that have not been vaccinated against rabies. All domestic animals should be vaccinated against rabies and all wildlife contact should be avoided, particularly raccoons, bats, foxes, skunks, otters, bobcats and coyotes.
Rabies is a disease of the nervous system and is fatal to warm blooded animals and humans. The only treatment for human exposure to rabies is rabies specific immune globulin and rabies immunization. Appropriate treatment started soon after the exposure will protect an exposed person from the disease.
Here are some tips from the Florida Department of Health
- Keep rabies vaccinations up to date for all pets.
• If your pet is bitten by a wild animal, seek veterinary assistance for the animal immediately and contact County Animal Services at 850-227-1115.
• Call your local animal control agency to remove any stray animals from your neighborhood.
• Do not handle, feed, or unintentionally attract wild animals by leaving pet food outside, or garbage cans open.
• Never adopt wild animals or bring them into your home.
• Teach children never to handle unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, even if they appear friendly.
• Prevent bats from entering living quarters or occupied spaces in homes, churches, schools, and other similar areas, where they might come in contact with people and pets.
• Persons who have been bitten or scratched by wild or domestic animals should seek medical attention and report the injury to the Florida Department of Health Gulf County at 850-227-1276.
For more information about the Florida Department of Health in Gulf County, please visit gulf.floridahealth.gov
Perez Ongoing Murder Trial
Sacred Heart Diagnostic Center Opens | 2022-06-23T02:29:43Z | www.wjhg.com | Rabies alert for Gulf County | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/23/rabies-alert-gulf-county/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/23/rabies-alert-gulf-county/ |
SANDESTIN, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - The 20th Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic is now officially underway.
Wednesday, the event kicked off with around 90 big-time sportfishing teams signing up.
They’re coming from all across the region, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Several Destin, Sandestin, Panama City, and Panama City Beach-based teams are among them.
All have converged on the Baytowne Marina as they load up and prepare to hit the gulf on Thursday.
“Lots of prep with this tournament. Takes a whole army. I just want to think the staff for getting out here and making this thing happen. So yeah prep for the tournament. We’re looking at Wednesday, tomorrow’s our shotgun start at 12 p-m. So we got the boats trickling in. They’ve been coming in since last week. So you know, boats are getting fueled up, getting back to their slips. Getting hydrated, getting coolers stocked, getting baits ready. So it’s hustle and bustle here at Baytowne Marina,” Jonathan Boone, ECBC Tournament Director said.
After gearing up the boats, the teams took part in a kickoff party Wednesday night in the ballroom at Hotel Effie at Sandestin.
With a ton of good food, live music, and camaraderie, there was something for everybody to enjoy.
”We really appreciate everybody at Sandestin. Julia and Jason, and you know the Marina change. The rebuild of the Marina is incredible. Everything about it is getting better and better and even changing the tournament. The way they’re getting the fish off the boat. You know a little thing like that really makes the tournament that much better and I want to commend all those people because they’re doing a great job,” Jeff Shoults, 20-time competitor and the Captain of Destin-based “Mollie” said.
The teams head out from the marina at 11 AM on Thursday and will hit the gulf at noon for two days of fishing.
Teams are looking to claim well over 1 to 5 million dollars in prize money this year. Those weigh-ins are set for Friday and Saturday starting at 4 PM. | 2022-06-23T04:43:09Z | www.wjhg.com | 20th Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic at Sandestin kicks off | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/23/20th-emerald-coast-blue-marlin-classic-sandestin-kicks-off/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/23/20th-emerald-coast-blue-marlin-classic-sandestin-kicks-off/ |
Testimony began today in the felony murder and attempted armed robbery trial of Jorge Perez.(WJHG)
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Testimony began Wednesday in the felony murder and attempted armed robbery trial of Jorge Perez.
Perez, 22, is charged in connection along with four others in the shooting and killing of Edward Ross, 30, at his dad’s home in Panama City Beach on December 29th, 2019, after state attorneys said it was a robbery gone wrong.
“Who’s the person that put you up to this?” Chief Bay County Prosecutor Mark Graham asked.
As part of a plea agreement, Co-Defendant Joshua Campbell testified that Perez had robbed the Sunset Drive home before. State attorneys said the five were planning to rob it again for drugs and money.
“Jorge Perez,” Co-Defendant Joshua Campbell said.
“Did he say anything about knowing this place?” asked Graham.
“Yeah,” said Campbell.
“What did he say?” asked Graham.
“That he’s been before,” said Campbell.
“Mr. Campbell, who was the person that was in charge of you and the other co-defendants in this robbery/homicide?” asked Graham.
“Perez,” said Campbell.
Prosecutors are saying Perez was the mastermind behind the robbery. Surveillance video from that night shows the five men showing up to a gas station in two cars, a white BMW and a white Ford Fusion.
“You and, who was in your car?” Defense attorney Jeanna Downing asked.
“Perez.” Co-Defendant Jorge Hernandez said.
“Just Mr. Perez?” asked Downing.
“Yes ma’am,” said Hernandez.
Another co-defendant, Jorge Hernandez, testified that Perez was sitting behind him in his BMW.
“Right after the convenience store, did Perez ever get out of the BMW?” asked Graham.
“No,” said Campbell.
While it’s alleged Perez never exited the car when the shooting happened, testimonies said he played a role in a different way.
“You testify that you saw Mr. Perez give Mr. (Abel) Ortiz the gun, right?” asked Downing.
Perez’s ex-girlfriend Clara Lamson testified that the hand gun was hers. Lamson said the night before the crime, the two met up at a local Fairfield Inn.
“Where did you keep it?” asked Graham.
“In my backpack,” said Lamson.
“Did the defendant (Perez) know you had that gun?” asked Graham.
“Yes,” said Lamson.
After staying the night together, Lamson said she woke up the morning of the 29th and Perez was gone.
“Did you check out that bag?” asked Graham.
“When you went to check it out, did you notice something?” asked Graham.
“And what did you notice?” asked Graham.
“My gun was missing,” said Lamson.
A crime that state attorneys said shouldn’t have happened in the first place.
“Would you have been involved if he hadn’t of called you?” asked Graham.
“Probably not,” said Campbell.
The state attorney’s office asked NewsChannel 7 to not show the faces of the three co-defendants to protect their privacy. The victim’s father, Kenneth Ross also testified earlier Wednesday in the trial.
Day two of the trial starts back up Thursday morning with more witnesses taking stand.
Perez is the second defendant to face trial in the case. A jury found Abel Ortiz guilty of first-degree murder and attempted robbery back in April. | 2022-06-23T04:43:35Z | www.wjhg.com | Testimony begins in the felony murder and attempted armed robbery trial of Jorge Perez | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/23/testimony-begins-felony-murder-attempted-armed-robbery-trial-jorge-perez/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/23/testimony-begins-felony-murder-attempted-armed-robbery-trial-jorge-perez/ |
SANDESTIN, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Day one of the ECBC weigh-ins has produced one big fish.
An angler by the name of Troy Layton of Huntsville Alabama caught the first one.
Troy is fishing aboard the boat Sea Wolff, which is based in Destin with captain Jared Quick at the helm.
Now get this, the blue weighed 503.7 pounds, so this fish obviously placed first on the board.
Right now, it’s worth more than $270,000 to Troy and the crew of Sea Wolff, if it can hold on to first place.
Shortly after they weighed this fish, the angler had this to say.
“It was a couple of hours we hooked him up about 9 o’clock this morning. Caught em almost 150 miles offshore, weather was smooth, calm, and a little hot, and it was good,” Layton said.
When asked about the fight to get the fish, “the fight was about a couple of hours of just fighting. It was rough,” Layton said.
For someone who’s never experienced that before, physically, emotionally, mentally. How demanding is it?
“It’s pretty demanding. The catching makes it easier. He can make it easy or difficult. Ours made it easier, but yeah it was a great fight,” Layton said.
The weigh-in scale opens back up at 4 on Saturday.
84 teams are still competing for a prize purse of $1.9 million dollars.
For more information on the tournament, visit the ECBC website. | 2022-06-25T05:49:32Z | www.wjhg.com | First blue marlin off the board at ECBC | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/25/first-blue-marlin-off-board-ecbc/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/25/first-blue-marlin-off-board-ecbc/ |
One person dead in single vehicle crash.(Florida Highway Patrol)
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -A 51-year-old woman from Panama City Beach is dead after a single-vehicle crash Sunday evening.
Florida Highway Patrol Troopers say the crash happened off County Road 2297 near Alvie Holmes Road.
Troopers report the woman was heading northbound when she was navigating a curve to the left and ran off the roadway to the right.
Troopers said the car collided with a utility pole and overturned.
There were no other passengers inside the vehicle. | 2022-06-27T05:04:00Z | www.wjhg.com | One person dead in single vehicle crash | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/27/one-person-dead-single-vehicle-crash/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/27/one-person-dead-single-vehicle-crash/ |
A crazy road rage incident was caught on camera and posted for the nearly 14,000 members of the 30A/ 98 Road Rage Facebook group to see.
In the video, it seems this car had no time to waste, cutting it close as it sped past on-coming traffic.
Walton County Sheriff’s deputy Chris Webster works in the traffic unit. He said road rage comes with the territory of a popular beach town.
“You have people that tempers flare,” Webster said. “You have somebody cutting you off in traffic, you have young drivers, you have older drivers, you have middle-age drivers. Again they’re lost and don’t know where they’re going. You’ve got everything and it’s all thrown into one big melting pot.”
It’s a melting pot that makes for some hectic roadways.
“Well you’ve got your left lane speeders that have ticket money and you have people who just like to sit in the left lane and get tunnel vision on the sites around then,” Derrick Gossett, Admin for the 30A/ 98 Road Rage Facebook page, said.
That is just one of the reasons Gossett said he decided to create the page.
“Not only is it a place for locals to post and vent but it gives like a driver’s eyes view to the sheriff’s department on spots maybe people aren’t calling and reporting so they can browse the page and look,” Gossett said.
Webster said they’re always watching, but they can’t be everywhere at once.
“Say someone is tailgating me or they cut me off in traffic and now they’re driving around me on the road flipping me the bird. You know that’s something we actually have to witness occur,” Webster said.
But Webster said they do what they can if they have a decent description. Knowing the direction the car was traveling, and having a description of the vehicle and what the driver was wearing are all helpful.
If you ever feel in danger, deputies said to just pull over and call the police. | 2022-07-01T01:18:17Z | www.wjhg.com | Private Facebook group exposes Walton County road rage incidents | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/30/private-facebook-group-exposes-walton-county-road-rage-incidents/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/06/30/private-facebook-group-exposes-walton-county-road-rage-incidents/ |
It’s a relatively quiet early morning with a few clouds cruising our skies on Satellite and Radar. However, once we get the sun to pop up over the horizon, we’ll see more scattered showers and thunderstorms developing quickly near the coast.
Morning commuters around the coast will want the umbrella to start the day. Evening commuters inland will want to bring the umbrella along for a late day shower or storm on the way home from work.
Otherwise, it’s a typical warm and humid morning with temperatures starting the day around 74. We’ll still get fairly warm and humid today outside of any scattered storms developing. But some of the cloud cover from developing storms will help hold back the extreme heat. Dress comfortably either way. We’ll only gradually work our way into the mid 80s by mid to late morning. It’ll still be quite warm and humid today as highs eventually top out near 90.
Daytime heating over the land will shift the instability from the coast this morning to inland. As this happens through the midday, we’ll see the sea breeze take storms from the coast and spread them inland through the afternoon. With a moisture rich environment in place today, any storms that do develop could drop heavy rains for a half hour to an hour before moving on.
We’ll see this pattern of morning coastal storms shifting through the midday and afternoon to hit or miss scattered storms inland persist in the forecast for the holiday weekend.
For today, partly sunny skies turn mostly cloudy and stormy with hit or miss storms developing. Highs today reach up to near 90 with feels like temperatures around 100°, especially outside of any storms. Your 7 Day Forecast has hit or miss storms in the forecast for each and every day through the weekend. | 2022-07-01T13:27:53Z | www.wjhg.com | Friday Forecast | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/01/friday-forecast/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/01/friday-forecast/ |
Bay County Sheriff's Office and fire rescue teamed up with lifeguards to practice mock jet ski rescue training(WJHG)
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - The Bay County Sheriff’s Department and fire rescue teamed up with lifeguards to practice mock rescues on jet skis. Officials said this would help get to victims in the water, faster.
“It’s just about time, getting to that person and getting them medical aid,” Bay County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Kevin Francis said.
Beach Operations Manager Vince Martin said this was the first time Bay County lifeguards teamed up with law enforcement for this training.
“But we’re gonna start making it more often, especially for these other departments and divisions,” Martin said.
Law enforcement officials said water rescues are pretty common.
“Those are done on a weekly basis, our guys and all the rest of our certified lifeguards throughout the county are utilized on a weekly basis, if not a daily basis,” Francis said.
While first responders work on speed, they want beach-goers to work on taking the proper safety measurements. They said paying attention to the flag system and being careful in the water will help keep people safe.
Bay County officials said they hope to continue jet ski training monthly. | 2022-07-01T23:00:30Z | www.wjhg.com | Bay county law enforcement and lifeguards practice water rescues with jet skis | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/01/bay-county-law-enforcement-lifeguards-practice-water-rescues-with-jet-skis/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/01/bay-county-law-enforcement-lifeguards-practice-water-rescues-with-jet-skis/ |
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -The offshore cutter program may be moving down the road instead of staying in Panama City. In an announcement Thursday the U.S. Coast Guard said phase two of the cutter program was awarded to Austal USA of Mobile, Alabama.
Bay County Chamber of Commerce officials reacted to the news on Friday.
“We were shocked and disappointed absolutely as I believe everyone was,” Wes Johnson, Vice President of Communications, Bay County Chamber of Commerce, said.
Despite the information provided by the Coast Guard saying the next phase of the cutter will be moving, the initial four cutters are still being built here by Eastern Shipbuilding.
The president of Eastern Shipbuilding said Thursday, that the group is evaluating its options.
Chamber of Commerce officials tell NewsChannel 7 that Eastern Shipbuilding isn’t going anywhere.
“We know that the work will continue for Eastern. We know that the pipeline of work is strong and the jobs will not be going away. We are confident in their abilities to see this as a speed bump and be awarded future bids,” Johnson said.
This is just another bump in the road for Bay County after just a month ago hundreds of WestRock Paper Mill workers were displaced.
So what about the mill workers that applied to work at Eastern?
“We’ll rebound, bay county is great at coming together and pulling the resources and finding answers to these questions,” Johnson said.
The Vice President of Communications for Eastern Shipbuilding said on Thursday “This is not the last you’ll hear from us about this.”
“You haven’t seen the last of Eastern they are going to be back and stronger than ever. I know that they are very proud to build the first four ships in this line. And they’ll be in line to the awarded future bids,” Johnson said.
Eastern Shipbuilding officials told us once they get a clearer picture they will talk about their next steps.
The chamber said Eastern Shipbuilding does great work and they will be back and stronger than ever. | 2022-07-02T04:39:38Z | www.wjhg.com | Bay County Chamber of Commerce reacts to cutter program possibly moving | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/02/bay-county-chamber-commerce-reacts-cutter-program-possibly-moving/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/02/bay-county-chamber-commerce-reacts-cutter-program-possibly-moving/ |
Multi-county pursuit leads to arrest for a stolen BMW.(Florida Highway Patrol)
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -A Georgia man is behind bars after allegedly stealing a BMW.
Florida Highway Patrol Troopers said the Tallahassee Regional Communication Center got a notification that a stolen 2022 Gray BMW was traveling east on the Hathaway Bridge in Panama City.
FHP troopers said they were able to sble to intercept the car at the intersection of U.S. 231 and County Road 2321.
The troopers reported that before they were able to activate their lights the driver accelerated at a high rate of speed, and continued north on 231.
According to FHP, the troopers tried to overtake the car but because of traffic were unable to. The driver of the stolen car continued north on 231.
The troopers said they continued north as well, following at a safe distance but were no longer attempting to actively pursue to ensure the driver didn’t crash or cause a crash.
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office said they were also notified about the car. Deputies attempted to use stop sticks in the area near the Bay and Jackson County lines but it was not successful.
FHP said a sergeant attempted to use stop sticks in the area of HWY 231 and Kent Lane.
Officials reported the driver drove across the median onto the southbound lanes of 231 to avoid the stop sticks.
The car came to a stop near the shoulder and the driver got out and fled on foot according to troopers.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said they deployed their K-9 and located the suspect.
Daquan Johnson from Columbus, Georgia, was arrested and charged with Felony Fleeing and Eluding and was booked into the Jackson County Jail.
The owner of the BMW took the car back after the investigation. | 2022-07-03T01:04:48Z | www.wjhg.com | Multi-county pursuit leads to arrest for a stolen BMW | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/03/multi-county-pursuit-leads-arrest-stolen-bmw/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/03/multi-county-pursuit-leads-arrest-stolen-bmw/ |
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -Officials said that around 4 a.m. they received a notification about a man overboard near Panama City.
According to the U.S, Coast Guard, crewmembers aboard the vessel ‘Fiona Leone’ reported that the captain of the boat fell overboard while the boat was on autopilot.
The Coast Guard said they launched their response boat Crew, a Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew, and the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Diamondback to assist.
Officials report that the captain was in the water for more than four hours without a life jacket. He was rescued by a goof samaritan aboard another boat.
The crew of the boat ‘New Beginnings returned the captain back to his ship.
“We’d like to commend the crew of the New Beginnings on their vigilance and willingness to help,” said Capt. Cassie Kitchen, a Sector Mobile search and rescue mission coordinator. “To survive in the water without a life jacket as the captain did is difficult for anyone to accomplish. The Coast Guard continues to urge the boating public to practice safe boating by wearing life jackets, using kill switches, and having the proper communication equipment such as a VHF-FM radio on board.”
Officials say the captain was last reported to be in good condition. | 2022-07-03T20:22:45Z | www.wjhg.com | Fishing boat captain rescued after falling overboard | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/03/fishing-boat-captain-rescued-after-falling-overboard/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/03/fishing-boat-captain-rescued-after-falling-overboard/ |
Local firefighter urges public to be cautious with fireworks
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Bay County Firefighter Brandon Luczaj went to a creek with his family 15 years ago. What seemed like harmless fun, turned into something actually harmful.
“I lit one and right as I let go of it, it designated,” Luczaj said.
He started feeling dizzy and quickly realized part of his hand had blown up, after lighting something similar to a firecracker. After spending four days in the hospital and two surgeries later, his right hand would never be the same.
“I lost the tips of all four of my fingers,” Luczaj said.
After going through therapy, he had to re-learn how to do some basic things he once did.
“Trying to learn to write again, try to learn to count money, use my hands like I usually do, run tools, work with tools,” Luczaj said.
With Fourth of July right around the corner, he wants to warn people about the dangers of fireworks. Luczaj said people should leave it to the professionals. He said even sparklers are dangerous.
“Sparklers burn up to 12 hundred degrees Fahrenheit, they are attached to like a clothes hanger wire and if they get done they are very red hot, they’re glowing, they will stay hot for a very long time, people will throw them on the ground not thinking of it, next thing you know somebody steps on it, that’s an instant third-degree burn.”
Luczaj also mentioned trash can fires. Last Fourth of July, he worked 16 trash fire calls and wants people to make sure they put out fireworks with water before throwing them out.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, fireworks start over 19,000 fires and send over 9,000 people to the emergency room each year in the U.S. | 2022-07-04T04:46:27Z | www.wjhg.com | Bay County firefighter warns about firework dangers after losing part of his fingers | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/04/bay-county-firefighter-warns-about-firework-dangers-after-losing-part-his-fingers/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/04/bay-county-firefighter-warns-about-firework-dangers-after-losing-part-his-fingers/ |
WJHG's very own Neysa Wilkins emceeing the 'Proud to be an American' parade.(WJHG)
LYNN HAVEN, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - People gathered to celebrate the Fourth of July at the annual ‘Proud to be an American’ parade in the city of Lynn Haven.
The event kicked off with a flyover performance including two F-35 jets from Eglin Air Force Base. Officials said the celebration included more than 65 floats including local organizations, churches, and schools.
People lined Highway 77 in front of Sharon Sheffield Park and said the parade did not disappoint.
“There’s so many things in America that can divide us if we allow it, but I think coming together on a day like today just reminds us that we are greater together and that we have more in common often times than we have that are indifferent,” Lynn Haven Mayor Jesse Nelson said.
Hundreds of people left the parade and made their way to Sharon Sheffield Park for more festivities throughout the day.
A fireworks show will end the celebration over at A.L Kinsaul Park at 9 p.m. | 2022-07-04T23:15:00Z | www.wjhg.com | Celebrating America’s independence with the annual ‘Proud to be an American’ parade in Lynn Haven | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/04/celebrating-americas-independence-with-annual-proud-be-an-american-parade-lynn-haven/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/04/celebrating-americas-independence-with-annual-proud-be-an-american-parade-lynn-haven/ |
Monument includes names of 318 North Port St. Joe veterans.(WJHG)
PORT ST. JOE, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - A ceremony unveiling the North Port St. Joe Veterans Monument was held at Zion Fair Missionary Baptist Church for the Fourth of July.
Officials said funeral services for Congressional Medal Honor Recipient Clifford Chester Sims was held at the church in 1968. They said it’s only right to include a veterans monument on those grounds.
“These are our friends, these are our family members, these are our loved ones, and it’s important that we pause on this significant day to say thank you to all of our veterans,” Circuit Court Judge Elijah Smiley said.
Smiley said the granite monument weighs 5,216 pounds and has 318 North Port St. Joe Veterans names on it.
“This is the church that I grew up in as well and to be recognized for all the veterans that’s in this area, to be recognized is a wonderful privilege,” Retired Veteran Lashune Leslie said.
Officials said names of local veterans can still be added on the monument. | 2022-07-04T23:15:06Z | www.wjhg.com | Port St. Joe community held unveiling ceremony to honor veterans | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/04/port-st-joe-community-held-unveiling-ceremony-honor-veterans/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/04/port-st-joe-community-held-unveiling-ceremony-honor-veterans/ |
It’s a quiet start over land on satellite and radar with only a few clouds around. However, we’re monitoring some showers or storms out in the Gulf, and a few will move onto the Forgotten Coast of Franklin County this morning. Most others will wait until the midday and afternoon to see some spotty showers or storms developing today.
It’s a very warm and humid morning with most walking out the door to both temperatures and dew points in the mid 70s. Dress comfortably for another hot and humid day ahead.
Temperatures will warm fast under mostly to partly sunny skies today. We’ll reach up to near 90 by late morning with highs in the low 90s and feels like temperatures in the low triple digits.
That heat and humidity will crank up the sea breeze and some daytime heating scattered storms. But coverage of those showers and thunderstorms will not be as widespread as days prior. It’ll be very much hit or miss in today’s forecast and looking even fewer in numbers in the days ahead as high pressure settles in. We’ll be lucky to catch a storm to cool us off into the end of the week for Thursday through Saturday. | 2022-07-05T13:06:05Z | www.wjhg.com | Tuesday Forecast | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/05/tuesday-forecast/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/05/tuesday-forecast/ |
IBM Reveals New AI and Cloud Powered Fan Experiences for Wimbledon 2022(PRNewswire)
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - The third round of women’s doubles at Wimbledon just wrapped up on Monday.
Former South Walton tennis star Alexa Guarachi and partner Andreja Klepac advanced to the Quarterfinals Monday with a straight-set victory over Yifan Xu and Zhaoxuan Yang.
The teammates have won all three tournament matches in straight sets.
After securing a victory on Monday, Guarachi and Kelpac head to Tuesday’s match-up with a spot in the semifinals on the line.
That match will take place Tuesday night at 11:00 p.m. | 2022-07-05T16:12:57Z | www.wjhg.com | Former South Walton tennis star at Wimbledon | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/05/former-south-walton-tennis-star-wimbledon/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/05/former-south-walton-tennis-star-wimbledon/ |
South Walton Fire District provides help to local businesses in calculating their 25 percent occupancy. (WJHG/WECP)(WJHG)
SANTA ROSA BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - A child was transported to the hospital Wednesday afternoon after being pulled from the Gulf of Mexico.
A South Walton Fire District lifeguard was near Gulfview Heights Street, on the way to another medical call when they were stopped by bystanders.
The bystanders directed the lifeguard to a group of people helping a child back to shore.
Witnesses said that the child was found floating face down in the water around 3 p.m. near the second sandbar.
The lifeguard then entered the water to help all people back to shore, who had already started CPR and lifesaving care.
SWFD units then came on scene and took the child to the hospital. | 2022-07-06T23:22:30Z | www.wjhg.com | Child pulled from Gulf of Mexico in critical condition | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/06/child-pulled-gulf-mexico-critical-condition/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/06/child-pulled-gulf-mexico-critical-condition/ |
Better rain chances are moving in this weekend
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - It’s going to be a warm and humid night tonight w/lows in the 70s inland and near 80 at the coast. On Friday rain chances will be a bit higher, but still very high. Expect a 20% chance near the coast (AM) and 30-40% inland (PM). Highs will reach near 90 at the coast and mid 90s inland. Feels like temps will be around 105. As we head into the weekend a trough of low pressure will develop over our area which will make it quite unsettled here. Rain chances will be 50% Saturday and 70-80% Sunday through Tuesday. Highs will be cooler and mainly in the mid to upper 80s thanks to the higher rain chances. Over the next 5-7 days expect as much as 2-4″ of rain on average. | 2022-07-07T23:58:45Z | www.wjhg.com | Thursday Evening Forecast | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/07/thursday-evening-forecast/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/07/thursday-evening-forecast/ |
Smashed Wine Bar in Panama City Beach.(WJHG)
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - When you go out for some wine, you may be used to the old pop and pour. However, a new place in Panama City Beach is changing things up a bit with a self-serve concept with the wine on tap.
Madison Rose is everything from sommelier to owner at Smashed Wine Bar in PCB. She opened the bar in May 2022, bringing a new concept for wine lovers in the area.
“You are able to pour yourself the glasses,” Rose said. “I used to manage a self-serve wine bar in Fayetteville, North Carolina and when I got out of the Navy I just went for it.”
Smashed has 12 different wines on tap daily. But if you don’t fancy wine, Madison also makes handcrafted martinis, mimosas and beers.
“I have had a lot of support from the community so its been great.”
Madison also has charcuterie boards and various eats made by other local businesses at the bar. Along with unique décor and butterflies painted all over the walls.
“I love butterflies obviously you can see them everywhere.”
But for this self-pouring venture, Madison has been pouring everything she has into it.
”It was a huge leap. I completely drained my entire savings account to open this place.”
Three years of saving to open up with no debt. A reminder the best things in life can take time. Just like a butterfly.
“So to me I felt like I was in a cocoon for a long time and I never could be myself until now recently.”
But those butterflies on the walls mean even more to her. Symbols reminding her she can overcome anything.
“Eight years ago I was a victim, well a survivor now, of domestic assault and rape and I overcame that and I never thought that I would and I’m standing here today.”
And standing here building a better future, and helping others build a better one too.
“I want to be a support of anyone going through something tough. I want this to be a safe place. It’s a huge symbol for me. A lot of people come in and have similar stories.”
And that’s something to raise a glass to. Especially when you can help others, through self-serve.
Smashed Wine Bar is located at 7119 W. U.S. 98 in Panama City Beach in the Beachwalk shopping center. | 2022-07-08T02:24:44Z | www.wjhg.com | New PCB bar has wine on tap, with self-serve concept | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/08/new-pcb-bar-has-wine-tap-with-self-serve-concept/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/08/new-pcb-bar-has-wine-tap-with-self-serve-concept/ |
What's described as a "safe" Lynn Haven neighborhood, is taking the extra step to ensure it stays that way.(WJHG)
LYNN HAVEN, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - What’s described as a “safe” Lynn Haven neighborhood, is taking the extra step to ensure it stays that way.
“We’ve got five Flock cameras, or stationary cameras, in the City of Lynn Haven that the city paid for. The Panama City County Club wanted some, so they have paid for two more,” Lynn Haven Police Lieutenant Steve Enfinger said.
The Panama Country Club installed two “Flock Safety” Automated License Plate Reading (ALPR) cameras at each entrance to the neighborhood.
“Because the country club is like any other neighborhood. They’re subject to car burglaries,” said Enfinger.
The Lynn Haven Police Lieutenant says car burglary sprees here only happen a few times a year.
“And by spree I mean like a couple of nights where we may have 15 or 20. I think the last spree was maybe four or five months ago,” said Enfinger.
In hopes to prevent further burglaries, these cameras take a photograph of the back of the vehicle and tag with every vehicle that enters the country club. The tag number is then compared to an FDLE “hot list.”
“If that tag is associated with stolen car, stolen tag, the tag is expired, the registered owner has a suspended drivers license, the registered owner is a missing person or an endangered juvenile, or has a protection order, or has a warrant for their arrest, or is a person of interest where someone in law enforcement wants to talk to them, it will send an alert out to all of our officers that are out there. It sends it right to their computer in their car,” said Enfinger.
This information provides a searchable database so law enforcement can quickly identify and apprehend suspects.
“We get 10 reports where their cars are burglarized the night before, we may have a Ring camera of a red pickup truck cruising through there. We can search the Flock camera system “red pickup truck,” we can pull up tag numbers, or if a witness happens to get a tag number, we can search a tag number and get the image off Flock and see exactly what time they were in there,” said Enfinger.
Enfinger showed an example of a flock camera in action not far away.
“This car, it’s sending me this alert. Eight minutes ago it crossed the Bailey Bridge. The reason it’s sending me this alert is the owner has an invalid license and so you can take this tag number here, we won’t show, but you can run that and verify it and see if that person’s license is indeed suspended,” said Enfinger.
Alerts are sent to all local law enforcement agencies using the system.
“It helps us catch the bad guy, hold him responsible, and recover stolen property,” said Enfinger.
“Flock” representatives said law enforcement agencies report 600 to 700 crimes per day with its cameras, approaching 3% of all reported crime in America.
We reached out to Panama Country Club Homeowners Association board members for comment, but were told everyone was busy Thursday. | 2022-07-08T02:24:50Z | www.wjhg.com | Panama Country Club installs new crime-solving technology to prevent car burglaries | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/08/panama-country-club-installs-new-crime-solving-technology-prevent-car-burglaries/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/08/panama-country-club-installs-new-crime-solving-technology-prevent-car-burglaries/ |
A Panama City man was critically injured after being involved in an bicycle vs car accident.(WJHG/WECP)
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - A Panama City man was critically injured in a car vs bicyclist accident on Thursday, June 30.
Around 10:30 p.m., officials say 37-year-old Jimmy Leon Battles was biking near the Highway 98 and Molitor Avenue when he was struck by a westbound vehicle.
Through investigation, Panama City Police officers learned that Battles was trying to cross the busy highway when he was hit. They say he was taken to a local hospital, where he never recovered from his injuries and later died.
Officials did not specify any details about the driver or possible charges.
The crash is still undergoing investigation. Anyone with information in this case is asked to call the Panama City Police Department at 850-872-3100, or report tips anonymously via their Tip411 app. | 2022-07-08T20:46:17Z | www.wjhg.com | Bicyclist dies after injured in crash | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/08/bicyclist-dies-after-injured-crash/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/08/bicyclist-dies-after-injured-crash/ |
Families everywhere are struggling to keep up. If the price increases on gas and rent weren’t enough, many parents are facing another worry: how to afford child care.(WJHG/WECP)
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Families everywhere are struggling to keep up. If the price increases on gas and rent weren’t enough, many parents are facing another worry: how to afford child care.
At Hawk’s Nest Learning Tree in Lynn Haven, the price of staying open is steep.
“Even the cost of supplies has gone up so getting the basic needs for the children to have is hard,” Jaimie Young, Owner and Director of Hawk’s Nest Learning Tree, said.
Hiring has been even harder.
“That’s the biggest issue we’re running into is getting employment because most people can go work down the street for more,” Young said.
The child care center has been open only a year, and already, Young said she’s had to bump up her prices by about $25. And she isn’t the only one.
“I think it probably is safe to assume that childcare is probably looking at a 25% to 35% increase,” Suzan Gage, Executive Director of the Early Learning Coalition of Northwest Florida, said.
It’s a tough pill to swallow for parents on a tight budget.
“Because it can cost anywhere probably $175 to $350 depending on the age of the child and that’s per week. So times two kids and someone who’s making $15, $16, $17 an hour, you’re spending the majority of your take-home pay on childcare,” Gage said. “So families are having to ask that hard question you know is it worth it?”
It’s a question the Early Learning Coalition of Northwest Florida works to ensure no parent has to answer. The organization uses state funds to help struggling families pay for quality child care. But even then, finding a center with an opening in Bay County can feel nearly impossible.
“So in Bay County, childcare is an intense business. We’re kind of in a shortage of childcare facilities,” Gage said.
Hawk’s Nest has over 500 families on a waiting list right now. But Young said she hopes with better pay, she can recruit more people to care for those kids.
For more information on if you’re eligible for assistance with the Early Learning Coalition of Northwest Florida, you can head to here. | 2022-07-08T23:53:17Z | www.wjhg.com | Local organization helps struggling parents pay for child care | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/08/local-organization-helps-struggling-parents-pay-child-care/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/08/local-organization-helps-struggling-parents-pay-child-care/ |
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - The saying life comes full circle takes on a new meaning for Janarius Robinson and his ‘Win Within’ Foundation.
Kids in the first through eighth grade had the opportunity to come out and learn from several coaches on the local, college, and professional levels.
But it was not just about football or cheerleading.
For Janarius Robinson’s foundation, this was just one way to give back to his hometown community.
”You know it feels good to see my son live out his dreams. This is one of the dreams that he always dreamed of giving back to Bay County,” Cherine Duncan, ‘Win Within Foundation’ Marketing Mom said.
Duncan’s the mother of Bay High and Florida State standout professional edge rusher Janarius Robinson.
It’s a foundation that JRob started a few years ago. He gets the name Win Within. He wants to show people that you can make it but winning it has to come from within,” Duncan said.
This event is held annually, and this isn’t something that’s happened overnight. Many officials with the organization say this has been a long time coming,” Duncan said.
“I’ll tell you what, we started about five or six months ago. Numerous phone calls, numerous Zoom calls through our SportsTrust team in Atlanta and surrounding Florida State players and surrounding Florida State Alumni. With the guys who worked over there with Janarius in Tallahassee. Bringing this together has definitely taken a lot of time and just so happy to see it come through,” Omega Wynn, ‘Win Within Foundation’ Director and Robinson’s Godfather said.
Getting sponsors, and vendors, putting our heads together, what color our shirts are going to be. Coaches and volunteers go to each station, so a lot of behind-the-scenes work and a lot of late-night putting stuff together,” Duncan said.
But what makes this organization unique, is how it’s based solely on family.
The foundation says they look to continue, “building that foundation like we’re building our family right. So someone who’s caring about others’ rights and giving back. Taking care of the family taking care of Janarius all these years and being able to support him,” Wynn said.
Giving back to a community to his community, one event at a time.
The foundation also holds an annual backpack give back to students, and holiday feasts and they also do bike drives where bikes and toys are given away during Christmas.
For more information on the foundation, visit the foundation’s Facebook page. | 2022-07-10T05:40:42Z | www.wjhg.com | Win from Within, what it takes to make a foundation | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/10/win-within-what-it-takes-make-foundation/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/10/win-within-what-it-takes-make-foundation/ |
It’s an active morning on radar especially for the coast from Panama City Beach down to the Forgotten Coast. Showers and thunderstorms will linger here for several hours on the coast in the morning. Others inland will get a shot at scattered storms this afternoon.
Otherwise, it’s a warm and humid start with temperatures getting going in the upper 70s, close to 80 for some. Highs today will largely reach the upper 80s outside of storms.
We’re getting an unsettled pattern shaping up due to a stalled out front draped across the Northern Gulf Coast. With plenty of warm and moist air in our atmosphere, some storms could produce heavy rainfall and frequent lightning.
The warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico are helping to foster the coastal storms this morning. But as temperatures warm over the land after sunrise, we’ll eventually see the instability for storms move from the coast to inland areas. Scattered storms will be expected for areas away from the coast this afternoon. This pattern of overnight into early morning storms for the coast followed by afternoon and evening storms inland will be our setup for most days this week.
This stalled out front across the Northern Gulf Coast has a chance at developing a weak area of low pressure off the LA/MS/AL or Panhandle of FL coast today or tomorrow. That will help foster a stormy day for Tuesday as well before we see the front and weak low move onshore into the Southeast and weaken further. Wednesday appears to be a break in the unsettled pattern, however, another front moves in for the end of the week with more scattered storms.
For today, mostly cloudy skies with storms on the coast in the morning; turning scattered and moving inland in the afternoon. Highs today only reach the upper 80s. Your 7 Day Forecast has an unsettled start to the work week as more storms return to the forecast for tomorrow before we catch a break on Wednesday. | 2022-07-11T13:15:48Z | www.wjhg.com | Monday Forecast | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/11/monday-forecast/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/11/monday-forecast/ |
Internet scams target elders and lead to financial abuse.(MGN)
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Online shopping is a good way to find discounts and deals, but you can also fall victim to a scam if you aren’t careful.
Summer sales are a popular way for online retailers to attract customers and promote seasonal items, but Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is warning that scammers are taking advantage of shoppers as well.
“Scammers know this and may exploit these shopping events by posing as representatives of major retailers to steal money or personal information from unsuspecting consumers,” said Moody in a news release.
With Amazon Prime Day happening on July 12-13, people will be looking for deals and discounts, but officials from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said they’re also dealing with victims of online theft.
“One of the top things we end up dealing with in our financial crimes division is online financial crimes, scams,” BCSO Investigator Corporal Aubrey Chance said.
Chance said online theft comes in various forms. They include scam texts, emails, and fake websites. Although, verifying the website URL, email, and not clicking on links through text messages can help you avoid being a victim.
Sometimes scammers will email you stating they’re from a website such as Amazon. The email will say things like “we need to refund your purchase” and it will ask you to click on the link that directs you to the site. Chance said in this case, go directly to the website on your own and do not click any links.
Below are four tactics from Attorney General Moody’s office to target scammers.
Spoofed phone calls can be made to look like they originate from a legitimate company’s number. These phone calls may offer raffles, warn about security issues, ask the receiver to take a survey or use other tactics. Most companies will not call and attempt to convince a customer to pay for anything over the phone, ask for a customer’s personal information or offer an unexpected refund. Hang up immediately if this is the case. | 2022-07-12T02:55:13Z | www.wjhg.com | Florida officials beware of scammers when you online shop | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/12/florida-officials-beware-scammers-when-you-online-shop/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/12/florida-officials-beware-scammers-when-you-online-shop/ |
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -Call it a mix of fun and some summer baseball instruction. Gulf Coast head coach Tyler Younger and his Gulf Coast Commodores are working this week to dole out some baseball tips. While allowing a several dozen area kids to have some fun learning the game! This the first of three days of the Gulf Coast boys baseball camp taking place this week. And it’s the second of two camps the coach, his staff, and some of the G-C players are hosting for area kids. Though the original plan was to host just one.
”Yeah so we got a camp here Monday through Wednesday, nine to twelve.” coach Younger told me Monday. “It’s six through twelve year olds. We’ve got about 75 kids out here. We’ve got some of our local players working it. They’re teaching them the game. The kids are learning, we’ve got a good thing going. When we ran our first camp, we usually cap them at 75. We got to 75 pretty quick and had a waiting list. So I decided to open it up to a hundred. Then we got to a hundred and had another forty or so on the waiting list after that. So we decided to have another camp. And we’ve got another 75 at this one. So it’s been a great turnout this summer.”
The camp with some instruction and drills in the early part of the morning. Then the kids break into teams and play some games to give the end of each day a competitive vibe. “Yeah so they’re pretty good about taking stuff in.” the coach says. “We take them through some of the basic stuff. Pitching and throwing and catching, field a ground ball. And some of the fundamentals on hitting and base running. And catching a fly ball. We try to keep it pretty basic. But there’s a lot of them that will ask more questions. And I kind of like those guys that are curious to know more.”
And this kind of camp pays off in a variety of ways for the kids, the coach and his program.
“What’s cool about this camp is we actually had a guy in town that we’re connected with, Dr. Aaron Shores, that wanted to, whatever money we made on this camp he wanted to match it with a donation. So for us that was a win-win. One you do a camp that’s good for the community, and have our local players out here helping. And also we’ll get fundraising money from it, so we’re excited about that.”
The camp continues Tuesday and wraps up Wednesday. | 2022-07-12T04:29:26Z | www.wjhg.com | Gulf Coast hosts kids baseball camp | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/12/gulf-coast-hosts-kids-baseball-camp/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/12/gulf-coast-hosts-kids-baseball-camp/ |
It’s an active morning on satellite and radar with clouds dispersed across the Panhandle and storms returning to the coast. Go ahead and reach for the umbrellas once again today as showers and thunderstorms will be around the Panhandle throughout the day.
Otherwise, it’s warm and humid, but not overly sultry thanks to the rains. Morning rain and clouds will help prevent us from warming too quickly. But still dress comfortably; something you can easily navigate the rain in. Temperatures warm into the mid to upper 80s by midday but will likely be capped from reaching the 90s today due to the clouds and scattered storms.
Much like yesterday, a good portion of the rain will fall along the coast in the morning. As daytime heating warms up the land, the instability for storms will largely move inland into the afternoon.
A stalled out front across the Northern Gulf Coast has a chance at developing a weak area of low pressure off the LA/MS/AL or Panhandle of FL coast today or tomorrow. There’s only a small window of opportunity for tropical development as the front weakens and the weak low moves onshore into Wednesday.
Regardless of development, which would be weak if any, heavy rain across the Northern Gulf Coast will remain in the forecast into the end of the week. As the first front weakens into Wednesday, another front moves in for the end of the week with more scattered storms. With the moisture rich environment across the Northern Gulf Coast, storms will have the potential of dropping heavy rains and several inches of accumulation are possible this week.
For today, mostly cloudy skies with storms on the coast in the morning; turning widely scattered and moving largely inland in the afternoon. Highs today only reach the mid to upper 80s. Your 7 Day Forecast has just a few less storms for Wednesday but remaining unsettled throughout the rest of the week with several inches of rain possible. | 2022-07-12T13:56:43Z | www.wjhg.com | Tuesday Forecast | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/12/tuesday-forecast/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/12/tuesday-forecast/ |
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - A new study by Mars Veterinary Health (MVH) shows that 75 million pets in the U.S. will go without health care because of a need for nearly 41,000 additional veterinarians by 2030.
“Right now there’s almost 18 positions for every one vet that’s applying,” Bay County Animal Control Director Kathy Beatson said.
The U.S. is experiencing a national veterinarian shortage and this means many pet owners are facing challenges.
“The cost of vet care has gone up, like a lot of other things.”
With rising costs, some may not be able to afford their furry friends anymore. This may cause shelters to overflow.
Bay County Animal Control in Panama City does not have their own vet, but officials said they got lucky by working with a local vet and other animal care centers when surgeries are needed.
Beatson said her staff are trained to continuously monitor the animals health.
“If you see blood in the kennel or if you see they’re not eating, or they’re not defecating, you have to watch all those things with the animal.”
The article by MVH states “Multiple factors contribute to the shortage, including professional recruitment and retention challenges caused by mounting student loan debt.” | 2022-07-13T00:26:45Z | www.wjhg.com | National veterinarian shortage may cause shelters to overflow | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/12/national-veterinarian-shortage-may-cause-shelters-overflow/ | https://www.wjhg.com/2022/07/12/national-veterinarian-shortage-may-cause-shelters-overflow/ |
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