Jennie McKeon

Just 11 days before Election Day, President Donald Trump made a campaign stop in Pensacola Friday night.

Thousands — many of them in the trademark red hats — gathered at ST Engineering hours before Air Force One landed. President Trump was introduced by a roundup of local and state politicians, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, and State Rep. Alex Andrade.

Fresh from his final debate with former Vice President Joe Biden, Trump arrived at the podium saying “Eleven days from now, we’re going to win my home state of Florida.”

More than a month after Hurricane Sally made landfall as a nearly Category 3 storm, the impacts are still evident on local beaches. 

While Sally made landfall near Gulf Shores, Ala., it was the beaches to the east that took a bigger hit, said Frederique Beroset, biologist and founder of Dune Doctors. 

The Okaloosa County elections office has closed the Crestview office to the public after Supervisor of Elections Paul Lux and an employee have tested positive for coronavirus. 

It’s not the best timing as early voting kicks off Monday, said Public Relations and Voter Education Coordinator Katie Fults, but staff is doing “everything we possibly can to be safe.”

“It’s like we’re swimming in shark-infested waters,” she said. 

A handful of community members spoke at the Okaloosa County School Board meeting Monday night addressing the removal of the novel “White Fragility” from a high school English class.

Debris cleanup from Hurricane Sally is still underway as another storm is expected to roll in Friday night. 

In Santa Rosa and Escambia counties, piles of debris are lined up in front of neighborhoods and businesses. Local officials are urging citizens to be patient as crews work to remove debris or secure their debris to mitigate further damage. 

In Escambia County, residents can drop off debris at these locations:

Mourners paid their respects to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bade Ginsburg Friday as she lied in state at the U.S. Capitol. 

And in Fort Walton Beach, at the Okaloosa County court annex, about 80 people gathered for an informal vigil where people shared what “RBG” meant to them. 

“We’re just four women who admired her and mourned her loss and just needed to get together and be with our sisters and brothers and remember her,” said Judy Byne Riley, one of the organizers of Friday’s event. 

No mother is prepared to make final arrangements for their 21-year-old son. 

But Wednesday afternoon, that’s what Raquel Zavala was doing. Just last weekend, she said goodbye to her son, Hugo, for the last time although she didn’t know it. Hugo sometimes stayed with friends for a few nights at a time. That last thing she said to him was “I’ll see you Monday.”

But that didn’t happen. 

As Tropical Storm Beta is expected to bring an extra inch or two of rain to Northwest Florida later this week, Okaloosa County is preparing residents with two points of distribution for supplies.

The PODS, as they’re called, will be located at Northwest Florida Fairgrounds on Lewis Turner Boulevard in Fort Walton Beach, and the Old Spanish Trail Park in Crestview. Operating hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday. 

When disaster strikes, Laurie Hood, founder of Alaqua Animal Refuge, is usually one of the first people to hitch her trailer and rescue domestic, farm or even exotic animals. 

But after the refuge took in over 30 inches of rain from Hurricane Sally, Hood is on the receiving end of assistance to ensure the safety for the hundreds of animals that call Alaqua home. 

After fixing and replacing damaged Biden/Harris campaign signs, Okaloosa Democrats have raised $3,740 in just a few days for billboard advertisements for the Democratic presidential ticket. 

“It’s been fantastic,” said Okaloosa County Democratic Executive Committee Chair Tracey Tapp. “We had 85 people — some of them have never donated before. Democrats are coming out of the woodwork to support Democrats.” 

As Florida’s number of coronavirus cases started to rise this summer, local governments held marathon emergency meetings about mask mandates, taking hours of public comments and fielding passionate arguments on the issue. 

But only three cities in the local area made the decision to pass an ordinance. In the city limits of Pensacola, Gulf Breeze and Mary Esther, masks are required inside businesses. And businesses owners and city staff say there’s been little to no trouble. 

The big question in a presidential election year is typically “who are you going to vote for?” But in 2020 — during a pandemic — the big question might be “how are you going to vote?”

During last month’s primary, more than 2.3 million Florida voters chose to vote by mail compared to 558,430 voting in-person. In Northwest Florida, there was an uptick in mail-in ballots.