From the Newsroom: The Panama City News Herald

What by all appearances was a simple chest purchased after Hurricane Michael for use in a third-grade classroom turned into a reminder of the value of local journalism.

The fentanyl allegedly discovered by officers converts to 86,900 milligrams, with a mere two milligrams considered a lethal dose, according to the American Addiction Centers, the fentanyl was enough to kill more than 43,000 people. To put that in perspective, the population in Panama City proper was a little more than 36,000 residents in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

he man who shot and killed one boy and injured another at the Beach Tuesday alleged the stepbrothers tried to steal his bag, court records state. Christopher Lawrence Cox, 37, is being charged with murder and attempted murder after police say he admitted shooting two 14-year-old stepbrothers from Louisville, Kentucky while on vacation in Panama City Beach.  

A local man has been charged and identified in the shooting death of one Kentucky minor and the injury of another outside a Panama City Beach resort early Tuesday morning.  According to a press release from the Panama City Beach Police Department, Christopher Lawrence Cox, 37 of Panama City Beach, is in police custody after officers were called to the Shores of Panama at about 1:30 a.m. in reference to a shooting. He has been charged with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder.

Word is spreading about Downtown Panama City. This couple took a last-minute get-away weekend to the beach but ended up dining downtown. Here's how.

According to the Panama City Beach Police Department, the juveniles, a 12-year-old boy and 13-year-old girl, stole the vehicle at the Fuel 360 Store at Hutchison Boulevard and Alf Coleman Road. 

A downtown Panama City restaurant was temporarily closed last week after an inspector found rodent and roach activity. An inspector with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation visited The Funky Mermaid Lounge, located at 448 Harrison Ave. on March 9. A total of seven violations, were noted in the inspection report. The high-priority violations included the presence of three live, small flying insects in the dish area and roach activity "present as evidenced by one live roach found on electrical wire cover next to red fire suppression tank," the report said. The inspector also found over 90 rodent droppings in the kitchen. 

A Panama City Beach man has died following a single vehicle motorcycle crash that happened close to midnight on Monday on Thomas Drive. According to a press release from the Panama City Beach Police, 44-year-old Thomas Michael Osborne, Jr.  was involved in the crash which occurred in front of the Hershey's Ice Cream Shop at 8815 Thomas Drive.

The Port St. Joe Marina is in the middle of a major build that includes a dry boat storage facility for 252 boats. Preston Sutter is now the St. Joe Co.'s general manager of the marina in PSJ, where he spent 10 years as a tarpon guide.

Dan Rowe, CEO and President of Visit PCB, said that in the contract between the two groups there was a provision that said in the case of a cancellation, R&M was not obligated to repay the money unless it was reimbursed by the companies it used to market its event.  That had not happened as of Thursday and likely wouldn't, Rowe said.

An athletic trainer at Deane Bozeman School was arrested Monday for allegedly soliciting sex from a minor online. According to Bay County Sheriff's Office reports, Mark Johnston was charged with use of a computer online to solicit sex from a minor, a third degree felony. Johnston had his first appearance in court Tuesday.

House of Glass: Soon the business will be serving beer, wine and finger foods and expanding its hours at Beach Drive and Harrison Avenue, which long ago house La Fiesta.

Another severe storm and a possible tornado could hit Bay County on Thursday following the damaging weather that struck the area on Monday.

The Bay County Sheriff's Office announced Monday the arrest of 38 people on various sex offender and child predator charges, including a captain of Bay County Emergency Medical Services. Called Operation Watchdog, the sting was conducted over five days from Feb, 1 to Feb. 5. The operation targeted registered sex offenders who committed new violations, people who traveled to procure sex from minors and others who were in possession of child porn, a press release from the sheriff's office states.

An unnamed woman was hit and killed by a train early this morning in Panama City.  According to Ken McVay, media specialist for the Panama City Police Department, the incident happened about 5 a.m. on train tracks near the intersection of U.S. 231 and Star Avenue.  The train was headed south at about 35 mph, a "normal speed (for it) to travel into town," McVay added. "As they approached that intersection, they noticed a white female sitting on the tracks," he said. "They took precautionary measures to try and stop the train, (but) the woman did not make any attempts to move out of the way."

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man for the shooting deaths of two men in Panama City Beach on Tuesday. According to a sheriff’s office press release, Ruez P. Hicks, 19, was charged with an open count of murder in the deaths of Robert Shawn Fowler and Robert Keith Gilmore. Both were found dead from gunshot wounds at a residence on Delmar Drive. Hicks is listed as a transient from the Albany, Ga. area and is believed to have been in Bay County for approximately two months, the press release states. Hicks was arrested at 20508 Verona St. in Panama City Beach.

Bay County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating after two men were found dead with gunshot wounds in Panama City Beach Tuesday evening. According to a Bay County Sheriff’s Office press release Wednesday, the two victims were found around 11:06 p.m. at a home on Delmar Drive. The names of the victims are being withheld pending notification of the family.

The Bay County Republican Party has declared President-elect Joe Biden as an imposed, illegitimate leader and that officials shouldn’t cooperate with his administration.  The party’s executive committee voted on Dec. 7 to support a resolution that among other things, declares that the party won’t recognize Biden’s administration as legitimate unless President Donald Trump conceded and acknowledged that the 2020 election was fair. The resolution comes after Trump and his legal team have made multiple failed attempts in court to overturn election results in various states.

Kevin Jean, 34, is being held on a $5 million bond after being charged with burning and mutilating three children Tuesday at a Beach hotel, according to his arrest affidavit. Jean is accused of taking an unidentified item, hot enough to cause severe burns, and placing it on the victims' vaginal areas. The victims needed medical treatment at a local hospital.

City Manager Mark McQueen has COVID-19 and is being treated in a local hospital. McQueen’s diagnosis and treatment were confirmed in a Thursday statement from Panama City Mayor Greg Brudnicki. “City Manager Mark McQueen is currently recovering from COVID-19,” Brudnicki said in the statement. “He is receiving extraordinary care by the professional team at Ascension Sacred Heart Bay.”

The St. Joe Company has announced the brand of its marina hotel in downtown Panama City. Boasting of no two-alike properties, Hotel Indigo will incorporate local culture and design into the five-story, 124-room bay-front hotel. St. Joe plans to break ground on the $20 million project in early to mid-2021.

PANAMA CITY — Bay District Schools officials announced that the high school section of Deane Bozeman School would close down starting Friday because of a COVID-19 outbreak.  Exactly two weeks after Thanksgiving, one-third of Bozeman's high school student population is quarantining and will begin distance learning. According to Lyndsey Jackson, supervisory school nurse for Bay District Schools, 10 students tested positive for COVID-19.

The two young children killed last week after a vehicle crashed at a mini golf course at the Beach have been identified through an online fundraiser for their family. A GoFundMe has been started for the family of 4-year-old Baylor and 6-year-old Addie Kirchgessner. The two children were with family members at Coconut Creek Family Fun Park, 9807 Front Beach Road, when a truck careened into the golf course, striking the two children. The family was visiting from Louisville, Kentucky.

A 61-year-old Southport woman who stopped to pick up dinner recently for her family at a local Winn-Dixie is now $1 million richer. The Florida Lottery has announced that Pamela Lavigne claimed a $1 million top prize from the "Fastest Road to $1,000,000" scratch-off ticket at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. She chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $790,000, according to a press release from Florida Lottery.

According to a press release, Fazoli’s CEO Carl Howard announced the Lexington, Kentucky-based company known for serving up Italian dishes at a great value has executed an area development agreement with Bob Amin of Shiv 8 Panama City LLC to open three locations in Panama City. The first restaurant is slated to open in the third quarter of 2021, the release said. 

A former Panama City police officer might soon face criminal charges after being fired last week because of an altercation with a suspect. Chief Assistant State Attorney Larry Basford confirmed late Tuesday afternoon that the office of State Attorney Glenn Hess is preparing to review the case to determine if the officer will be charged. 

Panama City Beach Police officers found two dead bodies near a retention pond Tuesday morning. According to a PCB police department press release, officers conducted a business/residence check around 9:15 a.m. in the 11700 block of U.S. Highway 98, which was around where the bodies were discovered.

According to officials, one person was take to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and another is in custody.

Mayor Cathey, whose uncle founded Mexico Beach, vowed to never leave it and  remain committed to the desire of the residents to retain "the chemistry" of the town.