Mike Fender Journalist Profile

Articles

Zooming Out On Zen

3 weeks ago | emeraldcoastmagazine.com | Paige Aigret |Mike Fender

Photographer Romona Robbins Reynolds widens views on wildlife with underwater imagery Zen. That is how freelance photographer Romona Robbins Reynolds describes the feeling she gets when she dons her goggles and takes to the saltwater with her camera. Above sea level, Reynolds juggles a small business, a home, a husband, a daughter, two dogs, a cat, and a fish. “I have a lot of anxiety,” she says, noting that she’s prone to stress.
Ironman Florida - Emerald Coast Magazine

2 months ago | emeraldcoastmagazine.com | Mike Fender

Local triathletes define individual training routines to pave their way to the finish line It was one small turn off a long, grueling road. Alex Burgans had spent almost four hours and 26 miles fighting the third leg of the Ironman triathlon. When he rounded the corner at Pier Park, he could see the finish line, he could see the crowd, he could hear the cheers. Among the cheering spectators was his fiancée, mom, aunt, grandma, and other friends and family members.
En Plein Air - Emerald Coast Magazine

2 months ago | emeraldcoastmagazine.com | Mike Fender

Festival invites renowned artists to capture beauty of the Forgotten Coast in real time It was the sand dunes that artist Michelle Held focused on as she looked out at the calm Gulf waters off Mexico Beach. She knew about Hurricane Michael and the devastation it brought to the town in 2018. But it was the resilience of the dunes she couldn’t get off her mind. To her, they stood as a testament to the area’s natural beauty and endurance. They were survivors.
Airbus Effect - 850 Business Magazine

Jan 6, 2025 | 850businessmagazine.com | Mike Fender

Florida’s Great Northwest hopes to create a Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor Watching the world’s fourth-largest commercial aerospace manufacturing city explode with growth just off your doorstep might be a source of envy for many. But don’t count Northwest Florida in that mix. Building upon the ripple effect of this growth in Mobile, Alabama has become a mission for Jennifer Conoley and her staff at Florida’s Great Northwest (FGNW).
Airbus Effect - 850 Business Magazine

Jul 3, 2024 | 850businessmagazine.com | Mike Fender

Watching the world’s fourth-largest commercial aerospace manufacturing city explode with growth just off your doorstep might be a source of envy for many. But don’t count Northwest Florida in that mix. Building upon the ripple effect of this growth in Mobile, Alabama, has become a mission for Jennifer Conoley and her staff at Florida’s Great Northwest (FGNW).
Major drug bust in Bay County: 7 pounds of fentanyl worth $1.3 million

Jun 19, 2024 | yahoo.com | Mike Fender

Mike FenderJune 19, 2024 at 3:21 PM·3 min readFour defendants have been jailed and more than 7 pounds of fentanyl seized following a six-month drug trafficking investigation in Bay County. The fentanyl amounts to 1.3 million fatal doses, according to Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford, who estimated the street value of the pills at $1.3 million. Ford made the announcement at a press conference Wednesday with the seized drugs on display.
Shot After Dark - Emerald Coast Magazine

Jun 1, 2024 | emeraldcoastmagazine.com | Mike Fender

Emerald Coast photographers make use of nature’s nightlights in compelling imagery A well-known photographer from the late 1800s, Alfred Stieglitz was credited with introducing photography to the modernart scene. These days, millions of photos are made in the light, a fact especially true along the picturesque coast of the Panhandle. Just venture to a pier at sunset for proof.
Not Far From the Madding Crowd

Mar 18, 2024 | 850businessmagazine.com | Alix Black |Mike Fender

Small counties tempt tourists with no-frills experiences For little fish, the vast gulf of Florida tourism can be intimidating. While the dollars seem to come easily to big fish like Panama City Beach and Destin, smaller communities are having to work hard to get their fair share. It’s no secret that tourism equates to big money in Florida. Most counties levy a tourist development tax of up to 6% on short-term rentals.
Battln Bill’s Last Rodeo

Feb 1, 2024 | emeraldcoastmagazine.com | Alix Black |Mike Fender

A journeyman wrestler answers the bell one more time For 30 years “Battln Bill” Weaver has chased dreams in the world of professional wrestling. He made it to the big time early in his career, traveling the country with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and later the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) circuit. At 210 pounds, he was often the underdog, the “jobber” in the ring to make the big names look good.
Evolving and Surviving

Dec 27, 2023 | 850businessmagazine.com | Mike Fender

Inside a large, gray building on the south side of Chipley, a mix of state-of-the-art machinery and women behind sewing machines spin out textiles one after another. The machinery moves bed comforters along a metal overhead track system bringing the work to the operators while the sewing machines whir, stitching up pillows and edges of comforters. It’s just a day in the life of one of the few remaining textile operations in the country, and Terry Ellis couldn’t be more proud.