Top stories of the week: Amazon in Milton, Pace YouTube stars and a ring with Titanic ties

Another week, another look at the News Journal's strongest stories from the week. And this edition of the roundup is full of incredible feature stories from the community.

Starting with Santa Rosa County industrial parks, we took a look at how a new Amazon facility is just a portion of the new economic development opportunities coming to the county.

In Pace, Nicole and Chip Hughes started a YouTube channel during the pandemic called Hidden Oaks Homestead. During the food shortages, the couple decided to take matters into their own hands and create the educational YouTube channel to teach others like themselves.

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Environmental activists are warning Gulf Coast residents that offshore fish farms could begin to be built along the Pensacola coast, potentially presenting dangers to the local marine ecosystem.

The new Pensacola Beach Fairfield Inn and Suites has finally reached a new milestone before its projected spring opening.

And a woman dealing with financial hardship was preparing to sell a historic ring when she discovered its ties to the Titanic.

We know Amazon is coming. What other industry is coming to Santa Rosa?

Full story: Amazon's secret is out, but what other companies are coming to Santa Rosa? Here's a peek

In hindsight, the name "Project Jungle Cruise" should have been a dead giveaway that the mysterious tenant coming to a Santa Rosa County industrial park was an Amazon facility.

One of the world's largest retailers is a big score for the county's economic development team, but there are more cryptically-named economic development projects in the pipeline that officials hope will keep new blood flowing into the county's industrial parks, new revenue flowing into local coffers and new jobs for local citizens.

The county's Economic Development Director Shannon Ogletree previously told the News Journal that a conservative estimate for jobs provided through all of the county's industrial parks totals about 2,500. There are currently five parks in the county, with plans to add more.

Pace couple traded city to live off the land, put journey on YouTube

Full story: From outsiders to trailblazers! Pace couple teaching YouTube following to live off the land

When pandemic-related food shortages left worried consumers stocking their freezers in fear of not having access to the products they needed, many saw it as a wake-up call to start living their lives more self-sufficiently.

The trend has only surged with each new food recall, shortage or health advisory.

Nicole and Chip Hughes, owners of Hidden Oaks Homestead in Pace, had thoughts of one day living off their land simmering years before pandemic times. When the virus came, their supplies were stocked as others scrambled, suddenly transitioning their social standing from outsiders to trailblazers.

Industrial fish farm could come to Pensacola coast

Full story: Pensacola may get one of Florida's first offshore fish farms, and some are already worried

Environmental activists want Gulf Coast residents to know that industrial fish farms could begin to be built off the coast of Pensacola and may present dangers to the local marine ecosystem.

There is currently no offshore fish farming in U.S. federal waters off the coasts of the lower 48 states. But that could soon change, especially in Florida where companies have already submitted proposals for industrial-scale fish farms, activists say.

One fish farm has been proposed for the waters near Sarasota, and a second proposal calls for a farm near Pensacola, according to Christian Wagley, a Pensacola-based environmental advocate.

Wagley will be one of several speakers to contribute to a free, open-to-the-public webinar discussing the issues associated with offshore fish farms. The event is hosted by and will features other representatives from Don't Cage Our Oceans, a coalition of 14 nonprofit organizations working to stop offshore fish farming while uplifting values-based seafood systems led by local communities.

Pensacola woman discovers family ring is connected to the Titanic

Full story: How a Pensacola woman's ruby ring is tied to the Titanic. And why she's getting rid of it:

When finances started feeling tight, Nina Winkler began sifting through her belongings in her Pensacola home and asking herself the difficult question, "What do I have that has value to it?"

Looking down at her great-great grandmother Mabel Darling Mott's glistening 14-karat ruby ring dated back to Mott's engagement in the early 1900s, she knew the gem would be enough to get what she needed to provide for her family. What she didn't realize was just how much historic value she had within her fingertips.

Winkler is what you call a history fanatic — a history major at the University of West Florida, curator at the Pensacola Historical Society and a former adjunct professor of history at Pensacola State College.

When preparing to sell the ring online about a week ago, she couldn't help but notice the ring's distinct hallmarks. The Maltese cross and "O-B 14K" inscribed on the ring's frame prompted her to start digging for an explanation.

New Pensacola Beach Fairfield Inn and Suites reaches key milestone

Full story: New Pensacola Beach Fairfield Inn and Suites reaches key point in $75 million project

Pensacola Beach's new Fairfield Inn and Suites is on track to open next spring.

Innisfree Hotels and RReaf Holdings, the two companies partnering in building the hotel, held a "topping out" ceremony last month with the placement of the highest part of the 11-story building.

The estimated $75 million hotel will have 209 guest rooms, a pool and lazy river, a dune walkover and the popular Fish Heads Pool Bar.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Amazon, Pace YouTube stars and a Titanic ring | Top Pensacola stories