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EDITOR'S DESK: Shifting thoughts from Triple B to the big C

Written by archive on April 1, 2015. Posted in columns, more-voices, Opinion.

The 2015 Triple B Cookoff likely attracted 3,000 more attendees than last year's event, according to the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce's event organizers.

The Hub City's crown jewel, as far as festivals go, once again drew residents and visitors to Main Street with a can't-miss combination. Barbecue, carnival food, arts and crafts, bands and other entertainment gave families, lovers and others reason enough to go downtown.

I enjoyed the last hour and a half — just a bit incapacitated — with a good friend. I awoke with a sprained wrist the day before and had to wear a splint all of Saturday if I was going to be in full editor mode on Monday! But even that setback couldn't keep me from Pigstickers' delicious sausage and potato salad. Not to mention the carnival-style nachos and cheese. (It's hard to remember the last time I had those!)

Despite coming later, I still heard The Good Lookings perform and had the pleasure of visiting with various vendors and seeing the awards ceremony. (It's always fun to see the hard-working grill masters receive recognition.)

The Triple B is one of those events where you can forget about everything else in life — whether it's a sprained wrist, broken heart or bad day — and just enjoy the moment.

But now it's time for a change in the alphabet: from the B's of Blackwater, bluegrass and barbecue, to the C's.

Well, just one C, really. The big C.

The American Cancer Society's Relay For Life is the nonprofit's key fundraiser.

Crestview's Relay For Life committee, of which I'm a member, will present the Hub City's fundraiser from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Friday, April 24 at Shoal River Middle School.

This month, you'll see cancer-related commentary and feature stories leading up to the event.

Along the way, I encourage you to consider forming a team to raise money for the ACS, walk the track and camp out the full 12 hours. (Learn more about that here>>)

Relay For Life isn't just about walking around a track in a symbolic gesture. Or honoring survivors and remembering those who've died from cancer in solemnity. Nor is it all fun and games (because if you've Relayed, you know there's live entertainment and enough activities to keep everyone up all night).

It's a fundraiser for the ACS, which reportedly has spent $4 billion on cancer research since 1946.

It's an event that literally saves lives.

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet News Bulletin Editor Thomas Boni.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EDITOR'S DESK: Shifting thoughts from Triple B to the big C

CROSE: High hopes and dreams for new businesses

Written by archive on March 31, 2015. Posted in columns, lifestyle.

I freely admit that I don't know the ins and outs of our town's administration as well as I could, because I live in the county.

However, my wish list for our area includes new stores and restaurants.

We need more variety, and it would be nice to shop in Crestview (and keep the revenues and taxes here) rather than driving to Fort Walton Beach, Destin or Pensacola.

Rumors have abounded for years that Target has looked at our area but we don't have the population to warrant a store. I am not sure if this is truth or conjecture; however, my feeling is that we do have enough potential shoppers to have new stores and restaurants as we would draw shoppers from surrounding areas.

Judging from how well the new shopping center on State Road 85 is doing, I think we have shown we want and need new businesses. We have heard the rumor that the 200-acre parcel next to and behind Ryan's was going to be a shopping mall, but it has sat empty for years.

I realize that it takes lots of planning, time, money and traffic studies to draw in new businesses, but it seems time for them to make Crestview and the surrounding area their home.

It would be nice if we could get a great cross-section of family-owned restaurants, as well as corporate restaurants to come to our area.

Growing up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, we had a "Restaurant Row" in our town, with many types of food. Rather than hurting each other because of the competition, it helped all of them because people could choose what type of food they wanted. There was a variety of food choices — everything from a steakhouse, Mexican, American, barbecue and seafood — along with plenty of parking.

I certainly don't know how we could draw more businesses to our area, but I can have high hopes and dreams!

I pray that you and your families have a very Happy Easter as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord.

Janice Lynn Crose lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her brother, Robb; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

Email listings of upcoming events and activities of public interest>>

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CROSE: High hopes and dreams for new businesses

HUBBUB: Reader's 5 suggestions would take time, add a fourth B: beer

Written by archive on March 30, 2015. Posted in columns, more-voices, Opinion.

Featured comments from our discussion at facebook.com/crestview.bulletin

•••

Actions have consequences

Children need to learn that there are real consequences for their actions. Parents, if we don't discipline our children, society will.

Parenting is a full-time job. Being present in our kids' lives and knowing what is going on with them daily is a must. It is also responsible parenting.

Teen Court is an amazing program that works.

As parents, we want to help "fix" our child's mistakes, poor choices and unacceptable behaviors. We as parents need to learn and accept that, sometimes, the best thing we can do is nothing.

Our children will become better people for it in the long run.

Jennifer Marie

•••

Here's why there's still dirt

I know why it's not happened yet. They don't have enough right of way on parts of the dirt section of Okaloosa Lane to pave it and provide drainage and sidewalks. The paved section taking so long to fix was just darn annoying though.

David Hall

•••

Children still walk on it

It would be great if it was paved! Especially since it is still expected of our children to walk down, even when it's flooded and with no sidewalks and with the dangers of the buses flying down there in order to get to school.

Melissa Willcut Woollums

•••

Reader's 5 suggestions would take time

All of those ideas sound great, in theory, but … there is not a realistic cost-effective solution to the traffic issue. It will take years of planning to get even the simplest of those five things done.

BJ Lawrence

•••

Triple B food shortage shows success

The only thing I would change is for competitors to not run out of food. You know you have success when multiple vendors run out of food in the middle of the day.

Nancy Byrd-Zaring

•••

Add a fourth B: beer

I (have a) few ideas; more (portable toilets), more trash cans, and it would be cool if there was a bigger emphasis on the music where a larger crowd could gather, and sell beer. Like a mini Mullet Festival but in downtown Crestview with a barbecue theme. And get a few decent up-and-coming country artists or bands.

Jason Lyttle

•••

'Dream map' similar to this

The map on the wall could be likened to a teenager with a nice sports car poster on the wall. Dreams and Delusions give way to reality eventually.

Robert Damon Bradley

•••

Much talk, no progress

"It hasn't received city council approval, and is not part of the city’s comprehensive plan."

“People have talked about this route for years."

… A lot of talk, a lot of studies — no progress.

Kurt Burgess

•••

About that mileage fee…

How much more in taxes can we endure?

Jon Bell

Join the conversation on our Facebook page>>

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HUBBUB: Reader's 5 suggestions would take time, add a fourth B: beer

GUEST COLUMN: Cancer — it's past time for a cure

Written by archive on March 30, 2015. Posted in columns, more-voices, Opinion.

Cancer is one of the most feared words.

Almost every week I hear about a friend, acquaintance, old schoolmate or family member being diagnosed with cancer. I have Facebook friends who report almost daily about their routine chemotherapy treatments.

They, along with millions more, are in a battle for their lives.

Cancer routinely takes 577,000-plus lives every year in America.

The cost is over $103 billion in direct medical costs.

The statistics are always changing but are staggering.

No one fighting cancer cares about how much they have to spend to defeat the disease. Life is worth more than all the money in the world.

However, have the doctors and drug companies figured this out? The money pipeline related to all cancer treatments is worth billions. How many people would be out of a job if we found a cure?

I'm irked about cancer. I'm irked that we spend billions on wars. We have spent over $700 billion on Afghanistan.

We give billions away to sustain foreign governments.

We know how to put someone on the moon but people are dying every day from cancer.

I realize our government is broke, but we need to spend more on cancer research. The National Cancer Institute receives about $5 billion a year to conduct research, but they and major research centers across the nation need more.

We could start by taking better care of ourselves. Exercise more, eat better, sleep more and stress less.

There are severe environmental issues from chemicals pouring into our air and contaminants polluting our water. We need to clean up our air and water. We can do without a lot, but we can't live without water and air.

Start demanding answers from your local and national politicians on what they are doing about real healthcare in this nation.

The answer is not just medical insurance to pay more dollars so that doctors and pharmaceutical companies get richer.

We need a cure for cancer, multiple sclerosis and many other diseases.

I'm glad for all people to have health insurance, but we need health solutions. It's past time for a cure for cancer.

HOW TO HELP

The American Cancer Society's Relay For Life is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Friday, April 24 at Shoal River Middle School, 3200 E. Redstone Ave., Crestview.

Learn more here>>

Glenn Mollette is a syndicated American columnist and author of "American Issues, Every American Has An Opinion" and 10 other books.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: GUEST COLUMN: Cancer — it's past time for a cure

SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: The magic of baseball

Written by archive on March 30, 2015. Posted in columns, Sports.

The Major League Baseball season opens Sunday, when the Chicago Cubs host the St. Louis Cardinals in a battle of National League Central Division teams.

I imagine I’ll watch the game, because that’s what baseball fans do. But I believe the professional game has lost some of the glamour it had when I was a kid.

Maybe it’s because, back in my day, it was a treat to watch the Game of the Week.

My earliest memories of televised games are from the mid-1960s. Curt Gowdy did the play-by-play, and former New York Yankee infielder Tony Kubek was the commentator on NBC’s weekly broadcast.

I watched the games on an old General Electric black and white television. The picture quality was less than desirable by today’s standards, but there was something about those weekly games that were a treat for any young baseball fan.

When I wasn’t watching games, I was trying to pick up a game on an old AM radio.

When my family visited my dad’s parents in his hometown of Memphis, Tenn., I could hear the crackle of the old Philco radio in my grandfather’s room as he listened to Cardinal games. If I close my eyes, I can almost drift back 50 years and feel the warm, humid nights and the sounds and smells of that old house.

I spent much of my boyhood reading about the greats of the game of baseball. I was always looking for a book about Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig or Mickey Mantle. My school day mornings in the spring were spent fighting Dad for the sports page so I could get my baseball fix.

Summers were endless, talking baseball with my friend, John Jarvis, and matching wits about the game and who the best players were. John was a Braves fan and I settled on the Los Angeles Dodgers thanks in no small part to Don Sutton, who played high school ball at Tate.

Baseball remained a big part of my life through high school. Even though I wasn’t good enough to make my high school team, I still loved the game and supported my schoolmates. And I still very much enjoyed the games on TV that I watched on the family’s color TV.

It was while I was in high school that football started to gain equal footing with baseball.

If you ask me today what’s my favorite sport, I’ll say baseball and football are equal.

The Major League games that were once my attraction have been replaced by local high school games. Sometimes, the games aren’t pretty, but there is something magical for me about watching the young men at Baker, Crestview and Laurel Hill play the game.

Perhaps the high school games take me back to that time of black and white TV, when life was simple and the game seemed to be all that mattered.

Email randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet @cnb_sports or call 682-6524 to contact Randy Dickson.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: The magic of baseball

HELMS: Bask and bathe in God's presence

Written by archive on March 30, 2015. Posted in columns, Opinion, your-voice.

David gathered five smooth stones from the brook to fight Goliath, a Philistine giant.

We can find this story in the book of 1 Samuel, Chapter 17. But for today, don't concentrate on David or Goliath. Let's look at the stones.

The Bible states that they were smooth and taken from a brook, a moving body of water. They did not fall in to automatically assume their present shape, but rather were molded and buffeted against other rocks, sand and water until they were finally ready to be chosen by the future king to defeat his enemy.

As a Christian, have you ever wondered why you have hard times in this life? Christ stated that the world would hate us, but why such a hard time, even in our physical and church families?

Consider that you are a stone being shaped for the perfect use of the future king for defeating His enemy.

We have had to spend some time in the stream being tumbled, bruised, polished and irritated — all this so that we can be shaped and useful to the king.

We become most usable when we decide to quit fighting Him and His mercy and willingly let Him remove our edges.

Now we are ready to hit the target.

He sends us into this world to win others, pray and assist where we can, and indeed we can fell the enemy.

A smooth stone flies straighter, skips across the water better, and is so much prettier to look at. To be a part of Him is to be willing to submit to Him. Your river is His pleasures poured out for you.

Bask and bathe in His presence.

Rev. Richard Helms serves at Miracle Acres Ministries, 3187 E. James Lee Blvd., Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HELMS: Bask and bathe in God's presence

HAPPENINGS: Easter traditions and Christ's resurrection

Written by archive on March 30, 2015. Posted in columns, lifestyle.

Growing up, our family read the Easter story the Saturday night before Easter and focused on Christ Jesus' sacrifice for our sins.

We went to church every Sunday, but Easter Sunday was extra special. We usually had new clothes — Mother generally made a new dress especially for me — and often we had new church shoes.

Since our focus was on our Lord's resurrection, sometimes there was an egg hunt, sometimes not. We always got Easter baskets filled with goodies, a stuffed toy, a new Bible story book, and sometimes even a brand new Bible, crayons and coloring books.

Most Easters, we would go to our grandparents and have a nice meal; some Easters, other family members joined us. After lunch, we changed into our play clothes and had fun running around and playing with our cousins.

Since Jim and I married, our traditions are a little different. We moved around extensively the first few years of our marriage, so our traditions have somewhat developed over time.

We now begin with the observance of Lent and reflect upon the sacrifice Christ made to redeem us from our sins. We celebrate Palm Sunday and, depending upon the church, sometimes there is the waving of small palm fronds and we may sing a solo or duet.

During the week traditionally called Holy Week, between Palm and Easter Sundays, we attend services on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday services are followed by a wonderful gathering of our church family and friends hosted by a very special family.

We believe that Easter is the pinnacle of our faith. Without Christ's death, burial and resurrection, we would not have the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life with Christ Jesus.

Our prayer is that you and your family will have a glorious Easter as we celebrate Christ's resurrection from the dead.

Happy Easter, He is Risen!

Janice Lynn Crose lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her brother, Robb; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

Email listings of upcoming events to NorthOkaloosaHappenings@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HAPPENINGS: Easter traditions and Christ's resurrection

SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Swinging a Louisville Slugger

Written by archive on March 27, 2015. Posted in columns, Sports.

Sitting in a corner of my living room is an old, beat up piece of wood that I’ve had since I was 9 years old.

That piece of wood — a baseball bat — has made the journey from boyhood to manhood with me. It has gone to college with me and every home I’ve had along the way.

I remember the day I bought the bat at the K-Mart that used to be at the corner of North Davis Highway and Brent Lane in Pensacola. I bought it because it was a Roger Maris model, and Maris was my favorite player.

I also bought it because it was made by Hillerich and Bradsby. Yes, it was a Louisville Slugger.

The bat weighs 34 ounces — too big for any little boy. And these days not many professional players swing a bat so heavy.

I haven’t played baseball or even slow pitch softball in years, but I still grab the good wood occasionally to take a few swings at imaginary pitches that go back almost 50 years.

Louisville Slugger still produces wooden bats, but it also has been making aluminum and composite bats for more than 40 years. As far as I’m concerned, though, nothing feels as good as wood.

Earlier this week, Louisville Slugger announced it was being sold to Wilson Sporting Goods. Wilson will still make the bat in Louisville, and the name will remain the same.

Maybe it won’t matter to a generation of ball players who grow up swinging composite and aluminum bats. I doubt if kids today go to the local sporting goods or discount store looking for a model bat used by their favorite ball player.

I would like to think it was easier to connect with a player when swinging a Hank Aaron or Mickey Mantle model Louisville Slugger. Roger Maris was my guy, so I bought the Maris model bat.

Kids today will never know the joy or challenge my friends and I felt repairing a broken bat with a roll of electric tape and a nail bent just right in hopes of finishing a sandlot game on a warm summer day.

You can bet the bat we were fixing was a Louisville Slugger.

Email News Bulletin Sports Editor Randy Dickson, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Swinging a Louisville Slugger

Commentary: Here's the best way to rehabilitate Okaloosa's juvenile offenders

Written by archive on March 27, 2015. Posted in columns, more-voices, Opinion.

Those who could not attend our meeting on juvenile diversion programs missed a great opportunity to learn how our juvenile justice system works.

There was so much information — and such a great need for citizen engagement — the league created a web page to help you get involved. Please take a moment to find out what you can do to help put our most vulnerable kids on the path to becoming productive adults and citizens.

While diversion programs are more effective than incarceration, when it comes to rehabilitating juvenile offenders and decreasing recidivism, the most effective program of all is currently under-used in our county.

I'm referring to civil citations, which divert first-time juvenile misdemeanor offenders from the juvenile justice system. Youths who receive civil citations must complete community service hours — assigned by law enforcement officers — and may be ordered to complete other sanctions, like restitution to the victim, counseling, and letters of apology. If the offender does not fulfill requirements levied by the citation, the charges are reactivated and prosecution is pursued.

A 2014 Department of Juvenile Justice review concluded that civil citation youths had significantly better outcomes than youths who were eligible but were taken into custody and diverted.

They also had a recidivism rate of only 4 percent compared to 9 percent for youths who completed diversion programs. The data clearly show that civil citation gives eligible youths the best opportunity to reform and avoid a juvenile record that could impair their adult prospects.

So why is civil citation used almost exclusively for offenses committed at school rather than in the community?

Because our school district has empowered school resource officers to use them, but our sheriff and local police chiefs have not endorsed them for use by their personnel outside school.

That means offenses committed at school or during school-sponsored events are usually punished using civil citations, while identical offenses committed in the community result in the juvenile being taken into custody and incurring a juvenile record.

I urge all concerned citizens to learn about the civil citation program and ask local leaders why they are not currently part of our local law enforcement community policing tool kit.

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet @cnbeditor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Commentary: Here's the best way to rehabilitate Okaloosa's juvenile offenders

EDITOR’S DESK: Discussion on roads brings hope for the future

Written by archive on March 25, 2015. Posted in columns, more-voices, Opinion.

North Okaloosa County traffic — particularly, how to relieve it — is this week's hot topic.

But it seems like Maria's not the only problem no one can solve. Disagreements on how to solve a problem like State Road 85 abound. (You like that "The Sound of Music" 50th anniversary reference?)

Reporter Brian Hughes recently brought two potential proposals to the area's attention, and the public's feedback was mixed.

MILEAGE TAX

A statewide, mileage-based user fee may fund road maintenance and construction, but it would also deal a heavy blow to household budgets.

If the 8-mile drive through Crestview on State Road 85 could cost motorists 48 cents — based on a 6 cents per mile estimate — that could add up pretty quickly.

One reader averaged that a daily, 40-mile round-trip commute across the county could cost $12.50 per week, $650 per year.

"And that is just counting your commute to work! Heaven forbid if you decide to go on a trip to visit relatives or for leisure activities!"

And, I would imagine, the result would be families from different Florida counties and regions spending less time together for that very reason.

Family matters aside, there also are serious privacy concerns. Having a monitoring device track your miles seems like Big Brother's continued infringement on civil liberties.

In addition, it's a monitoring device, and who typically wears those? Well, people on house arrest sport ankle bracelets so they can't leave a stated radius.

With that in mind, conspiracy theorists who rail against a so-called police state aren't off the mark on this one.

To his credit, Florida Transportation Commission assistant executive director Mark Reichert concedes that the fee is, understandably, unpopular, according to Hughes' report. (And that was evident on the Crestview News Bulletin's Facebook page, where 37,000 people viewed the story, and most of the comments were criticisms of the proposal.)

So perhaps that's reason enough to drop the idea all together?

Maybe not.

Two bills in the state Legislature propose funding a study to see whether to implement such fees. Stay tuned!

RE-THINKING ROADS

In less eyebrow-raising news, Department of Transportation District 1 Secretary Billy Hattaway suggested re-thinking subdivision design. In his vision, neighborhoods would connect with each other and local traffic wouldn't have to mix with commuters on major arteries.

His common sense plan also called for improved driver education — removing cumbersome language in state statutes that could actually hinder motorists' understanding of the rules of the road — and re-imagining traffic control options.

To that last point, he suggests replacing street lights at major thoroughfares like S.R. 85 with roundabouts, which provide no interruption to the steady flow of vehicles.

In addition, roundabouts don't require power, so there's a lighting bill saved.

But it seems residents' biggest concern and, rightfully so, is whether a significant number of motorists would know how to use the so-called traffic circles.

Would well-meaning motorists not just yield to traffic already in the circle, but actually stop and wave people through, out of courtesy, when the whole purpose is to keep traffic moving? (Meanwhile, ticking off a whole lot of other motorists just wanting to get where they need to go.)

Either way, the risk seems to be worth the reward.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration believes in roundabouts, citing up to a 90 percent reduction in traffic-related deaths and a 76 percent reduction in injury crashes.

The reason for that is actually quite simple.

"Because the only movement allowed upon entry or exit from a roundabout is a right turn, the occurrence of crashes that result in injury is substantially reduced," an FHA pamphlet on roundabouts states. "Small-angle collisions, the type of collisions that can occur as a result of a right-hand turn, are typically less severe than other types of collisions."

That makes sense, doesn't it?

And it makes cents, according to the FHA, which estimates $5,000 in annual savings from a street light's electricity and maintenance costs.

It's nice to hear solutions — however unpopular they may be — being brought the table. Discussion shows at least one part of the lengthy government process is happening, and that offers hope for a better tomorrow.

One with less congestion on the roads, and less frustration overall.

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet News Bulletin Editor Thomas Boni.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EDITOR’S DESK: Discussion on roads brings hope for the future

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