Last Thursday, during the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Professional and Inspired Leaders of Tomorrow meeting, we had an icebreaker in which each person stated one true thing and one false thing about themselves.

The objective was to guess the fact.

Most people dug deep in their past and told others about the exciting things they’d done — or hadn’t done, if they were duping the group. I’ve had some overseas adventures and could tell some interesting stories, but whenever they put me on the spot (icebreakers are PILOT agenda fixtures), I get a deer in the headlights look and just stick with the present.

Skillfully, I might add!

My two statements were, “I enjoy relaxing after a long day of work by cooking for hours and preparing meals for a week. I love my cutting board!” and “I enjoy relaxing after a long day of work with dance: bachata, salsa and merengue!”

My strategy involved using a common introduction for both statements, which each coupled excitement for the topic — whether cooking or dancing — with jargon, to make either choice believable.

It worked. Most of the group guessed the second statement as true. (Granted, that may also have been because at least four Fred Astaire Dance Studio representatives were present, and three were guest speakers; so wishful thinking could have played a role.)

I recalled that icebreaker Monday night and wondered: How well do we know our neighbors?

In at least two or three editions of this column, I’ve spoken fondly of cooking and its economical and therapeutic benefits. Anyone at the PILOT meeting who read those columns would have known, or at least could have taken an informed guess, that the first statement was true.

No, I’m not chiding anyone for not reading this space in the newspaper religiously!

I’m just saying that if people listen closely to each other’s words, and monitor their body language, they will eventually learn what makes people tick.

That can make all the difference, especially in cases like Friday’s threat of an explosive device at Crestview High School.

Initial information suggested that a CHS student, who may have expressed suicidal thoughts, “may have been planning to bring some type of explosive device to the school,” the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page states.

Fortunately, authorities found no such device, but that didn’t calm countless parents who expressed their concerns on crestviewbulletin.com and our Facebook page.

I don’t know the teenager involved with this incident, and would never use the paper to psychoanalyze somebody. However, since the OCSO stated that the teen could have had suicidal thoughts, it would be comforting if north Okaloosa residents look at this incident and wonder, “Can I get to know my neighbors (classmates, co-workers, fellow church members and mere acquaintances) better?”

Imagine how a good-faith effort could make all the difference.

If you see your neighbor crying or upset at the mailbox, don’t just shout, “Everything OK?” Approach him or her, be sincere, and invite them to talk — and mean it.

Kids, if you see a classmate eating lunch alone in the bathroom, don’t just suggest, insist that you two share a meal together in the cafeteria.

Professionals, if a coworker seems tense or irritable, ask them how their day is going, crack some jokes and start a conversation.

We can cry privacy rights or we could accept the friendly gesture. Communities grow closer when everyone knows each other and can trust each other — or least when everyone knows they have a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear if they need it.

If everyone in north Okaloosa did this, each day, it’s hard to believe anyone would have such low self-esteem and destructive ideas.

Ryan Massengill, a talented Crestview resident who will soon contribute editorial cartoons for the News Bulletin, needed a topic to sketch for today’s edition since the federal government’s re-opening undermined already-sketched content for his intended debut.

Friday, when there still wasn’t much confirmed information on the CHS incident, I suggested a cartoon with a faceless, gender-neutral CHS student contemplating bringing an explosive device to school, but instead choosing to play “Grand Theft Auto” because “This way, no one actually gets hurt.”

I’m no video-game buff, but understand this is one of gamers’ top choices. And if you have to pick between fantasy violence and real violence, going with the fake option seemed reasonable.

And I’m no editorial cartoonist, and typically wouldn’t present such a fleshed out idea, but we needed to kick ideas around if we were going to have something in time for today’s edition.

It’s good that Ryan’s sketches can’t begin rolling until next week, due to various other factors, because I realized I was wrong.

People don’t need more isolation; they need more imposition. At least, they need what today’s all-about-me society — the one that would rather stay holed up in the house playing videogames, surfing the web or otherwise avoid going out of their way for others — would consider being imposed or treaded on.

They need community members to butt lovingly in on their business, as small-town residents do; to engage them in conversation; cheer them up; praise their accomplishments; and push them to become more active in the community.

That could make all the difference.

What’s your view? Email Crestview News Bulletin Editor Thomas Boni, tboni@crestviewbulletin.com, or tweet him @cnbeditor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EDITOR'S DESK: Some tips to help our neighbors

Family is important. Many people understand this and stay close with their kin; others grow up, live independent lives with nary a phone call home and learn the lesson later in life; and some people miss out all together, taking relationships for granted and suffering — whether they realize it or not — due to the lack of support.

Wednesday’s edition tells the story of a Crestview family who annually celebrates one member who wouldn’t be with them if the outcome of an Air Force jet crash went just a little differently. (See “Crestview family celebrates 40th anniversary of father's jet crash survival.”)

Louis Richard and his copilot, Lt. Larry Dodson, were members of the 88th Flying Training Squadron of the 80th Flying Training Wing at Sheppard (Okla.) Air Force Base when their T37 jet trainer went down on Oct. 11, 1973.

The plane crashed at 16 times gravity’s force, and the men shouldn’t have lived, by most accounts. The Richards know this, and spend Oct. 11 each year remembering the crash, but more importantly, they celebrate Louis’s life.

People like the Richards set positive examples for the community and inspire people like me, who know, all too well, the lifelong pain they avoided 40 years ago.

Fourteen years ago, also on Oct. 11, the outcome was different for my family. That was when Daddy, a lifelong farmer from a line of first-generation Italians who immigrated to South Alabama from Trentino, died in a sudden tractor accident.

I grew up on the family farm bagging pecans, picking peaches and riding on Daddy’s lap as he plowed the fields. But while he worked long hours — and, somehow, helped lead the Southeastern Pecan Growers Association and the local Italian heritage organization, was a Knights of Columbus and hospital board member and a church lectern — I had different dreams.

I read the Mobile Press-Register, which Daddy bought me every Sunday after lunch or dinner out. (I credit “Bubba’s English,” a fixture in that paper, for my pedantry). I watched the local and national news and would use a toy microphone to pretend I was reporting from the scene. I enjoyed music and movies and had interests in singing and acting, and knew that later in life, I would do those things, produce a newspaper, write and illustrate a book, anchor a news broadcast or all five. God blessed me with many talents, as Mom would say.

The farm had been around since the late 1800s, had seen its share of ups and downs, and its survival depended on future generations to continue the tradition, but I recall Daddy’s relentless support.

He bought the stapler, staples, drawing paper and pens, and paid 25 cents for each poorly pasted together or stapled “book” I published between 7 and 10 years old, when I operated Thomas’ Library. It had a mixture of Weekly Reader hardbacks, Berenstain Bears paperbacks, Highlights and Boys’ Life magazines and original works, with a logo marked on each title to deter theft (presumably from my Teddy Ruxpin, Henry plush dog or other suspicious toys.) We often had book fairs for one particularly loyal customer.

Daddy bought my first computer, a Power Macintosh Performa 6116CD, along with an inkjet printer and 28.8 Kbps modem — which he later upgraded to 56Kbps — when I was in the sixth grade. Forget pasted and stapled-together books; I hit the big time and could write family and entertainment news, design and lay it out in ClarisWorks and print it out, just like the pros.

Daddy entered me in our Woodmen of the World branch’s talent shows and paid for my first music collection to keep me singing. Remember those “10 CDs for a penny” advertisements? My brother, Frederick, subscribed to Columbia House and I subscribed to BMG Music Service. That subscription led to the realization that I wanted to be an editor. You see, each service produced a monthly magazine — to get you to order more CDs at full price to fulfill the contract. Well, I recall preferring Columbia House’s publications; the paper was glossier, and the writing and layout were cleaner.

BMG’s top brass should know, I thought.

I was 11 when I mailed BMG a copy of Columbia House’s magazine, along with a folded loose-leaf sheet of handwritten suggestions, with illustrations, for aesthetic improvements. Someone from BMG, who probably already had a bad day before reading my letter, wrote back, and wasn’t kind. (I really should have kept that letter.) Of course, I had the best of intentions — to help BMG improve its magazine and image, and thus improve its business — but received a lesson in humility as I advised on quality assurance without a college degree. Or working for the company  I was advising. But I digress.

Over the years, Daddy allowed me to subscribe to Mac Warehouse to buy all kinds of things for the computer, including an Apple microphone that allowed me to narrate animated GIF and Quicktime movies.

He also bought my first camcorder and tripod. We had a family camcorder forever, and I guess the last one he ever bought was for “the family,” too, but we all knew who used it most. I would use both camcorders to record footage of our dogs and cats, hook them and a stereo up to a VCR and dub music videos of our animals prowling, sunning or playing. That camera had all kinds of cool effects that kids today would yawn at — like dissolve, mosaic, sepia tone and letterbox; yes, that was when camcorders were really coming into their own! — but I loved every second of video production.

I was a junior in high school when my father died. My mom crying, “What happened?” at the back door as a priest delivered the news, along with the gray sweatshirt and black floral pattern skirt she wore are forever etched in memory.

As are the crude cartoons the priest drew on Post Its to illustrate the accident and help it all make sense. He meant no harm, but to my 17-year-old mind, those sketches on the kitchen desk literally turned a tragedy into a cartoon. Still, I know that my brother, who has since joined the priesthood, would never do that to a family. 

Frederick Boni Sr. was respected for his contributions to the community, and it seemed like everyone whose life he touched attended the wake. The funeral home’s chapel didn’t contain nearly enough room for everybody; the seemingly endless crowd left me dizzy, and eternally wondering whether I could achieve such greatness or fill such impossibly big shoes.

My world completely froze, and it didn’t help that I had recurring dreams, at least for a year, that Daddy didn’t die after all; that it was all an illusion or a game, or a secret mission of some sort and he had to go undercover. Waking up became a chore because it meant facing the harsh reality.

Our family has never been the same since that October afternoon. We’re close, call each other daily and share weekly dinners. We have photos, but we’re not so keen on posing for them anymore. And we haven’t shot family videos since 1999. Welcome to the new normal.

However, life goes on, and you have to count your blessings. After all, everything that Daddy purchased for me prepared me for my eight-year-and-running communications career.

And while it’s sad that objects can outlast people, those tangible reminders of love can mean so much for those who are grieving.

For instance, two weeks ago, the tripod we initially used to shoot Sports Editor Randy Dickson’s new “North End Zone Sports Report” (which airs Wednesday evenings on crestviewbulletin.com) seemed rickety, but I not once considered buying a replacement.

On instinct, I drove to Alabama and scoured the house for the tripod Daddy lovingly gave me that final Christmas. Not just any tripod would do; I needed that tripod to shoot the show. I needed a piece of my father to be here, in Florida, with me.

After searching for hours, I was ready to give up. Mom asked if I prayed to St. Anthony to find the lost object; I hadn’t, but thought it couldn’t hurt. So I said a little prayer and, shortly later, Mom remembered where she locked up the camera. Seeing that black leather case that I hadn’t laid eyes on in more than a decade gave hope that the tripod must be nearby, and something led me to the family room cabinets.

While removing stacked ziplock bags of mini VHS cassettes from one cabinet, I glimpsed the tripod’s gold veneer and tears flowed freely as I removed the buried treasure.

That, right there, is why the Louis Richard’s story is so compelling. I lost my father, when I needed him most, and can only cling to objects he once touched or gave me. Hoping he would be proud of me. Hoping I can fill his shoes. Hoping, at some point, our family will unfreeze.

But the Richards have their patriarch, and they celebrate a miracle that occurred in that Oklahoma field every year.

It’s comforting to know that this family has not taken their loved one for granted.

And I hope that their story, and perhaps my story, inspire others to treasure their family members more.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EDITOR’S DESK: Two fathers, two outcomes and the importance of family values

Wednesdays, when things start to quiet down around the newsroom — that is, when we’re not on or working toward deadline — Team News Bulletin has several meetings.

We review recent issues, look at the highlights and lowlights, and we analyze our work and determine how to improve on it. We go over best practices and new best practices, and we chat about what’s coming up in the next edition.

Sometimes, we veer off the itinerary and take a tangent that leads to unexpected inspiration.

The kinds of tangents Sports Editor Randy Dickson and I can go on will surely become legendary among our co-workers. I suggest different writing styles and photo tips that make sense to me but seem foreign to an old-school pro like Randy, who has always done it the same way.

Of course, we all have the same goals — to tell north Okaloosa County’s never-ending story with compelling words and images and, in doing so, bring the community closer together — but we sometimes have different ways of getting there.

Well, a month ago, during one of our debates, we stumbled upon an unexpected path toward inspiration. We agreed that north county residents could use more analysis on upcoming games, and we threw out options for Internet radio broadcasts when it hit us: Why not video?

Soon, excitement swelled — especially for my Radio, TV and Film major heart! — as we started planning a weekly webcast, the “North End Zone Sports Report,” which airs Wednesday evenings on crestviewbulletin.com. (Translation: Whenever one of our associates or I can edit it all together!)

Randy, a lifelong sports fan, has covered north county sports for 13 years, and I’m confident that his previews on high school and college games is unmatched. With his vast knowledge and passion for the Bulldogs and Gators, and my technical know-how with video production, I think we make a great team!

We hope you will, too.

Email Crestview News Bulletin Editor Thomas Boni, tboni@crestviewbulletin.com, or tweet him @cnbeditor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EDITOR'S DESK: New sports webcast to preview games, provide analysis

The past year, the News Bulletin has markedly increased efforts to reach out to the community so we can effectively take its pulse and cover the issues you care about.

Not just with our reporters, who work hard to cover North Okaloosa County and build strong relationships with its residents, but all of us — even us “office dwellers” who don’t get out a lot, and have learned the error of our ways! OK, maybe that’s just referring to me! “Wheeling Wednesdays,” when I drive out and meet with folks, changed that.

But I digress. One way or the other, we try to show how much we care. Every week, in phone calls, emails and on Facebook, we tell you how much we value your opinion.

Last year, we added a dedicated Opinion page that features some of North Okaloosa County’s most thoughtful comments, featuring remarks on your quality of life and the direction you want the communities to take.

And I’ve always beaten the drum that if you submit news to us at least two weeks in advance, and it’s of interest to North Okaloosa, we will get it in the newspaper “in some way, shape or form — guaranteed.”

Well, beginning next week, we’re taking our efforts to get closer to the community even further.

You’re invited to a new monthly series, “Lunch with the News Bulletin,” at noon Oct. 9 at Wild Olive in Crestview. Maybe you don’t want to drive across town to our Ashley Drive headquarters, or maybe you have never written a letter to the editor or asked us for anything. Maybe you’re shy. Maybe you’re not and just want us to come to you.

Well, whatever the case, your wish is our command!

We want to hear what you think, and will be scheduling monthly lunches, potentially at different restaurants with reasonable prices, for the second Wednesday of each month. We’ll keep them posted in our Bulletin Board, exclusively in our print edition, and on our Facebook page.

But for our kickoff next Wednesday, we truly hope to see you there.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EDITOR’S DESK: Have ‘Lunch with the News Bulletin’ Oct. 9 (MAP)

My mother has always said, “As long you’re doing right, nothing else matters.”

Growing up, I understood this adage as a reinforcement of the Ten Commandments, a reminder to strengthen one’s resolve and take the narrow road; I was raised in a loving albeit strict household that both subliminally and bluntly — and seemingly constantly — emanated messages of keeping the faith.

However, in adulthood, I realized that this pearl of wisdom extended beyond our traditional Catholic household and into all areas of life.

Of course, doing what is right often is subjective — as is telling the truth, if you believe perception is reality. Occasionally, local newsmakers praise us for “telling the truth” in an article they find flattering and criticize us for “always not telling the truth,” when they find the article critical. Meanwhile, news organizations merely gather input, in good faith, from as many sources as possible — which is not the same thing as telling the truth since each source holds a different truth.

Sounds like something Oprah would say, about finding and living your own truth, but look around — that’s what people do!

But I digress.

Mom’s saying reminds me that strong people — those who face ridicule and persecution for expressing a belief or supporting an unpopular cause — stand for something. 

The saying comes to mind following community activist Mae Reatha Coleman’s request to remove the Confederate flag flying at the William “Uncle Bill” Lundy Memorial.

Since we reported on that Sept. 9 city council meeting, we’ve received an avalanche of comments on crestviewbulletin.com and our Facebook page. A majority of our most vocal readers supports the Confederate flag, sees it as a symbol of southern pride and says they’d mourn for it if it were removed. Dissenters say flying the flag today means supporting the culture and causes, namely slavery, from earlier times.

For the most part, readers engaged in a civil, robust discussion on a complicated issue. However, some people viciously attacked the messenger and not the message.

I won’t opine on whether the Confederate flag should fly; you’ll see plenty of readers debating that issue on today’s Opinion page. However, let me say that Coleman showed tremendous courage addressing a concern on such a contentious issue.

This week, she’s standing up again, putting feet to pavement and going door to door, requesting donations to save Crestview’s bus routes. The Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners started the month with a 60-day challenge to the Hub City: come up with a plan to help pay for Routes 11 and 12 or lose the routes.

What a difference a week makes. Last week, a number of our readers roundly chastised Coleman for her concerns about the Confederate flag. This week, several have praised her efforts to save Crestview’s most affordable public transportation.

Public reaction also has been hot and cold for Crestview Police Chief Tony Taylor, who has earned the News Bulletin’s admiration for making promises to revive the troubled Crestview PD — and delivering.

Since Taylor took over, the CPD extended administrative office hours to Friday, it further increased transparency with “Coffee with a Cop” and it’s collaborating with the Crestview Fire Department for a Citizens Safety Academy, which will empower residents to help make our community safer. He likely will move the P.J. Adams Parkway dispatch communications center to the Stillwell Avenue administrative office, pending the city’s budget approval, and he’s working on getting the CPD accredited.

Residents lauded such strides until this month, when they learned that Taylor fired two officers who helped falsify police reports, according to an investigation following former Maj. Joseph Floyd’s recent trial and racketeering conviction.

Most of our vocal readers have said the officers were whistleblowers who, despite their earlier actions, saved the police department; they are heroes who should have kept their jobs, supporters say.

However, Taylor did the only thing that he could do to bring respectability back to the Crestview PD. He learned, as he stated in a news release, that the officers’ actions violated CPD, City of Crestview and Florida policies and statutes.

And he did what Floyd didn’t do. He looked at just the facts, didn’t play favorites — unpopular as that action has been — and attached unavoidable consequences to documented actions.

Yes, Mom’s saying reverberates as community leaders have stepped up these past few weeks to do what rings true, facing the challenges and scrutiny that come with taking that narrow road.

Email Crestview News Bulletin Editor Thomas Boni, tboni@crestviewbulletin.com, or tweet him @cnbeditor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EDITOR'S DESK: Standing up for your truth isn’t always easy

A month ago, this column focused on what we all can do, individually, to effect positive change in North Okaloosa County.

As the holidays approach — that phrase seems odd for Sept. 18, but I spied Christmas displays, already, on Monday in the Crestview Cracker Barrel gift shop — we’ll see more opportunities to help the community.

Opportunities like the Mount Zion AME Church children’s coat drive, which organizer Tomyka Muse hopes will provide warmth to 200 local children.

Or FamiliesFirst Network’s pajama drive, which reminds us that something many of us take for granted — sleepwear — can provide a sense of security for children who’ve been abused, neglected and shuffled around.

Some of these opportunities to give a little to help a lot aren’t seasonal but, just as with life, crop up unpredictably.

Like this week’s Boston butt fundraiser for Laurel Hill School bus driver Rhonda Ward, who has cervical cancer.

Or Old Warrior Ranch’s inviting North Okaloosa residents to become a cowboy or cowgirl for a day with its Sept. 29 family fun day benefiting the Crestview YMCA.

Then there are occasions in which we simply must give of our time, and nothing more—but that makes all the difference.

Like Informed Families’ efforts to convince Floridians to put down the smart phones, tablets and remote controls and observe Sept. 23 as “Family Day: A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children.”

Growing up, Mom always said, “The family that prays together stays together.” Eventually, I heard a variation of that saying: “The family that plays together stays together.”

In any case, a family’s closeness correlates with benefits that surpass just staying together. Students’ chances of abusing illegal substances purportedly plummet as the number of family meals increases, according to a decade of studies by Columbia University’s National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.

Ten years and the same result — that’s a significant finding, wouldn’t you say?

The News Bulletin will do its part, too. Not just with stories and commentary that informs and empowers residents to make responsible choices — that reminds me: We are so pleased to introduce you to our newest sponsor and contributor, Crestview financial adviser Joe Faulk, who will help all of us make sense of the household budget. More on Page B4 of today's edition — but we also will set an example with more active involvement in the communities we cover.

Some of our team members will be assisting the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce as it organizes a community showcase of area clubs and organizations to prove that, yes, there’s plenty to do in Crestview.

That should help boost hometown pride and morale.

Between now and Oct. 11, our office is an official FamiliesFirst Network drop-off location for children’s pajamas.  

That will provide a sense of security for foster children living with uncertainty.

For my part, I’m serving as the Crestview Relay For Life’s publicity chairperson. Assisting with this cancer research fundraiser, under event chair Megan Bowersox’s able and exemplary leadership, is a true honor, and an opportunity to mobilize North Okaloosa County to participate in next April’s event and collect as much as we can to find a cure.

That can save lives.

Yes, four weeks ago, this column presented readers the challenge of doing something to effect positive change in our community.

This week, we just want you to know: We are practicing what we preach.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EDITOR'S DESK: To help Crestview, we’re practicing what we preach

The Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners will cut the only bus routes primarily serving Crestview if the city can’t find funding to keep them running.

The board’s Sept. 3 decision gave Crestview 60 days to find a solution to save Routes 11 and 12; one Destin route, which received a similar ultimatum, gets six months.

That won’t mean much to many people reading this, but for a number of residents — including the disabled, senior citizens and lower-income taxpayers — a vital public service hangs in the balance.

Dozens of protestors attended last week’s meeting to support the bus routes, which carry passengers to city hall, the court house, the post office, the library, local schools, the health department, North Okaloosa Medical Center, a number of grocery stores and various residential streets.

Such stops help one man, who, using sign language to express his support, said Okaloosa County Transit, the nonprofit group that operates the buses, allows “… anyone like myself who has low vision (and is) unable to get a driver’s license” to see their friends, get to work and come to public meetings.

One long-time Okaloosa County resident, whose blindness prevents her from driving, said that with four children living in Louisiana and Oklahoma, she depends on the bus.

“Who knows,” she said to the commissioners. “One day, maybe some of you may be standing before a board, asking for something that you need, that makes your life a little bit easier, to not be cut or taken away.”

Ridership on Crestview Route 11 dropped 26 percent the first six months of this year, and those numbers countered Commissioner Wayne Harris’ refrain, “You use it or lost it,” as Harris reminded city planner Eric Davis, who also addressed the board.

“In business, the product or service continuously losing money over several years gets cut,” Harris said.

Fair enough. However, residents relying on the buses don’t see this issue the same way. Those who are new to the area, especially, have few or no options for getting around.

One woman who recently moved here from New York said she initially walked five miles from her 5th Avenue home to her job at Wal-Mart, prior to learning Crestview had bus service. Coworkers eventually told her about the bus routes.

That, to me, says a lot.

Where’s the promotional push for public transportation? Why were new residents unaware of the bus routes?

In other words, is enough being done?

Buses don’t need to exclusively serve the three groups I mentioned earlier in this column. The disabled, senior citizens and lower-income residents can benefit from the service, but so can a cross-section of the community — and that could help with the Hub City’s notorious traffic problem while helping the planet.

Let me explain.

Smart Growth America, a nonprofit coalition that aims to help communities cope with growth economically and effectively, recommends that so-called smart cities have more transportation choices. Smart cities, with help from their local chamber of commerce and other entities, make it a point to promote alternative transportation modes, whether it’s bicycling, walking or taking the bus to school, work — anywhere.

Getting more cars off the road reduces fuel emissions, which helps the environment, and can help families who reportedly spend more than 50 percent of the budget on housing and transportation.

Promoting public transportation to more than people who need it, but also to people who may want it, could be Okaloosa County Transit’s best bet. I’ve seen this work in other cities. Make it hip, get a viral campaign going on the Internet. Figure something out.

But OCT, as a nonprofit, would need business and community support for such a promotional push.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EDITOR'S DESK: County transit could use a hip promotional push