Joshua Ryles’ family remembers him as a smart, loving and exuberant child who cared for everyone he met and enjoyed the outdoors.

The 3-year-old, born July 27, 2013, died in a tragic accident June 18. He jumped out of the back of a truck and was run over by the trailer it was towing. The incident, which happened late Sunday morning on a sod farm near Baker, is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.

Joshua died at his favorite place, according to his mother.

"Josh loved the outdoors; he loved being outside. His favorite place in the world was his dad’s farm in Baker,” Jessica Johnpeer said. “He would go up there a lot and ride the four-wheeler with his dad (Chris) and ride the tractors.

“His dad had a water truck that he would water the grass with, and he loved to be on that and watch the water shoot out.”

According to Jessica, Joshua loved music and dancing.

“Not going to lie, rap music was his favorite,” Jessica said. “One of his favorite things to do was wear girls’ shoes. He had a pair of his sister’s gold boots that he called his dancing boots. From the time he was less than 2 years old, he would put on our shoes and walk around the house.”

Joshua had attended preschool at Noah’s Ark in Valparaiso, which he loved, according to his mother, since September 2016.

“He was one of those kids who was rambunctious and crazy and he never sat still, ever,” Jessica said. “A lot of kids (get into trouble) at 3, but even when he was doing something wrong and you’re trying to get on to him, he would just come over and he would giggle and say, ‘huggies, huggies,’ with his hands out, and he would hug you and you just couldn’t be mad at him.”

Jessica said that Joshua was a prankster and loved to play tricks on people. He had a 2-year-old brother, Ethan; a 7-year-old sister, McKenna; and a 13-year-old brother, Aden.

“He liked to annoy McKenna more than anything,” Jessica said.

Joshua loved animals almost as much as he loved people. Jessica said there was a dog that would regularly come by their apartment, and he would always beg his mother to let the dog inside.

“I had taken him to the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge Zoo in Crestview about a month ago, and he absolutely loved it,” Jessica said. “He loved seeing the animals but then, of course, being the little sweet lover that he is, about halfway into it, he started asking questions about why the animals were by themselves and if they were sad and if they missed their family.”

According to his parents, Joshua was always caring for other people. Jessica said that she fractured her arm in April and he stayed with his dad for six weeks during this time because of her injury.

“The whole time that he was gone, every time he would talk to me, he would say, ‘Is your arm feeling better?’” Jessica said.

“That was actually the last thing he said to me. He was always worried about other people.”

Joshua’s favorite things to eat were biscuits and French fries, according to Jessica; particularly the biscuits from Danny’s Fried Chicken in Niceville.

“When he would smile real big, his eyes would squint; he had one little dimple, and he had some huge feet,” Jessica said. “He wasn’t exactly coordinated with balls or anything, but that kid would wrestle. I’ve never met a kid as tough as him. He could knock his head, fall down, and he would get right back up.”

Joshua also liked to pretend, or “retend,” as he would call it, Jessica said.  

And, according to his mother, Joshua had an active imagination.

“He was very smart — too smart for his own good,” she said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'He would hug you and you just couldn’t be mad at him'

CRESTVIEW — Classroom and warehouse facilities are under construction at 5693 John Givens Road.

Mark Siner, with Choctaw Engineering, the engineering firm hired for the project, said Munitions Technology is behind the development. The government-contracted company specializes in ammunition and training aids.

The building will be used as a training facility for civilian purposes, according to Rick Rausch of Triple R Construction, the company hired to construct the facility.

Rausch said the facility will be 4,000 square feet and should be completed within the next 30 days.

John Givens Road is within the jurisdiction of Okaloosa County, therefore the county’s building department handles its licensing. According to Melissa Martinez, a planner with the Growth Management department, the application Triple R Construction submitted only states that it is for a classroom addition and a warehouse addition, with no further information.

“From what I understand, whatever products they sell, they wanted to have some room to bring people in to have marketing presentations and things like that,” Siner said.

“When we say it’s a classroom, we are defining it as a big open space … Part of it is going to be warehouse space for them to store their product.”

Building permits for the adjacent address, 5692 John Givens Road, show the first permit Munitions Technology filed on Jan. 14, 2015 was to add three additional walls for offices.

The company added three more walls in late January 2015 and remodeled restrooms in a warehouse in 2016.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Ammunition training coming to John Givens Road

CRESTVIEW — Air Force Airmen Zackary W. Brittain and Kyla N. Turner, and Air Force Reserves Airman 1st Class Samuel I. Hunter graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.

The airmen completed eight weeks' training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

Basic training graduates earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.

Brittain earned distinction as an honor graduate. He is the son of Janna L. Brittain and grandson of Bradley Olgaard of Crestview. He is a 2016 graduate of Choice High School, Fort Walton Beach.

Hunter's parents are David Hunter of Pensacola, and Marilyn Hunter of Laurel Hill, Fla., and his sister is Autumn Griffin of Boston, Georgia. He is a 2015 graduate of Pisgah High School, Canton, North Carolina.

Turner's parents are Christopher Turner of Lakeland, and Dewana G. Turner of Baker, and her grandparents are Pete and Kathy Everett of Niceville.  She is a 2015 graduate of Baker School, Baker.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Brittain, Hunter and Turner graduate from basic military training

CRESTVIEW — When Weston Hinshaw and his mom, Ashley, stopped by the Crestview Police Department June 20, he thought they’d just be dropping off a donation of gently-loved stuffed animals for police officers to give to troubled kids.

Instead, he ended up having what he afterward called, “the best day ever” as Deputy Chief Rick Brown gave the 7-year-old a personally guided tour of the Stillwell Boulevard police station.

Wes, as his mom calls him, met police officers, learned how evidence is secured, saw the peaceful chapel where officers can meet with chaplains or have quiet meditative time, met a prospective officer recruit, and explored the agency’s rescue vehicle.

The opportunity to climb in the back, give a blast on the vehicle’s siren and see its multitude of emergency and flood lights added some dazzle to Wesley’s unexpected tour. Standing next to the vehicle’s bullet-resistant tires, he was amazed to see they were nearly as big in diameter as he was tall.

“He said on the ride home, ‘Mama, I just can't stop smiling,’” Ashley said. “‘This is the best day ever!’”

During his tour, Wes met Investigator Shawn Temple, one of the Police Department’s training officers and S.W.A.T. team leaders, who guided him around the vehicle bay. There, Wes saw mobile command and crime scene vehicles, the agency’s patriotically-decorated Humvee, and patrol bicycles that are even equipped with flashing emergency lights.

While Wes was impressed with everything he saw, the Police Department was more

impressed by the boy’s generosity.

“That’s a pretty big thing you’re doing for other kids,” Brown told Wes as he accepted the overstuffed bag of toys before conducting the tour.

“Wes absolutely loved it,” Ashley said. “It's a pleasure to help the (police) team in any way we can.”

The Crestview Police Department Patrol and Community Services divisions welcome toy donations.

Clean, gently loved stuffed animals are distributed among police officers who give them to children experiencing difficult times, such as parental disputes or being rescued after having been lost.

 New, unused toys in their original packages are distributed during the Cops For Kids annual Christmas toy hand out.

Toys may be brought to the Police Department headquarters in the Whitehurst Municipal Building, 201 Stillwell Blvd.

Call 682-3544 for information.

TOY DONATIONS

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: ‘The best day ever!

CRESTVIEW — Attendees at the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce’s Installation and Awards Banquet on Thursday will see that Crestview is “Like No Other Place You Know.”

Christie Cadenhead, the chamber’s chairman-elect, chose “Like No Other Place You Know” as her administration’s theme.

“That is something important to me: being a hometown chamber,” Cadenhead said. “It just had a good ring to it. This is like no other place you know, because there really is no place that’s as awesome as Crestview.”

Cadenhead is the assistant vice president of Community Bank. She said she grew up in Crestview, has family in town and is raising her child here; those are her favorite things about the Hub City.

“I’ve been able to grow in my career here, and just the fact that we have a chamber like this where people can come together and network and have dinner and socialize is something you wouldn’t get in a big city,” Cadenhead said.

Although there are important logistics that go into the function of the chamber, Cadenhead said her main goal for the year is to have fun.

“Growing membership, strengthening our financials and having a good relationship between the city, and the paper, and the chamber, Main Street Association — and all of these organizations that are doing so much for our town, we should really remain united,” Cadenhead said. “That is important to me — but I think that if we are having a good time around here, all of those things will happen naturally.”

The banquet starts at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail social, and the dinner and award ceremony will begin at 6 p.m.

Dinner will be catered by Boudreaux’s; seats are $40 per person or $400 for a table, and they will be selling seats at the door, according to Cadenhead.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview chamber's new board chairman sets administration's theme

CRESTVIEW— Local children can bowl at no charge this summer at Shoal River Bowling Center.

The bowling center takes part in a national program called Kids Bowl Free. Children who register with the program at kidsbowlfree.com can bowl two games for free per day during June, July and August. 

According to Grady Rathel, an employee at the bowling center, kids can bowl for free in Crestview and at their sister center, Fort Walton Beach Bowl. The only amount the children have to pay is $3 for shoe rental.

“It’s been bringing quite a bit of business,” Rathel said last week. “We’ve been staying pretty busy. That’s all I’ve been ringing up all day long…”

There is another option when registering: parents can receive a family pass, and parents can bowl two free games with their children, according to Rathel.

Although this deal saves families money, the bowling center is still making funds through other means. 

“We ring it up, we get credits for sales,” Rathel said. “If you get moms and dads to come bowling, they are going to eat, they are going to drink, and so then we make money at our snack bar facility. 

"The more you bring, the more you feed, the more money you have to spend.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Did you know kids can bowl free all summer?

CRESTVIEW — Friends of a Paxton man requiring a liver transplant are working to raise funds needed for the operation.

Members of the Thomas A. McQueen Masonic Lodge in Paxton, including Steven Colson and James Adams, met last week to discuss funding ideas for their fellow Mason, 70-year-old Randall Harrison.

While they will have various community fundraisers, the Masons started a Gofundme page, https://www.gofundme.com/randall-harrison-support, to assist with medical costs. 

"It's beyond our means to come up with the amount of cash he needs. Anything is better than nothing. We don't have a set amount, (so we're) just trying to be proactive and start raising the money because he doesn't have any income coming in right now," Colson, a Crestview resident, said.

Harrison, a mechanic and owner of a garage in Paxton, received a diagnosis of (nonalcoholic) cirrhosis of the liver in April.

He has been unable to work due to swelling and weakness caused by the condition.

Adams said Harrison had had stents put in his heart and was doing well with those. 

But five weeks later, "He started having problems with his liver and then just started deteriorating rapidly after that. He declined super fast," Adams said, adding it was to the point where a doctor described his condition as being "in the 9th inning with two outs."

TESTING

Harrison and his wife, Pam, left June 15 to go to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. The series of tests Randall undergoes there will help doctors further assess his condition. 

"They've got to make sure, if he gets approved for the transplant, that his body can take it," Pam Harrison said. "They're doing bloodwork, scans, X-rays and all."

There are several stages to the testing, and the couple also has to go to educational classes throughout the two weeks.

As far as exactly how much it will cost, the Harrisons won't have a number until Friday.

"I know that they told us that Medicare will pay 80 percent and the rest is going to be 20 percent. They're talking like $20,000 that we would have to pay. And that's not even talking about the medication he will need after the transplant takes place if he's approved," Pam Harrison said.

The Masons said Harrison has been a pillar of support for people across Northwest Florida, and ask that they do what they can to help financially with Harrison's current situation.

"He needs a liver transplant. He needs the transplant or he's going to die. That's just cut and dried," Colson said.

"The insurance will cover a certain amount … but whatever the difference is he's got to pay it, (so) I was just trying to get that Gofundme thing in front of as many people as possible."

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'It's beyond our means'

THE QUESTION

“I was wondering… what was being built by the Teacher’s Credit Union on the north side of town?” – Crestview resident

THE ANSWER

A Waffle House is being constructed on North Ferdon Boulevard next to the Okaloosa County Teachers Federal Credit Union, according to Teresa Gaillard, Crestview’s growth management director; however, it is being built within county limits.

According to Tim Durbin, a planner for Okaloosa County’s growth management department at Crestview’s planning office, the completion date is still unknown.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU 

Crestview will have a third Waffle House location; there is currently a location on South Ferdon Boulevard and another on West James Lee Boulevard.

 —

Clarification: The business will be built on property within county limits, not county property as initially reported.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Third Waffle House location in development

Editor’s Note: This continues our Celebrate Community series on nonprofit organizations that improve North Okaloosa County residents’ quality of life.

CRESTVIEW — The Walton Okaloosa Council on Aging has a new senior center in Crestview, and an open house is scheduled to celebrate the occasion.

For area residents age 60 and up, and their caregivers, the open house is 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 22 at 292 Oakdale Ave. W, Crestview.

Council services are provided at nine centers in Okaloosa and Walton counties. The nonprofit's program's funding comes from the Florida Department of Elder Affairs through the Northwest Florida Area Agency on Aging, according to Council Director Kay Brady.

"We have 250 clients in Okaloosa County. Some of them get services daily, some of them get services a couple of times a week," Brady said.

The council provides activities such as bingo and trivia, and serves meals Monday through Friday in Crestview. 

"We can also provide transportation, so we bring people in from Baker, we bring people in from Crestview, and some of the ones up in Laurel Hill, because Paxton is closer, they just go over to the Paxton one," she said. 

"The main benefit of that service is this: They get out of their homes, they socialize. They have a hot meal that they don't have to cook. They have input on their menus and have some say in what they would like on their menus, but it mainly gets them out and gets them socializing," Brady said.

Having that say in center meals gives seniors more flexibility and more input.

"One of our caregiver programs allows the individual to get reimbursed and use it where they need. Whereas if they use a vendor, they have schedules, but we have one caregiver program that they hire their own people, so if they need to go out on a date Saturday night with their husband, they can have someone come in."

Additional council programs include Meals on Wheels; housekeeping; personal care; respite; and companionship.

Brady said the respite program provides personnel who keep an eye on an elderly loved one while their caregiver handles things like grocery shopping, doctor's appointments and other personal needs.

"We also have a grandparent program where we can help grandparents with some of the cost for things such as babysitting (and0 after-school childcare" when that grandparent is named a guardian for children, Brady said.

Call 423-7320, 892-8165, or the Area Agency on Aging Resource Center at 866-531-8011, or visit www.wocoa.net for more information on the nonprofit.

The council's program includes these services for seniors age 60 and older:

• Meals on Wheels
• Weekday meals and educational programs
• Shopping assistance
• Light housekeeping
• personal care
• respite care
• case management for clients who need additional assistance
• social activities
• a loan closet for medical and non-medical supplies

Services for all community residents:

• A loan closet for medical and non-medical supplies
• Referrals for Medicare programs and legal aid
• helping seniors finish paperwork for Medicaid, SNAP food vouchers, etc.
• Emergency Energy Assistance for the Elderly, which helps those over 60 pay for utility bills after late or pending disconnect notices, and propane tanks

Source: www.wocoa.net

Walton Okaloosa Council on Aging services

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Council on Aging gets permanent location

If you could travel anywhere in the world this year, where would you go? Do you need some ideas?

Thanks to our Friends of the Crestview Library group, we just added 60 new travel guides to the collection. Most of the new titles are from DK Eyewitness Travel, whose motto is, "Your bucket list starts here."

For decades, the guides have helped travelers experience the world through the history, art, architecture and culture of their destinations. Expert travel writers and researchers provide independent editorial advice, recommendations, and reviews for these highly visual travel guides.

Thousands of photographs, maps and custom illustrations bring each destination to life, while in-depth cultural and historical information ensures you know the stories behind the sights.

The beautiful glossy pictures and fascinating behind-the-scenes insights make DK Eyewitness Travel Guides a wonderful read — even if you have no intention of being anything but an armchair traveler!

 Be sure to also check out the Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Collections of electronic resources on the Online Tools tab of our website or at www.flelibrary.org under "All Resources."

This collection provides access to journals, magazines and trade publications that cover topics including the cultural and economic aspects of travel and tourism, and the historical and current state of affairs in these industries. The curious traveler will find a wealth of information, from contents on state parks and information on planning a vacation to full-text Fodor's travel guides.

So as Mark Twain said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Sandra Dreaden is the Crestview Public Library's reference librarian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: These travel guides provide comprehensive information