CRESTVIEW — Jackson Hewitt Tax Service and Emerald Coast Hospice partnered to provide Easter gifts for 200 people during their fifth annual 'Basket of Blessings' event. 

They presented baskets to residents at Twin Cities Assisted Living; Stanley House in DeFuniak Springs; and Silvercrest Health and Rehabilitation Center and Crestview Manor, both in Crestview, the week of April 7. The baskets and gift bags contained Kleenex, lotions, shaving cream, razors, brushes, shampoo, combs, snacks, games and puzzles.

But that's not all. 

"This year, our Jackson Hewitt owners, Carl and Carrie Kelley of Muskogee, Oklahoma, wanted to do something special for the residents, and each and every resident (also) received a Jackson Hewitt bag with pajama bottoms and baggy T-shirts, as well as a Jackson Hewitt shirt, to have something comfortable to relax in," a media release stated. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Assisted living residents receive Easter gifts

CRESTVIEW — L-3 Crestview Aerospace began laying off 130 employees from its plant on Thursday, according to Lance Martin, the company spokesman.

Staff reductions resulted from decreased customer workload, the spokesman said. Affected employees will receive severance packages as well as information regarding other L3 job opportunities and unemployment services, he added.

A company representative had reached out to CareerSource Okaloosa/Walton on March 29 to asking the agency to prepare a rapid response team to come to the facility and help employees affected by the layoff. The company representative had requested confidentiality.

CareerSource representatives had dropped off informational packets April 4, but did not hear back from L-3 until Thursday after the layoffs had begun.

The aerostructures group in Crestview manufactures and modifies cabins, fuselages, tail booms and other detailed parts for commercial and military aircraft.

Crestview's location had about 1,000 employees, including mechanics, electricians and logistics and management personnel before the layoffs, according to the company spokesman. Staff reductions span a range of positions, he said.

L-3 Crestview Aerospace was founded in 2006, but its roots trace back to 1964 as Fairchild Industries. The company crafted military planes during the Vietnam War and conducted battle repairs on aircraft.

Thursday was at least the second layoff since the company has been in Crestview. In January 2014, L-3 laid off about 100 employees, which was then described as about 10 percent of its workforce.

There were also rumors of a layoff in 2007 after the company lost a major contract. At that time, employees turned down efforts to unionize.

"I'm very disappointed to hear about that or any closure in our city," Mayor David Cadle said upon hearing the news. "Hopefully these people can get back on their feet quickly and are able to find new jobs to support them."

Employees affected by the latest layoff are encouraged to go to Jacobs.com, an aerospace company with local offices, to apply for jobs.

"We absolutely do have positions open," a company spokesperson said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: UPDATE: Crestview mayor responds to L3 layoffs; employer steps up

CRESTVIEW — The News Bulletin has a winner in its "Funny Bunny" Scrambled Word, Easter-themed contest.

Tawny De La Cantera of Crestview won the April 10 drawing. More than 50 contestants correctly unscrambled all 15 words and turned in the page, as required, to be eligible for the grand prize.

Editor Thomas Boni presented De La Cantera with the prize April 11 at the News Bulletin office. She won an Easter basket containing a stuffed Easter bunny, a chocolate bunny and several candies, courtesy of Walmart; a $25 gift card from Floral Designs; and a John Deere toy tractor from Wise Equipment.

"My son will be more excited about that tractor than the basket; he loves John Deere stuff," De La Cantera said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview woman wins 'Funny Bunny' contest

CRESTVIEW — L3 Crestview Aerospace began laying off 130 employees from its Crestview facility on Thursday, according to a company spokesman.

Staff reductions result from decreased customer workload, the spokesman said. Affected employees will receive severance packages, as well as information regarding other L3 job opportunities and unemployment services, he added.

The aerostructures group in Crestview manufactures and modifies cabins, fuselages, tail booms and other detailed parts for commercial and military aircraft.

Crestview's location had about 1,000 employees including aircraft mechanics, electricians and logistics and management personnel before layoffs. Staff reductions will involve a range of positions.

L3 Crestview Aerospace was created in 2006, but its roots trace back to 1964 as Fairchild Industries. The company crafted military planes during the Vietnam War and conducted battle repairs on aircraft.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: L3 lays off 130 employees

CRESTVIEW—When Jennifer Jackson created the Facebook group Crestview Citizens for Change, she wanted to make a space for city and nearby county residents to share ideas and form a more active role in local politics.

“It started almost as a joke in response to [City Councilman Joe] Blocker’s response to the Mason-Dixon study,” Jackson said. “Since then, it’s taken a life of its own.”

Blocker submitted a response to Larry Harris and Mason-Dixon Polling and Research, who completed a citywide study showing Crestview was at a “great risk”, to the News Bulletin on March 27. Blocker believed the presentation to be an “attack” presented with an “offensive approach” to the city and leaders.

Crestview Citizens for Change formed the next day.

“People are pretty frustrated with the lack of growth and it seems like our leaders are stuck in the 1950s,” Jackson said. “This isn’t some kind of modern-day Mayberry,” she added, a reference to the fictional town featured in TV's "The Andy Griffith Show."

A mother of young children, Jackson personally wants to see more places to spend her money locally and additional outlets for her children to play and be entertained.

Jackson’s family moved to the north end of Okaloosa County about 15 years ago after residing in Fort Walton Beach. However, dollars she’d like to put into Crestview go to Pensacola, Destin and other neighboring cities with more businesses.

“Crestview has grown in population and it will continue to do so but it doesn’t seem urgent enough for City Council to bring in businesses to keep money here,” Jackson said.

Jackson has found it challenging to become directly involved civically with Crestview, living outside of the city limits. And she’s not alone.

“There’s a lot of us that moved to Crestview, wanting to be in this city but it wasn’t at the forefront of our minds that many of the homes here aren’t actually in Crestview,” she said. “We’re frustrated because we feel like we don’t have a voice.”

The issue was discussed at a March 30 town hall meeting hosted by City Councilman J.B. Whitten, which Jackson attended. Whitten encouraged those living outside city lines to still voice their concerns at City Council meetings, in addition to their county commissioners.

“We might not be in the city lines but we still live here,” Jackson said of people who fall under the governance of Okaloosa County but still spend money in Crestview and use its services. She’d like to see the city open the annexation process to make it easier for residents like herself to join Crestview.

The group hosted a meeting April 9 to discuss the upcoming City Council meeting on government restructuring scheduled for April 24. Jackson said members of the group have expressed the need to shuffle the city’s current system to make it more efficient.

“We understand it’s not going to be a quick fix but we have to get the ball rolling,” she said. The group is working to spread the word about the meeting and encourage people to voice their opinions to the City Council.

“Right now, people are frustrated,” Jackson said.

Jackson said she’s never been engaged in local politics and believes the same is true for other people in the group. But after seeing a lack of growth, according to Jackson, she believed this was the opportunity to become active and have her voice heard.

“When I go to the south part of the county and tell them I live in Crestview, you know what I hear? ‘Oh, Cres-tucky,’” she said. “I want to give my children a place to grow up that they can be proud of.”

Crestview has that opportunity, according to Jackson.

The Facebook group has nearly 350 members as of Monday afternoon, most of whom joined after the town hall meeting. Posts include contact information for city leaders, email templates, city council meeting information, various public documents and discussions on topics concerning growth.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'Right now, people are frustrated'

CRESTVIEW—The city of Crestview heard updates about economic potential during Monday’s City Council meeting.

The Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County presented its quarterly report to city officials and Executive Director Nathan Sparks applauded Crestview officials for what he believed to be significant efforts at bolstering the city’s economy.

“Crestview is a good city, aspiring to be great,” Sparks said. He opened his presentation by expressing disagreement with Larry Harris and Mason-Dixon Polling Research, who gave a dismal report on the city’s economic future earlier this year.

Sparks insisted the city “has a lot of potential” and that it’s “heading in the right direction,” despite the need for some improvements.

The EDC is a non-profit organization that facilitates growth, retention and expansion of select target industries in Okaloosa County. These industries include manufacturing, aerospace and those that “move the needle” or offer high-paying, skilled jobs, according to Sparks.

There are 24 projects the EDC is actively working on to bring jobs and industry to Crestview, Sparks said. However, he couldn’t disclose what each of those projects was due to confidentiality agreements. The projects could include companies that are committed to moving to Crestview or ones considering the area among a pool of possibilities.

Four of these projects include an expansion of Okaloosa County operations, according to Sparks. The furthering of local businesses is the EDC’s first priority, he added. Sixteen of the projects were “locally generated” as opposed to ones stemming from regional or state partners.

Although the EDC doesn’t focus on retail or restaurant development, Councilman Doug Faircloth asked for Sparks’ insight on how these investors select a city for expansion. Companies look for per capita income levels, the number of people who shop in the city and the success levels of other businesses in the area, Sparks said.

Faircloth asked if consumers play a role in a company's decision to move to an area by dictating if they spend their money at local establishments. Those decisions are a portion of the equation, Sparks responded.

“How well [local businesses] do factors into other future decisions,” Sparks said.

He suggested the city be responsive and use comprehensive data sets to help lure companies to the area.

This was supported by data presented by Sparks that showed the top three demographics businesses were looking at in Crestview were consumer spending, wages and housing. This information was compiled using web traffic data on the website www.okaloosasites.com, which details available office, industrial and retail space in Okaloosa County.

Despite claims of success, Crestview was the least researched community, behind the EDC’s four other partner cities, according to the same data. Detailed reports on the website were requested 17 times for both Valparaiso and Destin, 13 times for Fort Walton Beach, 10 times for Niceville and eight times for Crestview. There were 25 general county report requests.

Councilman J.B. Whitten requested a summary of how certain data was collected concerning average commute times but no further questioning regarding research or findings were asked.

The council heavily scrutinized other presentations of economic and industry data from Retail Strategies and Mason-Dixon Polling and Research.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: City receives mixed report on industry growth

CRESTVIEW — The City of Crestview will have an Easter egg hunt. Participants should bring a basket and a camera.

Three hunts by age group are scheduled 9:30 a.m. through noon April 15 at Twin Hills Park, 100 Hathaway St. S., Crestview, as follows:

• Ages 0-3 is 9:30 a.m. on the small soccer field.
• Ages 4-6 is 10:15 a.m. on the football field.
• Ages 7-12 starts at 11 a.m. on the football field.

Call 682-4715 for more information.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Easter egg hunts set

Here are upcoming Crestview Public Library-related events. The library's address is 1445 Commerce Drive.

FREE TAX PREPARATION AND FILING: by appointment 2-6 p.m. Mondays, and first come, first served 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, through April 18.

FAMILY LIBRARY TIME: Events for ages 4 and up at the Crestview library include:

●6:30-7:15 p.m. April 18: Nonie's Ark visit. Registration limited to first 30 children.

AGES 3-5 LIBRARY CLASS: 10:15 a.m. Tuesdays, Crestview library. Topics are April 25, Environmental Center Field Trip; and May 2 and 9, Praiseworthy Parents.

FIRST TUESDAY TALK: 10:30 a.m. May 2 at the library. "Save a Rainy Day: Water Conservation with Rain Barrels," with Sheila Dunning, Horticulture Agent with the University of Florida/Okaloosa County Extension Service. Attendees will be entered into a drawing for a demonstration rain barrel made during this free class.

ARTIST RECEPTION AND REFRESHMENTS: 6-7:30 p.m. May 2, at the library. Rebecca Lu Kiernan's "Spellbinder" painting exhibit will be featured on the gallery wall May 1 through June 30.

NORTH OKALOOSA COUNTY ORGANIZATIONS EXPO: 5-8 p.m. Aug. 7, at the library. Learn about and network with North Okaloosa clubs, organizations, nonprofits and social agencies. Refreshments courtesy of Friends of the Crestview Public Library. Email Rae Schwartz, bakerny@yahoo.com, to reserve a spot as an organization.

READ TO DOZER: First Saturdays, 10-11 a.m.; for children ages 4 and up.

COFFEE & CRAFT: 10 a.m. second Saturdays, Crestview library. Call 682-4432 to reserve your spot.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Public Library events

The 24th edition of the Government Assistance Almanac gives users updated information on all available federal domestic assistance programs.

These programs represent nearly $2 trillion worth of federal assistance earmarked for distribution to consumers, children, parents, veterans, senior citizens, students, businesses, civic groups, state and local agencies, and others.

The book covers every program described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, but in a format that is much more understandable and accessible to the general reader. It condenses the information in the federal catalog to the essentials needed by those seeking federal assistance.

More than 2,000 programs are covered in this new 2017 edition.

Each program listing includes:

•Federal program number and title

•Types of assistance available

•Program objectives and permissible use of the funds

•Eligibility factors for applicants and beneficiaries

•Range and average amounts awarded

•Summary of recent activity

•Contact information for program headquarters and websites for more information

This conveniently organized directory presents all the essential information needed for those seeking to identify and obtain grants, loans, insurance, subsidies, fellowships, scholarships, traineeships, and other financial and non-financial assistance.

SPECIAL FEATURES

•More than 2,000 entries describe federal programs that provide assistance.

•Websites are included for all programs and references to legislation authorizing government assistance.

•Summary Tables provide four-year comparisons of federal assistance by agency, department, and administrative unit, with details on the 50 largest and the 50 smallest programs in the current year.

•The Field Office Contacts section provides addresses and telephone numbers for more than 3,000 field offices.

•The Agency Index lists all federal administrative units and sub-units, which helps those searching specifically for administrative entities.

•The Master Index is especially user-friendly, with extensive referencing and cross-referencing that ensures multiple points of access to each entry.

Because this book is in the reference area and not available for checkout, it will always be handy here at the library. Come explore its amazing amount of information.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Almanac provides government assistance details

CRESTVIEW — Donn R. Colee Jr., author of "Towers in the Sand," has scheduled a presentation and book signing.

The Crestview Historical Preservation Board and the Baker Block Museum are sponsoring the event, which is 6-7:30 p.m. April 13 at the Crestview Public Library, 1445 Commerce Drive.

Colee's book tells the history of Florida broadcasting, the radio and television stations, and the events that built an industry and a state. From the 1920s land rush through the Great Depression, the book chronicles hurricanes, the post-war boom, local TV stars, rock 'n' roll, heroes and scalawags, deregulation, the Internet and an uncertain future.

The presentation features stories from WJSB/WAAZ's Jimmy Whitaker; former Crestview mayor, station owner and newsman Jerry Milligan; W.D. "Cooter" Douglass; and Clayton W. Mapoles, among others.

Colee is a seventh-generation Floridian and second-generation Florida broadcaster who began his career as a teenage disc jockey at Orlando's top-rated rock 'n' roll radio station.

In 1971, after service in the U.S. Navy, he moved to Palm Beach County and joined his father's advertising and public relations firm.

In 1988, Colee resumed his broadcasting career at WPEC CBS 12 in West Palm Beach, working in marketing, community relations, programming, and senior management positions. He took early retirement from the station in 2009 to finish his book and serve as a nonprofit fundraising consultant.

He is a member of the Florida Association of Broadcasters and the Florida Historical Society.

He is also an avid fisherman and serves on the board of the historic West Palm Beach Fishing Club.

He and his wife, Martha, reside in Palm Beach Gardens. They have three grown children and six grandchildren.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Presentation on Florida radio history, book signing scheduled