CRESTVIEW — Applicants were fewer at this year’s North Okaloosa Veterans and Florida Manufacturing Career Expo.

But that’s a good sign, recruiters said.

“That means the economy is getting better,” InDyne personnel assistant Patty Ross said. “But if we walk away with even one good hire, we’re happy.”

More than two hours after the fair’s 9 a.m. start Thursday, only 70 applicants, many of them veterans or military members about to separate from the service, had walked through the Crestview Community Center doors.

Previous years have seen several hundred applicants on the floor within the first couple hours.

But for job seekers such as Nicki Ogle, who was scouting opportunities for her active duty husband at the Troops to Teachers table, the slow pace allowed an opportunity to spend more time with a potential employer.

“My husband is separating soon and he’d make an awesome teacher,” she said as recruiter Carolyn Sutton gave Ogle recruiting materials and registration instructions to share with her husband.

SERVICES PLUS JOBS

In addition to employers, attendees found a variety of veterans services and educational opportunities.

“This is what makes us a little different than other job fairs,” CareerSource Okaloosa Walton’s Liz Westby said. “We have it all.”

The fair was part of a statewide series of job recruitment events emphasizing careers in manufacturing, “but we found a strictly manufacturing job fair doesn’t do real well in this area,” Westby said.

One area business, Holt-based Certified Manufacturing, was hoping for exactly the sort of new-hire a manufacturing job fair might attract.

“We are very, very busy,” Director of Administration Michelle Rasbeck said. “We had to open up our third building that we were using for a warehouse for production.”

BACK TO SCHOOL

University of West Florida military veterans coordinator Deborah Cluff said many veterans are seeking to return to college after separating.

“We’ve had quite a bit of interest both for jobs with the university and for education,” Cluff said.

While most of the 39 recruiters represented local companies, some gladly offered positions throughout the region and the state.

“We have 1,700 vacancies throughout Florida and about 400 in our region,” Sgt. Paul Pollak of the Florida Department of Corrections said. “If you want to work in Miami, I can get you to Miami.”

Pollak said his department particularly likes hiring veterans because their training is perfectly suited for jobs as a corrections officer.

“We roll out the red carpet for our veterans,” he said. “We love our military applicants: they’re boots-on-the-ground ready. They’re my dream applicant.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview job fair sees fewer applicants

CRESTVIEW — In our military community, Father’s Days often roll around to find many local dads deployed abroad with the armed forces or military contractors.

Families understand their fathers’ and husbands’ jobs require them to be gone during certain times of the year, and have developed ways to cope with their absence until they return home, including having a cyber “presence.”

Here are some local families’ suggestions.

Deanna Perry

Husband: Dustin Perry

Children: Hannah, 10, Gunnar, 6, and Gentry, 4

“One year we went to the beach and he was able to Skype with us while we were on the beach,” Perry said of her husband. “I had him on the phone and it was like he was really there. He got to be on the beach with us. I would take (the kids) to do things they liked to do with Daddy, like take them to the fishing hole. Skyping is the main thing, taking time to spend time with him. We had ‘daddy dolls,’ too.”

Kristal Petruzzi

Husband: Tony Petruzzi

Children: Jasper, 16, and Jonas, 10

“We visit with my mom and dad and with my family,” she said, referring to how she and their sons cope with her husband’s absence. “We Skype back and forth if he has the ability. We take pictures most everywhere we go and send them to him. If we go to the movies we take pictures of us in front of the movie poster. We love road trips, so we take pictures wherever we go. We try to act like he’s still here with us.”

Nicole Weaver

Husband: Andrew Weaver

Children: Zoe, 11, Jonathan, 10, Benjamin, 8, and Lily 6

“We Skype a lot so the kids can tell Daddy what's new or going on in their lives,” she said. “Paint pictures for Daddy! And try to have the same routine as we usually have when Daddy is home. We spend more time together because only one parent is home. Every Wednesday we have a game night!”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: When Daddy's deployed: Crestview military wives' Father's Day advice

CRESTVIEW — Residents here know the drone of aircraft over Bob Sikes Airport is the sound of what some have called the area’s economic engine.

Candidates for regional, state and federal offices are learning that, too.

Laurel Hill resident Dennis Mitchell, a former Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce president and Crestview Technology Air Park’s project executive, voluntarily conducts area economic tours for candidates.

“It has been somewhat of a hobby of mine for the past three years,” Mitchell said. “It helps them find out about the economic engines that drive our community.”

Destinations include Bob Sikes Airport and several of its tenants, such as C-TAP and fixed-base operator Emerald Coast Aviation, area manufacturers and educational institutions.

RECENT ‘TOURISTS’

Mitchell’s most recent “tourists” — James Zumwalt and Jayer Williamson, running for U.S. House District 1 and Florida house District 3 respectively — visited June 2.

They began their day at the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting, where they met local business, civic and education leaders.

Their tour included Bob Sikes Airport with a stop at Sunshine Aero Flight Test. Owner Bob Keller’s work in aerial defense equipment testing is often an eye-opener.

“Visitors are completely surprised at the impact this company has on the region,” Mitchell said.

REGULAR STOPS

Other stops on Mitchell’s tours often include:

●Emerald Coast Aviation, the airport’s fixed-base operator, and its new terminal facility

●Florida A&M University’s Durell Peaden Jr. Center, downtown Crestview’s pharmacy school

●Certified Manufacturing, a Holt company producing electronics and components for aviation and defense clients

●Businesses in the Okaloosa Business Air Park adjacent to Bob Sikes Airport

●American Elite Molding, formerly Bay State Cable Ties, also near Bob Sikes Airport.

Mitchell said Zumwalt and Williamson’s lunchtime conversation typified comments he hears during his tours.

“Lunch at … Casbah (Coffee Company) was filled with talk by both men about how little they really had known about Crestview, even with their long tenure of residence in the Panhandle,” Mitchell said. “I assured them they were not alone.”

EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCES

“I can’t thank Dennis enough,” Zumwalt said. “When I lived in Niceville, I was very aware of Crestview, but when I returned and looked at it through the prism of a political candidate, it fits nicely with my assessment of its potential.

“Everyone is fully aware of the importance of protecting our military, our tourism and our agriculture, but the fourth leg of the barstool is manufacturing. Crestview is a powder keg just waiting to burst with possibilities.”

Former Destin Mayor Mel Ponder, a candidate for Florida House District 4, said he knew Crestview as the Okaloosa County seat, but after touring with Mitchell, was impressed with the community’s business strengths.

“It definitely opened my eyes to the assets that are on the ground there and up and running,” Ponder said. “Every single stop we made was amazing. (Mitchell’s tour) adds tremendous value to not only knowing about the existing operations there but to the potential it has for more economic growth.”

“What manufacturers are looking for are favorable tax codes, a good workforce, a state where the workforce would be happy, cheap land, infrastructure and room to grow — and Crestview hits all those marks,” Zumwalt said.

“What I saw there in Crestview got me thinking, when we lay the groundwork to bring manufacturing back to the United States, we have to direct toward it Northwest Florida.”

NO POLITICAL AGENDA

Mitchell said his tours follow no political agenda, party or ideology.

“These tours are aimed solely at providing candidates with facts and figures that may be useful to them in the future concerning policy issues,” Mitchell said. “It has been a mutually gratifying experience for both the business leaders and all of the candidates that have been visiting our area.”

Even if his tourists aren’t elected to offices they seek, Mitchell said as civic and community leaders, the knowledge they glean during a fact-finding trip around North Okaloosa County can benefit the area in the future.

“Each one of these candidates who’ve taken the time, and interest, to learn about our region invariably has become an ambassador for the quality of the Crestview  area,” Mitchell said.

WANT A TOUR?

Candidates of any party for office who are not from Crestview and want to learn more about the area’s economic drivers can contact Dennis Mitchell, dennismitchell@fairpoint.net, for facility tours and information.

Candidates of any party for office who are not from Crestview and want to learn more about the area’s economic drivers can contact Dennis Mitchell, dennismitchell@fairpoint.net, for facility tours and information.

WANT A TOUR?

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Candidates tour Crestview's economic hotspots: 'It opened my eyes'

NAVARRE — A Pace couple have minor injuries and a bear is dead following a June 12 traffic accident.

Larry D. Pierce, 54, of Pace, was driving a 2010 Harley Davidson motorcycle northbound on State Road 87 near Vonnie Tolbert Road.

A bear traveled eastbound across the roadway and the front of the motorcycle collided with the bear, causing Pierce and his passenger, Wendy R. Pierce, 46, of Pace, to become separated from the vehicle.

The bear died as a result of the crash, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was notified, according to a Florida Highway Patrol media release. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Pace couple injured, bear dies after motorcycle crash

CRESTVIEW — The North Okaloosa Veterans and Florida Manufacturing Career Expo is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 16 at the Crestview Community Center.

More than 30 employers will attend, including:

●AAFES

●Indyne

●B3H Corporation

●Micro Systems

●Kelly Services

●Crane Aerospace and Electronics

●Sierra Nevada

●Southeastern Sash and Door

●L-3

●Landrum

●DRS Tech

●Resort Quest

●Waffle House

The center is located 1446 Commerce Drive in Crestview.

Register for the event at www.careersourceokaloosawalton.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview veterans, manufacturing career expo scheduled

CRESTVIEW — A toddler is listed in critical condition after being pulled Tuesday from the bottom of a Crestview area home’s swimming pool.

A family member found the 22-month-old boy in the pool around 4 p.m. at home on Parsonage Lane.

The child was originally taken to North Okaloosa Medical Center, where medical staff regained a heartbeat.

He was later transported via helicopter to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. 

The near drowning appears to be accidental, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Toddler in critical condition after being pulled from Crestview area pool

CRESTVIEW — Several North Okaloosa County residents shared their feelings in the wake of the terrorist shootings in Orlando.

‘HORRIBLE HATE CRIME’

Audrey Milcarek, who has a gay family member, called the attack “a horrible hate crime.”

“If it was a terrorist, it’s even worse,” Milcarek said. “No one has a right to make a decision that is not theirs against anyone else, their orientation, or their beliefs.

“My heart and my family’s go out to those families who lost loved ones in the shooting. Those who allow people to continue to judge others are repeating history, and are truly the moronic beasts of all of the Creator’s creations.”

CONFLICTED OPINION

Crestview High School graduate Michael Spargel, who is gay, said his opinions are conflicted.

“My frustration about the whole thing is it’s being treated like an attack on gays when it was really an attack on the country,” he said. “Yes, gays were targeted, but with the political mindset that this country has right now, if it was an attack on any other group of people, it would be considered a terrorist attack.

“In a lot of ways it’s being a considered a terrorist attack. Even though it might have been stimulated by what he (the shooter) saw, in his mind he wasn’t necessarily attacking gays, he was attacking people because they didn’t believe how be believed.”

LOVING OTHERS

Baker School graduate Dillon Komula — who now lives in the Savannah, Georgia, area — said his thoughts centered on acceptance and love.

“My heart truly goes out to the lost souls in Orlando,” he said. “I think the primary message is not about being gay, but about loving others as human beings sharing the same planet, regardless of who they are, what they believe in, or their orientation.

“This shooting occurred by one man out of hate. Instead of hating, we should be loving each other. Regardless of the victims' sexual orientations, the world lost human beings. Human beings with families that love them, humans with brilliant minds to contribute to the world, and humans who served a purpose on this world were taken from this earth out of hate.

“This is not a particular religion’s belief. The shooter was Muslim, but he was not following the Muslim beliefs. We should not blame all Muslims for the violent, inhumane and purely evil acts of one person — or even multiple people — that believes in Islam. This does nothing except fuel the hatred and divide us as a race.

“The world needs to understand this.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 3 North Okaloosans share their thoughts on Orlando terror attack

LAUREL HILL — It’s blueberry picking time in North Okaloosa County, and residents with containers in hand are trooping into local blueberry patches.

PHOTOS: See photos of local blueberry pickin', cookin' and eatin'>>

At the Smith farm in Laurel Hill, the steady drumming of big, plump juicy berries dropping to the bottom of empty five-gallon buckets soon softens to a gentle trickle as the buckets fill.

“They’ll be plenty more for the next 2 or 3 weeks,” farmer Judy Smith said.

“This year the berries are the biggest we’ve had,” John Richardson of Baker U-Pick Blueberries said, adding jokingly. “We’ve been open a week and already sold a ton. And that was just six berries.”

Here’s what some area folks are doing with their blueberries:

1. Dehydrate for later

Smith advises dehydrating her farm’s succulent berries for long-term storage rather than freezing them.

Place the blueberries on a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet, then slowly dehydrate them in the oven at its lowest setting. Pour them into hot canning jars. When the cans cool, it’ll seal the lids on tight.

To rehydrate, put the desired amount of blueberries over hot water in a double boiler and mix in some water and sugar.

2. Make a pie

A blueberry cream cheese pie is a perfect summer treat. Beat an 8-ounce block of room-temperature cream cheese with a half cup of sugar and tablespoon of fresh lemon juice until smooth. Pour into a prepared or pre-bought pie shell and refrigerate.

In a saucepan, mix ¾ cups of sugar, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, half cup water, 2 cups of fresh blueberries and 1.5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Heat over medium heat until boiling and real thick, stirring constantly. Let cool.

Spread two cups of fresh blueberries over the cream cheese filling, then top with blueberry sauce and refrigerate. Top each slice with whipped cream, if desired.

The pie can also be made without the cream cheese filling.

3. Make a pound cake

When the blueberries come in, Jonathon Hanline gets out his mom, Karen’s, quick-and-easy blueberry pound cake recipe.

Mix 1 package of butter cake mix, 3 eggs, a half cup of cooking oil, and an 8-ounce block of cream cheese that’s at room temperature. Fold in 2 cups of floured blueberries. Pour into a greased Bundt cake pan and bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour or until done. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

4. Make a smoothie

Bernice Anthony came down from Florala, Alabama, to pick blueberries at the Smith farm with a friend from Crestview. While she plans to eat hers, “my son likes to freeze them and put them in a smoothie,” she said.

Good accompaniments in a blueberry smoothie include plain, blueberry or vanilla yogurt, honey, ice, fresh lemon juice, and blueberry or pomegranate juice.

5. Make blueberry ice cream

Here’s the perfect topping for your blueberry pie, crisp or cobbler! Beat well 8 eggs, 3 cups of sugar and 1 can of evaporated milk. Add 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Put two cups of blueberries in a blender and blend with sugar to taste and a third cup of whole cream. Stir the blueberry mixture into the milk and egg mixture, then pour it all into the ice cream freezer, Add enough whole milk to bring the mixture to the fill line. Get a strapping young ‘un to start cranking!

_____________________

WANT TO PICK YOUR OWN?

These North Okaloosa County farms, among others, let you pick your own blueberries. (Just don’t forget bug spray and sunscreen.)

Baker U-Pick Blueberries, 5949 Dairy Road, Baker. $1.50 per pound. Open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Buckets and bags provided. 537-0340.

Brooks Farm, you-pick farm, 5645 Gerald Brooks Road, Baker. $1 per pound. Blackberries are also in season and ready for picking. Bring your own container. 902-3465.

Shockley Springs Blueberry Farm, 7097 Old River Road, Baker. $1.25 per pound. Open 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays. Buckets and boxes provided. shockleysprings.com/blueberries.php; 902-0160.

Smith Farm, Laurel Hill. $5 per gallon. Go to the end of Cadenhead Road to Morning Glory Lane. When the road ends at the yellow gate, turn right and go to the end of the driveway. If no one’s around, leave your payment at the door. Bring your own container.

These North Okaloosa County farms, among others, let you pick your own blueberries. (Just don’t forget bug spray and sunscreen.)

Baker U-Pick Blueberries, 5949 Dairy Road, Baker. $1.50 per pound. Open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Buckets and bags provided. 537-0340.

Brooks Farm, you-pick farm, 5645 Gerald Brooks Road, Baker. $1 per pound. Blackberries are also in season and ready for picking. Bring your own container. 902-3465.

Shockley Springs Blueberry Farm, 7097 Old River Road, Baker. $1.25 per pound. Open 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays. Buckets and boxes provided. shockleysprings.com/blueberries.php; 902-0160.

Smith Farm, Laurel Hill. $5 per gallon. Go to the end of Cadenhead Road to Morning Glory Lane. When the road ends at the yellow gate, turn right and go to the end of the driveway. If no one’s around, leave your payment at the door. Bring your own container.

WANT TO PICK YOUR OWN?

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 5 awesome things to do with fresh North Okaloosa blueberries (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Crestview Elks Lodge 2624 held a Flag Day ceremony featuring Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts and members of the Emerald Coast Young Marines. The scouts and Young Marines presented nine flags flown in the course of America’s history. “When we brought out each flag, we had a description and history of it and had a specific song for it,” organizer Bob Daniel said. “People said they learned things they had no knowledge of before.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Elks lodge sponsors flag history presentation