CRESTVIEW — This month through January, the Crestview News Bulletin will recognize North Okaloosa County's nonprofit organizations.

And the news organization would appreciate your help.

The CNB's news and advertising departments have launched Celebrate Community, an initiative that champions nonprofits strengthening Crestview, Baker, Laurel Hill and surrounding communities.

"We want to bring awareness to nonprofits that make the most significant impact on our community," Editor Thomas Boni said.

For the next four months, the News Bulletin will publish stories about organizations that help children, women, animals, military personnel, homeless people, those with mental illnesses and people with addictions.

Local nonprofits that provide these types of services can send their information to news@crestviewbulletin.com for inclusion in our Northwest Florida nonprofits directory.

The CNB also may feature or mention the nonprofit in a future story.

Please include the nonprofit's name, organizational focus, administrative costs, phone number, address, website and how people can help support the organization.

September's area of focus will be nonprofits that help children, with a submission deadline of Tuesday, Sept. 8.

In addition, the news organization will offer special advertising packages and prizes, such as trips for top clients. Call media sales consultants Sherrie Stanley and Diana Baker, 682-6524, for more information on advertising options.

The CNB — along with the Northwest Florida Daily News, the Destin Log, Walton Sun and Santa Rosa's Press Gazette — have joined GateHouse Media's more than 500 news organizations across the country for this initiative. 

Like "Celebrate Community Emerald Coast" on Facebook for more information about the program and to read inspirational stories from throughout Northwest Florida.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Seeking North Okaloosa nonprofits' information for Gatehouse 'Celebrate Community' initiative

CRESTVIEW — A lightning strike at a Crestview home Thursday afternoon started a fire that officials estimated did $50,000 damage.

Lightning struck an outside air conditioning unit at 214 Ladue Ave. at about 4 p.m. Thursday, and an electric current traveled across home wiring into the attic, said Anthony Holland, deputy chief of the Crestview Fire Department.

“We had what they call a flash fire,” Holland said.

Insulation in the home’s attic caught fire and was burning when fire crews arrived, Holland said. Fire fighters had to pull the insulation out of the attic to save the structure.

“The house is still standing. It will need some repairs,” Holland said. “Our crews did a good job in getting it out.”

Residents of the home were inside when the fire started, but all escaped without injury, Holland said. The family were not able to stay in the home Thursday night, but were able to make arrangements for a place to stay.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview home's attic catches fire after lightning strike

FORT WALTON BEACH — No Okaloosa County parks have potentially hazardous bathing water, the Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County stated today.

The health department administers weekly tests based on EPA-recommended enterococci standards. Enteric bacteria’s presence indicates fecal pollution from stormwater runoff, pets and wildlife or human sewage.

Test sites include Lincoln Park, Valparaiso; Poquito Park, Shalimar; Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park, Niceville; Liza Jackson Park and Garniers Park, Fort Walton Beach; Gulf Islands National Seashore, East Pass, Emerald Promenade, Marler Park and Wayside Park, Okaloosa Island; and Clement E. Taylor Park, Henderson Beach and James Lee Park, Destin.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa health department announces latest water quality test results

VALPARAISO — A ride and scavenger hunt celebrating Okaloosa County's centennial starts at 8 a.m. Sept. 26 at Heritage Museum, 115 Westview Ave.

Biker’s Blast for the Past, open to all vehicles, will take participants to five area museums, the Heritage; Baker Block Museum, 1307 George Ave., Baker; Air Force Armament Museum, 100 Museum Drive, Eglin Air Force Base; Heritage Park & Cultural Center, 139 Miracle Strip Parkway SE, Fort Walton Beach; and Destin History & Fishing Museum, 108 Stahlman Avenue, Destin.

Participants will find and get pictures of historic artifacts significant to Okaloosa County history, and bring them to the Club LA party, which starts at 5 p.m. at 34876 Emerald Coast Parkway, Destin.

Grand prizes include vacation stays and spa packages. The event includes music by disc jockey Johnny C., dancing, complimentary pizza, raffles and a silent auction.

Early group registration through Sept. 19 starts at $15 per person. Visit www.heritagemuseum.com for more details.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Ride, scavenger hunt set Sept. 26 at Northwest Florida museums

Two airmen supporting Operation Freedom's Sentinel died of wounds they received Aug. 26 when the vehicle they were traveling in was attacked near Camp Antonik, Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense.

Capt. Matthew D. Roland, 27, of Lexington, Ky., was assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron at Hurlburt Field.

Staff Sgt. Forrest B. Sibley, 31, of Pensacola, was assigned to the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, at Pope Army Airfield, N.C.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 2 Northwest Florida airmen die in Afghanistan

In just a few days, the Crestview News Bulletin and other GateHouse Media publications in Northwest Florida will set aside a little extra time to celebrate community. We hope you will, too.

Notice we didn’t pledge to celebrate the community. That’s because we’re not going to heap praise on individual towns or cities but on the idea of “community” itself.

 We hope to highlight the sense of fellowship, friendly association, shared goals and voluntary assistance that arises when people choose to live in a particular place. That place may be Crestview Baker, Holt, Laurel Hill, Milligan, or any of the incorporated and unincorporated areas in between.

Whether you live in an apartment and your neighbor is on the other side of the wall, or in a farmhouse and your neighbor is across an open field, you feel — and benefit from — a sense of community.

Yes, benefit. Among the hallmarks of a community-minded region are the charities, nonprofit organizations and fundraising events that help people, provide comfort in times of need and often change lives.

There are scores of them, many geared specifically to aiding children, senior citizens, abused women, military personnel or abandoned pets. Invariably, they do a lot with a little.

There are charity wine auctions that benefit organizations helping children.

Some of the ones in North Okaloosa County include Sharing and Caring,  the Baker Block Museum/North Okaloosa Heritage Association; Boy Scout troops and Cub Scout packs; Common Ground Community Garden; the Crestview Area Sister City Program; Young Marines; and more.

Sorting them out is one aim of our Celebrate Community project. Over the next few months, we’ll take a look at local charities and nonprofits that are dedicated to making our communities stronger.

Along the way, we hope you’ll find inspiration in some of the groups we’re showcasing. Perhaps you’ll gain insight into the concept of community. Perhaps you’ll want to contribute. Either outcome will be worth celebrating.

In the meantime, like our Celebrate Community Facebook page, where you will soon find plenty of content about worthy Northwest Florida causes. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Celebrate North Okaloosa County's community organizations with us

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE — The Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System will hold a town hall at the Eglin Community Based Outpatient Clinic. 

The event — for veterans receiving care from VA — will start at 5 p.m. Sept. 8 at 100 Veterans Ave., along Eglin Boulevard near Eglin Air Force Base's west (main) gate.

Veterans receiving care from any GCVHCS facilities — Biloxi, Miss., Mobile, Ala., Pensacola, Eglin and Panama City — are invited attend.

"The VA’s goal is to ensure veterans, their families, and beneficiaries have the opportunity to be heard and have their health care concerns addressed by a senior GCVHCS official and/or subject-matter expert(s)," a spokesperson said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Town hall on veterans' health care scheduled on Eglin Air Force Base

The Gulf Specimen Marine Lab Sea Mobile, a self-sustained aquarium complete with a state-of-the-art filtration system, houses a variety of live marine life.

And it is bringing the ocean to the Crestview Public Library on Saturday, Sept. 19!

Come any time between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. This family event, open to all ages, does not require enrollment. 

The Sea Mobile holds 750 gallons of saltwater aquariums, including five touch tanks with safe-to-handle species such as: starfish, sea urchins, conchs, crabs, sponges and other colorful sea life from the Gulf of Mexico.

In addition, seven acrylic aquariums are filled with animals to view including: stingrays, seahorses, sea anemones, octopus, stone crabs, file fish, gorgonians, shrimp and a variety of fish and invertebrates from the Gulf of Mexico.

The Sea Mobile also has two light microscopes with video camera adapters hooked to two LCD 46-inch flat-screen televisions that allow visitors to see intricate details of a sponge or tiny creatures such as amphipods swimming across the screen. Two Blu-ray players hooked to televisions play informational videos.

Please visit www.gulfspecimen.org for a sneak preview. Call me at 682-4432 with questions (about the event, not the sea!).

Heather Nitzel is the Crestview Public Library's youth services librarian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview library to host sea mobile

CRESTVIEW — Old Glory mingled with the stars and bars, the Bonnie Blue and the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia Saturday morning as a Southern Strong convoy of almost 40 vehicles marshaled in Old Spanish Trail Park.

Jake Moore was ready. The Pensacola resident had a custom trailer hitch flag pole bracket fastened on the back of his pick-up truck, from which fluttered the U.S. flag flanked by the battle flag and a black version of the Gadsden “Don’t Tread on Me” standard.

“We’re going to keep doing this every month,” Moore said. “We need to get the word out this is our history.”

“We’re standing up for what we believe in,” Crestview resident Susan Hollingshead said.” You have to do that. If you don’t stand for what you believe in, we’re all going down.”

“We have to stand up for our history or we’d be lost, honestly,” convoy participant Joseph Morgan said.

SHOWING PRIDE

Dorrian Vance, one of the convoy and rally organizers, said the event was a matter of showing pride in Southern heritage at a time when the Confederate battle flag is being debated.

On Sept. 14, the Crestview City Council will discuss the battle flag’s presence over Confederate Park and its monument to Confederate veterans, including William “Uncle Bill” Lundy.

“It’s a Confederate soldiers’ memorial,” Lundy’s great-grandson, Greg Lundy, said. “We can’t think of a better place to flay a Confederate flag.”

“We want the council to know we’re not lying down,” Vance said. “We’re not going away.”

Vance said the Southern Strong organization has attracted about 700 members of “like-minded people who want to share and fight for our heritage” from Escambia through Walton Counties.

After it left Crestview, the convoy headed south to Fort Walton Beach, Pensacola, then east to conclude with a rally in Milton, where organizers said the presence of the battle flag on public property is also under debate.

“We love our flag more than they hate it,” rally co-organizer Tammy Dempsey said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 3-county Southern Strong convoy departs Crestview