The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is awarding a total of $500,000 to 10 communities to help them reduce human-bear conflicts.

 BearWise funding will be used to share the cost of bear-resistant trash cans, dumpsters and other equipment that will keep bears out of trash in neighborhoods and parks. The FWC is distributing BearWise funding to each of the 10 communities that applied for it. 

The Legislature and Gov. Rick Scott provided $500,000 this year to the FWC to cost-share with local governments in areas with high levels of human-bear conflicts. At least 60 percent of the funding had to go to communities with BearWise ordinances that require trash be kept secure from bears in all or parts of their jurisdictions. 

The FWC awarded 69 percent of this year’s funding to four communities with BearWise ordinances, including Okaloosa County – $18,000 to purchase hardware to modify trash cans to make them bear-resistant in the southern portion of the county; and Santa Rosa County – $58,000 to modify dumpsters to make them bear-resistant at restaurants and other businesses in the southern portion of the county.

Since 2007, a total of $2.1 million of BearWise funding has been provided to local governments. Over $1.4 million of this was provided with support from the Legislature and Gov. Scott and $680,000 from the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida using proceeds of the Conserve Wildlife license plate.

For more information on Florida black bears, including how to reduce conflicts with them, visit MyFWC.com/Bear and click on “Live BearWise,” watch the BearWise Communities video and read the A guide to living in bear country brochure.

People may also support the FWC’s efforts to help bears and other wildlife by purchasing the Conserve Wildlife license plate at BuyaPlate.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa, Santa Rosa among counties receiving Bearwise funding

BAKER — Family, friends, and colleagues gathered in the Baker Community Center on Monday, Sep. 17 for the former Senator Greg Evers' sign unveiling ceremony. Over 50 attended.

John Robert Evers, the senator's father, said this was an emotional day for him.

"You know, Greg loved Northwest Florida. That was home to him, and he loved Baker," John Robert Evers said. "He loved the people of Baker."

John Robert had no complaints about his son, stating multiple times that he was always a "good kid."

Although he was happy to see his son honored in this way, John Robert said if the senator were here, he wouldn't want this kind of attention.

"If he could say anything now, he'd tell Jerry and them, 'Surely y'all didn't have to do that for me,'" John said.

Senator Evers' daughter, Jennifer Evers Wallace, also said this day brought many emotions.

"We obviously appreciate everything that daddy did for us and our family, family friends, everyone around us, but to see other individuals appreciate that and take recognition in that is very special," Wallace said.

Many elected officials were among the ceremony crowd.

"No less than five places in the Bible, the Lord tells us never withhold good from others who deserve it … well, Greg deserved it," District 1 Okaloosa County Commission Chairman Graham Fountain said.

Chris Dawson, Evers' nephew, spoke on behalf of the family at the ceremony.

"Many have talked on what a legacy in public service that Uncle Greg had, and we certainly agree," Dawson said. "We're proud of that. The most precious word on that sign to us is Greg."

The sign will be placed at both ends of SR 4 between Munson Highway and State Road 189 in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties to designate that portion “Senator Greg Evers Memorial Highway.”

The Northwest Florida Legislative Delegation hosted the ceremony.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Community honors the late Senator Greg Evers

CRESTVIEW — J.J. McDaniel, author of the book "Papyrophilia: The Story of a Baseball Card Collector," has part of his personal baseball memorabilia collection on display at the Crestview Public Library through October.

Two copies of the book are also available for checkout from the library's local authors shelf.

When it came to to picking the items featured in the exhibit, McDaniel chose them based on their historical signifigance.

"I included autographed items, game-used memorabilia, and a ticket stub from the 1960 World Series," he said.

"Papyrophilia" hit number 6 on Amazon's list of the Top 100 books in the sports category when it was released last year.

The book is a tribute to the 1956 Topps cards his father, Jerry McDaniel, collected. It's Jerry's favorite set of all the cards he has collected.

"My dad loved that year because he is a Yankees fan," J.J. said. It's also from the year Mickey Mantle won the Triple Crown for the Yankees, and the team won the World Series against their in-state rival, the Brooklyn Dodgers.

One thing that distinguishes those cards from later sets is that it was the last year the Topps Chewing Gum-designed cards used artists' paintings. The company began using photography afterwards.

"The collection was 45 years of thoughtful accumulation and careful conservation by a caretaker of baseball history. He bequeathed his life's work to me while he was still alive (so he could see his son enjoy them)," J.J. said.

After receiving that inheritance, J.J. began a quest to collect a museum-quality super set (every example known to exist, including all variations), from a 1-cent wrapper through two salesman sample cards. Sample cards were used to sell products in 1956 and discarded after use, which makes them rare.

His dad's Topps set is the subject of the third section of "Papryophilia." Over the past year, the book also became a guide for other collectors, some of whom have contacted J.J. online.

As a result, he said, "I have been invited to serve as the resident expert on topics like vintage Yankee baseball cards and 1956 Topps set-building. On Facebook, I advise more than 1,000 collectors in three different forums."

When asked if baseball is still America's national pastime, he said, "Football has surpassed baseball in popularity. With that said, in my opinion, baseball is a national treasure that should be celebrated above all other pastimes."

He said it is one of the most detailed, with game statistics being listed on cards as far back as the 1800s.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview baseball card author provides library display

CRESTVIEW — Hold on tight because a new entertainment center is coming to Crestview with one unique quality—mechanical bull rides.

Jeff Gainey, life-long Crestview resident and retiree, has been wanting to open a family-friendly entertainment center for about 15 years, but it wasn't until two years ago that his dreams became a reality.

Jeff and his wife, Tina, gathered ideas for games and researched different locations with a decent amount of traffic. They found a building they were comfortable with, but hope to eventually expand into a larger building where they can get more mechanical bulls to keep people from waiting in lines.

Opening a family oriented entertainment center is largely a Gainey family effort. Jeff and Tina Gainey's two sons will be working there full time along with their daughter-in-law.

Ride Hard NWFL will have multiple forms of entertainment including mechanical bull riding for adults and children, performance games like bean bag toss and skee-ball, bounce houses, and a small arcade.

Along with the 40 to 60 games, Jeff said they will also be hosting gaming events and contests for cash prizes like an annual mechanical bull riding competitions for up to $2,500.

Jeff said the goal was to create something centered around fun for families of all ages in Crestview, something Jeff believes is lacking.

"Other children that are around, they have nothing to do, no where to go to expel their energy," Jeff said. "…We want the kids to have a variety of things to do not just one thing in particular."

Tina said she looks forward to bringing a variety of entertainment to families in Crestview

"I'm excited that we're finally able to do something for our community," Tina said. "It's been a long-term dream for my husband and myself."

Jeffery Gainey, 17, said he looked forward to opening the business and hopes to use his knowledge of the younger culture to help bring in more traffic. He also helped his parents with the logo design.

"My dream is to make my parent's dreams come true because they've done everything for me," Jeffery said.

Ride Hard NWFL is expected to be open by Nov. 1 and is located in the Northview Plaza on North Ferdon Blvd next door to Pizza Hut.urrently, Ride Hard NWFL is accepting applications for entertainment specialists , which can be found at www.RideHardNWFL.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Get rodeo ready at Ride Hard NWFL coming to Crestview

CRESTVIEW — This story began with one wounded warrior and his wife's desire to help another wounded warrior by donating their puppy to become a service dog.

On Friday, David McCaulla, a veteran from Mississippi, met Crestview residents Jennifer and Benjamin Garcia, who donated a Dogo Argentinian puppy that will be McCaulla's service dog.

After joining Operation Heal Our Patriots (OHOP), a religious organization centered around healing for wounded veterans and their spouses, Benjamin, a 14-year Army veteran, said he wanted to do something for other wounded warriors like himself.

"One thing I learned about being at OHOP is there's actually a lot of people out there that care about you, and a lot more people like us that are dealing with the same issues," Benjamin said. "I just want to pay it forward."

Jennifer began researching different organizations, and they decided to donate one of their puppies to become a service dog.

Benjamin said he knows from personal experience the positive effect these dogs can have on wounded veterans.

"These dogs are real special to me because they can touch your soul," Benjamin said. "…I think these dogs have a way of detecting when you have a flashback or go into a deep depression, and then they try to give you extra love."

Although it wasn't an immediate result, Jennifer was finally able to make contact through Facebook and found a veteran in need of a service dog.

McCaulla served in the Army Infantry for nine years and currently suffers from post traumatic stress disorder as well as back and leg issues.

The donation from the Garcia family comes after McCaulla had been searching for a service dog, and he said he was "very grateful" for the donation and company.

"The biggest thing with the service dogs is somebody's there with you all the time," McCaulla said.

Although McCaulla received the puppy Friday, the dog will go through training with Britnee Kinard, founder of the non-profit organization The SD Gunner Fund in Claxton, Georgia.

Kinard said she trains about 12 to 15 service dogs a year for wounded warriors and special-needs children.

The puppy donated by the Garcia family will go through 8 to 18 months worth of training, depending on the dog's capabilities.

Kinard said she was glad that Jennifer reached out to her about donating this rare breed to become a service dog.

"We're excited to take on this challenge of learning and training this breed, and really helping try to make her wish come true because she really wants this dog to be a service dog," Kinard said.

McCaulla will be present for part of the training and plans to move closer to the training location.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'Pay it forward'

CRESTVIEW — In a span of three to four weeks, Michael King, his wife Ruth, and their daughter Monnie Villanea transformed a former church building into a colorful play arena for children from crawlers to 12-year-olds.

Jumpin Beans Playzone has a variety of options for kids at reasonable prices. Children younger than 4 years old with the ability to walk or crawl can spend all day at the play zone for $8 and the all-day price for children 4 to 12 years old is $10.

King, an Army veteran, said they chose these prices knowing the military presence in Crestview.

“I’m retired military, and I want to keep it reasonable for the military families,” King said.

Inside the main area, the room is filled with bouncy castles and inflatable slides. Children can also meander their way through the inflatable obstacle course.

For those not interested in the inflatable options, the main area also has games like foosball and “Connect Four” and a giant projector screen where kids can watch movies. The day of the grand opening, the 2016 Dreamworks animated film “Trolls" was playing.

Outside the main area, the play zone features a toddler room, and a room for teenagers who are looking to play air hockey or videogames.

King said they felt something like this was needed in the Crestview community because the closest play zone was at least a 30 minute drive.

“We did some research, and there’s nothing like this in Crestview,” King said. “We have four grandkids located here, and we always had to take them down to Niceville, Fort Walton, Panama, or Pensacola for something like this.”

It was a quick turn around from the moment they found the building to the grand opening. Villanea said they spent all hours of the day painting and setting up the play areas. The inflatable slides and bouncy houses came from California.

“It was very stressful,” Villanea said. “I’m hoping after today the stress calms down, but the most stressful part about opening a business like this is finding a building big enough.”

The play zone offers birthday party packages for up to 30 kids.

Villanea said they provide whatever party theme is requested on the package form. The party rooms are upstairs with one toddler room downstairs.

The King family hopes to eventually expand their business if the community reaction is good.

“We anticipate doing really, really well. If we do, maybe we can go into a bigger building,” Villanea said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: This one's for the kids

CRESTVIEW — After being denied twice for a VA mortgage loan before moving 500 miles away, Anthony, Meghan and their son Caiden Simme have finally moved into their home in Crestview.

Anthony is an active duty special operations soldier at 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne).

The Simme family, previously stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, found a home in Baker. They put in an offer for the home and decided to apply for a VA mortgage loan.

The same day they were closing on the house, the bank lender denied the approval because their debt to income ratio was too high.

“He had the loan for two months. It was ridiculous,” Meghan said. “We got a call last minute after we had paid for the inspection and put our deposit down. It was just a mess.”

Meghan then put an extension on the Baker home and went to another lender — same result.

“I was like, ‘Okay, I give up’,” Meghan said.

Although renting was an option, the Simmes prefer buying instead of renting. Meghan said she likes to make the home her own.

"I feel like we’re putting our roots down," she said.

With less than a week before their move, Meghan was browsing Facebook and noticed the BBMC Mortgage “We’ve got your six” sweepstakes, in which the winner could receive one year of mortgage paid by BBMC Mortgage.

Meghan entered the contest on Sep. 1 and said a few minutes later, she got a phone call from Patton Gade, a West Point graduate and veteran who runs the BBMC Mortgage office in Phoenix.

At first, Meghan said she thought the whole thing was a scam.

“(Gade) called me, and by the time we ended our conversation, he told me that he had been stationed at Fort Campbell,” Meghan said. “…He kind of gave me enough facts to make me realize it’s real.”

Meghan told Gade about the issues she had faced with various lenders denying the VA mortgage loan.

After hearing Meghan's story, Gade contacted his underwriter and had them underwritten by Tuesday.

Meghan said her realtor, Jamie Vargas, was able to show her a home in Crestview on short notice. They found one they liked and closed on the home Friday, Sep. 7.

Having been a military spouse since she was 17, Meghan, 22, had been through the process of moving locations a few times before. However, this time, she learned a few lessons.

“You don’t have to use a local lender. I didn’t know that,” Meghan said. “… You need to make sure you find a realtor who has enough time for you. I would say just find a good support team…find people that are educated to help you.”

Meghan hopes other military families will see her story and know that they have many options when buying a home.

“As military families, we are so lucky that we have all these perks, and we don’t even take advantage of them,” Meghan said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Military family overcomes hardship when moving to Crestview

CRESTVIEW — Long-time Crestview resident and valued member of the community Claudis Dale received the Mae Reatha Coleman Citizen of the Year award, which is given to dedicated residents of Crestview.

City Hall was standing room only filled with Dale's family, church family and close friends.

Mayor David Cadle began the presentation of the award by reading Dale's bio.

Dale was born in Alabama along with her eight siblings and began working at the age of 15 to help her parents financially.

Dale moved to Crestview at the age of 24 where she and her late husband raised four sons and one daughter.

At the age of 26, Dale became a member of Macedonia Baptist Church, and has been faithful to ever since. She has also took on many roles in the church.

"She is truly a Godly women who loves to lift up the name of Jesus in prayers and songs," Cadle read from her bio.

Along with her church activity, Cadle listed the many organizations Dale is involved with including the Okaloosa County Minority HIV/Aids Task Force, the Carver Hill Memorial and Historic Society, Velma K Conyers Chapter 7 Order of the Eastern Star, and many more.

Dale also has visited the sick and homeless, usually with food.

"You need to get busier," Cadle joked.

Many in attendance stood with Dale and spoke about her love for helping the community.

"A lot of people don't know how to love, but truly, she knows how to love everybody," a fellow church member said.

Along with the friends that spoke highly of Dale's willingness to serve others, her children and granddaughter stood to testify of Dale's hard work and sacrifices.

"I didn't realize how hard she worked on the regular thinking back to when I was a kid reaping all of the benefits and not realizing actually how hard she worked," Grear Dale, one of Dale's four sons, said. "I remember those times. I remember those jobs. I'm a young man, and I didn't want to do those jobs."

After being presented the award, Dale took time to say a few words, and thank those in the crowd that supplied her with a job that she loves.

"I love everybody, black, green, purple … I ain't got no such thing as colors…I'm with everybody. Let's do things together and love one another," Dale said with a roaring applause from the crowd.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'She knows how to love everybody'

CRESTVIEW — Two Okaloosa County residents await the day they are reunited with their cat. They're offering a $600 reward to anyone that can help them find their missing pet.

For over two years, Mark Chaffins and his girlfriend, Kim Stanley, have searched for their cat, Binx.

Chaffins and Stanley found Binx’s mother a few years ago at an abandoned home in Baker. Soon after they found her, they realized she was pregnant, and they decided to take care of the kittens, including Binx.

In May 2016, Binx went outside for his nightly stroll around the yard. Chaffins whistled as he normally does, but the cat never returned.

Since then, Chaffins has had multiple ads on Craigslist offering a $600 reward to anyone that finds his cat.

Chaffins said Binx has unique qualities that eliminate any possibilities of someone trying to get the reward. He said someone once called saying they had spotted Binx near a McDonalds, but after viewing the picture, he knew it wasn’t Binx.

Binx is black and white with long legs and two black dots on each side of his nose.

Chaffins said he got a call in 2016 about Binx being in someone’s yard, but they never saw the cat again.

Chaffins isn’t quite sure of Binx’s whereabouts, though he does have a few suspicions.

“He’s a really super friendly cat…hopefully somebody just took it. Hopefully nobody killed it,” Chaffins said.

Although they haven’t received many calls about Binx, Chaffins said he will continue updating the Craigslist ad and posting on Facebook. He remains hopeful that someday someone will find him.

“I might keep it going until I feel…like six or seven years,” Chaffins said.

Until then, Chaffins enjoys the company of his two other cats.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Pet owner offers $600 reward for missing cat

CRESTVIEW — The Crestview city council unanimously voted to approve the tentative millage rate and budget for the fiscal year, which is from Oct. 1, 2018 to Sep. 30, 2019.

The millage rate is expected to continue at the current rate of 6.9 mills, equivalent to $6.90 for every $1,000 of assessed property value. According to the resolution approved by the council, this rate is more than the rolled-back rate by over 5 percent.

Millage rates are used to calculate local property taxes, and Crestview's rate will allow the city to collect around $7 million in property taxes.

Crestview currently has the highest millage rate in Okaloosa County.

The city council also unanimously approved the tentative budget but it can make changes before the next regular council meeting, which is less than a week away.

However, according to the resolution, the "the city council during fiscal year 2019 may, by resolution, make any amendments to the budget adopted by this resolution, as it may deem necessary and proper."

Although the goal of the meeting on Thursday was to hold a public hearing, no one from the public came before the council.

The final hearing for the millage rate and budget is expected to be held on Sep. 24 at City Hall.

For information about upcoming city council meetings, visit www.cityofcrestview.org/AgendaCenter.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: City council approves tentative millage rate, budget for 2019