The time has come for a decision to be made about Brett Kavanuagh's appointment to the Supreme Court. Bad things have been alleged against him and many, many glorious things have been said about him. The Judiciary committee, the Senate and all of Congress are now faced with the decision of what to do with Kavanuagh and that decision is to go forward. 

The sexual assault alleged against Kavanaugh is a heinous accusation that no one should ever take lightly. The lack of evidence and support that the accuser has from witnesses and other facts that she cannot present or remember is disconcerting. Not only is it disconcerting there is no enough evidence against Kavanaugh to make a legal case. Kavanaugh's denial and his life of service and commending testimonies from so many who have worked with him throughout the years have weighed heavily in his favor. 

Let's face it, almost all of the Democrats will vote against him and the Republicans will vote for him. Amazingly, with all of the rhetoric, testimonies and mud hurled from both sides of this debate it will come down to a decision to be made.  Many decisions will simply be made in favor of the President's recommendation and decisions will be made against the President's recommendation. It depends on whether you are a Democrat or Republican. 

I like Kavanaugh. I would vote for him. He has a lifelong outstanding record of service. I feel very sorry for his accuser. I hope that she can find emotional healing.  She seems to have lived a very productive life filled with educational and career attainments. 

It comes down to making a decision. My decision for Kavanaugh is based on substantiated facts. It's a lousy ugly process that seems now to be a part of every national debate. Time and again we are faced with "he said, she said," testimony that is factored into national elections and Supreme Court appointments. It will never go away and will be a part of most of our important elections and other national appointments from here on out it seems. 

Rapists, abusers, assaulters should not never be installed in places of such high service as the Supreme Court or even the Presidency. With that being said, we must not ever allow a last minute below the belt punch, which is what some of these accusations seem to be. They are like a last minute hail Mary thrown in hopes that someone somewhere will catch it and run with it to some kind of miraculous victory that otherwise would be impossible. 

Joseph was a young man in the Bible who lived an exemplary life. He was accused of rape by Potiphar's wife simply because he refused her advances to sleep with her. She was a scorned woman and was happy for Joseph to spend two years in prison because he refused her sexual advances. Joseph was falsely accused and treated very badly. Eventually he was freed from prison and went on to do great things for the nation of Egypt and his fellow countrymen.  

Kavanaugh's not going to jail but he has been through an emotional nightmare. He will go forward to serve our country in a great way.

Glenn Mollette is an American syndicated columnist and author. 

What’s your view? Write a letter to the editor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Kavanaugh – Decision Time – Emotional Nightmare

BAKER — In a team sport like volleyball, unity and chemistry is an important part of achieving success.

This rings true for the Baker School varsity volleyball team, who leads their district with an undefeated record working towards another successful season.

The back of their team t-shirt reads, "To everybody, we're a team, but to each other, we're a family."

Coach Kathy Combest said this is more than a saying — it's their motto.

The Gator's volleyball team has taken the district title for 15 consecutive years.

Combest said she hopes to make this year number 16.

Currently, the team has a record of 15-3 with two losses to Crestview High School but no losses in their district.

Combest's goals for her team this year is to see them advance all the way to the state championship.

"This season, we want to go all the way," Combest said.

Winning a state championship is a big goal to have, but Combest said she has ways to prepare her girls for the challenge — intense training and playing tougher teams like Crestview High School and Fort Walton Beach High School.

"The better competition we play, either you're going to rise up to it or you're not," Combest said.

The Baker volleyball team has never won a state championship, Combest said.

Combest, also the girl's basketball coach, has been with the Baker volleyball team for a total of 26 years, but her career as a volleyball coach began in 1986.

Prior to 1986, Combest said she had never played volleyball.

"What got me into it is when I came here to coach basketball, the volleyball coach retired," Combest said. "…They asked me to coach, and I said, 'Well, I'll coach, but if I suck, you're going to find somebody else.'"

Combest retired in 2008 for health reasons but returned to the game in 2011 at Crestview High School.

In 2016, she made her return to Baker.

Combest plans to retire after next year's season, and her daughter Chelsea Combest, the assistant coach, will likely take over as head coach.

The Gators have six regular season games left including the district tournament on Oct. 15 at Central High School.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'To everybody, we're a team, but to each other, we're a family'

My doctor sent me for a CT scan after I went in to have a couple of lumps in my throat checked out. The lumps were never verified as being anything more than my spit glands. They just felt odd so I wanted them checked out.

The scan revealed I had some nodules in my thyroid. My family doctor sent me to a local endocrinologist who eventually did a fine needle biopsy. The biopsy revealed I had a suspicious nodule. Suspicious means, suspicious of cancer. I got a second opinion and got the same report from another doctor doing the same kind of biopsy. Eventually I had a more extensive biopsy performed which resulted in the same suspicion. The suspicion doesn't confirm anything but is enough to warrant my doctor's recommendation to remove my thyroid.

I have had zero problems with my thyroid. I cannot feel or see anything in my neck. My energy levels and weight have been fine. I have felt great. Yet, there is this report from two different doctors that they see something that could become very problematic and the recommendation is surgery.

The first doctor did give me the option of surgery or we could watch it and do occasional biopsies to track the growth of the nodule. I have not heard many success reports of anyone who has simply watched something get worse. A great friend of mine was told by local doctors that they would watch his prostate malignancy. They all watched it as it continued to grow and kill him.

Having surgery does not excite me. I hate the thought. I don't like the idea of having a surgery that has some potential of harming my vocal chords. I've been a speaker for most of my life. I like being able to raise my voice and even yell if I want to. In recent years I have taken back up my hobby of singing. Trust me, I know it's just a hobby but it's a hobby I enjoy. If I lost my voice I know I would be a sad guy because I've been down just thinking about all of this. However, it could happen.

What happens if I lose my voice or if it's greatly altered? First I will be royally ticked off. Next I'll try to deal with what will have to become a different life. I've preached sermons and taught and given speeches and used my voice in such ways all my life. God already knows I'll use whatever He gives me to praise and thank Him for his goodness toward me.

Next, I'll do what I can. I have a book or two I'm thinking about writing. I'll work on those books. I started taking fiddle lessons two years ago. Maybe there is a reason I'm playing the fiddle. I don't need a voice to play the fiddle. Finally, I'll have a good excuse to avoid talking to some people. I'll just wave my hand and nod my head to indicate I can't talk today.

Oh well, who knows what the heck we will have to go through in this life. I have friends who have already undergone heart surgeries and lots of other procedures. We aren't promised a bed of roses without a few thorns along the way. My first wife went through hell with twelve years of multiple sclerosis. There is no need for me to sulk about losing my thyroid. Hah, who knows maybe I'll end up with vocal chords that might actually sing on tune or a voice that people will listen to. All in all it doesn't really matter because whatever we have in health, life and time are gifts from God to be enjoyed and used for Him and to help others along life's journey. Experiencing life is a gift and that's a rose I want to smell in some way every day.

Glenn Mollette is an American syndicated columnist and author. 

What’s your view? Write a letter to the editor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Surgery, Thorns and Roses

CRESTVIEW — Soggy ground caused by a broken water line required several hours of work Monday morning on Carver Avenue in Crestview.

Rita Florence, who lives on Carver across from Evelenar Missionary Baptist Church, said her sister, who lives with her, knocked on her door and asked her if she knew what was happening in their front yard.

"She said, 'There's something wrong. The mailbox is gone.'

"I was coming out here and then the water just shot up and the whole road collapsed. They're trying to get the mailbox out now," Florence said.

Part of Florence's front yard and the road next to it had become waterlogged when a fire hydrant pipe below ground burst open. Her mailbox, which had a brick surround, sunk into the dirt underneath it, and the paved road buckled as well.

"I'll have to go to the post office and tell them to hold the mail," Florence said.

Auburn Water System employees arrived that morning and began digging to uncover and fix the pipe that had burst, with Okaloosa Gas employees on stand by in case gas lines were affected.

AWS General Manager Doug Sims said the company uses two types of water lines, one of which is for potable water residents use for drinking, cooking and the like.

"Another is a solid line used for fire hydrants. They come in 20 foot sections that fuse together. One of the fused joints came loose," he said.

The company had to order parts set to arrive the next day, "two couplings to make that joint strong again. It's buried about 10 feet deep. We want to make sure it doesn’t come undone again," Sims said.

Since the pipe was for fire hydrants, residents won't need to boil water due to the broken line.

He said the section of road would be finished off by Monday evening as a dirt road so that residents could access the area. AWS is sourcing contractors to repave it with asphalt.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Water line break occurs on Carver Avenue

CRESTVIEW — Here are some of the latest North Okaloosa events, from Northwest Florida organizations.

Crestview Fire Department extinguishes vehicle, dumpster fires

CRESTVIEW — The Crestview Fire Department responded to a fully involved vehicle fire at 10 p.m. Sept. 21 at the intersection of Tallokas and Old Bethel Roads in Crestview.

Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the blaze. 

According to an online CFD Facebook post, the fire was the result of the driver of the vehicle losing control and overcorrecting, causing the vehicle to leave the road and then return back to the roadway.

"Once the vehicle had returned to the roadway, damage from under the vehicle created friction with the roadway asphalt. It is believed that the fuel tank had ruptured and the heat caused by the roadway friction lead to the ignition of the fire," the CFD stated in the post. 

No injuries were reported as a result of the fire and the vehicle was considered a total loss. The Crestview Police Department also assisted with the incident.

The CFD also responded to several dumpster fires after 3 a.m. Tuesday in the Miramar Apartment Complex on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Crestview, according to information on the CFD Facebook page.

"Firefighters arrived at the apartment complex and were able to quickly extinguish the dumpster fires. Personnel were not able to determine what, or who, caused the fires, but it is believed to be the result of criminal mischief," the CFD stated.

The fires caused minimal damage to both dumpsters and their contents, but no other property was damaged. No injuries were reported as the result of the fires. The Crestview Police Department also assisted with the incident.

Okaloosa commissioners board passes surprise county clerk audit

SHALIMAR — Okaloosa County Clerk agents visited all locations of the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners Sept. 10 and 13 to ensure all funds were accounted for and used appropriately, as well as to inspect the cash collection procedures and physical safeguards in place to protect the taxpayers’ money from theft and fraud. No discrepancies were noted at any locations.

In a statement to the Board, County Clerk J.D. Peacock stated that the results of the audit were exceptional, with no discrepancies were noted in any of the locations.

While this was not a full review of the practices in place, it shows the level of honesty and

transparency the Board of County Commissioner’s employees operate with on a daily basis, the BOCC stated.

“County government will never be perfect, but I am very pleased at the great strides in accountability that have been made over the last six years. Clerk Peacock has been an invaluable partner, working with the Commission and County staff to develop a 'trust but verify' culture that promotes integrity and open communication,” Commissioner Nathan Boyles said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: North Okaloosa Community Briefs

Gulf Power, in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and other groups announced its 2018 round of Longleaf Stewardship Fund grants that will benefit habitat restoration and species recovery across Northwest Florida.

The lion’s share of the $1 million — $920,000 — has been awarded to Longleaf Alliance for work on Gulf Coast Ecosystem Plain Partnership lands. GCPEP is a collaboration of 15 public and private landowners with over 1.3 million acres of land that stretches from the Florida-Alabama border on the west, east to the Choctawhatchee River and includes the Conecuh Forest that adjoins the Blackwater River State Forest on the northern border of Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties.

The partners take a landscape approach to conserve and restore the dwindling longleaf pine ecosystem.  

“This is the most money we’ve received at one time, and it’s a huge step for ecosystem restoration and rare species recovery in the landscape,” said Vernon Compton, the Alliance’s GCPEP director.

“It will allow our Ecosystem Support Team to work across the landscape on multiple projects from helping with prescribed burns to invasive species control, and to do more work on species recovery. The Ecosystem Support Team is trained for the specialized and labor-intensive work rare species recovery requires.”

The grant dollars will be used to:

•Restore and maintain 112,958 acres of longleaf pine habitat within the western panhandle of Florida and southern Alabama.

•Prioritize and accelerate, in this same area, recovery of declining and at-risk species, including bobwhite quail, gopher tortoise and reticulated flatwood salamander.

•Support local environmental conservation jobs.

•Provide ecosystem support for reticulated flatwood salamander breeding wetlands.

•fund the rescue of gopher tortoises from construction sites in Central and South Florida and relocate them to the Eglin Air Force Base conservation lands. The project’s goal is aimed at bolstering the populations to prevent the tortoises from being listed in 2023 under the federal Endangered Species Act, a development that could impact some of Eglin’s training and testing operations.

The fire-adapted longleaf pine ecosystem once encompassed more than 90 million acres across the Southeast, but it has been reduced to only about 5 percent of its historical range. It supports immense biodiversity and important game species such as the bobwhite quail, wild turkey and white-tailed deer.

Go to https://www.nfwf.org/longleaf/Documents/2018grantslate.pdf for a complete list of the 2018 grants made through the Longleaf Stewardship Fund.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Groups combine to support longleaf pine, other conservation efforts

CRESTVIEW — Commissioner Nathan Boyles and Commissioner Graham Fountain would like to invite the public to their first joint "Coffee with a Commissioner."

They will discuss the Nov. 6 sales tax referendum with the public 5:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at Casbah Coffee Company, 196 Pine Ave. W., Crestview.

If it passes, the referendum will add a half-cent sales tax to non-exempt purchases in Okaloosa County. The money would fund public safety, roads and storm water projects.

“As with our prior joint community events, Commissioner Boyles and I hope to have a lively and thought-provoking discussion with our fellow citizens and encourage all who can to join us,”  Fountain said.

“In keeping with my tradition for these events, the drink tab will be on me. Please stop by and enjoy one of Casbah’s excellent selections of coffee, beer and wine all while participating in a robust community discussion,” Boyles said.

The commissioners will have a Facebook live during the event on the Okaloosa County Facebook page.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Have 'Coffee with a Commissioner' in Crestview

BAKER — Surrounded by 2,500 acres of cotton and peanut farm in Baker, James Marshall, his wife Helen, and their son Nick reflect on farming in today’s world.

“It’s a job that you’re going to get out of it whatever you put in it just like anything else,” James said. “You work hard at it, you’re going to get rewarded down the line.”

The Marshall family works “can to can’t” from spring to fall.

“It takes a special person to be able to do it,” James said.

“It’s a lot of hours,” Nick said.

The Marshall family has been farming for over 40 years. James began farming at his father’s farm in Jay when he was 18. He moved to Baker in the 70s and began Marshall Farms in 1977. Nick began farming with his father in 1999 after graduating from Baker School.

Marshall Farms recently received a County Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship (CARES) award by the Florida Farm Bureau Federation for their advanced farming techniques.

These include paying a fee for genetically modified or “BT” cotton plants meant to minimize spraying of harmful insecticides and the strip-till practice — plowing a smaller strip for erosion control.

They also use a GPS tracking system on their fertilizer and spraying machines keeping them from over-saturating crops.

Although some new advances in farming are environmentally beneficial, they're pricey. One new piece of equipment they looked into buying was at least $300,000.

Along with equipment costs, farmers face battles with nature and economics. Tariffs are a source of uncertainty causing a revenue drop for some farmers.

James said the current tariffs are “killing us” because China is not buying cotton produced in the U.S.

Nick, monitoring cotton prices on his phone, said cotton dropped 150 points or a penny and a half that morning. For Marshall Farms, that means losing about $30,000 a day.

“The crazy part about it is that there’s no rhyme or reason for it because the United States crop this year is in bad shape…The only good cotton this year is in the southeast,” Nick said.

James and Nick also mentioned a recurring fear — weather, namely drought and hurricanes.

The peak season for hurricanes is June 1 to Nov. 30 — the cotton and peanut harvest period.

If Marshall Farms had experienced a hurricane like Florence, James said all of their cotton would be ruined. Some fellow farmers in North Carolina have, he said.

Most farmers purchase crop insurance to protect losses during a natural disaster, which James said, for their farm, is about $135,000 a year.

Still, the Marshall family can't imagine not farming.

“We’ve all grew up on a farm. It’s just part of our blood to love it,” Helen said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: "It's just part of our blood to love it"

CRESTVIEW — Healing Hoof Steps, a fairly new equine therapy group, recently demonstrated its services for Okaloosa County's Veterans Court administrators.

County Judge Angela Mason, who presides over Veteran's Court program, an officer from the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office and administrators from the Department of Veterans Affairs attended the session.

Located in Crestview, Healing Hoof Steps offers assisted therapy and learning services to anyone suffering from mental and behavioral health issues.

That type of therapy is unusual to the area.

Affiliated with Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association, Healing Hoof Steps uses a combination of activities with the horses and communication with a licensed mental health counselor to help clients work through their issues to find effective solutions.

"Instead of sitting in an office with bad paint and bad wallpaper talking about your feelings for an hour, you actually come out and work with a therapist in the arena outside with the horses," said Narissa Jenkins, founder of Healing Hoof Steps.

Jenkins refers to that type of therapy as "experiential."

"Especially when it comes to veterans dealing with (post-traumatic stress disorder), there's not as much talking," Jenkins said. "A lot of it's more doing and finding ways to work through anxiety and depression."

The horses at Healing Hoof Steps are used to help clients with emotional growth, Jenkins said.

"It creates a unique learning environment," Jenkins said. "Sometimes you see a reflection of yourself in the horse. It's pretty powerful stuff."

Jenkins started Healing Hoof Steps in 2014 after a long career in business marketing.

She noticed a therapeutic quality in her horse, Saideira, and began researching the benefits of that type of therapy.

After moving back to Fort Walton Beach, Jenkins said it was a "no brainer" that she would have her own therapy facility because the area was lacking in something like that.

For more information the therapy services offered at Healing Hoof Steps, call 850-764-1005 or visit its website, www.healinghoofsteps.org.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Healing Hoof Steps offers mental and behavioral health therapy

BAKER — A 6th grade student at Baker School received a Presidential Volunteer Service Award from Congressman Matt Gaetz Sept. 18 in Pensacola.

"I'm very honored," Kadance Fredericksen, 11, said.

Kadance, also a beauty queen, began doing community service after entering a pageant that required at least 3 hours of service.

"From there, all she wanted to do was serve," Lisa Fredericksen, Kadance's mother, said.

Kadance used her wooden lemonade stand featured in front of her home, which she called "Kadance's Lemonade Stand," as a fundraiser raising money for the Ronald McDonald House.

She charged $1 per glass of lemonade. In three years, Kadance has raised over $14,000 for the non-profit organization helping sick children and their families with financial needs.

Just shy of her $7,000 goal when receiving the award, Gaetz donated $1,000 to Kadance completing her donation to the Ronald McDonald House.

Along with her lemonade stand, Kadance has a long list of volunteer services including food drives for the Crestview Homeless Shelter and delivering 200 teddy bears she collected to the Children’s Coalition of Florida.

Lisa started entering Kadance's volunteer hours into the Presidential Volunteer Service Award's website two years ago.

Kadance was at 120 hours when she was approved for the award.

Lisa said she is very proud of her daughter.

"There's not words to describe it," Lisa said.

Kadance's name and achievements will be featured in the Library of Congress.

"You're forever in history," Gaetz said in a Facebook live video. "I got the chance to recognize all the things you've done … all of your contributions, and it is now permanently in the record of the United States Congress."

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: From a lemonade stand to the Library of Congress