BAKER — James and Nick Marshall, of Marshall Farms, speak about the advanced techniques they use on their cotton and peanut farm in Baker. The family was recently recognized for their advanced and environmentally friendly farming.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: (VIDEO) Baker farmers recognized for advanced farming techniques

CRESTVIEW — Recent local Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office seminars provided several women with tactics to protect themselves.

Ashley Bailey, who attended the Fort Walton Beach class, said, they try to hold the class three or four times a year. She is with the OCSO Crime Prevention Department.

She said the classes have taught hundreds of women self-protection. Previous attendees have also come back for refresher courses, and brought others with them: mothers and daughters, friends and relatives.

"It's a great, empowering class, and it's great for women to come out and feel empowered to learn how to protect themselves," she said.

At the Crestview session, attendees warmed up for a few minutes, then instruction began.

They learned how to maintain their balance during an attack. For instance, standing on one leg and lifting the other up for leverage while swinging at an assailant makes it easy for them to pull you off balance.

In addition to physical defense, Amanda Powell, Gordon Martial Arts program director, covered the potential issue of women ignoring their instincts out of politeness.

"(Never) ignore that alarm that goes off inside of you, because we try to be so nice to people and give people the benefit of the doubt … Do not feel bad for feeling uncomfortable or feeling like something's wrong … If you feel odd, if you feel an alarm, you should listen to that alarm."

She gave an example of being at a gas station and someone approaching her suspiciously. It is important to call attention to that person and identify their intentions.

To illustrate her point, she backed away rapidly and held up her hands up in front of her, palms outward, loudly saying, "Hi sir,  how you doing? Can I help you with something?"

Call attention to them, she said. It may be weird, but safety is priority.

"Let him worry about why I'm being weird, right? I'd rather be overly precautious than underprecautious," she said.

That person may stop and check on you, and ask, "I'm just throwing this trash away — are you okay?" she said. But if that person doesn't acknowledge you and keeps moving toward you, start backing up and preparing yourself.

Powell told attendees if they see other people, especially other women in a dangerous situation, never be afraid to call the cops or feel guilty for identifying someone to authorities.

"It is so much better to send somebody out there to investigate or to do their portion of their job, than to not do anything and then there's an issue later on," she said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Women's self-defense seminars teach empowerment

We hear heralds of doom spouting about fake news left and right these days, whether on the internet or on TV. The President even tweets about it (or tweets it, depending on your personal stance!)

Perhaps the most frequent place we encounter it is social media. Especially on Twitter and Facebook, it’s superbly simple to glance at something and share it a second later. So how do you distinguish what is true? Even more importantly, how can you, just a humble Crestviewian, combat the dissemination of fake news?

As a librarian, it’s my sacred duty to make sure I help people sift through the sludge and find answers. I am hardly qualified as a social media expert, but I do know a thing or two about tools to help locate quality information.

One fantastic tool to truth-check a post or email is to look it up on www.snopes.com. Snopes has been around since the mid-90’s, and is widely regarded as one of the best fact-checkers available. Trust me, you didn’t actually get emailed by a Nigerian prince in need of some wired cash.

To round out options for general fact-checking, similar sites include www.hoax-slayer.com and www.truthorfiction.com.

Likewise, if it’s politically charged news, you may want to use the Pulitzer-winning www.politifact.com. Politifact uses a meter to distinguish what is true, a half-truth, and false. Factchecker.org is another resource freely available to assess your political readings. Using both can help sieve various biases.

It’s hard not to be lured in by fear-mongering social media posts; however, with a few searches, you can help be a crusader for quality information. Oh, and you won’t have to worry any more about being cursed for 15 years if you don’t immediately forward a post to everyone and their mother. 

Emily Knie is the Crestview Public Library's adult services librarian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CHECK IT OUT: Fact check with these 5 online resources

CRESTVIEW — Crestview lost a well-known member of the community after a tractor accident in rural Alabama.

Glenn Edward "Ed" Lowe, 53, passed away at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday in a town 3 miles outside on Greenville, Ala.

Lowe owned Crestview Paint and Body — a business the city and Crestview Police Department used for towing services.

Mayor David Cadle said Lowe was an important figure in the community.

"Many people had come to rely on Ed Lowe for the services he offered at (Crestview Paint and Body)," Cadle said. "He was always looking out for his customers … He has a lot of customers that have been with him for many years."

The Crestview Police Department have utilized Lowe's business for years when accidents occurred to return the normal traffic flow.

Brian Hughes, Crestview's Public Information Officer, said in an email, "In this, he is a great partner with the Crestview Police Department."

Glenn Branton, originally from Crestview, said he knew Lowe and his family from their childhood in the 70s.

"He was a great guy, generous and very, very funny," Branton, of Alabama, commented on Facebook. "I always enjoyed seeing him or talking to him, he was always upbeat and made you feel like he was glad to see you."

Lowe began helping his father run the body shop behind their home on Chestnut Avenue after graduating from Crestview High School in 1983. They eventually expanded to the building on West James Lee Blvd.

Lowe took over the business 35 years ago.

Evelyn Lowe reflected on her son's ability to run the family business.

"He had built up his business," she said. "He learned the trade from his father, and he was very good at his job."

Emily Cox said she worked for Ed Lowe about six years ago before moving to Kentucky in 2013. Cox also said her grandson is Lowe's great nephew through Lowe's sister, Sarah Jordan.

Cox said Lowe was full of humor and had a "caring heart" when it came to his employees.

"He was a good man to work for and he was a very understanding man," Cox commented on Facebook.

Austin Barger said he was friends with Lowe for many years and also worked with him for 10 years. Barger said Lowe was like a mentor for him.

"He really was a good person. You just had to get to know him, or he had to let you in his world," Barger said.

According to Butler County Sheriff Kenny Harden, Lowe was bush hogging deer plots in the woods on his late father's property when the side of the road caved in.

The tractor Lowe was riding fell down a 20-foot embankment, turning over on him.

Lowe was pronounced dead at the L. V. Stabler Memorial Hospital in Greenville.

According to an employee at Crestview Paint and Body, business remains open as of Monday afternoon.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Community reacts to Crestview business owner's passing

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