CRESTVIEW — "Never give up." That's the most important thing for writers to remember, Monticello author Dr. Anne H. Holt said.

Holt, who travels the country giving seminars to writers, will provide plenty more advice on Monday during the Crestview Public Library's first writers group meeting.

For instance, she will teach Crestview area writers how to polish a manuscript for publication and how to seek a publisher. She also will provide a list of common concerns when editing.

The group will regularly meet on the fourth Monday of each month, Marie Garcia, the library's assistant director, said.

That's good, said Holt, who has given presentations titled "Marketing Your Book" and "Prepare your Manuscript for Publication." Being in a group setting should bring perseverance, she said. 

"It will help them stick to their writing," she said. "They (can) form critique groups, which is critical to getting published."

Garcia said she hopes past expressed interest in the group translates to attendance.

"We have had a few people inquire about having (a writers group) here in the past," she said.

WANT TO GO?

WHAT: Writers group's first meeting

WHEN: 6 p.m. Monday; regular meetings are the same time, fourth Mondays

WHERE: Crestview Public Library, 1445 Commerce Drive, Crestview 

CONTACT:Marie Garcia, 682-4432

EmailNews Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown, follow him on Twitteror call 850-682-6524

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Monticello author: New writers group should help Crestview writers persevere

The Florida Division of Emergency Management has warned that Northwest Florida faces risks from heavy rain and flooding into next week.

“Two storm systems moving across the Southeast will bring heavy amounts of rainfall and widespread potential for flooding in the Florida Panhandle,” Emergency Management Meteorologist Brad Schaaf said in a news release.

Some areas could see from 4 to 8 inches of rain through Tuesday. Damaging wind gusts could accompany the storms.

The National Weather Service also has issued flash flood watches for Okaloosa, Walton, Santa Rosa, Escambia, Washington, Bay, Holmes and Calhoun counties through Saturday.

Rivers in the region also could flood, the news release warned. The Choctawhatchee River near Bruce in Walton County already was at minor flood stage Thursday.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Stormy weather could bring flooding, emergency officials warn

CRESTVIEW — Old Glory, steadied by Troop 30 Boy Scout Jackson Kiewiet, snapped in the breeze Monday as an estimated 85 residents took 15 minutes at noon to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

The annual Stand Up and Say the Pledge ceremony — sponsored by the Crestview Exchange Club — allows the community to rededicate itself to ideals embodied in the nation's flag, club president Mayor David Cadle said during his opening remarks.

"We're very afraid that we're losing sight of what these symbols of our country mean to us," he said.

During his invocation, the Rev. Walter Beamon, a retired Air Force chaplain, thanked God "for this beautiful banner, our flag," noting, "It is only a symbol, but let it always be a symbol of freedom and may it always be flown in pride and never in shame."

Crestview High School senior Olivia Dunn, a member of the school chorus, sang "The Star Spangled Banner" and "America the Beautiful," between which club member Sharlene Cox read, "Do You Know What the Pledge of Allegiance Means," a 2010 essay written by then 16-year-old Kyle Griesinger, a Texas Eagle Scout.

"The Pledge of Allegiance has become little more than a nursery rhyme to children. Why is that?" Cox read. "It is because from the time they enter the school system, they are taught to recite it every morning without ever being told the meaning of the words."

Before the crowd of Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, veterans, retirees, families and others who recited the pledge, Young Marine Michael Warren read Ron Tranmer's poem "Stand Proud, Stand Tall."

At the brief ceremony's conclusion, World War II, Korea and Vietnam War veteran and Crestview resident Sgt. Tom Seagle, proudly wearing his dress uniform, led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Attendance more than tripled that of the 2012 ceremony, Cadle said.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Stand Up and Say the Pledge ceremony attendance triples

SHALIMAR — United Way of Okaloosa and Walton counties announced Thursday its continued support from the community by exceeding its goal of $1.2 million raised in 2012.

The nonprofit organization whose affiliates and funding reaches one in four local residents said that while giving has become more challenging in a slow economy, it continues to receive contributions from businesses and residents to keep it going after 55 years.

“When you filled out a pledge card, maybe you wondered, ‘Will my gift make a difference?” Jack Azzaretto, chairman of United Way’s board of directors, said Thursday in his speech at the 2013 Victory Celebration at Shalimar United Methodist Church. “The answer is yes. Because working together we passed our goal, (receiving) $1,200,051 for Okaloosa and Walton counties.”

The money goes to dozens of other nonprofits and programs to help people to provide education, income stability assistance and healthy lifestyle choices.

“This was a monumental task we achieved,” Bill Robinson, president/CEO of United Way, said in a telephone interview. “It’s down from last year, but there is a lot of uncertainty that people are dealing with and we surpassed our goal.”

One of the main contributors to the United Way’s 2012 campaign, “Live United … Results You Can See” were the eight Publix groceries in the two counties. Their employees and the company donated $323,000, or 25 percent of the total amount collected.

“They were a bright spot in all this,” Robinson said. “Like every other organization, there are less people with less jobs across the board, so the giving from Publix was remarkable.”

Details of the 2013 campaign will be announced in March along with the fundraising goal. A board meeting is scheduled in the coming weeks to decide on the details.

“I urge each of you to continue your support of the United Way in the years to come,” Azzaretto, said in his speech at the celebration. “This is a phenomenal organization, which has the power to light up so many lives.”

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: United Way exceeds $1.2 million funding goal in difficult economy

TALLAHASSEE — Tobacco products like chew, dip and snuff are not harmless.

But because they're smokeless, youth and adults may underestimate the serious health risks associated with these products.

While cigarette use declines, smokeless tobacco use has remained steady among Florida's youth for more than a decade.

To help raise awareness about smokeless tobacco's dangers, the Florida Department of Health's Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida is observing Through With Chew Week, which ends Saturday.

"Some youth may mistakenly believe that when they start smoking or use any tobacco product, they are able to quit very easily," said State Surgeon General and Secretary of Health Dr. John Armstrong. "This type of addiction is very hard to break, and the health risks are extremely high for any tobacco product."

The Tobacco Free Florida campaign is a statewide cessation and prevention campaign funded by Florida's tobacco settlement fund.

Health risks

•Constant exposure to tobacco juices from smokeless products can cause oral cancers. These can form within five years of regular use, and can cause cancer of the esophagus, pharynx, larynx, stomach and pancreas.

•Smokeless tobacco use can increase the risk of oral cancers by 80 percent and the risk of pancreatic and esophageal cancer by 60 percent, according to a 2008 study from the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer.

•Using smokeless tobacco also can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. It can lead to other oral problems including mouth sores, gum recession, tooth decay and permanent teeth discoloration.

•Smokeless tobacco use also can result in reduced sperm count and abnormal sperm cells. Women who use smokeless tobacco may be at an increased risk of preeclampsia— a condition that may include high blood pressure, fluid retention and swelling— along with premature birth and low birth weight.

Addiction

Smokeless tobacco products contain nicotine, an addictive and dangerous chemical.

Smokeless tobacco users and cigarette smokers have comparable levels of nicotine in the blood, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Tobacco Free Florida has three ways to help smokeless tobacco users quit.

See www.tobaccofreeflorida.com for more information.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Great American Spit Out part of Tobacco Free Florida campaign

This month, we celebrated African American heritage and my goal was to read some of the Harlem Renaissance Era's literature.  

This era's authors included Zora Neale Hurston, who grew up in Eatonville, one of the first African American towns to become incorporated. Many of Hurston’s stories depicted the vernacular and life of people whom she knew and lived with in Eatonville.  

Langston Hughes, probably the Harlem Renaissance Era's most popular author, is renowned for his poetry. In addition, he was a writer, playwright and novelist.  

Both authors’ works are available in our library. 

I searched the library catalog for other African American authors from the Renaissance Era and came across Nella Larsen, a biography on whom is this week's Staff Pick.

Her book, “The Nella Larsen Collection,” contains five stories that portray characters whose lives mirror her own. Anxious to learn more about this author, I discovered her biography by George Hutchinson, “In Search of Nella Larsen: A Biography of the Color Line.” (Please see sidebar)     

Both books proved worth reading and gave greater understanding of African American life during the Harlem Renaissance. 

In this era of cultural and social change, African Americans experienced economic freedom and liberty to develop their talent and education.  

Numerous artists, musicians, authors, poets and actors were discovered during this time. 

I recommend these good reads for anybody interested in African American literature.

Jean Lewis is the Crestview Public Library's director.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Explore Harlem Renaissance Era during Black History Month

CRESTVIEW — Professional tax preparation can be unaffordable for households on fixed or limited incomes.

For them, the AARP's crew of volunteer tax advisers comes to the rescue, four days a week at the Crestview Public Library.

"They're kept very busy," reference librarian Sandra Dreaden said. "People are sometimes lined up at the door in the morning."

"They're here Saturdays this year as well," assistant library director Marie Garcia said.

As preparing personal income taxes becomes increasingly bewildering, local taxpayers who might get their 1099s confused with their 1040s risk making errors that could cost them bigger refunds — or worse, could incur fines for innocent oversights, tax preparation volunteers say.

Taxpayers do not have to belong to AARP or prove limited income to use the free service, Dreaden said. The service's volunteers must complete a weeklong training program, according to Bob Allen, who was a tax prep adviser at the library in past years.

The library also provides free IRS tax forms and several of the instruction booklets, Dreaden said.

"We have the tax forms, but we only have the 1040A and the 1040EZ," she said. "The long form instructions haven't come yet. I got an email last week saying they're still at the printer. They're forcing us to go online. It's 108 pages. You can view, print or download."

Want to go?

Free tax preparation assistance— courtesy of an annual AARP-sponsored program —  is available through April 15 at the Crestview Public Library, 1145 Commerce Drive. Hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and 2-6 p.m. Mondays. Call 682-4432 for information.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Free tax help offered at Crestview Public Library through April 15

CRESTVIEW — A 10-day volunteer training program next month will teach attendees how to help victims of crimes, house fires, car wrecks and other crises.

The Trauma Intervention Program classes start at 6 p.m. March 7 at 127A Redstone Ave., Suite A, in Crestview.

The training — that has a tax-deductible $30 registration fee — covers topics including how to work with emergency responders, providing “emotional first aid” and dealing with death.

Volunteers must be dedicated, a spokesperson said.

TIP volunteers — who range in age from teens to senior citizens — respond to round-the-clock calls from hospital personnel, police officers, firefighters and paramedics.

They assist family members following natural, unexpected deaths or suicides; victims of crime or traffic incidents; disoriented or lonely senior citizens; and anyone emotionally traumatized by a crisis.

Learn more about the Trauma Intervention Program at tip-ser.org, or contact Tommy Carter, TIP’s executive director, at 934-6654 or tommyC@tip-ser.org.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: March classes will train people to help victims of crime and tragedy