CRESTVIEW — For some residents, Christmas decorating means untangling lights, hoping that one pesky strand will illuminate another year, and getting the display up so they can move on to the next holiday chore.

Others place each carefully planned strand to give the most visual pleasure to passing neighbors, a heartfelt Christmas present the owner shares with passers-by.

Like any art, beauty can, indeed, be solely in the eye of the beholder. One person’s work of multi-colored glittering art is another’s tacky display of ostentation.

Nevertheless, two displays recently caught our eye.

Coming into Crestview on U.S. Highway 90 from the west, after rounding the curve past Yellow River, one can’t help noticing the Powell family’s long, low, single-story home overlooking a pond. Delicate blue-white LEDs line the driveway and cast a glow from snowflake decorations hanging from the home’s eves.

A drive north on Old Bethel Road yields a surreal blue glow, which, upon rounding a curve, yields a rustic country home with lines defined in blue lights. Blue lights also climb several trees on the front yard and the driveway’s entrance, enhancing the annual display for which the home is noted.

LET US KNOW: Have you noticed an impressive holiday lights display in Crestview, Baker or surrounding areas?

Drop us a note and photo at news@crestviewbulletin.com or send a private message to our Facebook page, facebook.com/crewstviewbulletin.

We’ll share the best displays with readers.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: News Bulletin staff seeks impressive holiday light displays

JACKSONVILLE — Wounded Warrior Project and Operation Homefront will extend emergency financial assistance to military service members and veterans active on or after Sept. 11, 2001.

Assistance applies to those and their families with a no-fault, service-related physical or mental injury, illness or wound. Emergency assistance comes from cash grants to service providers. Operation Homefront fulfills the requests with the project’s funding.

The grants cover basic needs including food, rent and utilities. Candidates who can prove a financial need exists may apply for assistance at www.OperationHomefront.net.

Operation Homefront is a national nonprofit that provides emergency assistance to service members’ families. It has met more than 590,000 military families’ needs since its 2002 inception.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Emergency financial assistance available for wounded warriors

HOLT — Many birthday boys and girls fixate on flashy gifts they’ll receive.

Railey Conner of Holt has a different perspective.

She’s rejecting gifts on Saturday, her 12th birthday, and requesting donations for senior citizens in nursing homes.  

"I think it would be better to donate than to receive gifts," she said.

Railey won’t miss the gifts, Angie Holland, her mother, said. 

"It's not a big deal to her like it is to the adults that find out that what she is doing," she said.

This marks the second year of Railey's Birthday Project. Last year, she donated gift bags to residents at Carrington Manor in Crestview. This year, Railey also will give gifts to residents at Safe and Secure Respite Care LLC in Crestview.  

The former has a special place in her heart.

It’s been the home of her great grandmother, Roxie Buchanan, 84, for the past two years. She and her mother regularly visit Buchanan, who has Alzheimer's disease.

Those visits inspired Railey’s wish to bring Christmas joy to the elderly.

"When I visit her and see the other people in the nursing home, I see how lonely they are," Railey said. "I think most people tend to think of needy children, which is great, but we forget about the elderly because they are not often seen out in public.”

Slippers, nightclothes, lotions and crossword puzzles are among donations that fill a spare room in the family’s home.  

"(Recipients) really enjoy the puzzles because it helps them pass the time," Railey said. "They also like the new clothing we get them because it is something new to wear."

Some 60 nursing home residents should receive gifts come Christmas Eve, she said.  

 Local businesses, churches and organizations posted project fliers to aid the effort. First Baptist Church of Holt and Innerlight Surf and Skate locations in Fort Walton Beach and Destin set up donation drop boxes.

Area residents have donated about $600, which the mother-daughter duo will use to buy gift-bag items, Railey said. But donations — which far surpass the number of presents most 12-year-old girls receive — haven’t met this year’s goal.

"I think we are almost there, but not quite there yet," Railey said.

She has a plan if donations exceed expectations.

"Whatever we have left over, we will box up and donate them to other nursing homes in the area," she said.

"She's a great girl, very selfless," Patti Snow, Carrington Manor’s administrator, said.

Railey doesn’t just talk the talk; she walks the walk, meeting personally with dependent seniors, getting to know them.

"She actually knows a lot of the residents here, so she personally knows what each one of them want for Christmas," Snow said.

"The residents really enjoy what she does for them."

Want to donate?

See Railey's 12th Birthday Project at facebook.com/Railey's12thBirthdayProject/ She sends donations on Christmas Eve.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown at 850-682-6524 or matthewb@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbMatthew.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Holt birthday girl seeks donations for seniors, not presents

CRESTVIEW — Public Works employees Floyd Spence and Randy Broxson, received HERO awards at the Dec. 4 Okaloosa County Commission meeting for their assistance following a May 11 two-car accident.

Spence and Broxson directed traffic around the accident site; helped move the uninjured driver of one car from danger; and simultaneously applied medical assistance to an injured mother and son. They provided moral support and first aid until the police and an ambulance arrived on the scene.

The Humanitarian Efforts Recognized by Okaloosa County award celebrates county employees who go beyond their job’s scope and do something humanitarian or heroic.

The HERO award can include acts occurring outside work hours and submissions by people outside Okaloosa County staff.

Above and Beyond forms are available online at www.okaloosafl.com, or you may call 311 for details or to recognize an Okaloosa County employee.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview, Holt residents earn HERO awards at county meeting

LAUREL HILL — Many residents who crowded First Baptist Church of Laurel Hill’s fellowship hall Tuesday night said this north county community should dissolve its city status.

The City Council wanted residents’ input on whether it should place a dissolution option on an upcoming ballot. Resident Harold Jones’ comments on poor road conditions during a Nov. 15 council meeting spurred the council’s decision to schedule the meeting.

Residents on Tuesday mainly discussed the main roads’ disrepair and expressed concerns about how their tax dollars were spent. Most favored dissolution.

"My position is that we are in the county and we all need to make (the city of) Laurel Hill go away," Harold Jones said.

"I'm for it," Deborah Adams, a Laurel Hill School teacher, said. "If Laurel Hill is no longer a city, that does not mean that they are going to erase those letters off the map."

A few residents favored Laurel Hill remaining a city.

Despite the city’s shaky financial standing, the likelihood of Okaloosa County repairing the roads, post-dissolution, would be a “pipe dream,” Mike Blizzard said.

"We’re not going to be in any better shape than we are now," he said, adding the sole difference would be the area’s municipality loss.

Florida Rep. Doug Broxson, newly elected Okaloosa County Commissioner Nathan Boyles and Okaloosa County Public Works Director John Hofstad attended, offering moral support. They did not express stances on the issue.

"We just want to be very clear that if your goal is to dissolve the city and become unincorporated in Okaloosa County, it’s not like we show up the next day and start repaving roads," Hofstad said after the meeting. "We have a process we go through."

The county commission must approve funding for road repairs before work could begin.

"We certainly want to help out Laurel Hill where we can … and we certainly will in the future," Hofstad said. 

  During the meeting, an audience member asked the council to state their thoughts on the issue.

  Council Chair Larry Hendren and Co-chair Robby Adams said they favored dissolution. Councilman Clifton Hall said he wants Laurel Hill to remain a city. Council members Betty Williamson, Willie Mae Toles and Mayor Joan Smith expressed no preference.

While addressing the issue, Toles shared her dissatisfaction with the current mayor.

"Laurel Hill was all right until she got here," she said.

The audience applauded the statement.

  Hendren encouraged residents to call city hall with questions on the matter and do research before deciding on the issue.

Resident Scott Moneypenny agreed.

"The citizens of Laurel Hill need all the information that is possibly available before making a decision to dissolve a city," he said. "Because once you lose the infrastructure, there is going to be problems, that people cannot for see."

 The next Laurel Hill council meeting is scheduled for Jan. 8.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown at 850-682-6524 or matthewb@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbMatthew.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Residents discuss city dissolution; council member criticizes mayor

MILLIGAN — Annie L. Thomas and Deacon Lee Roy Thomas, both of Crestview, will wed at 2 p.m. Dec. 22, 2012, at Beulah No. 1 Missionary Baptist Church.

The Rev. Robert Gray will officiate the ceremony.

The News Bulletin publishes north Okaloosa County residents' engagement, wedding and anniversary announcements at no charge. Submissions may be edited for length and style. Call 682-6524 or email news@crestviewbulletin.com for more information.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: WEDDING: Thomas and Thomas ceremony planned Dec. 22

We realize that “life happens,” as the saying goes, and sometimes you may have overdue library books. 

Through Dec. 31, the library will offer a “food for fines” amnesty. 

The library will forgive $1, in fines up to $20, for every can or box of donated food. We’ll donate all collected food to Crestview’s Sharing and Caring program. Verify that all food donations do not have expired dates.

Now is a great time to check all family members’ library cards for late books or unpaid fines. You may go online to check your account for overdue items and bills owed. See www.cityofcrestview.org/library.php, and click on the “Check your account, renew items, or place holds” link. Type in your 14-digit library barcode number (with no spaces) and your PIN (which may be CHANGEME if you have never set one yourself). Log in and go to “Review My Account.”

Call us at 682-4432 if you have questions. 

2013 art exhibit space available

Have you noticed the varied and talented art exhibits displayed in the library?

Paintings hang on the north exhibit wall and three-dimensional works and collections appear in the lobby display cases. This month, the cases feature works on local railroading including the Yellow River Railroad.

If you are a north Okaloosa county artist who would like to be considered for our 2013 schedule, please contact me at 682-4432 for a time to bring in portfolio samples.

End of the Year Tax-deductible Donations

Please consider a tax-deductible donation to the Friends of the Crestview Library before the New Year.

Write “book fund donation” on the check’s memo line, and it will be used exclusively for new library books.

Bring your check to the library any time or mail it to the Friends at P.O. Box 1972, Crestview, FL  32536.

STAFF PICK

“Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity,” by Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Katherine Boo, has garnered much award attention this year, including Library Journal’s Top Ten.

In this brilliantly written, fast-paced book, based on three years of uncompromising reporting, a bewildering age of global change and inequality become human.

Annawadi is a makeshift settlement in the shadow of luxury hotels near the Mumbai airport, and as India starts to prosper, Annawadians are electric with hope. Abdul, a reflective and enterprising Muslim teenager, sees "a fortune beyond counting" in the recyclable garbage that richer people throw away. Asha, a one-legged woman of formidable wit and deep scars from a childhood in rural poverty, has identified an alternative route to the middle class: political corruption. With a little luck, her sensitive, beautiful daughter — Annawadi’s "most-everything girl" — will soon beco

me its first female college graduate. And even the poorest Annawadians, like Kalu, a 15-year-old scrap-metal thief, believe they’re inching closer to the good lives and good times they call "the full enjoy."

Then Abdul is falsely accused of driving his neighbor to suicide in a shocking tragedy; terror and a global recession rock the city; and suppressed tensions over religion, caste, sex, power and economic envy turn brutal.

With intelligence, humor, and deep insight into what connects human beings to one another in an era of tumultuous change, these characters are impossible to forget.

Sandra Dreaden is the Crestview Public Library’s reference librarian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CHECK IT OUT: Food for Fines accepted through Dec. 31

FLORALA, Ala. — The family of Walter Kimble Owens, who has several Crestview relatives, invites everyone to his 90th birthday celebration, 2-4 p.m. Dec. 15 at First Baptist Church fellowship hall in Florala, Ala.

Your presence will be your gift.

Owens, also known as “the inventor” to family and friends, designed a self-renewing energy supply that he says can power homes and automobiles.

The News Bulletin publishes north Okaloosa County residents' birthday, engagement, wedding and anniversary announcements at no charge. Submissions may be edited for length and style. Call 682-6524 or email news@crestviewbulletin.com for more information.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BIRTHDAY: Owens celebrates 90 years Dec. 15

CRESTVIEW — Okaloosa Saves is accepting entries for 2013 Pigs on Parade and Piggy Bank Pageant contests. Winners will be announced at the Feb. 2 Eco-Nomic Expo in Fort Walton Beach.

Entry for the Pigs on Parade contest costs $50 per business team. Half of entry proceeds will go to the winner's favorite charity. Each team may decorate a piggy bank that expo attendees will vote on. The bank with the most votes determines the winner.

To enter, send payment by Jan. 12 to Okaloosa Saves, 3098 Airport Road, Crestview, FL 32539. 

The Piggy Bank Pageant — for youths ages 12 and younger — allows participants to decorate a piggy bank for competition.

Prospective contestants must submit completed registration forms and decorated piggy banks by Jan. 18. Winners will receive a savings bond.

The Eco-Nomic Living Expo — 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Emerald Coast Convention Center — is a free, family-based event organized by the University of Florida and Okaloosa County Extension.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Piggy Bank Pageant and Pigs on Parade contests open

CRESTVIEW — A school bus carrying 32 students from Rocky Bayou Christian School was involved in an early morning crash just outside of Crestview.

The bus was waiting to turn left onto Live Oak Church Road from southbound State Road 85 when the left front side of it was struck by a northbound vehicle that had run a red light, according to a news release from the Florida Highway Patrol.

Neither the driver of the bus, Patricia F. Duffey, 52, of Crestview, nor any of the children on it were injured in the 7:15 a.m. crash, the report stated.

The driver of the other vehicle, Theresa H. Leonard, 56, of Valparaiso, suffered minor injuries. She was taken to the North Okaloosa Medical Center for treatment.

Before striking the school bus, Leonard’s vehicle also hit Bradley P. Moore’s vehicle. The 37-year-old from Shalimar didn’t suffer any injuries in the crash.

Leonard was charged with running a red light.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: School bus involved in morning crash