LAUREL HILL — The Florida State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating a vehicle fire on County Road 393 that occurred late Tuesday afternoon.

 Fire crews from Almarante and Dorcas volunteer fire departments responded to a call in which a 2000 Dodge Neon caught fire while on the side of U.S. Highway 393.

"It happened just north of Highway 2," Almarante Fire Chief Charles Carroll said. "The incident occurred at 4:23 p.m."

Carroll got the fire marshal's office involved due to the unknown nature of the fire.

Carroll said the driver, who lives near Laurel Hill, was traveling south on Highway 393 on his way to work Tuesday morning before the vehicle broke down.

The driver was then picked by a friend to take him to work. The driver returned to the vehicle with a friend in attempt to pull the vehicle with a towrope.

"When they got there, the car was in flames," Carroll said. Carroll said the fire marshal's office started investigating last night.

The Dodge Neon was totaled in the fire, with no reported injuries.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Fire marshal investigates mysterious vehicle fire on Highway 393

BAKER — Baker School students treated local senior citizens to Christmas music performed by the middle school band and a Christmas meal prepared by the school's culinary program Tuesday at the school.

Principal Thomas Shipp said he was pleased with the event's turnout. Denise Gronberg, who organized the event with the help of students, said 75 people attended.

"This is probably the biggest turnout we have had in a number of years," Shipp said.

"We came here for the food," Sam Brunson said. Brunson and his wife of 50 years, Betty, 67, regularly attend the annual event.

Many residents know Brunson as the voice of Baker varsity sports. In which, he continues to call plays from the press box at Doug Griffith Stadium, during football season and several other Baker sporting events. 

 "In the 38 years, I have been doing it, I have probably only missed five games." Brunson, 69, said.  Brunson said that he and his wife have been attending the event since the 1980's.

"We come here to see people we haven't seen in awhile," Brunson said. Many of them are longtime friends and classmates of Brunson when he attended the school.

"We don't get to see these people that often," Betty Brunson added.

Sam Brunson was also impressed with middle school bands performance.

"That was the best middle school band performance, I have ever heard," Sam Brunson said. "They did a really great job." 

 Before the senior citizens were treated to the banquet (which was sponsored by the school Student Government Association and Leadership Program) the guests were able to listen to a Christmas concert performed by the middle school band.

Band Director Tony Chiarito led the band in Christmas music, which included like  "Jingle Bones,"(a rendition on the classic, "Jingle Bells") and "Once upon a December," which was featured in the 1997 Disney film "Anastasia."

The final piece of music performed by the middle school students featured portions of 20 Christmas classics in just two minutes, which included "O little town of Bethlehem" and "Away in A manger."

 After the concert, guests were escorted to the school cafeteria to enjoy a Christmas lunch, which included turkey, dressing and other side items. Desert was also provided

"It is our way to pay them back for all of the support they have given us," Lindsay Gatewood said. Gatewood, who is a senior representative with the SGA, was volunteering at the banquet.

"This is actually one of biggest crowds we've had," Gatewood said. She added that everything was running smoothly after the guests were seated.

Gatewood said this event is used to show appreciation to the senior citizens at the event.

"Most of these people are involved in the school, because their grandchildren attend here," Gatewood said. She added that many of these seniors attend school functions including school sporting events.

 Shipp agreed with Gatewood.

"A lot of them attended this school and help establish a lot of traditions this school and they are still involved with it, through their kids and grandkids," Shipp said. "We have some that help and volunteer here (at the school)."

Not only were guests leaving with banquet placemats that were made by kindergarten students and corsages made by elementary students, they also had a chance to leave with a door prize. These prizes included gift certificates and other items donated to the event from local businesses in Baker and Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Baker students host senior citizens for holiday event

The December holidays are fast approaching, so we are gearing up for our annual Noel Night at the library.

This year, we will once again provide free cookies, carols and crafts for community families. For a fun-filled evening, plan to spend Thursday, Dec. 20, with us.

This is a learning experience as well. The first 75 children will receive a holiday fun book, from which they will learn some interesting facts about the three holidays. Plan to participate in Christmas, Kwanzaa or Hanukkah crafts and games. Take part in the scavenger hunt and win a prize.

Special entertainment will include the Crestview High School elite show choir Chanticleer, led by Kevin Lusk, Crestview First United Methodist Church hand bell choir also led by Kevin Lusk, the worship music team from Emmanuel Baptist Church, led by Justin Wyatt, and a special Christmas solo by Jenna Renee Lewis, our local junior soloist.

Take a stroll through the library and enjoy the special Christmas trees decorated by Edney, Bay and Laurel Hill Headstart preschool classes, and Kids Discovery, Shoal River Learning Center and both Child Care Network preschool classes.

Bring a can or boxed food item for our donation box for “Sharing and Caring.” During December, the library will forgive fines up to $20 for food, with each food item being worth $1 in fines. All food items will go to our Crestview Sharing and Caring facility. We also have a gift box for slightly used or new children’s books for our “Give the Gift of Reading” campaign. These gift books will go to Okaloosa Headstart children.

In the spirit of giving, we hope you will purchase a Christmas ornament for our “Book Donation Tree” to help us buy new books for the library. The next time you are in the library, ask about it.

Our Friends of the Crestview Library sponsor these holiday events.

STAFF PICKS

Come in and check out our collection of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa books.

QUOTE

“When I read about the way in which library funds are being cut and cut, I can only think that American society has found one more way to destroy itself.” — Isaac Asimov

Jean Lewis is the director of the Crestview Public Library.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CHECK IT OUT: Noel Night coming Dec. 20 to library

MARY ESTHER — A female black bear that had grown reliant on human-provided food and brazen in her efforts to obtain it has been euthanized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Two cubs, both weighing about 100 pounds, were captured with their mother and released on Eglin Air Force Base property northwest of the Wynn Haven Beach area they’d frequented, the FWC said in a news release.

“The cubs have been with their mother long enough that they are no longer fully dependent on her,” FWC bear program coordinator Dave Telesco said in the news release. “The chances of survival for these cubs are relatively good.”

Telesco said in the news release that the mother black bear had to be killed because she’d lost “her natural fear of people.”

She’d also killed chickens and a dog during her forays into areas inhabited by humans, the release states.

“The female had raised two litters of cubs and been active in several neighborhoods in the area for a few years,” Telesco was quoted as saying. “This year, however, she became more bold and protective of her cubs.”

The capture was made Nov. 29.

Officials said both the mother bear and the cubs were larger than bears reliant on foods found in nature. She weighed 250 pounds.

“Bears grow larger and produce more cubs when they have regular access to human-provided foods, which increases the number of bears living in neighborhoods and causing human-bear conflicts,” the release states.

“This situation was preventable. If those bears did not have easy access to trash and other human-provided foods, they would likely have just passed through the neighborhood,” Telesco said.

 Contact Daily News Staff Writer Tom McLaughlin at 850-315-4435 or tmclaughlin@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomMnwfdn.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Mother bear euthanized after capture

CRESTVIEW — The Christmas parade on Main Street Saturday featured 125-plus groups that celebrated the holidays with floats spanning themes Biblical — Noah’s ark, angels — and traditional — Christmas story time, Island of Misfit Toys — along with guest appearances from popular children’s characters like Hello Kitty.

However, one parade participant, representing Save Me from the Fire ministry, drew criticism from a number of parade-goers for denying Santa Claus’ existence, shouting disparaging remarks about homosexuals and telling people they were going to hell from a megaphone.

Brian Gaines, the ministry’s founder and a student at a Pensacola Christian college, drove the truck while recording video footage for the organization’s website. James Forrester preached from the truck.

Following the parade, a number of attendees commented on the News Bulletin's website and Facebook page expressing their displeasure.  

"What control do the organizers have over the entries?" Tina Bannon said on crestviewbulletin.com. "I was very upset with the man on a (megaphone) saying, ‘We are living in a sin-filled world … this world is going to burn.’”

“He said he hated to crush our dreams but Santa wasn’t real. My daughter was devastated,” Emily Self Hayes said. “You can’t say that at a Christmas parade where kids are there celebrating and waiting to see Santa.”

The ministry — which has participated in “a dozen parades in the area” since May, said Gaines, who defended the group’s message — plans to return next year and, in its own words, more negative than ever.

“Maybe I should have preached more negative. You didn't like that it made you feel convicted about your sins. You hate God and you hate his holy book. Don't worry, I will be back next year,” Forrester said.

The truck, which displayed a sign that said, “I am a King James-only, Bible-thumping, fundamental, pre-millennial, Baptist, Heaven-Hell-Hot-Sweet Street Preachin’ Believer,” presents the Gospel, the ministry stated. 

"I suggest they ask why they were offended of the truth," Gaines said. "I don't think anything that was said that night wasn't true." 

Some residents said they supported the ministry’s right to preach, regardless of its message.

“This is the United States of America; we have a First Amendment right to say what we want. I don’t agree with the way this gentleman did it, but I also don’t want to be told I can’t voice my beliefs,” Tony Rowell said.

The Main Street Crestview Association hadn’t received calls concerning the preacher, as of press time, Main Street Crestview Association President Ellis Conner said. However, he apologized on the association’s behalf for those offended. "We don't want anyone to leave the parade offended," he said.

The issue was to be discussed at the association’s Wednesday meeting, when the group would review the parade’s positives and negatives.

"We try to screen each of the participants," Conner said. “Twenty to 25 percent of the participants are church organizations. They will continue to be part of the parade."

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: Preacher’s comments draw criticism; some cite First Amendment right

The winter season is here, and with this time of year comes breezy days and clear, beautiful skies. Temperatures can be mild or chilly, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying the outdoors.

We have some beautiful natural resources in Northwest Florida, and there is no reason why the winter season should keep us indoors. Many activities can be enjoyed year round right in our backyard. Hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking, camping, birding, fishing and walking are such pastimes.

We have access to public parks, state forests and Eglin Air Force Base Reservation, which you can access with a recreation pass from Jackson Guard in Niceville. Hiking, in particular, is lovely and there are many trails available. Check out a local hiking group if you are looking for ideas or starting out.

Water resources can still be utilized this time of year. North winds bring calmer waves on the beach and the bright, clear skies make winter walks quite enjoyable. Our many estuaries, rivers and lakes are also great to enjoy from a boat, canoe or kayak, or just enjoy them from a pier or a boat ramp.

Winter fishing is another option. Local fishing reports can update you on what to catch and where. Typically, redfish and black drum are great to fish for this time of year. Responsible angling practices are non-negotiable, so recycle your fishing line in monofilament recycling bins. You can find these bins at your local marinas and fishing piers, but if an area needs one, contact the county extension office. Know your size and catch limits for the fish you target and check the state and federal water fishing regulations when heading offshore. These regulations appear at MyFWC.com.

Want to take a more active role and do a service project or volunteer during the winter months? There are many opportunities. One example is the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count. For the first time, participation is free. See http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count for a site near you and full details.

Getting outside for a nice walk, long hike, camping trip or many of the other possibilities can keep you and your family active.

So get out of the house and enjoy the great outdoors!

Brooke Saari is a Sea Grant Marine Science and Natural Resources agent at the UF/IFAS Extension Office in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EXTENSION CONNECTION: Winter recreation for the whole family

FORT WALTON BEACH — Okaloosa and Santa Rosa county officials learned Monday they’d received hundreds of thousands of dollars in state defense infrastructure grants.

“That’s phenomenal,” Okaloosa County Administrator Jim Curry said upon hearing the news.

Okaloosa County received two grants. One is for $200,000 to use for land acquisition in the Shoal River basin near Duke Field. The second is an $181,245 grant that will go toward improvements to the intersection of Martin Luther King and Downs Road near the back entrance to Hurlburt Field.

Santa Rosa County Commissioner Don Salter said $200,000 in state grant funds would help fund “ongoing land acquisition around Naval Air Station Whiting Field.”

Read a press release announcing the grants.

“The grant will allow our county to continue to purchase land and conservation easements around the base and its many outlying fields to prevent encroachment and other incompatible land uses,” Salter said in an email.

Okaloosa County’s Shoal River Military Installation Buffering Project funding is the second $200,000 installment from the state for land preservation along the Shoal River, said Jeff Littrell, director of the county’s water and sewer department.

The first military installation buffering grant was used to purchase 353 acres running south along the Shoal River from approximately Interstate 10 to the State Road 85 bridge, he said.

The county is working with the Northwest Florida Water Management District and is studying the possibility of creating an “offline water reservoir” for surface water storage, Littrell said.

The land, which runs on either side of the river, can also be used for future wetlands mitigation and to protect the river water from pollution, he said.

Eglin Air Force Base benefits from the county owning the land because its Duke Field flight line lies just south of the area being purchased.

“It does benefit Eglin by taking the land out of the future development pool,” Littrell said.

This year’s grant will be used for more of the same type of land acquisition, Littrell said.

 “We’re extremely pleased we have such great partners here,” he said. “This is one of those win, win, win situations.”

Statewide, grants totaling $1,581,245 were handed out to support Florida military installations, according to a news release from Enterprise Florida.

The grants protect a $60 billion economic impact and approximately 686,000 defense industry jobs, the release states.

“This grant program is a vital tool in maintaining Florida’s reputation as the most military friendly state in the nation,” Gov. Rick Scott was quoted as saying in the release. “Jobs for Florida families is my top priority, and these grants will improve the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of Floridians employed at our military installations.”

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Tom McLaughlin at 850-315-4435 or tmclaughlin@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomMnwfdn.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: State defense grants coming this way (DOCUMENT)

FORT WALTON BEACH  — Voters who are ready for a break from state and national elections might be surprised to learn that municipal contests are just around the corner.

In Okaloosa County, candidate hopefuls are pre-filing for a long list of local offices from Laurel Hill to Shalimar.

Niceville voters will head to the polls Jan. 22 for a special election, while voters in Fort Walton Beach, Shalimar, Cinco Bayou, Crestview and Laurel Hill will cast ballots March. 12.

Interest generated by the recent presidential election does not necessarily translate into a high turnout for local races, said Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections Paul Lux.

“It really depends on who’s running and if people are really energized about getting a particular individual elected or keeping someone from getting elected,” he said. “Like a lot of things, it really, truly depends on candidates and issues.”

Lux cited Laurel Hill, which is considering placing a referendum on the ballot to dissolve the city.

“In Laurel Hill, they’ve only got about 350 registered voters in the city, but a referendum … is bound to draw a lot more attention,” he said.

Lux said he finds it interesting that local elections often generate low interest.

“I always tell people these local municipal races — your county commission and school board races — these are the people who have their hand on your wallet,” he said. “Much more so than the people in Washington do. … People should be turning out in droves for the local races.”

In Niceville, voters will elect a City Council member to replace Bill Smith, who resigned to run for the Okaloosa County Commission. Smith left the council Nov. 20, City Clerk Dan Doucet said.

“We haven’t had many inquiries,” he said of he open seat. “I’ve got 10 packets ready, but you never know.”

Smith’s term ends July 13.

Qualifying for the Niceville election is from noon Tuesday to noon Friday.

In the March 12 election, Fort Walton Beach voters will elect a mayor and four City Council members.

Former City Councilman Mike Holmes has pre-filed to run for the seat left vacant by Dennis Reeves, who resigned to run for the County Commission. Councilmen Bobby Nabors and C.H. “Bull” Rigdon also have prefiled to run for their seats.

In Shalimar, voters will elect a mayor and two town commissioners. In Cinco Bayou, voters will elect three Town Council members while Crestview voters will elect a city clerk and three City Council members.

Crestview City Councilman Charles Baugh and City Clerk Elizabeth Miller Roy have prefiled to run for their seats.

In Laurel Hill, voters will elect a mayor and two City Council members.

Qualifying for the March 12 election begins at noon Dec. 31 and runs through noon Jan. 4.

“It’s kind of strange because we’re interrupted by a federal holiday, and there is no provision in the law to extend it to accommodate for that holiday,” Lux said.

Elections offices in Fort Walton Beach and Crestview will be closed on New Year’s Day, he noted.

Potential candidates in Cinco Bayou, Fort Walton Beach and Shalimar can pickup qualifying packets at Lux’s office in the county Water and Sewer Administration Building at 1804 Lewis Turner Blvd.

Qualifying packets for the Crestview and Laurel Hill elections are available at his office in the Buddy Brackin Building at 302 N. Wilson St., Suite 102 in Crestview.

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Municipal elections on the horizon

CRESTVIEW — A 19-year-old man was shocked with electricity after he crashed his car into a power pole early Sunday morning.

William Edgar McDonald, of Crestview, was speeding eastbound down Airport Road about 2:30 a.m., according to the Florida Highway Patrol. He lost control at a sharp left curve just past Fairchild Road.

McDonald’s two-door Nissan spun out along the shoulder, hit a road sign, went into a ditch and then collided head-on with a power pole. The car continued on for about 30 feet before coming to rest in some small brush.

The power pole was knocked down.

A witness who heard the crash heard McDonald revving his engine after hitting the power pole, according to the FHP. The witness approached the wreck and saw McDonald had gotten out of the car and was walking up a hill.

The witness tried to warn McDonald about the downed power lines, but McDonald came in contact with them anyway and was shocked with electricity, which caused significant trauma, the FHP reported.

He was flown to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola in critical condition, the FHP reported.

McDonald was no longer at the hospital late Sunday afternoon, hospital officials reported.

It was unknown whether alcohol was a factor in the crash, according to the FHP. Charges are pending further investigation.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Man suffers electric shock after crashing car into power pole

EGLIN AFB — The arrival of the Army’s 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) more than a year ago has been a welcome boost to a slumping local economy.

The group, which officially opened its cantonment in October 2011, should pump about $3.2 billion into Okaloosa County’s economy between 2010 and 2016, according to a report from the Haas Center at the University of West Florida.

It’s enough to offset the departure of 50 F-15s from the Air Force’s 33rd Fighter Wing in 2009, which will result in a loss of $3.3 billion during the same time period, the report said.

Although the report calls it a nearly even trade, the area felt the economic boost when Army families began arriving from Fort Bragg, N.C., last year because the economy was so depressed, said Rod Lewis, director of the Haas Center.

Their arrival came on the heels of the housing bubble burst in 2008 and then the loss of the F-15s in 2009.

“It was a double whammy,” Lewis said.

After two years of significantly negative population growth in Okaloosa County, the 7th Special Forces Group brought about 6,000 new people, including 2,200 soldiers and their families, to the area.

People had been used to operating in the slump, Lewis said. “Then, boom.”

The county has felt the impact, especially in Crestview where most of the families settled.

“We’re very pleased with the outcome,” said Kay Rasmussen, interim president of the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County. “The community has embraced the families moving into our neighborhoods.”

She described a ripple effect on the local economy as the new families started purchasing and leasing homes and taking advantage of retail.

Also, many of the soldiers’ spouses opened small businesses, primarily in the Crestview area, Rasmussen said.

The departure of the F15s, the arrival of the Special Forces Group and then the arrival of the first F-35s at Eglin Air Force Base were all called for in a Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) report in 2005.

The F-35s — the first of which arrived at Eglin in July 2011 — have brought about 1,300 people to the community, said Col. Tony Douglas, vice commander of the Air Force’s 96th Test Wing, which oversees operations at the base.

“It has been a big transition (for Eglin),” Douglas said.

It’s going well, though, he said.

At a sprawling 724 square miles — about the size of Rhode Island — Eglin is the Department of Defense’s largest installation and was ready to absorb the new missions, Douglas said. The community also welcomed the new personnel with open arms.

 “It’s been great, not just for TEAM Eglin, but for the local community as well,” he said. “We’ve got more people coming into what is, in my opinion, a very exciting and diverse installation.”

Many people had expectations that the new Army jobs would be low pay and would not offset the loss of the F-15s, which relocated about 2,000 airmen, Lewis said.

“They were a bit afraid. The Army’s coming. The Army’s coming,” he said. “But these people are very well-paid. This is not a private first class making $20,000 a year.”

The 7th Special Forces soldiers are largely well-educated and earn $70,000 to $90,000 a year.

 “That’s quite a different (economic) impact when you look at it,” he said.

Lewis said 65 to 75 percent of the families settled in north Okaloosa County.

The soldiers deploy regularly and military spouses wanted to live close to each other for support. They also are a tight-knit group, having all been stationed together at Fort Bragg for years.

“Crestview got out ahead,” Lewis said. “They were very welcoming and worked to promote Crestview as the place to be.”

Many of the families just didn’t look anywhere else, he said.

Lewis said he was somewhat surprised more families didn’t move south because housing was much more affordable closer to the beach and Choctawhatchee Bay than it would have been before the housing market crashed.

He said the lingering question about the military’s economic impact remains what level of growth the area will see from the F-35 program.

At one point, the Air Force estimated there would be 107 planes at Eglin. Twenty-two jets have arrived so far.

The effects have been positive, but just how much economic benefit will come from the program is yet to be determined, Lewis said.

“They are just not here in the numbers we initially thought they would be,” he said.

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Lauren Sage Reinlie at 850-315-4443 or lreinlie@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenRnwfdn.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 7th Special Forces Group has given the area a needed economic boost