Here it is, into the fourth week of the season and already we have two colleges looking for new coaches: Tennessee and LSU.

And with their schedules it’s looking as if it may be all downhill from here until Nov. 18, when they play each other. Bowl games for either one is out of the question

Alabama and Clemson are still at the top but keep an eye out for Duke, Mississippi State, Georgia and Virginia Tech. And who would have ever thought of Wake Forest and Kentucky in the same breath at the top of the SEC/ACC.

Here are your 10 picks for the week plus a tiebreaker for Sept. 23.

1. Boston College Eagles vs. Clemson Tigers; this game will be the house of slaughter for the Eagles. Clemson by 21 plus.

2. Duke Blue Devils vs. North Carolina Tar Heels; a virtual who who’s in the state of North Carolina. Blue Devils by 18.

3. North Carolina State Wolfpack vs. Florida State Seminoles; just getting over the hurricane and postponing one game make the Seminoles very rusty but still stand up to the challenge of the Wolfpack. Florida State by 13.

4. Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets; this game just might be the game of the week to watch in the ACC. Yellow Jackets by 10.

5. Syracuse Orangemen vs. LSU Tigers; should be a very easy game for the LSU Tigers, and they’ll need it because they can only win one more, then it’s all losses until Nov. 18. LSU by 7.

6. Massachusetts Minutemen vs. Tennessee Vols.; why would a team have in their playbook a pre-vent defense to stop a team from scoring by dropping back 20 yards and say let her rip? Tennessee does and it never works. Tennessee win their last game of the season. Tenn. by 21.  

7. Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Georgia Dawgs. In this SEC game of the week, can the Bulldogs keep rolling as they have been or will the real Dawgs show who’s boss? Georgia by 13 but a very good game — look for an upset.

8. Florida Gators vs. Kentucky Wildcats; Gators take it down to the wire but Wildcats of Kentucky will pull it out by 1.

9. Alabama Train vs. Vanderbilt Commodores; all aboard — can’t stop the Train of the Crimson Tide by 21 plus.

10. Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Texas A&M Aggies; the Razorbacks have been licking their wounds for the past week. Could have been a mistake but that’s OK — they get to do it again. Texas A&M Aggies get 20.

TIE BREAKER: Florida Atlantic Owls vs. Buffalo Bulls; two teams with the same record, 1-2. This is an evenly matched game, with one of our up and down favorite coaches, Lane Kiffin. Why, you remember him from Tennessee; wait, no, USC; no, wait, from Alabama as offensive coach, and his new job is head coach of the Owls. They win by 3.

’Tis too soon to even talk about National Title, but as always Alabama is the front-runner.

Clemson is the front runner for the ACC but is not looking as it did a year ago.

Oklahoma is looking like years before and could be the team to beat; Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan, you need to let them beat each other up before you can count any of them in the top bracket.

As for the sleeper, look at Wisconsin, TCU, Iowa and the real sleeper is USC.

Bill Everett is a member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and lives in the Baker area.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: College football picks, week 4

NICEVILLE — A Layon Gray play depicting the story of the first all-black basketball team formed in the 1920s is part of the Mattie Kelly Arts Center season.

"Kings of Harlem" is the about the Harlem Rens and their struggles against the overt racism and discrimination encountered in establishing their legitimacy as a professional team.

The members eventually broke through barriers. They began to play against white teams and went on a historic winning streak of 112 games and only seven losses in one season.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'Kings of Harlem'

LAUREL HILL — The city of Laurel Hill has entered an agreement with the Laurel Hill RC Flyers, a club for radio-controlled model aircraft enthusiasts.

Laurel Hill's RC Flyers club began in 2008, but took a roughly three-year hiatus before its 2014 revival. The club eventually dissolved, but residents are trying to establish a new organization with the same theme.

Larry Pitts saw the need for an RC Flyers club in the North Okaloosa County area, so he began the paperwork. Approximately seven prospective members and the City Council have unanimously agreed to allow the club to use a portion of the Laurel Hill Industrial Park for flying radio-controlled aircraft.

According to the agreement, the club needs to maintain the area of the park they use by mowing grass and cleaning litter or debris generated by club members, guests or visitors. The Laurel Hill Industrial Park is 35 acres located two miles west of Highway 85 in Laurel Hill near the Florida-Alabama state line.

“We just enjoy flying," Pitts said. "The facility here is in a zone where there are no problems with the (Federal Aviation Administration).”

According to Pitts, the FAA limits areas like Crestview and Fort Walton Beach when it comes to flying radio-controlled aircraft, so some residents of these towns will come to Laurel Hill to join the club and enjoy the hobby. The Laurel Hill RC Flyers will only fly quiet electric planes, Pitts said.

Pitts is working to get the club chartered and filling out paperwork through the Academy of Model Aeronautics to receive insurance for their club. According to Pitts, the insurance will be for $2.5 million and will cover bodily injury and property damage for accidents.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill reestablishes radio controlled aircraft club

CRESTVIEW — Each year, a search committee names a dedicated resident Crestview's Citizen of the Year. This year the honor went to Raymonda “Rae” Schwartz.

“I am overwhelmed,” Schwartz said about winning the Mae Reatha Coleman Citizen of the Year award. “I have seen all the previous awardees, and they are people I have admired for a long time; they are an exceptional group of people. I am humbled to be chosen, and I am just thrilled.”

Schwartz, a New York City native, moved to Crestview in April 1989 and has since made an impact on the community by participating in various organizations.

She has served as a unit commissioner for Boy Scouts of America, a trainer for Okaloosa Volunteer Art Lessons, a member of Friends of the Arts and a member of Friends of the Library. She is a part of the Main Street Crestview Association and has served on the city's centennial committee, chaired the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce’s Arts and Culture Committee, has volunteered with Okaloosa County schools’ art programs for 13 years, and leads a knitting group at Casbah Coffee Company.

“She may not have been raised here, but she’s a true Crestview-inite,” Councilman Shannon Hayes said.

Mayor David Cadle thanked Schwartz for her dedication to the city and specifically with Military Appreciation Recognition Celebrations, Inc., a nonprofit organization that raises money for an annual Armed Forces Day celebration in Crestview.

“You were in it from the beginning and took on numerous roles.” Cadle said. “Thanks for stepping up."

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'She’s a true Crestview-inite'

CRESTVIEW — A Crestview High School graduate has completed U.S. Marine drill instructor training and two Crestview residents have completed U.S. Army basic training.

U.S. Marine Sgt. Jonathon Trent Arnold of Crestview graduated Marine Drill Instructor School Sept. 8 at Parris Island, South Carolina. He will also receive a promotion to staff sergeant.

Currently stationed in Hawaii, he and wife Ashlea will be going to Parris Island for his new assignment as a drill instructor. They are both graduates of Crestview High School.

Pvt. Anthony Bell and Private 2nd Class Dakota Oriento completed Army basic combat training in August at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. They learned basic tactical and survival skills, along with how to shoot, rappel, and march over 10 weeks. They also learned the basics of Army life and military customs, including seven core Army values.

Bell is now attending advanced individual training in Fort Jackson to become a human resource specialist. His parents are Robert and Christine Shaw of Crestview.

Oriento is now attending AIT at Fort Lee, Virginia to become an ammunition specialist. He graduated from Crestview High School in 2017. His parents are Sherry and Robbie Nagy of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 3 Crestview graduates complete military training

CRESTVIEW — The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office has issued a missing person report for 48-year-old Kathy Joyce Chamblee Bailey of Huntsville, Alabama.

Bailey, a 5-feet-5-inch white female, weighs about 120 pounds and has green eyes and brown hair with blonde tips. She has a tattoo that says “Bob’ on her right upper arm.

She was last seen wearing dark tank top, jean shorts, and orange hospital socks.

According to an OCSO media release, Bailey was first reported missing Sept. 12 to the Fort Walton Beach Police Department. The FWBPD learned Bailey had been taken to Fort Walton Beach Medical Center Sept. 9, but left the hospital on foot and headed southbound on Mar Walt Drive around 10:45 p.m. that same day.

Anyone with information on Bailey's whereabouts may contact the OCSO at 651-7400 OR or Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers at 863-TIPS.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office seeks missing Alabama woman

CRESTVIEW — Companies and nonprofits in North Okaloosa County that are accepting donations toward hurricane relief are listed below.

•Lewis Diamond Gallery is accepting all kinds of donations through noon Sept. 16 at 2670 Ferdon Blvd. Suite 103, Crestview. Donations will all be shipped south immediately afterward to help Florida residents. Details: https://www.facebook.com/LewisDiamonds/posts/1570449469679866

•Rotary Club of Crestview is accepting donations of items like pet supplies, hygiene products, cleaning supplies and bottled water for Texas and Florida hurricane survivors. Clothes are no longer being accepted. Donation hours are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday at Hub City Smokehouse, 168 Main St. S, Crestview. Larger items such as multiple water bottle packages should be dropped off behind the restaurant.

Business owners and nonprofits (no individuals, please) that wish to add their names to this list may email the details to news@crestviewbulletin.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: North Okaloosa businesses, nonprofits accepting hurricane relief donations

Editor’s Note: This continues our Celebrate Community series on nonprofit organizations that improve North Okaloosa County residents’ quality of life.

CRESTVIEW — The Rotary Club of Crestview is working on several concurrent goals through 2018.

The nonprofit's most important goal right now, though, is helping people affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

Discussing the matter at the group's Sept. 7 meeting in Crestview, Rotary President Samma Brannon said clothes are no longer needed because people have donated plenty of those. They are accepting other items, such as:

•pet supplies

•hygiene products

•cleaning supplies

•bottled water

Donors may drop off items at the Hub City Smokehouse, which is open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday at 168 Main St. S, Crestview. They should drop off larger items such as multiple water bottle packages behind the business.

Several donations were sorted and prepared for Texas delivery by Sept. 7. Rotarians were waiting to hear from Texas members about coordinating delivery efforts.

"If we do not hear from a fellow club, then we will coordinate with another organization in the area. Also, if we do not find a way to get the donations sent, then we have several members who are willing to drive them there personally," Rotary Public Relations Officer Holly Willey said.

Group members also helped manage the storm shelter for people affected by Hurricane Irma the weekend of Sept. 10 at Shoal River Middle School in Crestview.

PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

Area residents may not be aware of the club's other activities. That general lack of community knowledge of what the organization does, as well as a lack of younger generation members and quiet community doings are three of the issues the club faces, according to Willey.

"Our club is here to help our community grow and prosper and we want to help make that happen, however we are needed," she said.

The organization's international goal for the 2017-18 year has an environmental focus. Members will embody the year's theme of Making a Difference by planting a tree for each of its 1.2 million members through Earth Day, which is April 22, 2018. The tree planting program is part of its sustainable efforts to protect the environment and curb climate change.

On a local level, the club is continuing its annual events, and even expanding some of them.

•This month they will present area third-graders with a dictionary of their very own, and a copy of the U.S. Constitution to seventh-graders in Okaloosa and Walton schools. They have presented over 20,000 books to children since the program began.

•They will participate in the United Way's 'Day of Caring, a volunteer effort.

•They and Interact, the Crestview High School's Rotary Club, will provide a float for the school's homecoming parade.

•The next Wild Game Feast, wherein members raised more than $120,000 to Northwest Florida State College programs, is undergoing a name and venue change.

•People will be able to buy one ticket for a 30-day drawing in the March Grand Gift Giveaway, where one gift package worth $250 or more will be given to a winner each day of that month. Fundraisers such as these provide support for scholarships, charities and residents in need.

October events include a booth and hay bale contest for the Crestview Fall Festival, set for 1-6 p.m. Oct. 28 on Main Street; and a cooking class for people who use food pantries.

"The Fall Festival is going to take a lot of coordinating since we have so much going on during it, as well as the preparations that need to be made," Willey said.

The group's primary motto is "Service Above Self." It has over 1.2 million members worldwide. Email CrestviewRotary@outlook.com or go to www.crestviewrotary.org for more information. The international website is at www.rotary.org.

ABOUT ROTARY

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Rotary Club provides storm, other North Okaloosa assistance

CRESTVIEW — If you have an event you would like to submit, send your first and last name and information about the event to news@crestviewbulletin.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 3 things to do this week in Northwest Florida

A family-owned restaurant in DeFuniak Springs is hosting a wing eating contest to raise money for Healing Tools for Warriors, an organization supporting local veterans with post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

The 5th Annual Wing Eating Contest for Charity is set 2 p.m. Sept. 16 at 4C BBQ Family Restaurant, 1045 U.S. Highway 331 S., DeFuniak Springs.

This is the fifth year 4C BBQ Family Restaurant has hosted this event, however, this year’s fundraiser will be different. According to Robin Ford, who co-owns the restaurant with his wife Teresa, the wing eating contest was hosted in support of the Wounded Warrior Project in past years. Although they still support WWP through other means, Ford said he recently learned about Healing Tools for Warriors and grew interested in the cause.

Penny Pinkham, the organization’s founder, approached Ford and asked if their business would be interested in supporting them. Ford said he sat down with Pinkham and learned about her history and the history of the organization. Four of Pinkham’s sons have PTSD, so this is a cause close to her heart.

“We met some guys here, and we didn’t realize that in this area there were so many of them with PTSD and TBI,” Ford said. “Of course there’s other issues with [veterans], cases other than PTSD, but PTSD is the main thing for me when she was talking about it.”

Healing Tools for Warriors hosts an annual retreat in Destin where veterans with PTSD and TBI can go to unwind. The retreat comprises educational speakers, panels, resource facilitation, and daily activities, culminating with a day of relaxation and respite.

“I was thrilled to do it,” Ford said. “We came to find out that [Penny] is a true warrior of God and a patriot like you wouldn’t believe for our men and women in the service.”

Ford said between 40 and 45 groups have already signed up for the contest, so it will likely be an all-day event. 4C BBQ smokes their wings and deep fries them. Before the competition, they weigh the wings. Each contestant in a group, which comprises four people, needs to eat 10 wings. Their times and the end weight of their leftovers will be put into an algorithm that will determine the winners.

According to Ford, all of the money raised during the wing eating contest will go to fund the food at the annual retreat, which will be held Sept. 22-24. There is a cash prize for first place, but Ford said the winners usually donate the money back to the cause.

“That’s where our hearts are,” Ford said. “We’re all about supporting the military and especially those who the government hasn’t taken care of. We want to help those who are trying to take care of [the veterans]; we want to help them get what they need to be able to do that.”

Contact Robin or Teresa Ford at 892-4227, or visit the restaurant at 1045 US-331 South in DeFuniak Springs, for more information on the event.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'We’re all about supporting the military'