TOP COMMENT If nothing changes, nothing changes

This happens a lot to cities that grow. In the beginning, there were churches within a small proximity of each other.

That was normal.

As towns grow and expand, churches and government buildings encroach the business district. Typically, they eventually move to more spacious and strategic areas to serve their audience.

That is not happening naturally here, and the problem with that is it inhibits growth.

The indicators are not there for local investors to feel comfortable to invest in the local area; thus, they go somewhere else.

It's not about maintaining the status quo — who wants that? It is about the future, growth and, by all indications, the economic, cultural and business-type indicators are not there; thus, no investment, no growth.

So the city council is trying to move this natural process along and some people have a problem with it — strange.

If nothing changes, nothing changes.

Okaloosa GoLocal

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Amendment would keep Main Street alive

This is simply to make Main Street what it needs to be in order to survive the times.

It needs to have a vast shopping, dining and entertainment atmosphere that keeps everyone's interest going into the evenings, not just 8 to 5.

(The amendment) has nothing to do with bringing down churches. We need help keeping Main Street alive and thriving.

Cheryl Bunyan 

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Need to re-imagine downtown Crestview

Ignoring the proposed code change, let's be honest: The Main Street area has never really thrived.

I've lived here all of my life (48 years), except when I was away about 10 years. The only time that it had any semblance of "thriving" died in the mid 80s, when Wal-Mart showed up and effectively put a nail in the coffin of nearly every retail place on Main Street.

Since then, and except for a few places, it has been a never-ending rotation of poorly performing, poorly thought out ventures. 

… The sad thing is that people aren't going to support that area. It's not hip enough. To make that area viable, it would need to be bulldozed and re-imagined. They would need to add an amphitheater, a dining district that would bring in some restaurants and include our favorites. It would need a park or green area and some retail shopping, too. 

Without that, it is going to remain a bunch of dilapidated buildings with rotating owners.

Dean Barrow

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Suggestion for Main Street's makeup

Needs to be a mini downtown Pensacola. That would be cool.

Julio Escobar

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Churches' location doesn't hurt business

It would be great to have a thriving downtown, but what does a location of a church have to do with that?

Nothing.

So you tell me why that was part of the proposal at all. What does a location of a church have to do with bringing businesses to downtown?

Sarah Campbell Myers

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Leave Crestview just for the beach

The only reason we should have to leave is for the beach. We are so far behind it's not funny. 

Chris Foster

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Rezoning isn't religious persecution

There's a serious difference between "religious persecution" and attempting to grow our Main Street area downtown.

Right now, the majority of stores aren't open on weekends and close at 4 or 5 p.m. every day, and those are thrift stores and churches.

There's plenty of room in the city of Crestview for new churches, expanding churches and relocating. Get on board with building a better, bigger, newer and more attractive Main Street for the greater good of the city.

This will only bring more people and more revenue.

Breana Carlson Uptigrove

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Why penalize churches?

Why should the churches, that have been in that area longer than majority of those businesses, relocate?

Why should they be penalized by not being able to expand and grow?

Mary Henderson

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Examples of churches' benefits

How exactly have the churches stifled growth in Crestview? Let me guess: by providing a place of refuge for those who are hurting, by feeding the hungry, by donating school supplies and clothes to needy children, or is it one of the other community services they provide?

Mary Henderson

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Increasing shops increases revenue

Churches do not bring in money for the town, nor for shop owners. Stores do. By increasing the shops, you also increase revenue.

Katrina Yant Walker

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Bring the buses back

I hope they start the buses back in Crestview and run it through Addison Place Apartments.

Katie Ragland 

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Suggestion for Jaws of Life benefit

Make a GoFundMe account and have the entire department share it! We love our Crestview Fire Department IAFF Local 2680.

Ashley Scott 

•••Another firefighter fundraiser idea

Can they set up a table in front of Publix a couple of days on the weekend taking donations?

Luke M. Sheplock 

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Flowers is an angel

An angel amongst us. Need more of them, too.

God Bless you, Mr. Flowers.

Gisela Harper 

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HUBBUB: Leave Crestview just for the beach, rezoning isn't religious persecution

How are city-led invocations unconstitutional?

So, how in the world did the very first Congress to this nation say a Christian prayer as the very first official act?

I mean, they certainly knew the Constitution, why this nation was founded, and understood the basic ideology of this nation.

Also, how in the world did George Washington, the military general that actually fought for a free nation, take his oath on a Bible, and add the words "so help me God" at the end of his Constitutionally required oath?

And why would every president (except three) follow that tradition?

And wow, "Congress appointed chaplains for itself and the armed forces, sponsored the publication of a Bible, imposed Christian morality on the armed forces, and granted public lands to promote Christianity among the Indians," (states Religion and the Founding of the American Republic, on the Library of Congress' website.)"National days of thanksgiving and of 'humiliation, fasting, and prayer' were proclaimed by Congress at least twice a year throughout the war."

And there are hundreds of other examples. 

So, certainly, saying a Christian prayer prior to a city government meeting, must be unconstitutional, right?

Is there no common sense, critical thinking and proper historical analysis anywhere, to include the press?

Rob English 

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Lack of downtown activity surprising

As a new citizen of this area and new business owner on Main Street, I was surprised by the lack of activity in the evenings and on the weekends down Main Street.

I was also surprised to see churches on Main Street — not because I am against churches, but because I was wondering how they would grow. There isn't a place to expand the buildings downtown for sure. They would surely have to move to bigger buildings or buy property and have those buildings built to suit their growing congregations — so why not do that to begin with?

Additionally, the parking is atrocious in the downtown area as it is, and to have church members competing with patrons of various businesses that may be opened at the same time, well, it can certainly be problematic.

Renda Brooks

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Pastor's comment could divide community

My concern about Pastor (Mark) Broadhead's comment about Crestview's elected council members actually planning and/or actually "selling the city's soul to the devil" is at best an over-reach.

It may look great as a headline, but it misses something in the process of building community, which should be a pastor's objective.

It is like playing the "Hitler card" — once played, communication is lost.

Bob Hollingshead 

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Plenty of room for churches elsewhere

There's a serious difference between "religious persecution" and attempting to grow our Main Street area downtown.

Right now, the majority of stores aren't open on weekends and close at 4 or 5 p.m. every day, and those are thrift stores and churches.

There's plenty of room in the city of Crestview for new churches, expanding churches and relocating.

Get on board with building a better, bigger, newer and more attractive Main Street for the greater good of the city.

This will only bring more people and more revenue.

Breana Carlson Uptigrove

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Prefer downtown churches

As a mother of teens, I would much prefer my children to frequent a thriving church, rather than a club/bar.

Exactly what type of people are Crestview's leadership looking to lure downtown?

Deb Lambert-Welsh 

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Churches are on every corner

There are literally churches on every corner in Crestview. A dime a dozen — pick or choose a flavor of the week. They are certainly not endangered because a new one pops up regularly.

Amber Nicole

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Downtown, businesses are better

To be honest, I'd rather have businesses that allow me to support local revenue than a church I will never visit.

It's all great if a church is there, but if businesses want to move in, that's even better.

Anything other than a church, gas station or law firm is a step in the right direction. We have too much of these on every street corner.

Sarah Hawkins

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Why does Destin have a say?

Why would growth management consultant Jack Dorman of Destin get to tell Crestview how to manage downtown?

Audrey Harvell McWaters

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Churches can mix with nightlife

My question is, exactly what kind of atmosphere are they trying to create that a church or two would not fit in well?

There are plenty of towns in the U.S. that have churches mixed in with their nightlife atmosphere.

It seems to work for them, why now Crestview?

Amanda Coffman

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New Orleans churches mix fine

There are churches in the French Quarter — not many places more vibrant than that.

Loree Arrington

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HUBBUB: Lack of downtown activity surprising, pastor's comment could divide community

Sometimes, I wonder whether people fully appreciate this column's role.

When I started it two and a half years ago, the goal was to bring transparency to the news side; give voice to unpopular opinions; and mediate when contentious issues arise.

It's no bully pulpit; there are no agendas here. But it takes much more courage to spread unpopular views and share lesser known perspectives than it does to write 30 inches about what everyone in town already thinks.

In other words, don't read this column and expect, in most cases, that I'll be preaching to the choir. That's hardly news.   

With that said, Crestview's hot topic this week is a proposal to amend Crestview's comprehensive plan. The city plans to promote downtown business development by rezoning the area to exclude additional churches.

As you may have heard, the Rev. Mark Broadhead, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Crestview, had something to say about that. But no line got as much attention as this one: "If this amendment should pass, it would mean — to use religious terms —that the city officials are selling the city’s soul to the devil."

Readers on crestviewbulletin.com and our Facebook fans almost immediately criticized the comments.

And at that moment, I knew which issue would need a closer look.

TEMPORAL, ETERNAL WORLDS

Broadhead's perspective may be difficult for some people to grasp. After all, having fewer downtown churches would mean more room for businesses that could add to the tax base and bring more revenue.

That's the popular opinion; at least, based on readers' reaction on crestviewbulletin.com and our Facebook fan page, it is.

But remember, part of my job in these columns is to give voice to the unpopular opinion, another perspective for complicated issues.

In this case, I have an advantage. As the brother of a Catholic priest, I've heard plenty about the temporal and eternal worlds.

The temporal world, as many people know it— complete with politics; pettiness; rivalries; the rat race; social climbing; bills, bills, bills; and debt— is considered a less significant reality with finite constraints and obligations.

But the eternal, invisible world — the longest battle of good versus evil, complete with angels and demons, and the reward of everlasting life or punishment of damnation — is more significant because it's infinite.

When you look at it that way, Broadhead's quote, based on his vocation as a minister, really isn't that controversial. For a pastor, it's downright factual.  

In the clergy's eyes, saving souls and building the kingdom of God trump boosting tax revenues. 

1 GOAL, DIFFERENT PATHS

Many of the faithful can appreciate the importance of fueling our economy and providing essential services, but everyone has his or her own ideas about to achieve this common goal.

For instance, I know some priests who say the best approach is not through capitalism, corporations or working traditional jobs. They'd favor co-ops and equal, supposedly fair pay.

Now, churches don't pay taxes, but as one reader noted, they do provide food for the hungry, clothes for the poor and other community services.

In other words, they're able to serve that eternal mission I mentioned earlier with monetary donations and contributions of goods and services.  

Atop that, in the Main Street churches' case, there's the added benefit of providing a heavenly presence, a measure of accountability, for Crestview's downtown businesses.

Meanwhile, there's the understanding that any service or amenity that taxes won't pay for, the community probably could rally together to cover.

NOT MUCH DIFFERENT

In recent years, a cash-strapped city and civic-minded residents willing to open their wallets have shown that Crestview can operate much like a church: relying not on taxes to provide essential services and amenities, but more on donations and volunteered labor.

Crestview residents last year raised $30,000 to reconstitute the police department's K-9 unit; they're raising $20,000 this year to pay for the fire department's new Hurst Jaws of Life; several are brainstorming ways to fund recreation facility improvements for the city's baseball and softball teams; and Friends of the Arts — which initially formed to find and fund a grand piano for Warriors Hall in the Whitehurst Municipal Building — regularly programs events whose proceeds help maintain the piano at no cost to taxpayers.

In other words, basic needs and even wants can be provided by the community; forget tax dollars.

Still, a vibrant downtown area enhances the community's quality of life. Certainly, it would be great to see more places to shop, eat and be entertained at on Main Street. And people who live here should want to play here, too, and keep tax dollars in this community to support it financially and symbolically.  

And in The Bible, even Jesus said that supporting the government wouldn't prevent someone from building his kingdom.

In fact, according to Matthew 22:21, it's a duty: "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's," he said.

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet News Bulletin Editor Thomas Boni.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BONI: With downtown Crestview churches debate, consider the source

About a year ago, the first Crestview City Council meeting I covered left an impression.

In part, it was because I no longer felt like I was on the outside looking in.

Let me explain.

As editor, I post most of the breaking news on crestviewbulletin.com, write a weekly column and cover some stories for our print edition, on top of the usual stuff (like editing all the copy, directing content and generally managing the news side).

But most of our stories, video and photo galleries come from Brian Hughes and Randy Dickson, our reporter and sports editor, respectively.

I may know what's happening during Crestview and Laurel Hill City Council meetings because I follow Brian's live twitter feeds and am the first to see the stories' first drafts. Similarly, reading about the Bulldogs, Gators and Hoboes keeps me well informed and helps me create a frame of reference without actually bon those fields. (I'm also hard at work at all hours, although it's from the news desk.)

But reading about the meetings and the games is no substitute for being at these events.

For instance, the News Bulletin reports "just the facts, Ma'am." You may recall that was Joe Friday's catchphrase on the TV show "Dragnet." My college journalism professor said the same principle applies in news. I never forgot that.

So city council meeting reports usually lack the meeting's lighter sides, because those things are nice, but they don't tell you what busy readers really care about: how their tax dollars are being spent, and what kinds of decisions their elected officials are making.

Which brings me to surprise No. 1: The Crestview City Council meetings are quite pleasant to attend. Not just for politics junkies like me, but also for anyone, because, intellectually, they are accessible to the public. City leaders tend to speak in layman's terms, so you won't feel lost — just in case you're concerned about big bureaucratic words.

In addition, they tend to joke around at appropriate times. So even though they're making important decisions about the city's future, there's a balance of work and fun that takes the edge off.

But the biggest surprise and, perhaps one of C&C Music Factory's "Things that Make You Go Hmmm" (did anyone else get that reference?) — for me anyway — was when I heard the invocation.

'IT JUST DOESN'T FAZE ME'

The second surprise was the invocation, which  was said by a sitting city council member, to begin the meeting.

I was a little shocked.

Perhaps I read too much national news and frequently see reports about how God is being taken out of city hall and county courthouses, but an increasingly secular society no longer fazes me.

I'm not saying it's right or wrong; it just doesn't faze me. Because the inevitable trend, stemming as far as the U.S. Supreme Court's Engel v. Vitale and Abington School District v. Schempp decisions in the 1960s, has been toward secular everything.

So when I heard that prayer during the invocation, as a Catholic, it certainly didn't offend me.

But I remember thinking, "Well, that's not gonna last."

Sure enough, the City Council voted 4-1 on May 11 to adjust its invocation policy.

Going forward, the city clerk will basically allow anyone, except a city official, to request to give the invocation before Crestview's government meetings.

Just like that, another Supreme Court decision hit close to home.

ONE ISSUE, TWO SIDES

A number of our Facebook fans criticized the decision.

 "That is very sad," Lisa Schkerke said."Why does it seem everyone has freedom of religion but Christians?"

"So the P.C. B.S. has finally trickled down to Crestview!" Donna York Perry said. "Judgment is coming to America — Crestview will not be shielded!

Meanwhile, some of my Twitter followers are atheists, some are Wiccan, and although I don't understand their beliefs, I do understand how they feel "left behind," so to speak, amid Christian dialogue in their city hall.

Then again, we are in the Bible belt. The criticisms are understandable. In a Christian's mind, following the Supreme Court ruling does prevent city council members from praying before the meetings.

However, that's supposedly fair because, as elected officials, their spoken prayer could suggest establishment of a Christian faith for all of Crestview.

At least, so goes secular thinking.

Both sides can make good cases. I guess we can chalk this one up to that whole "Life's not fair" saying about the real world, right?

CHANGING CLIMATE

 Back to that first city council meeting I covered.

As a Christian, yes, I thought there was something special about hearing that prayer, especially in this municipal setting.

"Only in small town, USA," I thought.

But again, I thought, "No way that's gonna last."

I'm pretty sure I even said that to Renee Bell, our editorial assistant, the next day.

Like it or not, secular society is here to stay — especially in Okaloosa County's largest city.

Yes, Okaloosa has grown by leaps and bounds since then State Rep. William H. Mapoles introduced a bill in 1913 to form a new county.

 Some will see the population boom and the increasingly fair society as progress; others will see a breakdown in neighbor mentality and community values.

But just like the animal rights activist group PETA called out Crestview and Okaloosa Island in the past couple of years when abuse cases made headlines, this piece of paradise no longer is safe from that kind of political correctness.

The Internet has changed everything. Now, if someone recorded a city leader praying during a meeting and sent it to the ACLU, the response would be instant.

Granted, their P.C. mentality may not square with most residents here, and this may be a sign of the biblical end times, but the point is this:

Okaloosa County can no longer hide from that kind of activism, and legally, it can no longer afford to not be "P.C."

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet News Bulletin Editor Thomas Boni.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BONI: Crestview's prayer policy was bound to change

Sick from water

My husband and I got sick, with throwing up and diarrhea, after brown water came into our house.

We had to call Auburn Water and ask them to come read the meter so we could flush the brown water out of our lines for two hours.

They came back the next morning and read the meter again so we wouldn't be charged for that water.

(Still), we weren't notified beforehand, so we got sick.

… Please get an automated notification system so all affected customers can be alerted in real time!

Linda Jones Beck

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Auburn needs automated updates

Would have been nice to get an automated phone call. Not everyone sits glued to Facebook waiting for updates.

Gary Jacobs

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Crestview invocation could sound like this

So it will be this prayer from now on:

"Whoever you are and, if you are and you can hear us, we ask in your name — whatever it may be — to bless us, if you might care to, in whatever way that might be.

And we will thank you, whoever and whatever you may be.

In the name of the Supreme Court, we pray."

William Gent

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Numerous readers commented about the Crestview City Council's 4-1 decision to adjust its prayer policy for local government meetings. Here's what they said.

Keep religion out of government

You can't sling a cat by the tail without hitting a church in Northwest Florida.

Keep your religion in this venue or in private settings. Quit trying to bring it into government settings.

Joel D Ring

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No freedom of religion

That is very sad. Why does it seem everyone has freedom of religion but Christians?

Lisa Schkerke

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Country founded on Christian principles

It's sad because this country was founded on Christian principles — not Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, atheist, Pagan, and Wiccan! Lord help us!

Lori Jo Burke

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Judgment is coming to Crestview

So the P.C. B.S. has finally trickled down to Crestview! Judgment is coming to America — Crestview will not be shielded!

Donna York Perry

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Majority rules

The prayers should represent the majority of the citizenry. Christianity happens to be that majority. In a democracy, majority rules, remember?

David Chamberlain

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Nation too sensitive

Saying a prayer hardly endorses a religion. The sensitivity in the nation has reached an incredible level.

Drew Cortez

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Council vote is good

Good. Not everyone is Christian.

Richard S Singleton

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Try a moment of silence

Our city council is doing the right thing. A moment of silence would be better, but this progress.

This change is more American than feeling that everyone should adhere to Christianity.

Brandi Fickling

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Vote signals a change

It's no longer a small town, it's a government town.

Linda Vining Allen

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In disbelief

Sad day in Crestview. I can't believe they're not gonna fight this.

Kelli Palmer

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In other comments, readers said…

Coalition should be proactive

Why are we waiting till something happens?  Preachers need to work with congregations to assist our police and sheriffs to clean up the drug problem and domestic abuse.

Mary Bell

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Amid apraxia, there is hope

My son is 2 and we are possibly on this same route. He has not been diagnosed with apraxia yet, but is in speech therapy, and this disorder has recently been brought to our attention.

So hard to deal with, especially when no one else understands it.

Julee Cloutier Zornes

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HUBBUB: Sick from water, Crestview invocation could sound like this

What's a drug dealer's source?

I am still wondering how dealers get their hands on that amount of controlled prescription medication.

Marisa Quick

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Question about Crestview lockdowns

What I find interesting is that this keeps happening at multiple schools here in the Okaloosa school district.

Whoever these people are, I think, are working together and gathering info — i.e. response times/techniques, security and so forth — in order to plan some kind of attack.

The school board sent out a message after they pulled this at a school in Destin, stating there would be more security.

Has this happened in any way (in Crestview)?

Melissa Kennedy-Shaffer

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About Laurel Hill's tax base…

Seems inefficient to support an entire bureaucracy for such a very, very small town

Rob English

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Too hot for MARC?

What's up with the AFD event? (Military Appreciation Recognition Celebration, Saturday at Old Spanish Trail Park in Crestview.)

11 a.m. to 3 p.m.? If you haven't checked the temperature today (May 9) at 2 p.m., with a solar load was 116 degrees Fahrenheit.

Was this celebration taking place indoors? Or I suppose it's going to cool down by the 16th?

Jon Bell

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Sheltered kids, sheltered adults

If children don't learn how to stand up for themselves at a younger age and (are) sheltered from reality, all we are doing is prolonging the inevitable as they become sheltered adults.

Dennis Luczak

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I am a super cautious driver and with that blind spot from the hill and the overall congestion, it's super hard to pull out from there. I've almost caused an accident. I also have almost been rear ended there as well. I believe a light would be beneficial. Too many people with kids are tying to pull out there. It's dangerous and I think people would rather not die than complain about traffic.

Brittany Dummitt

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No more lights!

No more lights!! If anything they should consider round-abouts. At least that would keep the traffic flowing instead of just congesting it even more than it already is.

Mary Henderson

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Grandview HOA went 'above and beyond'

I want to thank the directors and officers of the Grandview Heights Homeowners Association! They stepped up to the challenge last April, and have worked tirelessly to find the best solutions.

They are also homeowners, and bear the same burden as the rest of us, plus taking responsibility for overseeing the repairs! Every GHHA member has lake and park privileges; whether we use them or not, they enhance the value of our properties.

We are lucky to have such dedicated leadership! (And they did everything they could to share all the available information — meeting notices, emails, and now social media).

They have truly gone above and beyond!

Raymonda Schwartz

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Letter writer's suggestion sounds more like prison

The bears will be happy in their nice little prison. Hey … maybe you should look at the wildlife areas around you; we live within them.

Jon Bell

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HUBBUB: Question about Crestview lockdowns, drug dealer's source