CRESTVIEW — Numerous crestviewbulletin.com and Facebook readers shared their thoughts on the Almarante Fire Department’s heroism; Crestview’s newest food trailers; and Main Street business owners’ hopes of loosening alcohol restrictions. Here are some of their comments.

KUDOS FOR ALMARANTE FIREFIGHTERS

I work for a local department and heard that call go out. Then I heard NOFD state there were still dogs in the house and I prayed they would be found. When I heard the command on scene report they'd been recovered, I was ecstatic. They saved the pets and the home. That's excellent fire department work!

Brooke Faircloth            

TASTE-TESTING HAVANA HARRY’S

Tried them today; the Cuban sandwich was delicious, large and filling. The pineapple soda was great and the Red Beans and Rice I had was tasty but not as spicy as I like it.

David Hall

ALCOHOL IN LARGE SUPPLY      

Is somebody having a hard time finding/buying beer/alcohol in Crestview?

I guess they're not looking very hard.

Jeffrey Smith

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HUBBUB: Praising Almarante's 'excellent fire department work'

Fall is a lovely time of year, one that brings us cooler weather, beautiful shades of orange, yellow and burgundy flowers, and leaves that turn delightful colors.

Fall also brings pollens that cause some of us allergies. Unfortunately, both Jasmine and Shane, my collies, and I suffer from allergies. My poor collies — it is quite difficult to explain to them why they are itchy and "sneezily." (Yes, sneezily, a word I made up by combining sneeze and easily.)

I am allergic, not only to plants, flowers and stinging insects but also fragrance — which makes life quite interesting. Please be kind to allergy sufferers and refrain from wearing fragrances in tight spaces, such as the office, school, meetings or church, as you may unknowingly set off an allergic reaction. Some allergy sufferers get asthma, as well as migraines. Jim and I are blessed that we now live in Crestview, where the pollen is more seasonal than other places we have resided.

The collies are anxiously awaiting cooler weather so they can play outdoors. They love to frolic in the backyard, chase squirrels and lie under the banana tree, but they do not like hot weather. I believe I have totally spoiled them.

I love wreaths and Disney, so I am going to make an easy fall grapevine wreath featuring Mickey Mouse. To make this project yourself, you will need:

•Two 4- or 6-inch grapevine circles

•One 8- or 10-inch grapevine wreath

•Glue gun — hot or cool

•3 yards of fall-colored ribbon for a bow

•Assorted flowers and decorations

Glue the two smaller circles to the larger circle to make the Mickey Mouse head, then add your desired decorations and flowers. Finish with a colorful bow, and if you want, you can attach some lightweight floral wire so that you can hang your wreath more easily.

This project should only take about 45 minutes to an hour. It would be a great project to do with your children or grandchildren.

Be creative and make any type of fall wreath you desire.

Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Some of the benefits of fall weather

CRESTVIEW — Numerous crestviewbulletin.com and Facebook readers shared their thoughts on Crestview Citizen of the Year Mary Jo Woodruff and the county’s plans to pave Okaloosa Lane.

Here is a sample of their comments:

CITIZEN OF THE YEAR ‘A BLESSING’

It is a blessing to have Sister Mary Jo Woodruff as part of our church family here at Central Baptist Church. She and her late husband, Bro. Gene, have served the community sharing Christ's love to all.

From her work in the kitchen to driving buses on many church trips, then on to her integral part as a charter member of our Sunshine Gang, she is a joy to all.

(Through) her work with the Home of Grace and with the Woman’s Missionary Union she has been able to help minister to not just our local community but to our state, our nation and internationally.

To sit and name each group, organization and ministry that she has helped serve in would place us here for days and still probably miss a few. We count it all joy to have Sis. Mary Jo on the journey alongside us here, and look forward to serving her for many more years to come as she serves our Lord sharing His love with others.

CENTRAL BAPTIST CHURCH

SINCE OKALOOSA LANE’S GETTING PAVED…

Now make a bridge over I-10 and connect it to Airman's Memorial and we would have a back road that skips (State Road) 85 and gets you to (Highway) 90.

AUGUSTO BARRETO-MOLINA

GRATITUDE FOR PAVEMENT PLANS

Thank you to all involved in making this happen to make it safer for our kids.

TRISH FULTON

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HUBBUB: Since Okaloosa Lane's getting paved…

CRESTVIEW — Numerous crestviewbulletin.com and Facebook readers shared their thoughts on Crestview gas prices, assault charges against a local teenager being dropped and Colin Kaepernick.

Here is a sample of their comments:

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HUBBUB

CRESTVIEW — Numerous readers shared their thoughts on Crestview business development.

Here are some of their comments:

PRIMETIME PRICES FOR POOR LOCATIONS

Crestview has always been poor for businesses — just look at how the only new businesses we ever get are hotels, banks and fast food — the three places Crestview needs less of, not more!

I had planned to open a real local small business two years ago, but the cheapest place I could find that was not 500 to 800 square feet wanted $1,500 to 3,000 for awful locations with bad buildings and surrounding businesses.

And then the Realtors wonder why good shops on Main Street sit empty for years, or are constantly changing tenants.

Land/building owners in this town think that their locations right next to the ghetto, that were built 50 to 60 years ago, are worth primetime prices.

I made the smart choice, and I'd just move any new business to Pensacola — cheaper rent, and more people and places anyways.

RYAN RIESS

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BUSINESS FEES OUTRAGEOUS

Mr. Boyles is correct; we do not have more businesses such as shopping, restaurants, etc., because the city of Crestview is unfriendly to new business and charges outrageous fees.

Crestview is growing everyday — seems certain people in charge need to be replaced with more open-minded people like Mr. Boyles.

JACLYN HOSKINS

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NOTHING HAPPENS HERE

This city suffers because they don't put any effort into attracting any business. Plus the stagnant events and social life here.

Nothing happens here. Same handful of events year after year. A stage at Spanish Trail that sits vacant most the year.

Why spend money here when it's better spent in Destin, Fort Walton Beach and surrounding cities.

AW RATLIFF

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SECOND PUBLIX IS A GOOD THING

… A big company like Publix coming is a fantastic move in a better direction. If they see growth in this area, that is great. Others will follow in their steps.

I see it opening lots of doors for other companies wanting to come and build. Publix is a big name and others will want to be apart of it now.

Plus they always have some good places in their shopping centers, which will in turn be a good thing.

KIM LENNARD JOHNSON

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DISAPPOINTED WITH PROGRESS SO FAR

I have lived in Crestview for 13 years and am so disappointed with how things are not progressing. All this town knows is fast food.

BONNIE SWEENEY RINCON

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DEPARTMENT STORES NEEDED

This town needs more department stores! How is it that Wal-Mart has been able to remain the only place to shop for most things needed? And why exactly do we need yet another Waffle House and Publix? Why can't we get an IHOP, Target or Olive Garden?

MANUELA DAVIS

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MORE JOBS A PLUS

Anything to create jobs is a plus, however it would be nice to add something new for kids, more dining options, etc.

TARA STEADMAN

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UNWILLING TO GROW

We need more department stores, more restaurants — not repeating what we already have!

This place is so stagnant and unwilling to grow! Yes, fill those empty places on Main Street and around town — what is this city afraid of?

Well, at least we have Fort Walton and Pensacola to do our shopping. It’s a shame our money has to go to other towns and not ours! Shame!

LINDA

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LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

People are always complaining. A Publix is a great source of jobs, not to mention the complex will bring other business.

Just be happy for growth and jobs.

TODD LAWRENCE

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HUBBUB: Readers' thoughts on Crestview business growth

A 10-member mission team from First United Methodist Church, Crestview drove to Baldwin, Louisiana on Aug. 21 to the United Methodist Committee on Relief's Sager Brown facility.

There they participated in a hands-on short-term mission trip. With the flooding in Louisiana, this was the perfect opportunity to assist flood victims in a tangible way.

This team was made up of adults from ages 39 to 79, which shows that one is never too old to serve the Lord.

Due to the great need for assistance, once the team was in Louisiana, all efforts were dedicated to packing "flood buckets," which contained these and more items:

●5-gallon cleaning bucket with a lid

●cleaning supplies

●trash bags and dust masks

●sponges and scrub brushes

●gloves, air freshener and bug repellent

●clotheslines and clothespins

It was all hands on deck to get these buckets packed and loaded onto pallets, which could then be taken to a Methodist church in Baton Rouge for distribution.

Churches requested needed items and the Sager Brown UMCOR then provided them. Along with the team from Crestview, there were churches from Texas, Tennessee and Native American churches from Oklahoma, all coming together to share the love of Christ with the flood victims.

The week flew by for the missions team. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday were dedicated to working on the flood bucket assembly line.

On Wednesday, food distribution to local and needy seniors took place, with the food being provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Catholic Charities.

The warehouse where the work was done was not air conditioned, but volunteers did have lots of water and industrial fans.

In talking with several team members, I was told that this was a great experience for helping others, as well as meeting other Christians who love the Lord.

This was also a good chance to network with different churches about other ministry needs.

If you would like to donate to the Louisiana flood victims, here are two links:

●American Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation

●UMCOR: www.umcor.org

●Samaritan's Purse: www.samaritanspurse.org/

Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CROSE: Crestview church group helps Louisiana flood victims

You have to be careful when you assess your own situation. Sometimes everyone else sees a problem and you don’t.

Proverbs 12:15 says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

My son provided a great example of that this week. We went to the home of some friends for an Ethiopian dinner. It was a great dinner and a fun night.

As we were getting ready to leave, Dawit came in with one of his friends who said Dawit got hurt. There were three boys, two scooters and a bicycle involved. We’ll never know exactly what happened, but you are probably running through the same scenarios I was.

Dawit was holding the back of his head and I asked him if he was okay.

He said he was but I wasn’t convinced.

“Does your head hurt? Are you nauseous? Are you dizzy?” I asked a little too quickly.

He said he was fine and went to walk away to resume playing as normal. That’s when his mother noticed his neck and hand were covered in blood.

When he fell backward and hit his head, he did a little damage. We had to clean him up and head back home.

We got him in the shower and let him rinse the blood out of his hair, but when he got ready for bed, his mom noticed that it hadn’t completely stopped bleeding.

My wife, not wanting his bed to look like a scene from “Criminal Minds” in the morning, asked me a question that hadn’t come up in our first 18 years of marriage.

“Do you have any gauze?” she asked.

What am I, an army medic? She remembered having a first aid kit in the car but, of course, there was no roll of gauze. She did find a square of gauze and folded a tissue to help. Then she proceeded to wrap Scotch tape around Dawit’s head twice. He looked like a modern day cover of Stephen Crane’s “Red Badge of Courage.”

However, as funny as it looked, at least he didn’t bleed all over his bed.

As fun as dealing with injured children can be, was that story really worth retelling?

I think there is a moral to the story that might apply to this year’s presidential election.

Hillary Clinton reminds me a lot of Dawit. Like the cut on the back of his head — a lot of her problems are behind her and she doesn’t seem to see the full effect. Emails, meetings and attacks all happened while she was Secretary of State, so she wants to believe that she is fine.

She can’t seem to see that there is a problem. She can’t see the damage that others with a better perspective can.

I don’t know which of her advisers is telling her not to be concerned about erased or hidden emails, but she needs to fire them. This is not a minor problem, but if she faced it head on, took responsibility and said what she would do differently as president, I think voters would move on. Trying to convince people that national security being shared, or saved, on a hackable private email server is no big deal won’t work.

Her ties to the Clinton Foundation are also a major problem. Even if your heart is in the right place, and you would never do what it looks like you did, the appearance of impropriety cheapens her work with both the foundation and as the nation’s top diplomat.

How much hubris did it take for her and former President Bill Clinton to maintain ties and interest in the foundation while she held the title of Secretary of State or began her run for president?

They could have easily divested their interests in the organization, allowed someone else to continue to use the money to do the work they intended the foundation to do.

This is not the time to work for a foundation. Your other roles don’t allow it.

Both candidates are truly lucky to have each other this year. Without Donald Trump, Clinton would be the least popular major party candidate in the history of American politics. Without Clinton, Trump wouldn’t even be as close as he is.

I would say history wouldn’t remember this campaign well.

However, it seems like this race is just another data point on a trend line that shows how broken our electoral system is.

Contact Kent Bush, publisher of the Shawnee (Oklahoma) News-Star, at kent.bush@news-star.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BUSH: Clinton can’t see her actions’ damage

Isn't it fun to see beautiful flowers when driving down the street? Wouldn't you enjoy having a lovely yard full of autumn flowers and foliage?

The Dogwood Garden Club would love to help you achieve the yard of your dreams. Their next meeting is 1 p.m. Sept. 12 at the Crestview Library, 1445 Commerce Drive in the meeting room. This is a warm, friendly group with lots of gardening ideas.

Meetings each month focus on different gardening topics, such as invasive plants; how to attract birds and butterflies; soil types; and container gardening.

There is an abundance of knowledge on these and other gardening issues. We — especially amateurs such as me — can all learn more about gardening.

The gardening club is involved in several community projects. They have been instrumental in the move of the Blue Star Memorial Marker to its new location in Garden Park, located at State Road 85 and Main Street.

There will be a rededication of the Blue Star Memorial Marker at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 22. The Florida Department of Transportation designated S.R. 85, from Interstate 10 North to U.S. Highway 90, as a Blue Star Memorial Highway.

National Garden Clubs Inc. sponsors the Blue Star Memorial Marker project, which honors men and women who have served or are serving in our military. The Blue Star used by the program — which began in 1945 — comes from the World War II service flag.

Another scheduled dedication is that of the Jardin de Noirmoutier. This garden was planted on Northwest Florida State College’s Crestview campus in honor of our Sister City, Noirmoutier, France, and will be dedicated at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15. The garden club, along with members of the Crestview Sister City program, planted beautiful flowers to help celebrate 20 years of friendship between our two cities.

Fundraising projects include donations benefiting the Crestview Library, the Community Garden, tree donations to various organizations, and of course Garden Park, as well as the new Jardin de Noirmoutier.

Dogwood Garden Club meetings are generally held at 10:30 a.m. on the first Monday of each month during the school year in members' homes. Dues cost $25 per year. Call Ruth Herington, 683-0839, for more information.

Let's beautify Crestview with our lovely yards.

Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CROSE: Blue Star rededication in Crestview club’s projects

CRESTVIEW — Readers shared their thoughts on Crestview’s traffic problems and the artist behind a set of sculptures honoring the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office’s fallen deputies.

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3 WAYS TO FIX CRESTVIEW TRAFFIC ISSUES

Want to fix Crestview's afternoon traffic problems?

●Make PJ Adams/Antioch Road four lanes, from Route 85 to I-10.

●Make an I-10 interchange at Antioch Road. You could do it so that both east- and westbound traffic exits and enters the interstate on the west side of Antioch without disturbing the existing structures too much.

●Make Route 85 six lanes, plus a turn lane in the middle, from Redstone Avenue (where Regions Bank/Walgreens is located), all the way south to Live Oak Church/Antioch Road.

Will you have to spend a lot of money to buy the land? Yeah.

Will you have to bulldoze some existing buildings? Probably.

Is it in the best interests of everyone in Crestview? Absolutely.

It won't eliminate all of the traffic problems, but it will be a drastic improvement.

DEREK MARTIN

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‘FABULOUS’ FALLEN DEPUTY SCULPTURES

While I am thrilled to read this article and see the artist's smiling face, I am not one bit surprised!

Bill oversaw the remodel of our office building earlier this year. He is a wonderful, humble man who blushed every time we called him our "artist," and I am glad to call him friend.

Our community is fortunate to have people like him. Fabulous work, Bill!

ASHLEY ROGERS,

Chesser & Barr, P.A. & Old South Land Title Crestview

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HUBBUB: Readers' thoughts on Crestview traffic, artist's work

A young man stood on a street corner in St. Paul, Minnesota last Sunday holding up a sign describing his plight.

"Homeless, hungry, need help."

He was across the street from a church were I was speaking. I stopped to talk to him and did give him a small donation.

I asked him about his situation and he said, "I'll be honest with you. I became addicted to drugs and I have burned all my bridges. I have family in the area but I can't go back to any of them."

Some people have no place to go; others have places to which they feel they can never return.

Two weekends ago, my wife and I were walking Michigan Avenue in Chicago. On every block there were at least two people holding up signs saying they were homeless and needed help.

Nashville, Tennessee for the past several years has had thousands of homeless people on any given night. It seems today that every city has homeless people begging for financial help.

Have we become a nation of beggars?

I pause here and say but for the grace of God it could be me. My hope and prayer is that I can avoid homelessness, and so can all the people I hold near and dear to me.

However, I don't like seeing anybody homeless.

When we first started out on Michigan Avenue, we were in the heart of the shopping center. I saw what appeared to be a grandmother, her daughter and month-old baby huddled up in a doorway.

The baby had a pacifier and was held by someone who appeared to be her young mother. I walked by but had to turn around and give them something.

"I don't know how you got to this point but here is a little something. I hope it helps," I said. They said thank you as they slightly nodded their heads.

As I have seen so much homelessness in our country in the past few years, I always wonder how many are truly homeless and how many are just working the system?

Are they collecting welfare and begging too?

One man in Nashville a couple of weeks ago said he could not get a job because he would lose his $700 a month check.

Many in America are in dire situations due to drugs. Dependency on heroin and other devastating drugs are destroying people's health, families and finances, putting them on the streets. Millions are dying early deaths due to drug addictions.

We have to get Americans off the street. Bumming is not a good use of life. Every city in America must come up with a solid plan for temporary housing and using people into a local constructive workforce.

If they are not sick, and are physically able to do something, then helping the community and contributing something is better than begging on the street.

Glenn Mollette is an American syndicated columnist and author.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: MOLLETTE: What color is homelessness?