Opinion Archive

In my previous article I shared with you a little bit about the man we know as St. Francis of Assisi. As a young man he became disillusioned with his family’s wealth and all the trappings that went along with it. His heart was changed by the living Christ, and he became an advocate of the poor, living in poverty himself, and answering the call to “fix” Christ’s broken church.

Covering a breaking news story, especially a tragic one, is one of the hardest parts about being a journalist.

Everyone has heard the phrase, “If it bleeds, it leads,” but the truth is 99.9% of the journalism community would rather go their entire career without covering a tragic event. Probably 100%. And that old saying really applies to readership, because unfortunately, in general the public would rather read about something horrible that happened than someone uplifting someone else.

I love the City of Crestview; the closeness of our citizens, the strength of our faith community, and the appreciation we have for all the military services.  Having said that, there is one area that I believe we could improve upon and that is demonstrating how much we love our country because it is the greatest one in the world. 

Francis was born into a very wealthy family. He never wanted for anything while growing up at home. He enjoyed the finer things in life. His mother doted on him. His father provided very well for the family. During his childhood, he lacked for nothing.

With no offense to any of the local candidates in this election, I’ve always thought school superintendents should be appointed by an elected school board instead of being elected by the public.

Some counties in Alabama and Florida (not all) elect a superintendent of schools, but the rest of the country allows the school board to make the hire. Santa Rosa County is one of 41 counties in Florida where the superintendent of schools is elected.

Some of you probably woke up last Friday, very surprised to learn that a tornado came right through Santa Rosa County and into Okaloosa County.

Many were left to pick up trees from their homes, out of roadways and to repair property damage following the EF-2 twister. The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado through its preliminary survey, estimating its peak winds at 115 miles per hour.

By the time this column hits the website and print edition the only thing left in the 2023-24 sports year will be Crestview’s spring football game at Walton.


And just like that another school year is ending and the cycle of life continues to move on.

Some studies have shown that moving is ranked as the number one stressor anyone deals with in life.

People have ranked moving above the grief of losing a loved one or a separation or divorce.

It’s been covered in the news lately, but there have been several townhall events and meetings with Okaloosa County leadership about growth and development in North Okaloosa County.  We all know growth is a way of life in Florida and there is no stopping it.  The issue is, duh, it must be done smartly.  Crestview traffic is a disaster – to me, this is the poster child of growth not done smartly.

The year 2024 is a big election year, not only nationally, but also in Okaloosa County.

We’re guessing everyone is aware of that, unless you sleep under a rock or somehow drive around town with your eyes closed. At this point, we’re not sure you could throw a rock on most major thoroughfares in Okaloosa County and not hit an election sign.