Opinion Archive

Washington, D.C. — On September 6, 2023, U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz (FL-01) was informed of retaliation and harassment by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) against congressional witness Chris Smith, owner of Gulf Coast Gun in Milton, Florida.

The Baker and Crestview football teams are off this week. That doesn’t change the fact that we have yet to reach the end of September and this is week five of the high school football season.

The newspaper industry has been changing, or as we like to call it, evolving. Some newspapers have survived, and many haven’t. So how does a newspaper survive – thrive even?

We have some idea of what it takes. We have experienced growth even in the past year.

I’ll be the first to admit I seldom, if ever, understand the workings of the Florida High School Athletic Association. And honestly, that might not be a bad thing.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis must be drooling.

In a dark day for America, Democrats made President Joe Biden’s chief political rival fly to their stronghold of Atlanta, surrender to law-enforcement officials, and get photographed and fingerprinted like a common criminal.

Earlier in life, I had a brief stint in sales just long enough to convince me that I am no salesman. However, I did learn some interesting maxims from my sales training, like “The Rule of 250.”

I believe it was the poet Jon Donne that is first credited with saying, “No man is an island unto himself.”

Anybody that has been fortunate enough to be a member of a team understands the value of being connected to teammates, coaches and even fans. The connections can often last long after the team time has passed.

Congratulations, we have officially survived the football offseason.

Tonight, Aug. 24, the high school football regular season opens when Crestview hosts Rickards at Jack Foster Stadium. Tomorrow, Baker gets to turn on the lights at Doug Griffith Memorial Stadium as the Gators welcome South Walton to town.

Working in a newsroom, specifically our newsroom, every day we hear 911 dispatchers handing out emergency calls to our fire departments and ambulances. Some are less emergent than others. Not every day is filled with fires or disasters, but every single day you will hear a call for an overdose. Some days more than one. It is a near guarantee.

I was sad to hear of the passing of Don Salter. He was on the Santa Rosa Board of County Commissioners for twenty years and would be there now if he was re-elected in 2020.

He has contributed to the betterment of our county during his time on the commission.