Opinion Archive

We spent Monday morning at various schools around Santa Rosa County, taking in the sights and sounds as students walked into classrooms for the first day of the 2024-2025 school year.

There have been very few times in my life where the world has stopped and everything else has seemed to matter so much less.

Thursday, Aug. 1 was one of those days.

It’s football time in Okaloosa County.
Friday night Baker and Crestview have dress rehearsals for the 2024 season with their respective Kickoff Classics.

At the beginning of the school lunch line was a basket of delicious-looking red apples. There was a sign above the basket that read, “One apple per student. Remember God is watching you.” At the far end of the line was a basket of homemade chocolate chip cookies with a sign that said, “One cookie per person.” A student had written, “Take all you want. God is watching the other end of the line.”

Last week, we wrote about a two-vehicle accident involving an alleged drunk driver and a 28-year-old, who lost her life.

It’s not a secret that I’m probably the biggest sports fanatic out there.

I know there are many people who would challenge me on that, and that’s fine. But I rarely can get enough sports talk, and I enjoy watching just about any athletic event, though nothing beats football on the weekends.

Sometimes in the busyness of life we forget some of the upcoming big days that have impacted our lives. That was recently the case for me when, I didn’t forget July 30, but didn’t remember the impact of the day until writing my previous columns as I was caught up in the excitement of the upcoming fall sports season.

“If in doubt, sing louder!” I told the volunteer church choir at a rehearsal. The look on their faces said, “Oh, really? Why would I do that?” They knew that I had been a professional musician, but they also knew that I had zero choir-directing experience. I explained, “If in doubt, you hold back, even if you are singing your part correctly, it will sound wrong. So, if you are going to make a mistake, make it a good one, and we’ll fix it!”

In June, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and Panhandle Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) rescued dozens of animals after a welfare check on a home on Florida Avenue near Crestview.

We’re about to hit the campaign season stretch run, as things get a little extra crazy heading into the Aug. 20 primary in Santa Rosa County.

It’s almost over, and then we can all take a deep breath until November.