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.

Have you noticed that the Weather Channel has turned into the town crier touting that the end is near? I noticed recently that the Weather Channel started naming all the winter storms. However, when I looked it up, they apparently decided to start naming winter storms in 2012. We used to just have named hurricanes but that wasn’t enough.

I’ve been mostly out this week and about in other parts of Florida. Sarasota to be specific. We brought seven of us to the Florida Press Conference to learn the latest trends and best practices in journalism and design. We also had our awards ceremony, and while Navarre Press didn’t win the overall trophy for our division, Santa Rosa Press Gazette did.

Ever had one of those days where you are trying to hurry up and get the most important work done so you can go home early in the heat of the day (83 degrees – 75% humidity) and mow your yard? Well, I have – and that day is today.

As I go to meetings and listen to meetings in Santa Rosa County and now Okaloosa County, I realize how valuable it is to know what is going on in two counties, not just one.

I had the opportunity to sit down with our U.S. House Representative, Matt Gaetz, at his district office in Pensacola last week. He was preparing for a hearing with Alejandro Mayorkas last Thursday and took an hour out of his day to chat about his district that covers all the areas where we have news organizations.

I have a lot to learn about Crestview. I have been listening to your meetings online and I know that you are a vibrant and growing community that has a lot of the same issues as other cities, but you also have a personality that uniquely your own.

The good news is that we have an outstanding editor here, Wendy Victora Rudman, who is very familiar with you and her face lights up every time I say Crestview.