Apr 2, 2015
Legislators, parents deserve credit for steps to mitigate school testing debacle
It takes considerable initiative for citizens to respectfully yet boldly confront lawmakers. It takes courageous leadership for legislators to admit and correct costly blunders. But that’s what happened last week in Florida’s Senate Appropriations Committee. When lamenting the inauspicious beginning of the FSA (the newest iteration of high stakes testing in our schools) I heard senators use phrases like “this is a train wreck” and “we’ve got to get this under control; we’re losing credibility … ”
Mar 26, 2015
A self-contained city
In the 2014 a non-binding vote on incorporation, the few people who did vote did not know what incorporation would mean for Navarre and their families. To put it simply, Navarre wants to be a self-contained city, not an area outpost.
Mar 12, 2015
Lack of communication only fuels rumors
Long before we were propelled into the digital age, kids had a way to communicate with each other – whether they passed notes during class, scribbled on bathroom walls or dropped a message in someone’s locker.
Mar 12, 2015
Requiring tracks to report greyhound injuries overdue
The Florida Senate demonstrated the appeal and effectiveness of simplicity, unanimously passing an uncomplicated bill requiring that injuries to racing greyhounds be promptly reported to a state agency.
Feb 26, 2015
Out and About
The Holley Navarre Water System, Inc. is accepting resumes for general manager. Longtime general manager, Ken Walker, is retiring at the end of March. The qualifications include a “solid” understanding of all aspects of water and sewer utility to include planning, water resources, budgeting, management and related technology. Engineering is a good degree to have to be a manager of a water department, or business – or both. The full list of qualifications can be found in an ad on the classified page of this issue.
Feb 26, 2015
Mandatory minimum sentencing forces judges into decisions
ABC News Feb. 18 highlighted the regret expressed by Paul Cassell, a retired federal judge who was forced to impose a 55-year prison sentence on a 24-year-old male for nonviolent drug bust after prosecutors filed certain charges against him.
Feb 19, 2015
What’s the buzz
We took to our Facebook page and asked readers whether they thought the playground proposed for the Navarre Sports Complex should have an unattended zip line. Here are some of the responses:
Feb 5, 2015
Cutting communications tax with care
Florida has the highest communications tax in the nation, so Gov. Rick Scott has good reason to want to cut it. Lawmakers should go along with his proposal but should take care, as Scott did, to leave alone the local portion of the tax, which is essential to cities and counties.
Jan 29, 2015
Conundrums
Just a few questions here: Why is it my car beeps at me for all kinds of silly reasons (seat belts, lights left on, open door before I turn the car off – when it’s in park!) but it won’t beep at me when I need it to – like when I forget to release the emergency brake?
Jan 15, 2015
Assassins of free speech
The Enlightenment’s legacy of free speech has transformed the world. Ideas exchanged freely without fear have promoted freedom, justice, science and the arts, leading to an explosion of wealth, the lengthening of lifespans and the growing empowerment of women and minorities, while undermining totalitarian states that benefit elites through brutality.