This has been an interesting week. A few months ago Navarre Press signed a book deal with Arcadia Publishing to produce a primarily pictorial history of Holley-Navarre, Fla. All proceeds on our part will be set aside for a historical society and we disclosed that to everyone we have spoken with. Since that time, our writer, Jon Crider, has been talking to our neighbors in Holley to obtain photographs. We were told that if we were interested we should come up to Holley on Saturday and help with the Holley Point Cemetery clean-up to “prove” that we were really interested. Jon Crider and I were there at 8 a.m. Saturday morning to help clean up with three others. Five more helpful people showed up a little later. Those that could not physically help out provided food.
This issue is full of great information and I can brag because it isn’t about me – it is about our wonderful staff. They have really stepped it up. However, this level of great coverage is considered normal around here. We have a core value which is “Excellence is our ordinary.” I love that value and it is so true at Navarre Press. We don’t want to settle – we never settle. We didn’t like to settle even before the DirecTV settler commercials became popular.
Adcomm is having a Job Fair at their Mary Esther office on Wednesday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. They have several positions available. See their ad on the classified page for more information.
My column is a little shorter than usual because of Sunshine Week and the opportune timing of our commissioner deciding to answer a constituent’s letter to the editor by posting his answer to Facebook and not sending his reply back to the constituent. Mr. Cichy, veteran, copied Commissioner Rob Williamson on a letter to the editor that he sent to Navarre Press. He didn’t want to blindside Williamson – because – he is nice. However, Cichy is not on Facebook. He didn’t even know of Williamson’s reply until we emailed it to him. Instead of talking to the people, Commissioner Rob Williamson wants to talk to Facebook and have a one-sided conversation. And, he bans constituents with whom he doesn’t agree. The banned constituent has told us he is filing an ethics complaint against Commissioner Williamson. There may be more than one banned constituent. I find it ironic that the very day Commissioner Williamson leaves for Washington D.C., on his constituent’s dime (and many of them) for meetings on Defense Initiatives (of which his participation will show us zero dividends), he lashes out at a veteran who is just expressing his opinion.
“Spotlight” winning best picture this week at the Oscars is a testament to the hard work of local investigative reporting that should be occurring everywhere. We know we are committed to the calling of investigative journalism at Navarre Press. If you see people squirming after a story it’s because we have hit a nerve. And, we saw them squirm on social media this week. We appreciate investigative journalism and feel it is our responsibility even though it involves a lot of time and effort – and we get a lot of grief. However, we are very responsible with the information we gather. We have been told on several occasions that we uncovered more than the subjects of our articles even knew themselves.
The Destin Fort Walton Beach Airport welcomes Allegiant to the airport. They are now offering nonstop service to St. Louis and Cincinnati. Visit www.FlyVPS.com for more information.
The Presidential Preference Primary Election will be held on March 15th. Absentee ballots are now available. Any registered and qualified voter may vote an absentee ballot. In addition, all members of the Armed Forces, their family members and members of the Merchant Marine and their family members, who are U.S. citizens, may vote absentee. For more information on overseas absentee voters (UOCAVA), please visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program website at www.fvap.gov.
Tonight (Thursday) is the Girls’ Basketball Regional Quarter Finals and they are being held at Navarre High School. When they win…they will play Tuesday either Niceville or Lincoln, depending on the outcome of their games tonight. If for some reason the unforeseen happens – then they will have had a great season otherwise.
This weekend starts the Mardi Gras festivities in Navarre. Friday night Juana’s will have a Mardi Gras Glow Party beginning at 9 p.m. and $5 gets you “Glow Bling.” For more information, see their ad in this issue. Don’t miss the after-parade party at Juana’s.
