Opinion Archive

There are more than 500 children in our county waiting to be adopted.  One in every 18 children in our county is or will be abused.  There are more than 550 homeless children in our school district.  43 percent of all adults are functionally illiterate.  The list could go on. 

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.

I bought a fishing pass for $100. My wife bought a walking pass for $60. Some friends of ours complained that they either forgot or lost their pass.  When they tell the people at the office window that they lost or forgot it, they are told the Pier keeps No Records of passes that were sold.  These people either have to pay again or go back home to get it.  It happened to me.

Maybe you stash ‘em in the pantry, maybe you hide ‘em under your sink; regardless of where you keep them, when you can’t stuff anymore in, you decide to throw them away. We all have them: plastic shopping bags. Plastic bags are extremely detrimental to our environment along the Gulf Coast, as they can never decompose. 

I hope and pray it takes years for the Navy to give it up.  Long after I’m “pushing up the daisies, not smelling them”.  I doubt the residents of the numerous streets off Pepper Drive (as we are) would appreciate the present tranquility taken away.

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.

Let me start by saying I am in favor of building a new courthouse.  The current courthouse is obsolete and must be replaced.  But that doesn’t mean I support the plan to build a $47 million courthouse in Downtown Milton.  And no matter how many times Mr. Rob Williamson calls me a knucklehead on his Facebook page, I won’t be deterred.

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.

For Christians around the world, Easter represents a time of renewal, and a time of remembrance of the death of Jesus and his resurrection.  However you choose to celebrate Easter, whether it is in Church or in your backyard hunting for Easter eggs or both, we at Navarre Press wish you a day of renewal.  Consider it perhaps a transfiguration of sorts; a shedding of whatever is old and stale and an embrace of new things, habits and ideas.  We can all use that in our life, no matter your belief.

What a blessing your March 17 “Athletes not afraid to express their faith in God” was!