Opinion Archive

When I heard the news early Wednesday morning of the UH-60 crashing into the Sound, I immediately thought of the families and I thought, “From this moment on, their lives will never be the same – Lord, be with them.” LCDR Mark Johnson, Lt. Bante, Lt. Roberto, Petty Officer Sean Saye, Petty Officer Wicks, ENS. Winters and LCDR O’Connor were my next thoughts; men who my husband and I knew, and so many others we knew who had died in service. Then I heard the words, “They gave their lives…” reverberating across the airwaves and the Internet. But think again, for they did not give their lives.

The largest amount of colleges are celebrating spring break this week and next week. Florida State, University of Central Florida, University of West Florida, Troy University, University of Georgia and University of Southern Mississippi are just some of the colleges out this week.

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.

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.

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.

In response to Mark Conte’s “growth for Navarre,” maybe he lives in the wrong area. Navarre is a residential beach area. We moved here in 2008 because of the beautiful beaches, parks, and mom-and-pop stores. If we wanted big box stores, chain department stores and shopping malls we would have moved to Destin, Fort Walton or maybe Pensacola. Navarre is a nice community where you can enjoy a walk on the beach, snorkeling and fishing, music in the park, the turtles, and great small boutique shopping.

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.

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:

It’s Girl Scout Cookie time! Troop #873 will have a “Cookie Drive-Thru” Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Centennial Bank. Go out and support the Girl Scouts and enjoy some delicious cookies.

Jack Wetherell, founder of the Navarre Butterfly House, has passed away. The Butterfly House was first constructed in 1997 with Jack’s dedication and perseverance. Jack and his wife Fonda had previously started a butterfly collection in their backyard. We will write a tribute to Jack in our next issue. If you have some notes you’d like to send to Jack’s family, please email them to editor@navarrepress.com.