Opinion Archive

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  The current courthouse is obsolete and must be replaced.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!

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.