Opinion Archive

We attended the March 21 meeting of the Land Development Taskforce and were pleasantly surprised by what we heard and saw.

Back in February, we put the county commissioners on blast for selecting a “builder heavy” taskforce. They listened and backed off on some of the choices they made in favor of a more balanced approach. But we were still left with three builders in the end.

I’ve never been one to complain about athletes transferring. I don’t care if coaches jump from one job to another. Sure, you hate to see it, but it’s part of sports in 2025. The days of staying in one place are long gone in college athletics.

If you have ever watched the myriad TV shows about antiques, you know that haylofts in unused barns can yield some surprising treasures. Someone in the past places a valuable, unused item in a place that is secure from the elements and out of the way, then forgets it is there. My father-in-law in Indiana had just such a barn.

I’m very honored to be on the board of Main Street Crestview Association (MSCA) as their Vice President, and together we have accomplished a lot of positive changes. However, the board has never seen the kind of “trouble” that tends to follow me. Luckily, they are very astute and have seen this as an opportunity to learn what slander and libel looks like and how to address very negative social media posts – that are patently untrue. Also, they have learned how to resist the urge to address every accusation on social media.  Crestview isn’t used to having a real newspaper that reports the news, no matter who might be the subject.

In the latest issue of Editor & Publisher Magazine, they tackle the issue of Freedom of the Press and some of the perils that come with it. Leonard Woolsey, a respected publisher of the Daily News in Galveston, Texas, and the 2025 president of Southern Newspapers, had a lot to say about the perils of reporting the truth. The following is a portion of what was published in the February 2025 issue, with Gretchen A. Peck reporting.

It wasn’t the state weightlifting meet, but it was pretty darn close.
Talented boys weightlifting teams from around Northwest Florida competed at the Navarre Invitational last Wednesday afternoon.

So I took my first trip over to the new track at Pine Forest a couple of weekends ago. Let me just say that I was impressed.
It kind of felt like I was walking into a stadium for the state meet with the way the rubberized track looked as the sun beat down on it. It is indeed a thing of beauty.

About 35 years ago, my wife and I purchased a house next to an older, Lebanese couple. One afternoon, after lunch, I was about to head back to the church, when I saw my neighbor. I waved to him. He gently called to me, “Mike, please, come for coffee.” I hesitated, did a quick mental assessment of my busy afternoon schedule, sighed, then answered, “Sure. Thank you.”

We are happy a judge decided to dismiss the case local community agitator, Romi White, filed against the Holley Navarre Water System to try to stop the election at the annual meeting. I wouldn’t be surprised if she files something else in the future just to keep the drama going. I’m fairly sure she is filing these injunctions on someone’s behalf and with someone’s credit card or check book.  I didn’t miss-type the “s” on the end of injunctions. She filed two but didn’t file the first one correctly and was told to try again, and that will be an additional $410. Actually, $410 is pretty cheap to file an injunction just so you have something to write about. Because, otherwise, she wouldn’t. The funniest part is she writes blogs and interviews herself. It is quite comical. 

Bullying is a widespread issue that lurks in the hallways and classrooms of schools across Northwest Florida. While the silence of it can be deafening, it will leave invisible scars that can last a lifetime. Despite school districts trying to implement increased awareness and initiatives aimed at combating bullying, its effects continue to ripple through our educational system, creating an environment of fear and insecurity for many of our young students.