Opinion Archive

Joyce Charles Enghauser live in North Shores in Navarre and she and her husband Charlie adopted a 10-month-old Beagle from the Pensacola Humane Society last week.  The dog had not been treated very well by previous owners and was skittish. The minute she was let go in the backyard she jumped the fence and ran away. North Shores is on the south side of Hwy 98 and Lucy has been spotted on the north side of Highway 98. In fact, I saw her yesterday in front of our office in Harvest Village. I was leaving my office around 9 p.m. and when I walked outside and there was a little Beagle running north on Harvest Village Court – with a red collar. Lucy went to a dark area of the street and I didn’t see here anymore. That had to be Lucy. I immediately called Joyce because she wanted people to call with sightings. The Enghauser’s have a reward for $500 if you can bring her home safely. The phone number is 939-0156. 

The approval of funding for a pedestrian overpass across U.S. Highway 98 near Navarre Park is great news – and could be a key accompaniment in the possible incorporation of Navarre.

We have a new Navarre Press Pass Discount. Sail Inn is offering a free cup of soup when you buy a whole sandwich or sub and a beverage. They have the best soups ever. I had one the other day that was squash, chicken and kale. Yummy!  Sail Inn is under new ownership since October and Chuck has made some very subtle, but essential, changes to the menu and quality of the food. For example, all of the meats and cheeses are Boars Head.  And they have a killer Saturday Breakfast.

“Florida tourism” conjures images of theme parks, resort hotels, state parks and the finest beaches the world has to offer. Sailfish, marlins and mackerel don’t immediately come to mind, but recreational fishing is an important part of the tourism industry in Florida, too. Florida is uniquely positioned to attract visitors to the state for recreational fishing, as our natural fresh and salt waterways are truly world-famous. Each year, millions of Americans and international visitors come to Florida to spend time fishing on our waterways.

We have some great advertising to help you shop locally in our Holiday Happenings Gift Guide!  We hope you will take the opportunity to visit their businesses and spend a little holiday cash. I l-o-v-e the cover that Dickie Williams’ designed for the guide. He took our new artificial reefs, turned one into a Christmas tree and then put the face of a Navarre “legend” on the scuba diver, which wasn’t a stretch since he is one of our most avid local divers and responsible for most of the reef footage that we have. Yes – it is Mike Sandler.

Politics starts from the bottom up, not the top down.  Lawmakers in Washington are elected by the people and have a responsibility to the people.  It is an immense honor and privilege for me to represent the people of Florida’s First Congressional District, and it is absolutely vital that I have the opportunity to hear from them so that I can ensure that Northwest Florida’s voice is heard in the halls of Congress.  One message that I continue to receive loud and clear from constituents in all parts of Northwest Florida is opposition to and concern about Obamacare. 

We are happy to have Stinky’s Fish Camp on our Neighborhood Favorite’s page.  They will be open on Thanksgiving Day from 11 a.m. — 7 p.m., so if you don’t want to spend your entire day in the kitchen cooking and cleaning, make your reservations now!  See their ad in this week’s issue for the menu.

“Where were you, and what were you doing, when you first heard about President Kennedy’s death?” That question will be lofted many times in the next few weeks, as the nation marks the 50th anniversary of JFK’s assassination. For millions of Americans, the response will be, “Why are you asking me? I wasn’t even born yet.” For those of us in upper age brackets it won’t be difficult for us to recall exactly the moment and our location when the shocking news from Dallas reached our ears.

Thanksgiving is approaching once again, and with it come visions of children’s plays with Indians and Pilgrims, complete with little Pilgrim hats made of construction paper. The story told in these plays and learned by public school students at every grade level is a simple one.

We only have six more issues in 2013. I know – hard to believe. Soon there will be school and office parties, young adults returning home from college for a month of R&R and hopefully earning some money before they return. High School seniors are busy firming up their plans for college next year, scholarships will be announced, then we will have an awards ceremony, prom, figuring out what the kids are going to do this summer and what – if any – job will they have, figure out where we are going on vacation… and then the cycle continues. Of course that is if you have one or more children at your house. Everything has a season, including our lives. However, I can’t imagine ever being bored or not busy – nor do I want to. No matter how hard I try – I can’t get to a place where I can take any significant time off from work so that I can get “caught up at home.” However, it continues to be a goal of mine. Maybe next year since it is only six issues away.