Opinion, Out and About

Out and About

January 23, 2025 | Sandi Kemp

We are working on finishing up all three of our newspapers on Monday while wondering if the driver is going to be able to bring them to us from Jackson, Mississippi, on Tuesday evening like he normally does. We attempted to print earlier to get ahead of the storm, but the company that owns the press prioritizes their own papers first – of course – and no can do. They were really nice about it – but the facts are the facts. And we would do the same if we owned the printing press. There is a good chance you are reading this – at best on Thursday, but probably on Friday.

Applause for the Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office for swiftly catching the vandal who damaged Tiger Point Park. He did thousands of dollars’ worth of damage to the ball fields and left graffiti as well. They released surveillance video of the incident and of the truck involved and wasted no time making the arrest. Great work! That story is on page 2A.

We also pass along our sympathies to the Sheriff’s Office in the passing of K9 Copper. She was one of the first bloodhounds for the organization, along with her brother Zinc in 2018. Copper was put to rest January 13, after a cancer diagnosis made care and comfort not a viable option. She was involved in many cases and operations conducted by the Sheriff’s Office and even won an award from the Florida Attorney General, Ashleigh Moody. On one such heroic occasion, Copper led rescuers to a two-year-old child who had wandered into a swamp. Copper is the standard of all bloodhounds working for agencies across the country. Good girl, Copper. Read more on page 2B.

This week we also met a teen entrepreneur, Martha Long, who hand knits stuffed animals. They are actually for sale in a few of our local boutiques. Her parents of course are proud of her, although her dad Jeremy says, “That’s not something I was thinking about much at 14.” Some young teens are amazing, and Martha is one of them. You can read her story on 1B.

I spent the past two weekends cleaning my office. Every time I do that, I find money. I think I subconsciously incentivize myself by hiding money in my files so that I will have additional motivation to clean my files. This was a multiple day project. The first day I found a $100 in a birthday card. Yes, I had opened it previously and properly sent my thank you note…the money just never made it to my wallet. I couldn’t wait to go back at it the next day. However, the following day I found a quarter and unfortunately, the last day I found a check written in 2022 for a subscription. Word to the wise, never give me a check outside of the office – it may not end up where it is supposed to go. I just checked their subscription record, and they renewed their subscription in 2022 by credit card…probably after forgetting they gave me a check.

A big thank you to Jean and Larry Tashlik for remembering to bring their Navarre Press with them on all of their travels. They are our “On the Road with Navarre Press” champs. If you would like to send in your pictures, please send to https://navarrepress.com/potd/ (POTD stands for “Picture of the Day”) or email to news@navarrepress.com. We have had some really good on the road pictures over the years – including notable politicians such as Marco Rubio, Rick Scott, Matt Gaetz, Don Gaetz, and Don Trump, Jr. Also, Mike and Nancy Sandler have taken their Navarre Press on SCUBA diving trips and we have pictures of Navarre Press on a dive – laminated of course.

Quote of the Week: “Go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it, that’s my worldview.” Mike Johnson, (1972 – ) Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.

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