Rewind for a moment to late January of 2015. Navarre’s soccer team is in a regional final on its home turf.
It’s my first week or two on the job here at the Navarre Press and my first time seeing Emily (Madril) Sams in person on the field. Sams and the Raiders were playing for the right to go to the state final four.
I’ve had the privilege of meeting a lot of people in the 24 years of working at Navarre Press, and I wouldn’t make a list in order of importance because it isn’t something you can quantify. However, I’d have to say that Pat Quinn would be very, very close to the top. He was an awesome man in so many ways. He was fun to be with because he was funny, honest, observant, wise, and so many other adjectives. To say that he had led an interesting life would be an understatement. Let’s just say he couldn’t have gotten another ounce out of life because – he lived it – to the fullest. And, in doing so, he contributed greatly to every community and person that he was close to. The Gulf Breeze Zoo celebrated its 40th anniversary last month, and I asked our team to pull the pages and pages of stories we have written about the zoo over the years and a sampling of the results can be found on pages C6 and 7. One of the stories was about “Remembering Colossus” which was written by our reporter John Richardson, who passed away last year and who is another person that I had the privilege of calling my friend. This is an awesome story and will give you a taste of what Pat Quinn was like and how fortunate we are to have the Zoo in our community.
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.
It’s been nothing short of an honor being a sportswriter for the Navarre Press and Press Gazette. But now I have bigger dreams to fulfill.
Last Tuesday morning, in my potential spam direct message folder on social media, I received an invitation to participate in the 2024 National Combine Series, opening the door for the possibility to play in the US Army Bowl at a later date.
County Commissioner Ray Eddington told Navarre Press that he hopes replacing the aging Navarre Beach Bridge will improve traffic flow. He said in discussions with staff he’s suggested having at least five lanes across the new bridge when it’s built: two north and two south with an emergency vehicle lane between them.
If you miss an issue of Navarre Press, you miss a lot. This week is no exception. We have a story on the Mariott Residence at the foot of the Navarre Beach Bridge where Tommy Sno Balls is located now – only in a larger footprint. There is a fundraiser gala scheduled for January 26, 2024, for Set Free Refuge. Read all about it on page 3A.
Santa Rosa County Commissioner Kerry Smith is expected to file a defamation lawsuit against local builder Edwin Henry after learning Henry bankrolled a campaign mailer in 2022 claiming Smith had been convicted of domestic violence “several” times.
“Yes, I want to go after him,” Smith told Navarre Press on Thursday, Oct. 19. “I know Edwin Henry; he knows me. He knew this wasn’t true.”
We are looking for additional writers and correspondents for all three of our news organizations. And we need an administrative assistant for the front office at Navarre Press.
FEMA is standing by its decision not to allow restoration of eastern Navarre Beach, according to Santa Rosa County Assistant Environmental Director Tanya Linzy.
“Currently, the draft SEA – Supplemental Environmental Assessment – indicates that ‘the (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) found the Navarre Beach Renourishment Project as inconsistent with the purposes of the CBRA,’” Linzy wrote in an email to Navarre Press. “With that understanding, FEMA will not allow renourishment in the CBRA zone.”
I’ve been mostly out this week and about in other parts of Florida. Sarasota to be specific.
We brought seven of us to the Florida Press Conference to learn the latest trends and best practices in journalism and design. We also had our awards ceremony, and while Navarre Press didn’t win the overall trophy for our division, Santa Rosa Press Gazette did.
