Opinion Archive

Flipping commitments is a common thing in collegiate athletics. An athlete might decide in July that North Carolina is the place for him to play.
And then a few months later, an athlete might say, ‘I’d rather take my talents to Auburn or Alabama.’

Independence is a word cherished by most in this country. On July 4, 1776, the United States of America officially declared its independence from Great Britain. My home country of Canada was not officially declared independent until 1982!

Hey Santa Rosa County – we want better roads. We want a way to get some traffic off Highway 98. We want you to do something about flooding. We want our infrastructure to match our growth!

Great job Central. You won a football game. That’s a big deal.
After starting the 2024 season 0-7, the Jaguars notched their first win as a varsity program on Nov. 1, edging Wewahitchka 34-28 on the road.

I write these columns the week before they are published, so this piece will be read two days after the presidential election. It is safe for me to predict, now less than one week out, that roughly half of this nation is cheering the election results, and the other half is sorely disappointed, perhaps even angry. I suspect this could be said of any election.

I was at the water department today, November 4, attempting to straighten out where a water bill is being mailed, and a very slender gentleman came in wanting to put $8 down on his $20 water bill so his water wouldn’t be turned off. He’s been employed in the flooring business for more than 20 years and he said that this year has been the slowest. He thinks it is because people are waiting for the outcome of the election. He, like a lot of other people, think if Trump is not elected, the economy is going to get worse, much worse. By the time you read this, hopefully, there is a clear winner.

On Nov. 11 we will honor the brave men and women who answered a sacred call to duty for our country. It is a day to reflect on the courage, dedication and resilience of our military personnel. It is a small way to say, “thank you for your service” and we should add the words “and sacrifices.”

Someone made a post about coaching on social media the other day. And it is so very true.
Summarizing it, the post stated that everyone knows more than you and wants your job on Friday nights, but they don’t want your job every other day and month of the year when games aren’t being played.

I’m in a class that was recently tasked with watching two side by side 15-second videos of a woman speaking and determining which was real and which was AI generated.

Of about 25 people in the room, about 50% were able to discern which video was real. (For anyone wondering, I got it right.)

Tonight is Halloween, and my wife and I will be dishing out candy to the costumed kids coming to our door – it’s a good way to meet neighbors – but we are not promoting the celebration. No giant skeletons or inflatable ghosts clutter our front yard, and no lit jack-o-lanterns sit outside our front door, which may explain why we do not get many callers. Not to worry, I have taken it as my personal duty to eat any leftover candy, a duty from which I will not waver.