Opinion Archive

As of this writing, with several days left in qualifying, there are 15 candidates for three seats on the Santa Rosa Board of Commissioners.

We already live in a world, at least here in Florida, where athletes can transfer freely thanks to the free agency style set-up here in the state. We are about to live in a world high school athletes can get paid.
Never did I think I’d be typing those words out in a column at any point in my lifetime. Just goes to show you to never say never.

During election season, no matter where you go, there are certain things you come to expect as a journalist.

Ribbon cuttings are twice as popular before. All of a sudden, even the smallest of shops opening is extremely important, as every politician on this side of the Mississippi River tries to squeeze their way into the photo. Free publicity baby. That’s what it’s all about.

In our weekly COMPASS leadership prayer meeting, one brother prayed for a growing sense of community in our congregation. A strong sense of community is what characterized that first congregation described in Acts 2, a sense of community so strong that it was attractive to those outside the church. Their sense of community was not self-motivated but the evidence of their unity in the Spirit together with Christ through faith in His gospel. Because that same Spirit unites believers together in Christ today, that strong sense of community is possible in any gospel-believing congregation. A recent article in The Atlantic offers a less hopeful message.

Last week, nearly every media outlet in the region met at the Santa Rosa County Emergency Operations Center to get prepared for the upcoming hurricane season. And if you haven’t seen the forecast for hurricane season in 2024, just know it ranges from bad to really bad. (Let’s hope forecasters are wrong this year.)

During election season, no matter where you go, there are certain things you come to expect as a journalist.

Midnight was still a little over a couple of hours away in the eastern time zone on the night of May 24, and Pace was on a softball field in Clermont celebrating a 6A state championship that was four years in the making.
A week earlier in Fort Myers, Jay’s baseball team was on the field of the spring training home of the Minnesota Twins celebrating its first state title in more than a half century.

Recently, our skies were the canvas for some spectacular natural phenomena – a solar eclipse and the northern lights. Despite having been born and raised in Canada, I cannot recall ever having seen the Northern Lights, yet people here in north Florida were posting stunning photos of them. My wife and I even doused the porchlight and stood in the driveway gazing into the northern night sky but saw not a glimmer. I woke up very early the next morning and decided to try again. It was raining. I still have not seen the Northern Lights.

After over a month covering the city of Milton, I feel like I’m already getting the hang of writing about city council meetings.

Rule one? Expect the unexpected.

You think you’ve seen the world until you’ve seen it as a parent.

Every day adventures are suddenly dangerous.