Opinion Archive

We attended the March 21 meeting of the Land Development Taskforce and were pleasantly surprised by what we heard and saw.

Back in February, we put the county commissioners on blast for selecting a “builder heavy” taskforce. They listened and backed off on some of the choices they made in favor of a more balanced approach. But we were still left with three builders in the end.

I’ve never been one to complain about athletes transferring. I don’t care if coaches jump from one job to another.
Sure, you hate to see it, but it’s part of sports in 2025. The days of staying in one place are long gone in college athletics.

If you have ever watched the myriad TV shows about antiques, you know that haylofts in unused barns can yield some surprising treasures. Someone in the past places a valuable, unused item in a place that is secure from the elements and out of the way, then forgets it is there. My father-in-law in Indiana had just such a barn.

In the latest issue of Editor & Publisher Magazine, they tackle the issue of Freedom of the Press and some of the perils that come with it. Leonard Woolsey, a respected publisher of the Daily News in Galveston, Texas, and the 2025 president of Southern Newspapers, had a lot to say about the perils of reporting the truth. The following is a portion of what was published in the February 2025 issue, with Gretchen A. Peck reporting.

It wasn’t the state weightlifting meet, but it was pretty darn close.
Talented boys weightlifting teams from around Northwest Florida competed at the Navarre Invitational last Wednesday afternoon.

So I took my first trip over to the new track at Pine Forest a couple of weekends ago. Let me just say that I was impressed.
It kind of felt like I was walking into a stadium for the state meet with the way the rubberized track looked as the sun beat down on it. It is indeed a thing of beauty.

About 35 years ago, my wife and I purchased a house next to an older, Lebanese couple. One afternoon, after lunch, I was about to head back to the church, when I saw my neighbor. I waved to him. He gently called to me, “Mike, please, come for coffee.” I hesitated, did a quick mental assessment of my busy afternoon schedule, sighed, then answered, “Sure. Thank you.”

Bullying is a widespread issue that lurks in the hallways and classrooms of schools across Northwest Florida. While the silence of it can be deafening, it will leave invisible scars that can last a lifetime. Despite school districts trying to implement increased awareness and initiatives aimed at combating bullying, its effects continue to ripple through our educational system, creating an environment of fear and insecurity for many of our young students.

Another college announced it will close at the end of this academic year. This time it’s Northland, which is an NCAA Division III school in Wisconsin.
It certainly won’t be the last school to close its doors forever because the reality in this ever-changing small college landscape is that plenty of other colleges are in danger of being shuttered.

Take a look at the results of the girls state weightlifting meet from Valentine’s Day weekend in Lakeland and it’s clear this area still dominates in the sport.