Nov 26, 2024
We are thankful
We at Sandpaper Publishing have much to be thankful for, beginning with our members and readers. You fuel the passion we have for publishing three newspapers each week for three communities. We work hard to report and write the stories the matter most to you. We are your voice and are privileged to be in that role. Thank you for choosing us as your news and information source. We hope you stay tuned because we have so much more work to do for you.
Nov 25, 2024
Brian Out Loud
I hope you all are taking time to enjoy Thanksgiving week and are taking a break from the madness of the daily grind.
I can tell you I am certainly doing that after months of bouncing around football fields, golf courses, gyms and more.
I can tell you I am certainly doing that after months of bouncing around football fields, golf courses, gyms and more.
Nov 21, 2024
For God’s Sake
My wife says I can find a topic for a column in the most mundane things. I think she is exaggerating. Anyway, I was walking from the kitchen to my office with a full cup of coffee trying not to spill. It seemed that the more I focused on not spilling, the more likely it was that I would. Caution made my posture rigid, my gait stiff. Slight missteps elicited a jerky correction that set the hot liquid in motion.
Nov 21, 2024
May I buy a vote, please?
Last Thursday we said goodbye to two county commissioners whose bid for re-election failed…and failed miserably. Sam Parker and James Calkins are moving on down the road, one is literally moving. Calkins sold his house in Milton and has moved out of Santa Rosa County. Not a bad idea, one we can all get behind. There probably would have been a line of volunteers to pack the moving truck if he had asked for help.
Nov 20, 2024
Brian Out Loud
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.’
And then a few months later, an athlete might say, ‘I’d rather take my talents to Auburn or Alabama.’
Nov 14, 2024
For God’s Sake
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!
Nov 14, 2024
You can’t have our penny
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!
Nov 11, 2024
Brian Out Loud
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.
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.
Nov 7, 2024
For God’s Sake
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.
Nov 7, 2024
Out and About
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.