Laurel Hill Living Nativity Draws Many Visitors
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Santa letters from Stacy Callahan’s and Angela Raybon's classes PAGES 3A, 5A CRESTVIEW SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2020 | CRESTVIEWBULLETIN.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK Laurel Hill Living Nativity draws many visitors Voters in Foxwood Estates last month approved the annexation of their neighborhood and the adjacent, now-defunct Foxwood Country Club into Crestview. This view shows a path and stream at the former country club site. [FILE PHOTO/DAILY NEWS] Crestview to seek state funding Tony Judnich Northwest Florida Daily News USA TODAY NETWORK CRESTVIEW — Expanding the At the end of their "journey to Bethlehem," visitors to the Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church's Living Nativity reach the wastewater treatment system and manger, where Mary and Joseph, portrayed by Tammie Becker and Rémy Kublick, shared their miraculous story during providing sewer service to the Fox- the Dec. 12 event. PHOTOS BY BRIAN HUGHES/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO wood Estates neighborhood are two of a handful of projects that Crestview officials plan to seek state funding help Brian Hughes Special to the News Bulletin for in early 2021. USA TODAY NETWORK The next state legislative session runs from March 2 through April 30. LAUREL HILL — One of the advan- On Monday, the City Council approved tages of being a small church in a tight- a list of projects presented by City ly knit country community is there's Manager Tim Bolduc that officials plenty of room for social distancing. hope will receive state aid. Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church's The council agreed with Council- 10th annual Living Nativity took ad- man Andrew Rencich that seeking vantage of the fresh country outdoors state money to expand the wastewater and tweaked the "journey to Bethle- treatment system and provide sewer hem" a bit to give it a fresh look. service to Foxwood Estates represent "COVID actually dictated some of the city's top legislative funding re- the updates," the church's pastor, the quests. Rev. Mark Broadhead, said with a While Bolduc did not have an esti- smile. "We allowed for more social dis- mated amount of money yet that the tancing, moved the entire event out- city will seek from the state for the po- doors and adjusted our casting accord- tential wastewater treatment system ingly." expansion, he said the project would With many churches in the region consist of building wildlife-friendly cancelling their Christmas pageants wetlands near the wastewater treat- and nativities, the Laurel Hill Presby- ment plant spray field. The spray field terian event attracted visitors whose Pauline and Ron Medlock, portraying Dr. and Mrs. Luke, welcome visitors with See CRESTVIEW, Page 2A See NATIVITY, Page 6A mints and an introduction to their journey to Bethlehem. Legendary legislator Hutto dies at 94 Ex-sportscaster had humble, affable demeanor “We were housed so well as siblings Rex and Merle, were fed far on the other side of and clothed. From Staff Reports Hutto died peacefully at his Pensaco- the railroad tracks, we His family life, while extremely mod- Pensacola News Journal la home surrounded by his family on were practically out of est, was constant — held together by USA TODAY NETWORK – FLORIDA Monday. town,” he told the News their strong faith in God. Later, more Hutto was born on May 12, 1926, to Journal in a 2018 inter- than once his refusal to accept ciga- Former Congressman Earl Hutto died Lemmie and Ellie Mathis Hutto in Mid- Hutto view. rette/liquor advertising during his Monday at the age of 94. land City, Alabama. The family made Those early years were broadcasting career, would put his job Hutto served Florida’s First District frequent moves around rural Southeast marked by a nationwide depression that on “pause” briefly. Those conservative in the U.S. House of Representatives for Alabama before settling in Ewell, near saw a young Hutto in the cotton fields values successfully guided him eight terms, from 1979 to 1995. Previous- Ozark, when he was a teenager. Though alongside his father. To be paid, bags throughout his life. ly, he represented District 8 in the Flori- they were poor by the world’s stan- had to weigh 100 pounds, so Hutto In elementary school he was held da House of Representatives from 1972 dards, Earl Hutto remembered growing crawled on his hands and knees, drag- back one year — one of those life-chang- to 1978 and was a longtime radio and up rich in love along with his younger ging his bag behind him. His mother television sportscaster. sister and brother, Merle and Rex. took in laundry to make sure Earl, as See HUTTO, Page 2A Business owners speak out Sharing joys and burdens Weather Volume 45 | No. 102 A Gannett newspaper read by Many Florida businesses recognize the The Pandemic and loss unite 2 rural High 61° | Low 47° 10,450 people every week. ©2020 $0.50 QADADJ-28242t threats from rising seas. Opinion 4A Missouri pastors around faith. Faith 9A 2A | SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2020 | CRESTVIEW NEWS BULLETIN tates, the annexation of which could be completed in storm protection for the community center and up- Crestview January. grade its kitchen, and $200,000 to pay half of the an- Last month, more than 63% of Foxwood Estates’ ticipated cost of remodeling the historic Lorenza Bush Continued from Page 1A residents who are registered voters approved the an- House. nexation of their neighborhood and the adjacent, now- The Bush House, at 198 Wilson St., houses an office stands north of Interstate 10 and about halfway be- defunct Foxwood Country Club into the city from un- for Elder Services of Okaloosa County. The building tween Antioch Road and State Road 85. incorporated Okaloosa County. also could contain a Crestview history museum once Grasses and plants in the potential wetlands would The overall area that will be annexed covers 202 renovations are completed. serve as an additional wastewater treatment method acres, has more than 140 single-family residential lots Bolduc said legislators earlier this year approved by helping to filter out harmful waste. and stands south of U.S. Highway 90 and east of Anti- giving $200,000 toward the Bush House renovations “I could borrow money and go pump (much of the och Road. The city eventually plans to convert the old but the request was vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. City treated effluent) somewhere else, but that just pushes country club site into a multi-use recreation complex. officials have $200,000 in city Community Redevelop- the problem down the road,” Bolduc said after Mon- Many homes in Foxwood Estates have failing sewer ment Agency dollars set aside for the remodeling pro- day’s meeting. “I’m looking for a permanent solution lines, Bolduc told the council Monday. It’s expected to ject. to where we could increase our capacity and treat it cost about $1 million to provide sewer service to the For the upcoming legislative session, Crestview of- here locally.” neighborhood. ficials also will request $750,000 in state money for a The city also will seek as much state money as pos- Crestview officials also will ask legislators to help fire training tower that would be used by city firefight- sible to help it provide sewer service to Foxwood Es- pay for about $350,000 worth of work to provide better ers and firefighters from surrounding jurisdictions. U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who currently holds the seat, Hutto also praised Hutto in a statement on Twitter. “Earl Hutto served his nation honorably as a sailor, a Continued from Page 1A statesman, and a community leader,” Gaetz said. “His devotion to service reflected the patriotic spirit of our ing moments he later realized better prepared him for constituency. Our entire district mourns his loss.” everything that happened in his roller coaster life. In Waters said Hutto was a “Reagan Democrat” who high school, he sold newspapers at Fort Rucker. Draft- often voted with Republicans on bills, and he used the ed into the U.S. Navy before finishing school, he “aw shucks” attitude he developed growing up in rural earned his diploma by correspondence. Hutto became Alabama to disarm people. the first in his family to finish college, earning his “A lot of people, I think, to their detriment, mistook bachelor’s degree in Business-English-Education that for a lack of intelligence,” Waters said. “But Earl from Troy State (then known as Troy State Teachers Hutto had learned long ago, the value of being under- College) in 1949. estimated. And he used that to great benefit through- In 1954, Pensacola’s WEAR-Channel 3 was in its in- out his career. … After a while, you would realize that fancy and at age 27, Hutto was hired as the station’s he probably was the smartest person in the room.” first sports director. He became known as Captain Su- Waters recalled Hutto’s first re-election campaign preme, the on-air spokesman for the Dothan Ice in 1980 when he ran against the Republican candidate, Cream Co., which sponsored Rocky Jones, Space former Pensacola Mayor Warren Briggs. As the cam- Ranger, the weekly kids’ show. paign was heating up, Hutto broke his jaw in the annu- Conducting interviews and creating on-air com- al congressional baseball game and doctors had to mercials honed Hutto’s innate ability to connect with wire it shut for it to heal. people and is evident in one of his most enduring traits Congressman Earl Hutto is pictured with his family in Because he could hardly speak, Hutto brought in a — his humble, affable demeanor and direct eye con- this photo from the early 1990s.