Gov. Ron DeSantis recently announced four judicial appointments, one our own local Jonathan “Jack” Schlechter of Niceville, to serve as Judge on the Okaloosa County Court. Schlechter has worked as an attorney at AnchorsGordon, P.A. since 2019. Previously, he served as an Assistant State Attorney for 10 years in the First Judicial Circuit. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and his law degree from Florida Coastal. Schlechter fills the judicial vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Patricia Grinsted.

The Freeport Republicans will meet February 8 in Freeport at the Hammock Bay Clubhouse, 1830 Great Hammock Bend. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m.; meeting 6-7 p.m. This month’s speaker is Ms. Lane Watkins, speaking on National Heritage Areas. The club meets monthly on the second Tuesday of each month at the same location and time. NOTE: The Walton County “Mom’s For Liberty” group will be meeting monthly at the Hammock Bay Clubhouse – theater @ 7:15 p.m., which is directly after the Freeport Republican’s meeting. FMI contact Krissa Johansen at kriss.johansen@gmail.com

The Walton County Democratic Women recently contributed books suitable for children 0 to 3 years of age to the Jo Ann Birge Women and Children’s Center in DeFuniak Springs, a substance abuse facility for pregnant or postpartum women recovering from substance abuse. The club has a strong commitment to community service and the provision of these books continued its history of providing books to libraries, museums and other facilities. For further information about the Democratic Women please visit www.waltoncountydwc.org.

Impact100 of Northwest Florida is recruiting members to join its 2022 membership base. Nonprofits need support to provide services to those in need in Okaloosa and Walton County. We welcome women 18 years or older to come to a membership event, meet the members, and learn how they can become a positive force for good in their local community.

For a listing of this year’s dates and further details, visit www.impactnwf.org or Facebook @ImpactNWF. Women between the ages of 21 to 39, who might not have the financial resources to join Impact100 NWF, can apply for a scholarship called the NextGen Program at www.impactnwf.org/nextgen-program/. Impact100 NWF’s successful community outreach has granted over $3.6 Million within Okaloosa and Walton counties over the past 10 years.

Want to be a Lifeguard? Okaloosa County is holding tryouts every Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 a.m. through February. Pay, after training, starts at $18 per hour. Interested applicants should arrive at the Beach Safety headquarters located between The Boardwalk and Angler’s on Okaloosa Island. View the job listing at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/okaloosa/jobs/3347804/beach-lifeguard-temporary?pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs. For questions and more information call: 850-259-4131.

Wine & Fries will be held on Friday, February 18th on the incredible Ara Rooftop Pool & Lounge located at Hotel Effie Sandestin (1 Grand Sandestin Blvd., Miramar Beach, FL 32550) from 6pm-9pm. Tickets are $100 each. You can purchase tickets online by visiting rmhc-nwfl.org/wineandfries. Wine & Fries will feature a wine tasting and menu catered by Hotel Effie Sandestin, and of course, McDonald’s French fries donated by Costa McDonald’s. During the night, guests will have the chance to bid on auction items, sample a selection of wines and kick off their 2022 in style while partying for a purpose.

By Jené Evans McCracken

Local Niceville resident, Bill McCracken, is one proud Great Uncle! His Great Nephew, James McCracken, is featured in Disney’s new Christmas movie, “Christmas … Again?!” which debuted December 10, 2021, on the Disney Channel and Disney+. Bill graduated from Niceville High School in 1969 and from Okaloosa-Walton Junior College (OWJC)—now Northwest Florida State College (NWFSC)—in 1971. “My Father, Dr. James Edward ‘Ed’ McCracken, the Founding President of OWJC grew up in a family where all of the Arts were valued,” said Bill. “He would be very proud of James, his great grandson and namesake.”
As President of OWJC, Dr. McCracken actively supported bringing the Arts to OWJC and to our local communities. Many people in this area will remember the annual “American Arts Festival” in the early years of “Boggy Tech” which began in Perrine Park in Valparaiso at the original campus of OWJC.” The American Arts Festivals celebrated all the Arts – from wood carving to blacksmithing to ceramics to theater, writing, journalism, music (from folk music to opera), photography, graphics, painting. You name the art or craft, the American Arts Festivals celebrated it! NWFSC is well known for its continued support and promotion of the Arts, a core value that Dr. McCracken instilled at the very beginning of the College.

Dr. McCracken also passed that appreciation along to all his children and grandchildren who, in turn, have passed that legacy to his great grandchildren.

James’ grandfather, Mr. Tom McCracken, now retired, became a librarian specializing in photography, audio-visual media and distance learning. At OWJC, Tom participated in the summer Arts/Humanities course that toured Europe. With the encouragement of both Ed and Tom McCracken, James’ father, Michael McCracken pursued his interests in the Arts which include acting, comedy and music. Michael has his own acting academy in Chicago, the Vagabond Acting School. James’ mother, Becca McCracken, is an award-winning casting agent for theater, film and television.

James, now 7, auditioned for and won the part of “Louie” who is “an annoying future brother” in the Christmas film. James’ personal interests include reading, soccer and playing with his younger brother Hayes.

The movie stars age 11 Scarlett Estevez (from Tampa) as Rowena. “Ro” is troubled by her parents’ impending divorce, her Dad’s new girlfriend and the girlfriend’s pesky son “Louis” (James McCracken) who plays jokes on Rowena, absconds with her Christmas present and interrupts conversations. James plays “irritating” and “annoying” quite well!

“Christmas … Again?!” is a “time loop” movie. Rowena doesn’t want change and her wish to Santa is for things to stay the same. She gets her wish and her day repeats itself over and over again. In this, it is reminiscent of the movie “Groundhog Day.”

In the end, Ro finally extricates herself from this nightmare. Ro and Louie come to appreciate their blending family and welcome new family members and new friends to their Christmas celebrations.

In addition to being available on the Disney Channel and Disney+, “Christmas…Again?” is also available as a DVD and as a book on Amazon.com and at Walmart. The movie (and James McCracken) is featured in the January 2022 issue of J-14 Teen Celeb magazine. James was interviewed on multiple days by ABC Television during the week of the movie debut (check on YouTube or Google “James McCracken Disney actor”).

After completing the movie, James, a public school second grade student, asked his mother, “When’s my next movie?”

By Kenneth Books

Eric Aden’s love affair with law enforcement goes back a long way, from his invitation to a dance by the sheriff’s daughter when he was just 13 to his study of criminology at Florida State University to his current role leading Okaloosa County’s Sheriff’s Office.

Initially, the sheriff planned to work for federal agencies and, in fact, applied for four federal jobs.

“I was going to work for the feds,” he said, “but I got a call from the sheriff (Larry Gilbert) who asked me to join the local force.” That led to the Choctawhatchee High School graduate’s service as a deputy from 1995 to 2003, first as a patrol deputy, then as a school resource officer and finally as a part-time deputy.

He then spent 10 years working for his brother’s mortgage company, where he learned finance, which, it turned out, gave him experience in finance. That, he said, has helped him with the administrative end of his job.

But law enforcement was never far from Sheriff Aden’s mind. He eventually joined the Walton County Sheriff’s Office as a sergeant and later a lieutenant. He stayed there two years, but, he said, “My true desire was to come back home” to Okaloosa County. That came to fruition when he got a call from Okaloosa County Sheriff Larry Ashley, who had his eye on Aden as his successor, in 2010. He worked as a captain and a major, then as a major in a different sphere of activity so he could learn administration. “Those were all the things I wanted to know, but didn’t have in my tool chest,” he said.

In the spring of 2019, he finally got a taste of federal law enforcement at the 10-week FBI academy course. Then Aden was elected sheriff unopposed in 2020, succeeding the retiring Ashley. He recently completed his first year in office. “It was hard to improve” the sheriff’s office, he said, because Ashley had done an exemplary job. One thing Aden did was treat his subordinates as important members of the Sheriff’s Office family.

“I take a lot of input from my employees,” he said. “That helps the troops buy in.” Recently, for example, he surveyed the deputies regarding their choices for a new paint scheme on their cruisers. “I’m not the one driving them,” he said. “They are.”

The degree of success Aden has had in applying his vision surprised him. “I had set goals for myself,” he said. “The agency was able to implement all of them. I was shocked.” Among his goals was boosting the ICAC – Internet Crimes Against Children – task force. Deputies arrested 22 people in a sting. “If those people see that, it scares them into their corner,” Aden said.

In 2021, the Sheriff’s Office solved five cold cases, one for sexual battery and four for homicides, bringing justice to the victim and the loved ones.

Recruitment is a constant need for the generally understaffed Sheriff’s Office. To that end, Aden instituted a cadet program – 10 weeks of paid training, followed by hiring. He tells of one potential recruit who said he would love to join the administration but couldn’t afford it. Aden asked how much the man made and he said $32,000 a year. “I said, ‘I’ll pay you $38,000 a year and pay your tuition.’” The sheriff is hoping to recruit more minority deputies as well.

Aden has stepped up training with a program using a huge flat screen and scenarios in which a deputy may have to come to an immediate decision. A tabletop program features four high-energy scenarios: a condominium collapse; a George Floyd situation; a bomb and a river rescue. Aden hopes to recruit some other agencies to take part in the near future.
As part of the Sheriff’s Office’s community outreach, Aden set up a citizen advisory board, composed of members from a wide variety of neighborhoods, occupations and lifestyles. “They tell us how we’re doing and tell us when they have a problem,” he said.

And the Sheriff’s Office recently obtained a bloodhound puppy. It has other dogs, but Aden said they have eclectic responsibilities and, therefore, are jacks of all trades and masters of none. A bloodhound, though, has one main job and concentrates fully on it. The new puppy was a gift from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, whose own bloodhound had a litter. Currently, the employees are being surveyed for a name for the new addition.

One year in, Aden’s administration has been a rousing success, but he’s quick to pass the credit to others. “All I did was put out my vision,” he said. “It was our people who made it happen. We are a family here.” And he has not been without support from a variety of areas. “I just continue to thank the public and the leaders in the county for their support. We’re only as good as our community.”