Featured Recipe: Bold Burger Stars During Grilling Season
May 27, 2012
Today’s featured recipe from food writer Janet Tharpe is a bold burger with kicked up toppings.
Birth: Wyatt Dewayne Johnson
May 27, 2012
Halee’s Story: Tate Junior Battling Rare Cancer
May 25, 2012
About a month ago, Tate High School junior Halee Boyd was on top of the world….recently named next year’s Beta Club president, involved with the Interact Club and looking forward to graduation just a year away.
But now, she likely won’t be at graduation with her friends at Tate next year, as she battles Alevola Rhabdomyosarcoma , ARMS for short, a rare cancer of the muscles that are attached to the bones. There are only a few hundred new cases per year in the U.S.
Today, as Tate’s seniors celebrate with their annual senior breakfast and preparations for graduation, Halee is facing a blood transfusion at Shands Children’s Hospital at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
“A month ago we were in my living room watching ‘How I Met Your Mother’ on Netflix and tonight we are waiting for a blood transfusion,” Halee’s mother Mardi Boyd said Thursday night. “No matter how I try, I just can’t seem to wrap my mind around that.”
In April, Halee started having severe headaches, followed by blurry and double vision. Within 10 days her right eye was swollen, and the Boyds headed to a hospital emergency room. On April 29, they learned she had a tumor.
“It is still hard to hear myself say that she has cancer, the words catch in my throat and tears well up in my eyes and my heart stops. It’s not that it’s affected my life so much; it’s that from April 29, 2012, her life changed so drastically in a hallway in an emergency department,” Mardi said.
Besides facing and battling the cancer, the big change for Halee, 17, has been not being in school at Tate.
“I miss being in my classes and my teachers and being surrounded by my Tate family, being social and going to events,” Halee said from Shands Children’s Hospital. “I love my school and wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“I miss my friends, being able to see them every day and talking to them. I miss going out with them, but most of all I miss them being normal because now that I have cancer everything feels different.”
The rare cancer calls for extensive treatments. She will have eight solid weeks of combined radiation and chemo at Shands in Gainesville. After her initial treatments at Shands, she will head home to Pensacola for a couple of weeks for “smaller” treatments before heading back to Gainesville for more aggressive treatments.
“I think it is just surreal,” Mardi said, three and half weeks into the treatment regime. “It all seems like a bad dream, I just get up each day and get through it and lean on my faith in God. I have been through some things in life that were bad, but those all made me strong enough to face this. Halee is incredibly strong and we are able to feed off of that.”
Faith has also played a role in the family’s strength.
“The only one who saw this coming was God. While I know He has all the answers, waiting for those to be given to us is another challenge in itself,” Mardi said.
Halee is ready to be back with her Tate family.
“I miss my friends, being able to see them every day and talking to them. I miss going out with them, but most of all I miss them being normal because now that I have cancer everything feels different,” Halee said. “I look forward to going back to school and being able to do normal things that I’m not allowed to do like going to the movies and to the mall, but mostly just going back to school. I’m in my element at school, that’s my joy, I was getting straight A’s and it’s the thing I enjoy the most.”
Halee does not currently have health insurance. Donations are also being accepted for Halee through the family’s church, Heritage Baptist Church, 3065 Highway 297A, Cantonment, (850) 478-3316.
Pictured: Tate High School junior Halee Boyd. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photos: Waterspout On Pensacola Bay This Morning
May 24, 2012
A waterspout formed over Pensacola Bay about 6:30 this morning. There was no rain associated the waterspout, which traveled across the bay for about five minutes. Photos by Brenda Kahalley for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview High Presents Spring Concert (With Video)
May 24, 2012
The Northview High School Spring Concert was held recently at the school, featuring a night of music from the band and guitar ensemble.
Performances included “The Mountain” by Grieg/Trans-Siberian Orchestra as arranged by Northview’s Elaine Holk. The performance is available in the video below.
Pictured above: The Northview High School Spring Concert. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Texting And Driving: The Wade Jernigan Story (With Video)
May 24, 2012
It was a seemingly ordinary, but cool early December morning when Ken Jernigan said goodbye to his son, 16-year old Kenneth Wade Jernigan. They talked about their plans for the afternoon before Wade headed toward class at Northview High. They told each other other that they loved one another. Dad hung up the phone, thinking just how proud he was of his son.
A few moments later, he learned about the accident. Wade was northbound on Pine Barren Road north of Breastworks Road when he drifted off the roadway onto the shoulder as he attempted to travel around a curve. He over-corrected, lost control and struck a tree.
On the way to the accident, Ken and his wife where hoping and praying that Wade would be OK, and hoping for just a little fender bender.
It was much worse.
“My heart just dropped,” Ken said in a video entitled “The Cost of Distracted Driving” produced by Gulf Power (video below). The driver’s side of the truck was wrapped around an oak tree. Ken wanted to run up and help him like he’s always done before. Because that’s what daddies do.
“This time I couldn’t do that. I was pretty helpless.”
Ken watched as first responders used the Jaws of Life to remove Wade from the truck. Then he heard LifeFlight. He knew that wasn’t a good sign.
Wade was known for being a neat dresser. That December morning, he was wearing a white polo shirt.
“I didn’t see any blood anywhere,” Ken said. “I couldn’t see where he was hurt….I heard him gasp for breath…he’s alive.”
Wade had a severe head injury and was flown to Sacred Heart as Ken Jernigan drove to Pensacola. A few hours later, the news from the surgeon was a parent’s nightmare.
“Your son’s brain dead. There’s nothing they can do for him.”
The good memories flooded Ken’s mind. Baseball. Hunting. Fishing. All the fun times.
Wade had made a decision to be an organ donor. His organs saved six other lives.
It was after his funeral that Ken, as he searched for answers, discovered what he believes caused the accident.
Texting. He had left for school about 8:05 a.m. For the next 12 minutes, he texted back and forth with several friends.
“It was the only oak tree on that side of the road for a mile…he slid into it, right on the driver’s door.”
At 8:17 a.m., Wade sent his final text.
“It’s so important that we talk to our families, talk to our kids…to be more observant when driving,” Ken said. “None of us can drive and be distracted.”
Inset photos: NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Byrneville Elementary Team Wins In “Battle Of The Books”
May 23, 2012
The Escambia Reading Teachers’ Association sponsored their first Battle of the Books recently. There were over 250 elementary, middle and high school students competing in the Battle — including a winning team from Byrneville Elementary School.
Battle of the Books is a district-wide program designed to increase reading motivation and comprehension. The goals are to encourage reading for enjoyment, broaden reading interests, increase reading comprehension, and promote cooperative learning.
Battle of the Books began in August 2011 with teachers telling students about the event and introducing books to students. In September 2011, students began reading books and continued reading until February 2012. Team members were chosen in March 2012, with teams practicing in April for the May event.
From the North Escambia area, Byrneville Elementary School took second place among fourth graders. Byrneville fourth grade team members were Ian Gifford, Dadrian Washington, Nicky Trump, Alex Glidewell and Lainey Ward.
Pictured above: Byrneville Elementary School fourth grade Battle of the Books team members (top row, L-R) Ian Gifford, Dadrian Washington, Nicky Trump, (bottom, L-R) Alex Glidewell and Lainey Ward. Submitted photo for NortheEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Names May Students Of The Month
May 23, 2012
Ernest Ward Middle School has named their Students of the Month for May. They are (pictured L-R) Fisher Spence, sixth grade; Harmoni Till, eighth grade; and Mitchell Singleton, seventh grade. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Local Man Juggles His Way Onto Good Morning America (With Video)
May 21, 2012
A local man juggled his way onto national TV over the weekend, appearing Saturday on ABC’s Good Morning America.
Joe Salter, 31, has made the national news for completing a recent triathlon — while juggling (video below). Salter juggled three balls while swimming a quarter mile, juggled two balls in one hand while biking 17 and ran another four miles still juggling. And he did it all in the respectable time of 1 hour and 57 minutes for a world record.
Salter, the son of Rita and Mickey Salter of Flomaton, started juggling at age eight. He trained about 10 months for “joggling” (jogging and juggling tossed together) through a complete triathlon.
He finished the entire running and biking portion of the triathlon without dropping a ball. Swimming was not so smooth, as he dropped the balls three times. But they float, so no time lost in the retrieval.
Salter’s world record attempt came during the recent Flora-Bama Mullet Man Triathlon to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Florida.
Pictured top: Joe Salter joggles his way toward the finish line of a triathlon and a world record. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Abundant Life Youth Place In Fine Arts Competition, Head To Nationals
May 20, 2012
Several youth from the Abundant Life Assembly of God in Century attended the Assemblies of God Fine Arts Competition in Marianna recently. After winning superior in their categories, they were invited to attend the National Fine Arts Competition in Louisville, KY.
The band “The Bridge” placed in the fine arts competition. Zach Ingram won Superior with an invitation to nationals for songwriting, and Victoria Creamer had a separate solo Superior win with an invitational to the national competition.
Pictured: The band “The Bride” from Abundant Life Assembly of God with (L-R) Caleb Ingram, percussion; Zach Ingram, guitar and songwriter; and Victoria Creamer, vocals. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.