Photos: NHS Cheerleaders, Dance Team, Band, NJROTC
September 29, 2013
For a photo gallery with the Northview High School cheerleaders, dance team, band and NJROTC from Friday night’s Choctawhatchee at Northview game, click here.
For a game summary and action photos, click here.
15 Years Ago: Hurricane Georges
September 28, 2013
Hurricane Georges made landfall near Biloxi 15 years ago on the morning on September 28, 1998, with maximum winds of 110 mph. Georges moved very slowly across southern Mississippi and weakened to a tropical depression by the morning of the 29th when the center was about 30 miles north northeast of Mobile. The storm dissipated near the northeast Florida/southeast Georgia coast by the morning of October 1, 1998.
Georges brought torrential rainfall to the Gulf Coast, with Pensacola receiving 26.83 inches of rain, Bay Minette 29.66 inches and Munson 38.46 inches. Numerous other locations received between one and two feet of rain.
Surface observations indicate sustained hurricane force winds were confined to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The highest sustained winds recorded in Mobile were between 50-55 mph with gusts near 65 mph. The Pensacola area also saw similar sustained winds. However, peak gusts of 79 and 91 mph were recorded at Eglin AFB and Hurlburt Field. These higher gusts likely occurred in a strong convective outer band of the hurricane.
Bondi: From Instant Message To Instant Nightmare
September 28, 2013
Submitted by Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi
According to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, there are 27 million people enslaved worldwide. Victims of human trafficking are subjected through force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor. In 2011, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center ranked Florida third in the number of calls received by the center’s human trafficking hotline. It is also reported that the average age of children recruited into sex trafficking is between 12 and 14 years old. These heartbreaking statistics are evidence that something needs to be done.
I unveiled a statewide initiative intended to raise awareness about human trafficking and to help parents protect their children from online sex traffickers. The initiative, “From Instant Message to Instant Nightmare,” debuts on billboards, bus shelters, and mall displays throughout Florida.
Parents and adults, please talk to children about the importance of online safety. Visit MyFloridaLegal.com to download a parental tip sheet about online safety and a pledge for children to sign and print. The pledge can be taped to your home computers to serve as a reminder of safe Internet use.
Parents follow these tips to help protect your children from human traffickers online:
- Talk to your children about sex trafficking and sexual abuse. Describe human trafficking as modern-day slavery, where people are captured and treated inhumanely. Awareness is the first step in preventing it;
- Restrict use of the computer to the living room or other area of the house where other family members are present;
- Know your child’s screen names and passwords, even if you have your child write them down and put them in a sealed envelope. If anything happens, you will be able to access your child’s accounts to trace who he or she has been communicating with;
- Use the parental control settings on your computer to check the Internet history. Look for warning signs in your children, such as: mood swings and anxiety; new friends who are significantly older; and new gifts, pre-paid credit cards, clothes or cell phones that you did not purchase; and
- Let your children know that they can talk to you, or a trusted adult, about anything that makes them uncomfortable.
By raising awareness about human trafficking and asking you, as parents, to play an active role in preventing sex traffickers from recruiting your children online, we can help stop this horrific crime.
Over Escambia County: Really Big Blimp Explores Scientific Secrets For TV Show
September 27, 2013
The Cloud Lab blimp was spotted hovering over Escambia Bay and Ferry Pass Thursday. On board, a team of scientists worked in the world’s largest airship for one of television’s most ambitious experiments on the atmosphere.
Flying from coast to coast across the United States, in a month-long expedition for the BBC television series Cloud Lab (working title), the team of British scientists will scrutinize insect life, the relationship between life and weather, as well as how hurricanes form. The trip began Tuesday in Orlando.
The team, which includes an entomologist, meteorologist and professional explorer, is also hoping to shed light on the creation of clouds and the relationship between diverse ecosystems and weather.
The airship is a unique platform for exploring the atmosphere. It can maintain a stationary position, so the team is able to watch weather phenomena develop, and then maneuver to get the best vantage point. It flies slowly and is exceptionally stable, making it the ideal base from which to conduct scientific experiments.
Cloud Lab series producer, James Van Der Pool, explains: “The 100 kilometers or so of air above our heads is all that separates us from space. It’s in every breath we take and makes Earth habitable. Yet for all its centrality to the health of the planet there’s a lot we still don’t know about the atmosphere. For instance, at what altitude does life cease? What type of air is most likely to cause rain? With Cloud Lab we’ve a rare and exciting opportunity to address some of these questions head on.”
Skimming the ocean’s surface and drifting with the wind allows the team to explore the physics that control the creation and destruction of cumulus cloud as well as using the Cloud Lab’s sophisticated technology to examine a growing cloud’s internal anatomy.
Through sampling different types of air, from sea, and desert to city, while simultaneously measuring cloud cover, the team will attempt to understand what types of air produce the most cloud.
During the trip, the entomologist will use the airship as a sampling platform to produce a unique survey of the insect life that lives above the USA. Bats will also be filmed using a range of technology, revealing how they have learned to exploit these insect superhighways.
Other experiments include researching the role of plants in maintaining the balance of the atmosphere through measuring the amount of oxygen produced by a forest. The team will also be looking into the causes of wildfires – the recent spate of which have claimed so many lives.
BBC executive producer of Cloud Lab, Jonathan Renouf, explains: “Flying across the entire North American continent by airship is ambitious in every conceivable way. As far as we know, no one has done this for two decades. It’s incredibly exciting because we will get to explore the atmosphere in a way that’s never been done before, as well as seeing America from a unique vantage point.”
The series will air next year in Britain; there’s no word yet if the series will air in the United States.
Pictured top: The Cloud Lab blimp, the world’s largest airship, over Pensacola Thursday, reader photo by Kevin Winingar for NorthEscambia.com). Pictured below: Cloud Lab pilots watch the weather radar on the map (next to the dashboard) as they travel over the Florida Panhandle Thursday, photo courtesy BBC for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County’s Newest Fire Station Opens
September 26, 2013
A ribbon cutting was held Wednesday morning at Escambia County’s newest fire station.
The Perdido Key Fire Station, Visitor Information Center and Community Center is located is located at the site of the previous Perdido Key Fire Station at 15500 Perdido Key Drive and will house the Escambia County Fire Rescue Station 19, the Perdido Key Chamber of Commerce, and visitor information center and a community center. Offices, meeting space and a helicopter landing pad for EMS and disaster recovery use are also featured at the facility.
The $5.7 million project was funded with local option sales tax funds.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Walnut Hill Ruritan To Hold Spaghetti Supper, Auction
September 26, 2013
The Walnut Hill Ruritan Club will hold a spaghetti supper and auction this Saturday.
The spaghetti supper will be from 4-6 p.m. with the auction to follow at 6 p.m. at the Walnut Hill Community Center, 7850 Highway 97 (just north of Ernest Ward Middle School). All proceeds from the spaghetti supper and auction benefit the Walnut Hill Ruritan Club’s community service projects in the Walnut Hill area, including the annual recognition of outstanding students in local schools.
Pictured: The Walnut Hill Ruritan Club has served the Walnut Hill Community since it was chartered in 1947. NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Hundreds Of Students Gather To Pray At The Pole (With Photo Gallery)
September 25, 2013
Hundreds of students gathered at their schools across the area Wednesday morning during the annual See You at the Pole event.
Students gathered as school began to pray in the non-denominational event. See You at the Pole is a student-initiated, student organized, and student-led event. Students prayed for their school, friends, teachers, government and the nation.
For photos from Northview High, West Florida High, Jay High, Ransom Middle, Ernest Ward Middle and Molino Park Elementary, click here for a photo gallery.
Have See You at the Pole photos? Email them to news@northescambia.com.
Pictured top: See You at the Pole Wednesday morning at Ernest Ward Middle School. Pictured inset: SYATP at Northview High School. Pictured below Molino Park Elementary, West Florida High School, Ransom Middle School, Jay High School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Hundreds Attend Middle School Open House Events
September 25, 2013
Hundreds of parents attended Open House events at middle schools across Escambia County Tuesday evening. Parents had the opportunity to learn more about their child’s middle school education and learn more about how to become involved at their child’s school.
Pictured top: Ernest Ward Middle School teacher Laura Chavers explains her class to parents Tuesday night. Pictured inset: EWMS teacher Renee Wilkins discusses her language arts class with parents. Pictured Parents at Tuesday night’s Open House at Ernest Ward Middle School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Byrneville Elementary Open House Is Thursday
September 25, 2013
Byrneville Elementary School will hold an Open House event this Thursday, September 26.
The event begins at 6 p.m. and includes the Open House, a Title I meeting and PTO meeting. For more information, contact the school.
USPS Proposes Three Cent Increase In Cost Of Stamps
September 25, 2013
The U.S. Postal Service has announced proposed price changes, including an increase in the price of a first class letter from 46 cents to 49 cents. The proposed changes, which would go into effect in January, are intended to generate $2 billion in annual revenue for the Postal Service.
Other types of mail would also increase in cost:
- Letters (1 oz.) — 3-cent increase to 49 cents
- Letters additional ounces — 1-cent increase to 21 cents
- Letters to all international destinations (1 oz.) — $1.15
- Postcards — 1-cent increase to 34 cents
In a letter disseminated to customers today, Board of Governors Chairman Mickey Barnett described the “precarious financial condition” of the Postal Service and the “uncertain path toward enactment of postal reform legislation” as primary reasons for seeking price changes. He also indicated that the price adjustment is necessary in order to ensure that the Postal Service will be able to maintain and continue the development of postal services.
“Of the options currently available to the Postal Service to align costs and revenues, increasing postage prices is a last resort that reflects extreme financial challenges,” said Barnett in the letter. “However, if these financial challenges were alleviated by the timely enactment of laws that close a $20 billion budget gap, the Postal Service would reconsider its pricing strategy. We are encouraged by the recent introduction of comprehensive postal reform legislation in Congress, and despite an uncertain legislative process, we are hopeful that legislation can be enacted this year.”
Pictured top: Forever stamps. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.