Archaeologists Turn Local Discoveries Into Children’s Book Series
August 24, 2025
Two University of West Florida archaeologists have transformed their passion for public outreach and historical storytelling into a new children’s book inspired by real archaeological discoveries made off the Florida coast. “Luna the Cat,” follows a feline protagonist on board a Spanish ship in the 1500s and is based on a real-life cat whose remains were uncovered at the site of the 1559 Emanuel Point shipwrecks excavated by UWF archaeologists.
Michael Thomin, assistant director of education and interpretation for the Florida Public Archaeology Network, and Nicole Grinnan, assistant director of the University of West Florida’s Archaeology Institute, decided to co-author the book after realizing that most archaeology books didn’t speak to the K-12 students in their children’s archaeology programs in the way they desired.
“Most titles were too focused on the archaeological process and lacked the heart of what makes a story engaging and relatable for kids,” Thomin said.
When Thomin and Grinnan learned of the discovery of cat bones found during excavations of the Emanuel Point I and Emanuel Point II shipwrecks — remnants of Tristán de Luna’s 1559 Spanish colonization attempt near present-day Pensacola – they knew they had a perfect new lens through which to write their own children’s book.
“By telling history through the eyes of an animal, we could connect with children in a way that felt emotionally compelling and accessible,” Grinnan said.
Although “Luna the Cat” is a fictional tale, its historical framework is grounded in real research from UWF’s Archaeology Institute and Department of Anthropology.
“All the major events in the book are based on real discoveries,” the authors explained. “This was only possible because of the extensive research conducted by faculty and students at the University of West Florida. The work of Dr. Roger Smith, Dr. John Worth and Dr. John Bratten, in particular, was instrumental in reconstructing the story of the 1559 settlement.”
Grinnan actually excavated portions of the shipwreck during her graduate work at UWF.
At its core, “Luna the Cat” introduces young readers to one of North America’s earliest colonial settlement attempts – decades before Jamestown in Virginia and years before St. Augustine on Florida’s Atlantic coast.
“This is more than just a story about a cat,” they said. “At its heart, the book is about overcoming fear, building resilience and discovering inner strength in the face of adversity. We hope it sparks curiosity about the past and shows kids that archaeology is not just about digging — it’s about discovering human and animal stories that still matter today.”
Released in July 2025, the book has already earned praise from educators, parents and young readers alike.
“The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Thomin and Grinnan said. “Kids have really connected with Luna’s emotional journey, and we were thrilled to see it ranked No. 1 for New Releases in Children’s U.S. State and Local History Books on Amazon.”
Fans of “Luna the Cat” will be excited to know that this is just the first book in the “Tales from the Trowel” series. Each book will be told from the perspective of a different animal whose remains were found during excavations at archaeological sites across Florida. Inspired by real archaeological discoveries, every book is grounded in authentic research but brought to life through imaginative, character-driven storytelling.
While Luna’s story is complete for now, the second book in the series is already in development. Co-authored by Thomin and UWF alumna Katherine Sims, the next installment will follow a donkey who helps build the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine during the 1600s. That title is expected to be released later this year.
“Luna the Cat” is currently available on Amazon in paperback, hardcover and Kindle formats. Plans are underway to distribute the book through museum stores, libraries and independent bookstores. The authors are also scheduling signings at local libraries, museums and bookstores, and they plan to donate a portion of the proceeds to the Pensacola Humane Society — a cause close to their hearts.
“We may have written the book, but it stands on the shoulders of years of dedicated research and discovery right here at UWF,” Thomin and Grinnan said. “Our hope is that books like ‘Luna the Cat’ will not only spark a passion for history and archaeology in young readers but also help inspire the next generation of heritage stewards.”
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Aggies Hold Annual Lil Aggies Fall Cheer Clinic (With Gallery)
August 24, 2025
Tate High School Cheerleading held their annual Lil Aggies Fall Cheer Clinic on Saturday at the school.
Dozens of Lil Aggies took part in the clinic and a parent showcase.
The clinic taught athletes proper stretch techniques, Tate sideline cheers, proper jump techniques and motion placement, as well as stunting and tumbling skill building.
For more photos, click to enlarge.
The Lil Aggies will participate in a pre-game runout, and cheer during the first quarter of the football game on Friday night, August 29.
Escambia Man Indicted On Federal Firearm Charge After Deadly Shooting
August 24, 2025
An Escambia County man has been indicted on a federal firearm charge.
Michael Stephen Johnson, 58, was indicted in federal court for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison up to life imprisonment.
Johnson allegedly shot and killed a man that was allegedly trespassing on July 16.
The case is being jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted the Assistant United States Attorney’s offfice.
Kids Beach Club Meets Tuesdays Afternoons After School At Molino Park Elementary
August 24, 2025
Kids Beach Club is back for the fourth year on Tuesday afternoons beginning August 26 after school at Molino Park Elementary School for grades 3-5.
Kids Beach Club is a free after-school Bible club that meets for one hour. It is a ministry of the non-denominational, faith-based Kids Beach Club organization. Snacks will be served and prizes awarded.
The group meets each Tuesday from 2-3 p.m. in the Molino Park Elementary cafeteria. Students must register in advance at kidsbeachclub.org/students. For more information, call Highland Baptist Church at (850) 587-5174.
The event is presented by screened and trained volunteers.
White’s Start Spoiled In Late Loss To Clingstones
August 24, 2025
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos dropped their third game in a row to the Columbus Clingstones on Saturday night, falling 4-1 despite a strong start from Thomas White.
White, the top prospect in the Marlins organization, worked 4.2 scoreless innings and struck out seven batters to lower his Double-A ERA to 1.79 in nine starts. Though he tied a career-high with four walks, the lefty stranded seven runners on base in the first four innings to keep out of trouble.
The Blue Wahoos scored their lone run in the second inning off Clingstones starter Brian Moran, turning a Mark Coley II single and stolen base into a 1-0 lead thanks to a pair of passed balls from Columbus catcher Adam Zebrowski.
Despite many opportunities to grow their lead, the Blue Wahoos went 0-for-10 with men in scoring position. Their inability to add on came back to haunt them in the seventh, when Zebrowski laced a two-out RBI single to left field off Nigel Belgrave (L, 5-2) to tie the game 1-1.
After Tyler LaPorte (W, 1-3) worked around a leadoff Jared Serna double to keep the game tied in the top of the eighth, Belgrave ran into more trouble in the bottom half of the inning. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Patrick Clohisy, who lined a three-run triple into the right field corner for a 4-1 Clingstones lead.
Rolddy Muñoz (S, 6) pitched around a two-out walk to save the game in the ninth, sending the Blue Wahoos to their third consecutive loss.
With the defeat, the Blue Wahoos saw their lead over the second-place Montgomery Biscuits shrink to 1.0 game in the second-half division race. There are 20 games remaining in the regular season.
The Blue Wahoos wrap up their series against the Clingstones on Sunday afternoon.
Federal Charges Filed Against Walnut Hill Man Allegedly Found With Homemade Explosives, Target List
August 23, 2025
A Walnut Hill man who accidentally shot himself near Walnut Hill in July has now been indicted on federal charges.
Joshua Dean Hardy, 26, was indicted in federal court for two counts of unlawful possession of firearm under the National Firearms Act (NFA), namely two unregistered and unserialized silencers and a destructive device, and one count of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Hardy was in court on Friday on local charges of three counts of making or possession of a destructive device, using a firearm during a felony and possession of a firearm with the serial number removed. He remains in the Escambia County Jail.
He is scheduled for arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Hope T. Cannon at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida, on August 28, 2025. If convicted on the federal counts as charged, Hardy faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment as it relates to each of the NFA violations, and another five years for his possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
His trail on local charges is currently set for October 20.
Hardy accidentally shot himself shortly after 3 a.m. on July 23 while walking in the woods on family property at 5000 Sandy Hollow Road, just off West Highway 4. His grandmother told deputies that she received a call about 3:15 a.m. from Hardy who said he had tripped while walking on their property with his rifle and he had shot himself in the leg. She picked him up and drove him to Atmore Community Hospital.
She stated that “their old house on their property had burned down a while ago and they believe it to have been arson. Since then, Joshua Hardy will randomly get up early in the morning and ‘patrol” their property with his rifle,” an arrest report states. NorthEscambia.com reported on the fire on January 31, 2025.
At the emergency room in Atmore, Hardy told deputies that he often walks their 22-acre property because he does not like people there, the report states. He said he stepped in a hole and dropped his rifle, accidentally grabbing it as it fell by the trigger and shot himself. He was adamant that he was not shooting at anyone and had no intent of harming himself.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Hardy suffered a serious gunshot wound that shattered his tibia and fibula and nearly took his left big toe.
Deputies responded to the property later in the day after receiving a tip, and they followed a trail of blood from the county right of way and into the woods and located the spot where Hardy shot himself. They reported finding a spent 7.62×39 AK-47 round next to a bloody area. A relative told deputies that the gun and other items that Hardy had with him at the time of the shooting were on top of a freezer in a shed on the property. They were given permission to search by the property owner.
- In a shed behind a vacant doublewide mobile home, deputies reported finding:
- Camo tactical vest with front and back armor plates and a handgun holster that contained a loaded 9mm pistol. The vest had two pistol magazine holders that contained loaded 9mm magazines. The vest had a medical pouch with supplies attached and “what appeared to be some kind of homemade incendiary device with a long fuse”.
- AK-47 style rifle Kevlar helmet AK-47 drum magazine loaded with live rounds
- A total of 49 live 9mm rounds in the magazines and gun
- A total of 118 live 7.62×39 AK-47 rounds in the magazines
- Cigarette lighter
- Cigarette pack containing one cigarette
A Florida Department of Financial Services Criminal Investigations Division bomb disposal unit and the ECSO bomb disposal unit responded, secured the alleged incendiary device and rendered it safe, according to the arrest report.
Relatives told deputies that Hardy has paranoid and manic episodes and feels like people, including law enforcement, are out to get him, the report continues.
The homemade device was described by state officials as being a destructive device found in the vest was essentially a cardboard tube with flash powder like obtained from consumer fireworks and a hobby fuse.
A search warrant was later served and deputies reported finding multiple items in Hardy’s room:
- Destructive device taped to plastic bottles on the bedroom floor
- A .22 calibre revolver with the serial number and model obliterated
- Black duct tape
- Silencer in a box on the top shelf of the closet multiple journals and notebooks
- A hobby fuse
- Destructive device with screws in a dresser drawer
- Plastic container of screws in a nightstand Cardboard box of screws in the closet
- Pouch containing multiple SD cards and USB drives found in a closet
- Apple iPhone, two Apple iPads, Verizon tablet, and an Amazon tablet in the closet
- A backpack with magazines and ammunition
- 12-gauge shotgun
- mixed Tannerite in the closet
- Ruger .300 caliber rifle with 20 rounds of ammunition
- Browning .270 caliber rifle with four rounds of ammunition and an ammo sleeve with seven rounds of ammunition
- ammunition can with additional ammunition
- hand drawn map of the property
Deputies also reported finding an OPFOR list of names in Hardy’s bedroom. OPFOR is a term commonly used in military training and exercises that is short for “Opposing Forces” to represent an enemy.
Investigators recovered two mortar plugs from the front yard and an unknown manufacturer or caliber firearm with wooden stock from a shed.
The bomb squad took custody of the destructive devices, a mortar and pestle with black powder and mixed Tannerite.
The ECSO report states that all three devices (one from the tactical vest and two from Hardy’s room) were “viable destructive devices”, based upon the training and experience of the state bomb technician.
UWF Begins Presidential Search, Announces Search Committee
August 23, 2025
The University of West Florida has launched a comprehensive national search for the University’s seventh president and announced the selection of individuals who will serve on the 15-member committee to guide the process. The committee will be responsible for collecting input from stakeholders, developing the presidential profile and position criteria, and recruiting and assessing candidates.
“As a regional University, UWF provides dynamic educational experiences to equip all students for success on campus and beyond, making it uniquely positioned to attract an exceptional leader who will usher the University into its next chapter of growth in terms of enrollment, academic and athletic programming, and continuing to be an economic powerhouse for Northwest Florida,” said Rebecca Matthews, chair of the UWF Board of Trustees. “As we embark on this important search, I express my gratitude to the presidential search committee for their dedication and willingness to serve.”
This presidential search comes at an exciting time for the University, as it has officially surpassed enrollment of 15,000 students – the University’s highest enrollment to date. The UWF Presidential Search Committee members represent UWF faculty and students, alumni, community and military, as well as the Board of Trustees and Florida’s State University System Board of Governors leadership. UWF Trustee Zack Smith will serve as chair.
The members of the presidential search committee are:
- Zack Smith – Chair, Presidential Search Committee; UWF Board of Trustees; Chair, UWF Student Affairs Committee; Senior Legal Fellow, The Heritage Foundation
- Trista Bennett – UWF Board of Trustees; President, UWF Student Government Association
- Ken Ford – Founder and Chief Executive Officer Emeritus, Institute for Human & Machine Cognition
- Ashton Hayward – President, Andrews Research & Education Foundation; Co-founder, Andrews Medicine; Principal at Shumaker; Former Pensacola Mayor (2011-2018)
- Alan Levine – Vice Chair, Florida Board of Governors; Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ballad Health
- Ginger Bowden Madden – State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit of Florida
- Sabrina “Saby” McLaughlin – Owner and Executive Creative Director, 3125 Communications
- Collier Merrill – President, Merrill Land Company; President and Owner, Great Southern Restaurants; Chair, UWF Historic Trust
- Paul Mixson – District 1 County Commissioner
- Rachel Moya – UWF Board of Trustees; Chair, UWF Finance and Facilities Committee; Chief Executive Officer, Scale Strategies Inc.
- David Peaden – External Affairs Manager (Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties), Florida Power & Light
- Dr. David Ramsey – Chair and Professor, UWF Reubin O’D. Askew Department of Government
- Dr. Heather Riddell – 2025-2026 Faculty Senate Representative, UWF Board of Trustees; Associate Professor, UWF Department of Communication
- Ashley Ross – UWF Board of Trustees; President, Ross Consulting
- Retired Captain Terrence “Village” Shashaty – President, American Heritage Financial; Former Commanding Officer, Pensacola Naval Air Station
“I am pleased to have support from a broad mix of individuals and echo the Chair’s appreciation for the presidential search committee’s service,” said Chris Young, vice chair of the UWF Board of Trustees. “UWF is an outstanding institution dedicated to supporting students and the community, and I am certain the committee will keep this top of mind throughout this important effort.”
To assist the committee, the UWF Board of Trustees has selected Funk Associates for consultation during the presidential search. Over the past 40 years, Funk Associates has conducted hundreds of university and college president and chancellor searches, the majority having been for public institutions. With a history of conducting searches in Florida, Funk Associates has completed searches at numerous Florida institutions including UWF, Florida International University and Florida State University, among others.
Manny Diaz, Jr., is currently serving as interim UWF president after being approved by the Florida Board of Governors on June 18, following his appointment by the UWF Board of Trustees on May 27. He replaced Martha Saunders, who announced her resignation in May.
Pictured: Manny Diaz, Jr. was introduced in July as interim UWF president. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Aggies Open Season With Big 21-7 Win Over Fort Walton Beach (With Gallery)
August 23, 2025
The Tate Aggies opened the season at home with a strong 21-7 win over Fort Walton Beach on Friday night at Pete Gindl Stadium.
The Aggies were first on the big video board when sophomore quarterback Miles Delarosa found senior Elijah West for a 77-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead with just under five minutes to go in the first quarter.
The Aggies worked their way back into the red zone, but a pass into the end zone was incomplete with just one second to go in the half.
The Delarosa-West combo paid off again for the Aggies with 6:05 left in the third quarter to make it 14-0.
The Fort Walton Beach Vikings scored their only points with 3:08 left in the third quarter as the Aggies went on to their 21-7 opening night win in a game that had started 30 minutes late due to a lightning delay.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The Tate Aggies will continue a three-game opening at home against Gulf Breeze on Friday, August 29 and against Pensacola High on Thursday, September 4.
Pictured top: Senior Elijah West grabs a pass for a Tate Aggies touchdown Friday night. Pictured inset above: Miles Delarosa throws a pass. Pictured first below: Tanner Clark gains yardage for the Aggies. Pictured bottom: Defensive lineman John Flynn celebrates a big stop. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Immigration Enforcement Operation Arrests 200 In Escambia, Other Panhandle Counties
August 23, 2025
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that a first-of-its kind law enforcement operation targeting illegal immigration, dubbed the Panhandle Immigration Enforcement Operation, resulted in the arret of nearly 200 people in Escambia and other Panhandle counties.
The operation led by the Florida Highway Patrol in coordination with federal partners at ICE, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is part of a comprehensive, multi-agency immigration enforcement detail targeting those living in the country illegally with criminal records, fugitives, and repeat immigration violators.
“This week, a first-of-its-kind immigration enforcement operation started in Florida’s Panhandle, led by the Florida Highway Patrol in coordination with federal partners,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. ”The Panhandle Immigration Enforcement Operation has apprehended hundreds of illegal aliens—including fugitives with criminal records and repeat unlawful border crossers. Florida continues to deliver on the mandate to secure our interior and protect our citizens from the threat of illegal immigration.”
- 45 FHP troopers and 20 federal personnel carrying out enforcement across Escambia, Santa Rosa, Walton, Okaloosa, Holmes, Bay, Washington, and Jackson counties.
- Nearly 200 people apprehended.
- 37 arrested who previously received final orders of removal and failed to appear in court.
- Eight apprehended who had been deported and reentered the United States—one of which had been deported four times. These individuals will be federally charged.
“The FHP Immigration Enforcement Unit has demonstrated unprecedented success in apprehending illegal aliens,” said Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Executive Director Dave Kerner. “Working hand in hand with our federal partners, we are creating an enforcement model that can truly impact the illegal immigration crisis.”
Florida state troopers said they encountered persons who have fled, resisted arrest, and physically assaulted officers—underscoring the heightened danger posed by criminal illegal aliens.
Century Reports Spill At Wastewater Plant, The Third In A Month
August 23, 2025
The Town of Century on Friday reported a spill at its wastewater treatment plant on Jefferson Avenue, according to a report filed with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
The town reported that a temporary effluent pump failed and spilled about 1,000 gallons of treated wastewater over a 30-minute period on Friday morning. None of the spill was recovered, but the area was cleaned up with the application of lime.
On August 4, the town reported a 7,000-gallon spill when a bypass pump malfunctioned over a 14-hour period. Additionally, the town reported a 5,000-gallon spill occurred on July 25 after effluent pumps at the facility had an electrical issue that caused the treated wastewater to spill for seven and a half hours. Both spills, according to the reports, were cleaned by applying lime.