Video recorded by me and published online by the Pensacola News Journal.
Archive for 2010|Yearly archive page
Navy Secretary Mabus visits
In Gulf coast oil spill coverage, Multimedia, News, Videos on July 2, 2010 at 8:53 pmPreparing for July 4 on oil-strewn beach
In Gulf coast oil spill coverage, Multimedia, News, Videos on July 2, 2010 at 8:40 pm
Museum gets a 1960s-era Prowler jet
In Local News, News on July 2, 2010 at 2:20 pmThe National Museum of Naval Aviation received a valuable addition to its collection of fighter jets this week.
Wednesday evening, the museum received an EA-6B Prowler aircraft, which was retired from duty this week after more than 40 years of Navy service.
“This is one of the original five made and was still in service until yesterday,” said Shelley Ragsdale, director of marketing for the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation.
The EA-6B Prowler is an electronic warfare aircraft that was designed in the late 1960s. Its main mission is to shut down enemy radar defenses and communications systems using powerful electronic jammers and radar-seeking missiles.
The first three EA-6B aircraft constructed were prototypes, built on highly modified A-6 Intruder attack aircraft airframes.
The EA-6B that the museum received was the fourth EA-6B ever built. It was the first that was constructed from the ground up in the factory as a Prowler, rather than converted from an A-6 Intruder.
The jet, dubbed “P-4″ as the fourth Prowler, entered active Naval service on Dec. 31, 1969. It remained in service until it was delivered to Pensacola Naval Air Station from NAS Patuxent River, Md.
The plane was towed to the museum’s restoration hangar Thursday to be assessed for restoration.
Once restored, the plane will likely be showcased in the museum’s new hangar addition, which is set to open in November and will display a collection of modern jets.
“(The EA-6B) has a lot of unique characteristics to it, and capabilities that the general public will never know about,” said Chip Yarbrough, operational manager for the National Flight Academy.
Many of the Prowler’s electronic capabilities remain classified, but a single aircraft is reportedly able to “blank out” enemy communications over an area the size of a city.
The Navy is working on replacing the EA-6B Prowler with the EA-18G Growler, with the final squadron transition set for 2014.
The phasing out of the Prowler makes the addition of the P-4 an even more prized addition to the museum’s lineup.
“I’m just excited we got one,” Yarbrough said.
The museum hangar’s collection currently boasts various other noteworthy aircraft, including an F8U Crusader that was used for photo reconnaissance during the Cuban missile crisis.
The next project that the museum is working on for its hangar exhibit is the recovery and restoration of a rare Corsair model aircraft from Lake Michigan.
Sprout Day gets kids up close with animals
In Local News, News on June 27, 2010 at 11:34 amFor children visiting the Gulf Breeze Zoo, it was a trip around the world in 80 minutes.
“Two more to go,” Catalina Himes, 6, said as she ran from the bear exhibit back to her mother and cousins with a fresh sticker in her “passport.”
Catalina was one of several hundred children who attended Sprout Day At The Zoo on Saturday.
The event invited children to carry a special passport booklet as they enjoyed the many exotic animals.
At various exhibits throughout the zoo, employees from cable company Mediacom gave out special stickers for the children to collect.
“Mommy, I got the last sticker,” Catalina said as she raced past the children gathered in the zoo’s reptile house.
Catalina’s mother, Kimberly Himes. 31, found the event to be a great experience for the kids.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Kimberly Himes, who lives across the street from the zoo and visits frequently with her family.
Catalina and her cousins agreed, saying that they enjoyed finding and feeding the animals.
“It’s a great time here,” Catalina said, goodie bag in hand.
The zoo, formerly called The Zoo Northwest Florida, reopened in February.
It closed in August because of a lack of money but was purchased by Eric Mogensen, who also owns the Virginia Safari Park in southwest Virginia.
Since then, the park has razed buildings, added animals, and initiated new programs such as Zoo Camp.
Pat Quinn, the zoo’s former owner and current spokesman said the zoo is doing well.
“People are really happy the zoo opened up, because they really missed it,” said Quinn. “Good communities have good zoos.”
Sprout Day At The Zoo was sponsored by Mediacom to promote the new Sprout channel for kids. The 24-hour preschool channel features classic children’s favorites, such as Barney and “Sesame Street,” as well as newer programs like “The Wiggles” and original programs from Mediacom.
The channel also has a website, www.sproutonline.com, for parents and their kids to visit.
“The whole purpose of the network is for parents and kids to interact, and they can do that on TV and also do that online,” said Monica Oakley, an affiliate marketing manager for Mediacom.
Juneteenth event honors past and looks to future
In Local News, News on June 20, 2010 at 2:08 pmAlthough Saturday was a celebration of the anniversary of the abolition of slavery, some Pensacola community members chose to spend the day looking to the future.
“Don’t look back. Press on, and take as many other different cultures along with you,” said retired Chief Master Sgt. Walter Richardson.
Richardson, 81, was the keynote speaker at the seventh annual Juneteenth festival at the Fricker Community Center in downtown Pensacola.
“This is truly the Independence Day for black people,” added the Rev. Linda Thompson.
Sometimes referred to as Emancipation Day or Freedom Day, Juneteenth celebrates when the last of America’s slaves were freed in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
The date is celebrated every year throughout the nation. It was made a state holiday in Florida in 1991.
Thompson and her husband started the annual festival when they founded Sankofa Outreach Ministries with their children in 2004.
The 60-year-old Pensacola resident said the inspiration for her work in the community comes from the emphasis on spirituality seen in the societies of ancient Africa.
“They survived and they did so many things and their faith was so unshakable,” she said. “To bring that awareness back, we have to go back to where we lost it.”
The festival featured live music from the Belmont Youth Band and local gospel rapper DJ Razheed, as well as an exhibit of artifacts that illustrated the history of the black culture from its roots in ancient Africa to the election of President Barack Obama.
Richardson said he wanted his speech to focus on the idea of freedom, and how much progress the black community has made since the abolition of slavery.
“We’ve come a long way,” the Congressional Gold Medal recipient said. “Since being freed, we’ve shown a lot of our potentials as citizens of the nation.”
Richardson, who grew up in Pensacola and graduated from Washington High School before joining the Air Force in 1949, has confidence in the future of the nation and in the black community.
The former Tuskeege Airman said he sees an amazing potential in today’s young people, calling them the greatest generation for their tolerance of others and their resilience in the face of challenges such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the recent Gulf oil spill.
Pensacola residents who attended the festival found it to be a positive and enriching experience for youths in the community.
“They should have stuff like this more often,” said Timika Mullins, 33, a first-time attendee. “It benefits the youth in the community and keeps them out of trouble.”
Crowds gather at beach for glimpse of Obama
In Gulf coast oil spill coverage, News, Photos on June 15, 2010 at 2:52 pm
Hannah Denby, 14, Lea Denby, 36; DJ Denby, 9; and Rachel Hough, 12, came to Pensacola Beach to protest the government's handling of the oil spill. (Mike Greear/mgreear@pnj.com)
Molino, Milton get the blues
In Local News, News on June 13, 2010 at 10:14 pmMolino knows blueberries.
The small community in central Escambia County is home to several large blueberry farms, and some residents have taken to growing their own in their yards.
On Saturday, residents and visitors celebrate their favorite fruit during the 2010 Blueberry Jamboree at Barrineau Park School.
The festival began at 8 a.m. and featured live music, 75 vendors, a cake walk, a pie-eating contest and a blueberry bake-off.
“We’re one of the only festivals in Molino, and we’re excited about that,” said festival co-chairwoman Libbie Johnson.
The second annual jamboree kicked off with a 5K race organized by U.S. Marines from Pensacola Naval Air Station.
“Everybody had a good attitude and had fun,” said Matt Dobson, who took first place in the 36-54 age division.
Dobson was one of 150 runners who competed in the race, with first place overall going to Neil McDonagh, who ran in the 19-35 age division. Dobson, who runs an average of 70 miles a week, found the course to be quite a challenge.
However, blueberries were the star attraction.
Eli Miller and his wife, Sara, own a farm called A&N Blueberries. They attended the event to sell pints of blueberries from their farm, as well as 22 dozen jars of homemade blueberry jam.
“It’s going well,” said Miller, 24, whose farm encourages people to come onto the property and pick their own berries.
Miller added that although this festival was noticeably slower than last year’s, business at his tent nevertheless was good.
The jamboree’s bake-off showcased 47 different blueberry-themed desserts, including 18 pies, nine cakes and 20 miscellaneous pastries.
“Everything was really good, but the three entries we chose in pies really stood out,” said Alan Ganzhorn, one of several people who judged the bake-off competition.
Ganzhorn, 55, a Methodist pastor, said he believes the festival is a huge benefit to the community.
“It gives us a lot more visibility,” Ganzhorn said. “It helps people to get to know what good folks live here.”
Molino wasn’t the only community to pay homage to the blueberry this weekend.
Milton residents got to show their appreciation with Arc Santa Rosa’s Blueberry Bash, a daylong Saturday celebration.
Beachcombers turn up tar balls, oily trash
In Gulf coast oil spill coverage, News on June 13, 2010 at 10:08 pmAfter combing the beach for 15 minutes on Friday morning, sisters Shirley Cotita and Sheila Arnette managed to unearth several large tar balls and a bag full of trash covered in oily sludge.
Using a handmade sign to get people’s attention, the two sisters shared their findings with passers-by at Casino Beach.
“That’s the future of our beach,” Cotita said. “The Gulf Coast will die if something isn’t done immediately.”
The 56-year-old twins unearthed the oil while sifting through a 10-foot strip of sand next to the Southern Cross on Fort Pickens Road.
Cotita said they are hoping to use the tar and oil they have collected to show people that BP cleanup crews working on the beach are ineffective.
“They’re just walking by it; they don’t care” Cotita said.
Cotita is one voice among a community of people who foresee having to sacrifice their way of life because of the Gulf oil crisis.
“When that (oil) hits the beach, there’s not going to be any picking it up or cleaning it up,” said Billy Polk, who was catching flounder off the Pensacola Beach Gulf Fishing Pier on Friday morning. Polk, 68, of Bagdad has been fishing off of the pier since 1968, and thinks this summer may be his last.
“I worked many years to retire to do this, and now it’s being taken away,” Polk said.
Some members of the community are less pessimistic than others about the severity of the disaster.
A beautiful day at Pensacola Beach, except for the oil
In Gulf coast oil spill coverage, News, Photos on June 11, 2010 at 6:33 pm
It took only 15 minutes for Shirley "Shark" Cotita and Sheila Arnette to scoop up a net full of tar balls and a plastic bag containing trash covered in oil from a 10-foot stretch of Pensacola Beach. (Mike Greear / mgreear@pnj.com)
