St. george Island by starlight
If a springtime stargazer is patient, he or she might get to witness the wispy white and purple glow of the Milky Way rising over the white sand dunes just a few hours before sunrise at St. George Island State Park.
The barrier island on Florida’s Forgotten Coast is tucked far away from major city lights. Panama City is about 70 miles wast of the island, and Tallahassee is about 70 miles east. That isolation allows stargazers to look at the night sky with minimal light pollution — and it might earn the island the highest level of Dark Sky certification. Park Ranger Skip Schipper hopes to get the park Gold Tier Dark Sky Certified with the International Dark Sky Association. The title would allow anyone searching for a particularly dark night sky with the International Dark Sky Association data bank to find the park listed. “It’s extremely dark at night,” Schipper said a recent night after testing a piece of light reading equipment. “We’re very lucky.” Find the full story, photos and video at https://www.newsherald.com/news/20180429/st-george-island-by-starlight-park-seeks-gold-tier-dark-sky-certification |
The title would put St. George Island State Park on the international map for stargazers. |
My Hurricane Michael story: Sledgehammers, cats and ambulances
My only option for getting back to The News Herald after Hurricane Michael was in the back of an ambulance. I only packed a bag of chips and a bottle of water with my camera gear when I set out to get photos of Hurricane Michael approaching the Florida panhandle. I left my emergency food, clothes and two cats behind in my office at The News Herald. I only planned to be away for about two hours. Katie Landeck and I took shelter at the Thomas Drive Volunteer Fire Department Station 1 when heavy wind from the storm made crossing the Hathaway Bridge too dangerous. We were stranded in Panama City Beach with dozens of first responders until the wind advisory cleared. I sat next to a window and watched the wind bend nearby trees. A stop sign spun through the parking lot and almost lodged itself into a nearby Jeep. I watched the faces on the first responders grow more and more terrified as the storm intensified. We were in that fire station for about six hours before the wind advisory was lifted and the first responders began to realize that the communication system was down. They put their plan in motion and were out the door. Katie and I stepped outside into what would become our new normal. The air felt thin, every billboard was shredded into wet confetti and snapped trees blocked many of the roads. Find the rest of the story, photos and video at https://www.newsherald.com/news/20191005/my-hurricane-michael-story-sledgehammers-cats-and-ambulances |
We walked about two miles in the dark through a jungle gym of downed power lines and trees. We did our best not to touch the lines but we only had the light from my cellphone to guide us. All of our emergency items were at The News Herald. After all, we had only expected to be away for two hours. |
photographers flock to cape san blas for night sky photography
There’s something special about the night sky over Cape San Blas, and photographers are flocking to the area to capture it.
Photos of the Donna Kay shrimp boat under a starry night sky are becoming increasingly popular on social media feeds like Milky Way Chasers Group or 30E Cape San Blas, FL Group. Michael Simmons lives in Houston, Texas, and made the 780-mile drive to capture photos of the shrimp boat under the night sky. “When I heard of the Donna Kay, I wanted to see a shrimp boat under the stars, but to also see a now iconic fixture of the beach,” he said. With similar thoughts in mind, I talked a friend into packing a picnic and making a 2-mile walk along the Cape San Blas shoreline in late May. We chose a night with a new moon so the stars wouldn’t be washed out in my photos by bright moonlight. For the rest of the story, photos and video go to https://www.starfl.com/news/20190628/under-milky-way |
I applied for an overnight recreational permit and was able to spend a few hours in the park after sunset on the first of June. The land bridge happened to form before sunset, and it gave me a window of time to be able to walk into an area normally closed to the public. |
Katie's Story
Fighting Childhood cancer
Eighty cents might not seem like much to most people. But to the mother of a child with cancer, it means hope.
Students and staff at Daleville Elementary School participated in a hat day in November to raise funds for second-grader Katie Kline.
Katie was recently diagnosed with a rare form of nerve cancer for the fifth time in her life. She was first diagnosed when she was 3 years old, and has recovered four times in five years.
The hat day raised $1,529.80 for Katie.
"That eighty cents," Terry Storer said over the phone on a cold December night. "I just know that kids were taking the money off of their dresser or bringing in their piggy banks to give to Katie."
She paused for a long moment. She was crying.
"I'm sorry, it's been a long day," she said. Storer had spent the last eight hours at Riley Hospital for Children for treatments with Katie.
"I want to finish this thought before we're done," she said, sounding exhausted. "The community here has really touched my heart. We've only lived here for a year and they have welcomed us with open arms.
"She touches the heart of every person she meets," Storer added. "You've got to meet Katie."
Katie lives in Daleville with her mother, older brother Aiden and her stepfather Michael. Their home is tucked away on a long country road near open fields. The day of an interview with The Yorktown Press at the family's home, Storer smiled as she stepped out of the car holding a cheese pizza and apologized for being late.
"Katie said that she was hungry and she wanted pizza," Storer said with excitement. Katie's treatments often cause her to lose her appetite. Her mother didn't want to miss the opportunity to get the 36-pound girl to eat something to help her gain a little weight.
Katie also loves popsicles. She stuck out her blue tongue as she enjoyed one of her favorite flavors. She sat propped up on pillows on her bed in her room next to her mother for the interview. Katie's room is a bright purple burst of color, animal print and Justin Bieber.
"She loves Justin Bieber," Storer said as she tried to coax the shy 8-year-old into speaking. A giant cardboard cutout of the pop star stands in the corner of her room along with other colorful photos. Katie even wears Justin Bieber shirts to sleep.
One of Katie's favorite memories is when she got to meet Bieber earlier this year. "He was tall," she said with a shy smile. "And he smelled good." Family friends made the arrangements for her to meet the pop star.
Music is one of Katie's favorite subjects in school. "Katie loves music and writing," Storer said. Going to school has sometimes been difficult for Katie. "She's been in a lot of pain lately," Storer said. The family will often pick up homework for Katie to help her keep from falling behind in school.
On good days, when Katie feels up to going to school, Storer has to call ahead to let the school know. "I call to see if any illnesses are going around," she said. "We have to be very careful with her." Katie's immune system has been weakened from the cancer and she is therefore more susceptible to illness than other children.
"The ladies in the office have really stepped up to help her," Storer said. Katie will sometimes spend time in the office if she isn't feeling well during the day. "They are her buddies."
Storer said that Katie's older brother, Aiden, has also received the support of the community. "The school has been phenomenal with Aiden," she said. A lot Daleville students and staff have stepped up to be his "buddy" and offer him any support he might need. "This situation is a lot for anyone to handle," she said. Aiden's grades declined for a short time when Katie relapsed. "He's a brilliant student. This is just a difficult time," she said.
Katie's form of cancer is uncommon. "She has the rarest form of childhood cancer," Storer said as she unwrapped a blue popsicle for the 8-year-old. Katie has neuroblastoma, a condition in which nerve cells divide continuously but the immune system can not clear out the extra cells. Storer estimates that the family spends about $500 a week for her treatments. She also takes Katie to New York for treatment once a month by experts on this form of cancer.
"We're going into debt to save her," she said. Her husband recently purchased a $4,000 light therapy lamp with his charge card to help with her treatment. "He's an incredible man," Storer said.
"It's really helped with the pain in her legs," Storer said of the lamp. The purple lamp runs on a schedule for Katie each day and puts out a frequency that might help Katie's body fight the cancer. The family also uses palliative treatments, small amounts of pain medications, to help with her treatment.
"She has been amazing," Storer said. Katie sits through blood counts and remains completly still for 45-minute MRI sessions whenever she is asked. And she never complains.
Katie and her family met 32 children with the same cancer when she was first diagnosed five years ago. Twenty-seven of those children are no longer alive. "We've watched their path," she said "And I've walked a tightrope with holistic medicine and medical treatment for her." Storer feels that their avoidance of harsh medical treatment has kept Katie healthy enough to fight the cancer.
"The survival rate for children with this type of cancer is two percent," she said. And that rate is for children who get this form of cancer one time. Storer knew of no statistics for the survival rate of children who develop this form of cancer a second time.
"This is her fifth fight, which is almost unheard of," Storer said. "We're big believers. And we think that all of the prayers and positive messages that people are putting out there are having an effect."
Daleville students and staff have shown their support for Katie over the last few months with fundraisers, messages and phone calls to the family.
"Daleville is a special place," she said. "We were definitely brought here for a reason. It makes it easier to do this every day when you know that you have an entire community praying for you."
Students and staff at Daleville Elementary School participated in a hat day in November to raise funds for second-grader Katie Kline.
Katie was recently diagnosed with a rare form of nerve cancer for the fifth time in her life. She was first diagnosed when she was 3 years old, and has recovered four times in five years.
The hat day raised $1,529.80 for Katie.
"That eighty cents," Terry Storer said over the phone on a cold December night. "I just know that kids were taking the money off of their dresser or bringing in their piggy banks to give to Katie."
She paused for a long moment. She was crying.
"I'm sorry, it's been a long day," she said. Storer had spent the last eight hours at Riley Hospital for Children for treatments with Katie.
"I want to finish this thought before we're done," she said, sounding exhausted. "The community here has really touched my heart. We've only lived here for a year and they have welcomed us with open arms.
"She touches the heart of every person she meets," Storer added. "You've got to meet Katie."
Katie lives in Daleville with her mother, older brother Aiden and her stepfather Michael. Their home is tucked away on a long country road near open fields. The day of an interview with The Yorktown Press at the family's home, Storer smiled as she stepped out of the car holding a cheese pizza and apologized for being late.
"Katie said that she was hungry and she wanted pizza," Storer said with excitement. Katie's treatments often cause her to lose her appetite. Her mother didn't want to miss the opportunity to get the 36-pound girl to eat something to help her gain a little weight.
Katie also loves popsicles. She stuck out her blue tongue as she enjoyed one of her favorite flavors. She sat propped up on pillows on her bed in her room next to her mother for the interview. Katie's room is a bright purple burst of color, animal print and Justin Bieber.
"She loves Justin Bieber," Storer said as she tried to coax the shy 8-year-old into speaking. A giant cardboard cutout of the pop star stands in the corner of her room along with other colorful photos. Katie even wears Justin Bieber shirts to sleep.
One of Katie's favorite memories is when she got to meet Bieber earlier this year. "He was tall," she said with a shy smile. "And he smelled good." Family friends made the arrangements for her to meet the pop star.
Music is one of Katie's favorite subjects in school. "Katie loves music and writing," Storer said. Going to school has sometimes been difficult for Katie. "She's been in a lot of pain lately," Storer said. The family will often pick up homework for Katie to help her keep from falling behind in school.
On good days, when Katie feels up to going to school, Storer has to call ahead to let the school know. "I call to see if any illnesses are going around," she said. "We have to be very careful with her." Katie's immune system has been weakened from the cancer and she is therefore more susceptible to illness than other children.
"The ladies in the office have really stepped up to help her," Storer said. Katie will sometimes spend time in the office if she isn't feeling well during the day. "They are her buddies."
Storer said that Katie's older brother, Aiden, has also received the support of the community. "The school has been phenomenal with Aiden," she said. A lot Daleville students and staff have stepped up to be his "buddy" and offer him any support he might need. "This situation is a lot for anyone to handle," she said. Aiden's grades declined for a short time when Katie relapsed. "He's a brilliant student. This is just a difficult time," she said.
Katie's form of cancer is uncommon. "She has the rarest form of childhood cancer," Storer said as she unwrapped a blue popsicle for the 8-year-old. Katie has neuroblastoma, a condition in which nerve cells divide continuously but the immune system can not clear out the extra cells. Storer estimates that the family spends about $500 a week for her treatments. She also takes Katie to New York for treatment once a month by experts on this form of cancer.
"We're going into debt to save her," she said. Her husband recently purchased a $4,000 light therapy lamp with his charge card to help with her treatment. "He's an incredible man," Storer said.
"It's really helped with the pain in her legs," Storer said of the lamp. The purple lamp runs on a schedule for Katie each day and puts out a frequency that might help Katie's body fight the cancer. The family also uses palliative treatments, small amounts of pain medications, to help with her treatment.
"She has been amazing," Storer said. Katie sits through blood counts and remains completly still for 45-minute MRI sessions whenever she is asked. And she never complains.
Katie and her family met 32 children with the same cancer when she was first diagnosed five years ago. Twenty-seven of those children are no longer alive. "We've watched their path," she said "And I've walked a tightrope with holistic medicine and medical treatment for her." Storer feels that their avoidance of harsh medical treatment has kept Katie healthy enough to fight the cancer.
"The survival rate for children with this type of cancer is two percent," she said. And that rate is for children who get this form of cancer one time. Storer knew of no statistics for the survival rate of children who develop this form of cancer a second time.
"This is her fifth fight, which is almost unheard of," Storer said. "We're big believers. And we think that all of the prayers and positive messages that people are putting out there are having an effect."
Daleville students and staff have shown their support for Katie over the last few months with fundraisers, messages and phone calls to the family.
"Daleville is a special place," she said. "We were definitely brought here for a reason. It makes it easier to do this every day when you know that you have an entire community praying for you."