Author: Melissa Nelson
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Mardi Gras means fat business for Gulf Coast
FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Mardi Gras. It brings to mind beads, parties and fancy floats in New Orleans as people cram in all the fun they can before Lent begins. In reality, Mardi Gras has long been celebrated in coastal towns from Texas to Florida. And it means big business. “It is more of a…
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Electric cigarette explodes in Florida man’s mouth
PENSACOLA, Fla. — A Florida man trying to kick the smoking habit was puffing on an electronic cigarette when a faulty battery caused it to explode in his mouth, taking out some of his front teeth and a chunk of his tongue and severely burning his face, fire officials said Wednesday. “The best analogy is…
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Crude hits Florida as Obama arrives; cap stopping some oil
PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. — The smell of oil hangs heavy in the sea air. Children with plastic shovels scoop up clumps of goo in the waves. Beachcombers collect tarballs as if they were seashells. The BP catastrophe arrived with the tide on the Florida Panhandle’s white sands Friday as the company worked to adjust a…
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Bomb techs discuss their dangerous work
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. — Thanks to the Oscar-winning movie “The Hurt Locker,” military bomb technicians no longer work in obscurity, but veterans told younger colleagues Wednesday that it is important to capitalize on the public’s interest to ensure support for their work continues. “EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) has long history. We went through downsizing…
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Ex-colonels sentenced in military contract case
PENSACOLA, Fla. — A federal judge sentenced two former Air Force colonels to prison on Tuesday for destroying documents, lying to a grand jury and other crimes related to a wider fraud scheme by contractors and defense lobbyists with ties to a powerful Pennsylvania congressman. The men, both engineers and graduates of the U.S. Air…
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Money woes force Navy flying team to practice less
PENSACOLA, Fla. – The U.S. Navy is cutting the practice schedule of its elite Blue Angels flight demonstration team to save money, the military announced Wednesday.The six F/A 18 Hornets will no longer streak over the skies of Pensacola in their signature formations on Tuesday mornings, but will continue their normal flight schedules Wednesday through…