Latest news with #NavalAirStation
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
National Park Service cuts hit home as staffing shortages largely close Fort Barrancas
Once a popular destination as much for locals as tourists, visitation to historic Fort Barrancas at Naval Air Station Pensacola has been reduced to being open just one day a month. Until 2017, Fort Barrancas was open seven days a week. Gulf Islands National Seashore - which is part of the National Park Service − cut back its schedule to five days a week starting that year, eliminating Tuesday and Wednesday visitation, due to a shortage of staff. Staffing has plummeted this year, however, and without explanation Gulf Islands National Seashore − part of the National Park Service − announced earlier this year that Fort Barrancas would only be open for its summer season on May 24, June 28, July 26 and Aug. 23. One of those four dates - July 26 - remained closed to visitors, with officials citing "unforeseen circumstances." In response to a request for explanation, officials would only says that "the reduced operating hours are a result of a shortage of temporary seasonal staff. This is the first year the park has operated this schedule at this location. Gulf Islands National Seashore plans to continue opening and staffing the site one day a month for the foreseeable future." While a GINS spokesperson told the News Journal the "fourth Saturday of the month" schedule will continue all year starting in September, its website lists no other dates for the remainder of the year after Aug. 23. Fort Barrancas Area includes 60 acres and features three historic structures − Spanish Water Battery, Fort Barrancas and Advanced Redoubt. There are also two short hiking trails, waysides and a visitor center. The exterior to Advanced Redoubt is available to the public year-round. Kizmetz Tatum, 48, is among the regular visitors searching for explanation. "I have been there a lot over the years, but my teenage son has never been to Fort Barrancas," said Tatum, a Pensacola native. "We went one Saturday in March and when we get there it's closed." She did some research and found that Fort Barrancas would be open just four days for the summer. So Tatum and her 15-year-old son Alex Apperson drove to NAS Pensacola on July 26. After some confusion they eventually were granted access through the western gate and drove to Fort Barrancas, which is located near the National Naval Aviation Museum. But when they eventually got to the fort entrance, it was closed. "It's been like a months-long hassle," Tatum said. "And he still hasn't been able to visit." In February, at least 1,000 National Park Service rangers and workers were fired by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. The National Parks Conservation Association, an independent organization that advocates for the protection and protection of National Parks, issued a statement in July stating that staffing cuts since President Trump's inauguration earlier this year have resulted in a 24% reduction in permanent National Park Service staff. In the July 3 press release, Theresa Pierno, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, said "This new date confirms what NPCA has been warning the Administration and Congress about. National parks cannot properly function at the staffing levels this administration has reduced them to. And it's only getting worse." There are also Gulf Islands National Seashore areas on the Mississippi Coast, including Cat Island, Horn Island, Ship Island and more, many of which are only accessible by boat. While Fort Barrancas might not be the crown jewel of Gulf Islands National Seashore, it is one of the area's best-preserved forts. The hilltop fort was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1840 and 1844 over the ruins of other forts. Fort Barrancas is connected to the adjoining Spanish Watery Battery − the white structure just below the kite-shaped brick fort. Even before the start of the American Civil War, Fort Barrancas was seeing action. More than three months before the South Carolina militia attacked U.S. Army troops at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, in April 1861, U.S. Army soldiers at Fort Barrancas fired at a Florida militia group, which they were able to repel. Still, U.S. forces were feeling the pressure and soon relocated to Fort Pickens, leaving Fort Barrancas in the hands of the militia. Just days later, Florida seceded from the Union and soon the newly-born Confederacy would bring troops to Fort Barrancas. Fort Pickens, built by the U.S. Army on the western tip of Santa Rosa Island and which is also part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, remains open daily. Other Florida features of Gulf Islands National Seashore are the Naval Live Oaks Area in Gulf Breeze, Rosamond Johnson Beach on Perdido Key, as well as beach access areas in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties. "It's sad, because I actually like Fort Barrancas more than Fort Pickens," Tatum said. "It's in better shape and a lot nicer." This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Fort Barrancas open once month following National Park Service cuts Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Horsham rezones former Willow Grove base. Here's how 862 acres could be transformed
Fourteen years after closing, the former U.S. Navy base in Horsham is slowly inching closer toward long-awaited redevelopment. Horsham Township Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the official map for the former Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove later this month. The hearing comes after the council unanimously adopted an ordinance to rezone the base from industrial to residential in June. "We wanted to get something done," said Michael Shinton, executive director of the Horsham Land Redevelopment Authority. The former base closed in 2011 and since then, the township and the Horsham Land Redevelopment Authority have been planning the strategic mixed-use redevelopment of the 862-acre site off Route 611. The redevelopment project was previously stalled by extensive PFAS remediation efforts on the site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Since the discovery of the toxins, officials have been working on a phased transfer of the property so that the township can start obtaining the portions of the site that have already been remediated, Shinton said. In the meantime, they've taken steps like the recent rezoning to get the site ready for when work can start. "We're just trying to be proactive about getting the property ready for when that transfer can occur," he said. This includes working with local public water and sewer authorities, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the Hatboro-Horsham School District and more to have as much in place as possible for when they can begin the redevelopment in earnest. "There's so many moving pieces and we can't do them all at once so we're just trying to make sure that we're ready for when good things do happen," Shinton said. It's still impossible to estimate when the whole property will be in the hands of the township or when work on the redevelopment plan will begin on the ground, he said. "This has taken longer than anyone had anticipated but we do continue to diligently move forward," Shinton said. "This property is really the destiny of the township — it's the last large undeveloped tract," he said. "So we're working really hard to make sure that it's a quality community-based redevelopment that's really going to serve Horsham and Horsham residents for the next several hundred years." What is planned for former Willow Grove base in Horsham? Under the current plan, the sprawling site would be home to multiple housing types of varying price levels including single-family lots, townhomes, apartments or condos, and a Continuing Care Retirement Community, according to a map of the project. The project will also designate approximately 10 acres of land for 70 permanent supportive housing units for those struggling with homelessness. In addition to housing, the plan is "focused on the creation of job generating uses" like office parks, a hotel and a conference center, according to the HLRA's official website for the project. The redevelopment also includes plans for a town center that could include amenities like a movie theater, bowling alley, ice skating rink and more retail and restaurant options. "We are working really hard to make good things happen there and to fulfill the vision that they asked of us back in 2005 when we started this," Shinton said of the residents who helped develop the redevelopment plan more than a decade ago. A large town center, a school, an indoor recreation center, a golf course and much more are also planned for the property and would be phased in over the course of several years. A 40-acre section of the redevelopment will remain earmarked for the school district, but its future use may change depending on the timeline and the district's needs at the time, Shinton said, making note of the new Keith Valley Middle School set to open for students this fall. Officials have estimated that the project could create over 7,000 jobs. Which of the many projects begin first will depend largely on which areas of the former base the township obtains first, Shinton said. All of the plan's individual elements will need to go through the typical land development process with the township. Ultimately, Horsham Township Council would need to approve each project's specific development plans before any work could begin on the ground. The public hearing regarding the official map is set for Aug. 25. The next meeting of the Horsham Land Redevelopment Authority is scheduled for Oct. 15. Lacey Latch is the development reporter for the Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer. She can be reached at LLatch@ This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Willow Grove Naval Air base rezoned for housing, retail in Horsham Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
12-08-2025
- Yahoo
'He grabbed my knee': Bull shark attacks Florida man
Editor's note: This story contains graphic images that may be disturbing to some viewers. A fisherman is recovering after being attacked by a shark in the Florida panhandle, according to the survivor and local officials. The incident took place on Aug. 2 in waters off the northwest city of Pensacola. Naval Air Station Pensacola responded to the rescue, Escambia County Fire Rescue confirmed to USA TODAY. "It was just after noon," Chance Armand told USA TODAY, as he recalled his attack involving an 8-foot-long shark while spearfishing about 20 miles offshore of Pensacola Pass. "He grabbed my knee then let go and grabbed the fish off of my shaft. It 100% was going for the fish I had shot." Armand, 28, of Milton, said after the shark bit him, his friends pulled him into a boat and applied a tourniquet to his leg before Santa Rosa EMS transported him to a hospital to be treated for the injury. "Spicy Bull shark decided he wanted my fish too on my way up from a dive today," Armand posted on Facebook after the incident. "Couldn't have asked for better people to help me out in the moment. Love what we do but definitely a reminder to soak up every moment with your family and friends because a routine day can be your last." United States shark attacks: See which states had them so far in 2025 How many shark attacks have been reported in Florida this year? In addition to Armand's incident, as of Tuesday, Aug. 12, there had been seven other reported shark attacks in The Sunshine State. According to the most recent reported attack took place on July 22 about 660 miles southeast in Hollywood. About 3 p.m. that day, a Canadian tourist was injured and hospitalized after a shark bit him. The man was in chest-deep water with a friend when a fish jumped over his head and a shark immediately attacked him, Hollywood Fire Rescue and Beach Safety reported. How many people die from shark attacks every year? According to data from the International Shark Attack File (ISAF), run by the Florida Museum of Natural History, the world averages 65 documented shark attacks annually. On average, six fatal attacks are reported each year, data shows. Last year, 47 people were bitten in unprovoked attacks. Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@ and follow her on X @nataliealund. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fishermen Chance Armand attacked by shark in Florida
News18
31-07-2025
- General
- News18
Jet Crashes Near Naval Air Station Lemoore, California; Pilot Status Unknown
Last Updated: Jet Crashes Near Naval Air Station Lemoore, California; Pilot Status Unknown A jet crashed in the fields near Naval Air Station Lemoore in California on Thursday. Videos widely shared on social media showed smoke billowing from what appeared to be a crashed aircraft in a field. According to Russian Television, the crashed aircraft could be an F-35 fighter jet. However, an official confirmation on the same was awaited. Emergency crews reached the spot as soon as the incident was reported. The status of the pilot was not immediately known. view comments First Published: July 31, 2025, 09:31 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
NAS Pensacola lieutenant commander arrested on domestic violence charge: SRCSO
PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) — A Naval Air Station Pensacola service member has been arrested for domestic violence-battery, according to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office. Elberta man sentenced for killing 4 people while driving under the influence 50-year-old Lt. Cmdr. Michael Smith was booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail after 4:30 p.m. Thursday. As of Friday morning, Smith is still in jail. In a statement from NAS Pensacola, officials said the investigation into Smith is ongoing. Northwest Florida residents react to newly elected American Pope Leo XIV 'NAS Pensacola will cooperate with local law enforcement agencies throughout their investigation,' read the statement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
