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Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Island Coast High School Class of 2025 graduates; see the festivities in dozens of photos
Island Coast High School Class of 2025 graduated May 17, 2025, at Suncoast Credit Union Arena at Florida SouthWestern State College in Fort Myers. They were among the thousands of Lee County School District students graduating this year. The school was founded in 2007. The school's mascot is the Gators, and the colors are green and gold. Island Coast High is off De Navarra Parkway in Cape Coral. See dozens of photos of the ceremony and celebration. Support local journalism by subscribing to The News-Press This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Island Coast High School graduation 2025: See commencement photos
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dunbar High School Class of 2025 graduates; see the festivities in dozens of photos
Dunbar High School Class of 2025 graduated May 16, 2025, at Suncoast Credit Union Arena at Florida SouthWestern State College in Fort Myers. The approximately 384 seniors at the high school were among the thousands of Lee County School District students graduating this year. The school was established in 1926 and re-established in 2000. Dunbar is home to the Dunbar High School Academy of Technology Excellence and the Dunbar High School Center for Math and Science. The school's mascot is the Tigers, and the colors are green and orange. See dozens of photos of their ceremony and celebration. Support local journalism by subscribing to The News-Press This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Dunbar High School graduation 2025 See commencement photos
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Residents of Nottingham mourn the loss of their homes, make plans to rebuild
As wildfires roared into southwest Stillwater March 14, residents in the Nottingham Addition, those in the original evacuation zone, were unaware of the real danger. The wildfire burned 25 homes in Nottingham, according to Payne County assessors, a number representing half the neighborhood. The path the fires took seemed almost random, with one neighbor saying it looked like someone used a 'blowtorch' channeled in one direction. Neighbors didn't live close together, but they did watch out for each other. Often, homes are called by their previous owners, such as 'the Terrill house' or the 'Tree house.' That Friday evening, residents didn't receive fire alerts on their phones and some didn't know their homes burned until later. The neighborhood Facebook page, which had previously had few posts, exploded with neighbors wanting information. Live on screen Stillwater author Lisa Bonge and her family had just unloaded $300 worth of groceries into their kitchen when they saw the flames in the field 200 yards behind their home. She was the first one in the neighborhood to call 911 after smelling smoke. Even after grabbing their six dogs, lockbox and laptops and fleeing, Bonge told the News Press she still didn't realize how serious it was. Her family was glued to their phones and the TV, waiting for any word. Then News 9 storm chasers Val and Amy Castor drove into their neighborhood and seemingly randomly pulled into their driveway past their mailbox, and the family knew. Flames still burned, and they could clearly see their house was gone. The Castors continued to focus their camera on the scene, waiting to go live for the 10:30 p.m. newscast. Lisa said her entire book inventory of 200 books she'd authored burned in the fires, along with many family mementos. A team of emergency responders arrived Wednesday to help residents sift through the ashes to salvage what they could. Among the items found, Lisa was able to recover her grandma's bronze baby shoe and a jewelry dish her son created. On one of her trips to visit the spot where her home burned, she noticed several pages of a larger work called 'Full Dark, No Stars' by her favorite author, Stephen King. 'I'm framing this,' Lisa said. 'The last paragraph is about a female author recovering from a traumatic experience.' Lisa said she's already writing notes about her experience – and when she's finished her current project and has had enough time to process her loss, will probably write a fiction story incorporating those memories. 'His angel watching over him' Dan Byrd lost his wife Joy Marie Valeriano Byrd, a physician's assistant at Oklahoma State University, about three years ago to cancer. Before she passed, she worried about her golden retriever, Samson, and who would take care of him. Dan assured her he would. At her funeral, a pre-recorded song sung by Joy Marie spoke of being Dan's and Samson's 'angel looking over you from heaven.' Byrd, who works for Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, wasn't at home at the time of the fire. His son, Brandon, was home and was the last resident in the neighborhood to be evacuated, but Samson wasn't with him. Firefighters told Brandon they'd leave the door open so Samson could evacuate on his own. Later, neighbors found the dog near the home, unharmed. 'There were no burn marks, he was breathing OK, his paws weren't burned,' Dan said. 'It's a miracle. Joy was his angel watching over him. The way my son described it, you couldn't breathe, you couldn't see – and here's Samson, walking around. He had to have some intervention from God and Joy in order to get through that.' Couple mourns history, heirlooms lost Kel Pickens, 75, and wife Carolyn West Meyer, 72, said they've experienced waves of grief since losing their home to the wildfires, but even at this stage of life, they're planning to rebuild. Meyer and Pickens, both educators, collaborated on multiple projects, including educational albums, cassettes, books and operettas that two educational companies published and distributed widely in the 1980s and 1990s. They are well known for their children's radio show, KIDS Radio Show, which aired on a local FM station for 15 years. The couple also produced a television show that featured the Stillwater Animal Welfare and Humane Society, helping animals find their forever homes. All of their original recordings – plus their collection of vinyls, CDs and cassettes – were lost to the fire, not to mention Pickens' 1975 911S black Porsche. Seeing their home burning was like 'a punch to the face,' Pickens said, adding that it looked like a scene from Hiroshima, Japan during World War II. With the help of a police officer, Meyer, who is also an author, was able to grab the couple's laptops, flash drives, a folder with their trust information and a stack of journals from which she's written multiple books about the two's beloved dogs and their travels together as a family. They also saved their Australian Shepherd, Beau and their cat, Mandy. 'You can feel pretty good and be laughing about something you think about, but then it goes down into a valley from that peak, and you get depressed again,' Meyer said. Pickens compared it to remembering a lost one after a funeral. 'Then you start realizing, 'What I'm going through is kind of PTSD in a way,'' Pickens said. He said using humor – even dark humor – has helped. They joked that former arguments over his hoarding and her refusal to refurnish the living room are no longer issues for them. It's like starting over as newlyweds. Some of the families refused offers for GoFundMe pages, opting instead to let others who have less receive support. Most, if not all, have good insurance – unlike some across Stillwater. Each family told the News Press they plan to rebuild and are deciding where they will live in the meantime. 'You start planning for the future, and that helps you now,' Pickens said. 'We're going to rise from the ashes,' Meyer said. 'Like a phoenix,' Pickens added.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Family of 5 barely escapes wildfires, finds shelter at Payne County Expo Center
A family of five with their five dogs clustered in a corner of the Payne County Expo Center on Saturday. It was quiet, except for the murmur of Red Cross volunteers and a few families sitting on cots. Robert Hand and his family – which included his mom, Kimberly Gibson, his brother, Daniel, his brother's girlfriend, Jennifer and his nephew, Jeremiah – had been trapped in their mobile home as winds whipped flames in a nearby field across from their home Friday. The displaced family – along with three Boston Terriers and two Pit bulls – eventually found transportation to the Red Cross shelter set up at the Expo Center. About 115 displaced people found a place to stay overnight Saturday after winds nearly 70 mph combined with low humidity resulted in wildfires that destroyed 170,000 acres across Oklahoma on Friday. The family, other than Jeremiah, declined to be photographed. Robert told the News Press he didn't know how or where the fire started, but when the family woke up Friday, he opened up all the windows. Their mobile home was part of a small trailer park not far from Wellston, where State Highway 105 and Logan County intersect. 'I started smelling smoke,' Robert said. A huge tree line blocked their view, with a wildlife refuge park behind it. 'You could see the smoke coming up over (there) ... the wind was so intense,' he said. The family doesn't have a vehicle. No fire map was relaying accurate information, so they were going only by what they could see. 'We started trying to get our to-go bags together, but with no vehicle, it was all the way down to the last minute where there was fire on both sides of the road,' Robert said. 'And we were driving through the columns of fire just to get out. That's how last-minute it was.' Deciding what to take with them was tough. 'Everything seems important, everything,' he said. The family never received fire alerts on their phones, until they looked out the window and saw the flames. A shadow passed over the window as they discussed what to do, and when they walked outside, it was black and they could feel the heat – it was no longer wind. 'At one point, we're looking out there, like, 'Should we dig a hole that we could all (get in)?' Robert said. 'We did not know what we were going to do.' By the time they could see the flames, they didn't know they were the last people in the neighborhood. Luckily for them, he said, Charles, a friend of the family, came to check on their neighbors. They had packed their bags earlier, but by the time they caught a ride out, they were piling dogs in and were only able to grab one or two bags. The embers and smoke even singed one of their pit bull's fur coat. Jeremiah, Robert's nephew, said one minute he was on a call with friends, waiting for a new video game update. 'Next thing we know, it gets all dark, the power goes completely out because the fire chewed through one of the power lines,' Jeremiah said. 'We had to leave a dog behind because we couldn't get her in the car in time.' He said that was around 2:30 p.m. – which he knew because that's when his game was updating. His grandma, Kimberly Gibson, said he was crying because they had to leave the dog, Missy, behind. The ride out was harrowing. 'When we started pulling away, we noticed that right around the bend, right there, I mean, no more than 100 feet was the flames,' Robert said. 'That 100 feet disappeared real quick.' They left their home around 3 p.m., but sat up at the end of the road waiting for about six hours. The alerts on their phones told them to go to the Iowa Tribe Community Center that had been designated as a shelter. They found an empty building with chairs and water, nothing more. At one point, they were in two vehicles and were separated for about an hour – not sure if they'd see each other again. The Red Cross eventually directed them to the Expo Center. When they returned to their home that evening to see if there was anything left, the scene was 'post-Apocalyptic,' Robert said. Of the 12 trailers in the mobile home park, none were left. 'It just didn't feel real, like the trees all burned from the inside and leveled as far as you could see,' Robert said. 'Somewhere where, you just got out of bed – to walk up and see it just totally gone. … Nothing but the frame on the ground.' Jeremiah said the ruins looked like 'old abandoned ruins from medieval times. … It was really pretty and it was scary at the same time.' Kimberly said her biggest fear was seeing the trees which looked like a 'haunted forest.' 'As we're driving by, some of the trees are starting to fall,' Kimberly said. 'I kept thinking … it's going to fall to the road.' They did find the dog that had been left behind. Safely back at the Expo Center finally, they tried to process what they had just been through. 'It's sinking in,' Robert said. 'It's very surreal.' He said his brother's girlfriend, Jennifer, has a rental home, but they don't know if it's available right now. Robert, originally from California, had been living and working in Texas and had just moved to Oklahoma two weeks ago to be with his family, bringing his dog with him. 'I was moving out here to start anew,' Robert said. Growing up in California, Robert was used to preparing for natural disasters like earthquakes. But he said that Friday, no one had a 'bug out bag,' or a three-day disaster survival kit, prepared. Robert had been on the search for a job. In the rush to leave, his birth certificate and drivers license had been left behind, and he'll need to start the process of replacing them so he can find employment. 'Now, I've just got to take it one problem at a time and see,' he said. Robert said he was thankful for the Red Cross and their assistance. 'Otherwise, I don't know what we would have been doing,' he said. 'I'm not huge on handouts … but I can see it as necessary for some people,' which now included his family.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
'That's Stillwater': Local agencies provide aid, donations pour in
For Red Cross disaster action team member Kate Mase, helping others in crisis seems to come naturally. She served as a Red Cross volunteer during Hurricane Katrina, where she said she learned a lot. 'Since that experience back in 2005, I've always wanted to be a part of (it) again,' Mase said. 'Now I am, and I'm very grateful for it. … Some people sell it short or don't understand (the work they do), but I am the 'Red Cross.' They are (pointing to other workers) the 'Red Cross,' every person in here that's busting their butts and losing sleep to help other people.' About 115 residents had found shelter overnight at the Payne County Expo Center, Stillwater Emergency Management Director Rob Hill said. Amber Lewis Red Cross volunteer Amber Lewis stops for a photo while organizing donations at the Payne County Expo Center. Mase said some residents left the center — where all evacuees were bussed for overnight stays — around 4:30 a.m. after evacuation alerts lifted and it was safe to do so, while other families waited to return due to unsafe conditions. 'It's not easy to sleep in a shelter,' Mase said. A few families were still taking shelter at the center mid-morning on Saturday. 'We're still taking care of them, (and) also accepting donations for tornado season, or whatever these people need for the long haul,' Mase said. Andy Dzialowski Andy Dzialowski organizes donations at the Stillwater Armory on Saturday. Mase said all morning long, people had brought donations. 'We're taking those in (and) our hearts are warmed up, and so are the people staying here,' Mase said, adding that a volunteer had gone to get a teenager a frappuccino upon request. 'Red Cross really is about community, bringing the community together — those who have lost or who are suffering with those who can help them. We're a conduit for that. 'Disasters are very fluid, and the key to walking through them as somebody who's helping is to be fluid, too, and say, 'This is about right now, keeping you safe, warm and taking care of your children and keeping a mental awareness, but a calmness for your family and for your children, especially.' Red Cross Community Disaster Program Manager Stephen Duke confirmed with the News Press that evacuees had been bussed to the Expo Center. As they assessed the situation, they realized a need for a better overnight shelter. 'So, we moved all the evacuation centers here and opened it up as a shelter,' Duke said. Duke said the Expo Center would be open all day Saturday, Sunday and as the need arises. 'I think tonight we'll know more,' Duke said. As high winds and possible pop-up fires are predicted again over the weekend, Duke said the Red Cross is in communication with local agencies, emergency managers, the county and the City. Red cross truck A red cross truck is parked outside the Community Building at the Payne County Expo Center on Saturday. The center will be open Saturday night for overnight stays as needed. 'They're constantly monitoring that and we're communicating with them,' he said. A new regional Red Cross office opened at Seventh Avenue and Main Street a few months ago, next door to District Bicycles. The office serves residents from northern Oklahoma and parts of Kansas, Mase said. Red Cross location The Red Cross regional office is located at Seventh Avenue and Main Street next door to District Bicycles. 'We are looking for more volunteers,' Mase said. 'We would love that so much — especially going through tornado season that's coming.' Oklahoma State University students are welcome to come and use the space for studying, Mase said, and 'maybe they'll be inspired to help the community, too.' Stillwater Armory When the Stillwater Armory opened its doors for donations from 1-6 p.m. Saturday, Stillwater Area Sports Association Executive Director Carolyn Walstad said there were 20 cars already lined up. The Armory will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday for residents in need. Within a little more than an hour of opening, donations were pouring in and the steady stream hadn't slowed, Walstad told the News Press. 'Stillwater came out,' Walstad said. 'It was so humbling at 1 p.m. when we opened. We really didn't know what to expect.' The City had reached out to Walstad to ask to use the location for donations. Piles of water, fruit, snacks, canned goods, personal hygiene products and dog and cat food sat on tables and were stacked on the floor across the west end of the building. 'This is a fabulous place for easy drop-off,' Walstad said. 'Patrons can come tomorrow and take what they need.' Walstad said City employees had been 'so kind' and carrying donations inside so donors didn't have to. Walstad said she has moments when the reality of what happened hits her and she gets emotional, but the kindness displayed by people in Stillwater — such as her friend whose house almost burned and yet came to donate water — has been helping her cope. 'That's Stillwater,' she said. The donations at the Armory were Stillwater Vice Mayor Amy Dzialowski's project on Saturday. Andy Dzialowski Andy Dzialowski organizes donations at the Stillwater Armory on Saturday. "Our community is full of helping hands, and we're just working to try to focus that support," Dzialowski said. She said the focus is in three different areas — providing an email for community members who have been displaced to list their needs so that the City can resource those needs out to community members, churches and nonprofits who can meet them. Residents are asked to email stillwaterstrongrelief@ and put NEED in the subject line. The second focus is the donation pickup Sunday. The third focus is providing a group of therapy dogs for people, as well as mental health services from Grand Mental Health, who will be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at the Armory. Dzialowski said United Way of Payne County will also be setting up a direct link for monetary donations at 'I know that everyone just wants to find a way to help, and sometimes that's the very best way to help,' she said. 'And we know that with United Way that those dollars will stay local here, so we can direct those funds specifically to those that need them.' Dzialowski said Friday's focus was on keeping the community as informed as possible and staying on top of the communication flow, which was 'nearly impossible.' Saturday, the City's focus was on providing needed resources. 'I'm always overwhelmed by the support of our community,' she said. 'So many churches opened up shelters, so many places made themselves available for food and shelter. That was happening naturally and organically throughout our community last night. This is what Stillwater does. We know how to show up.'
