FSN to air FLW Kingfish Series Championship

Dec. 9 show to highlight $275,000 king mackerel tournament
from Orange Beach, AL.

MINNEAPOLIS (Nov. 29, 2007) — Tune in Sunday, Dec. 9 to “FLW Outdoors” on FSN for the $275,000 Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series Championship held in Orange Beach, AL. The final event of the season concludes with the winning team claiming a cash prize of up to $70,000.

The “FLW Outdoors” saltwater series is a reality-format show told from the anglers’ perspective. Each week the top-five finalists are followed from takeoff to weigh-in, allowing the audience to feel the anglers’ nerves, listen to their strategy and learn from their mistakes. The stories evolve and the suspense grows throughout the show until the final weigh-in results are announced. One hundred and twenty five teams – the top three from each of 15 qualifying tournaments and the top 16 in the points standings from each of five divisions – qualified to fish the tournament.

The FLW Kingfish Series Championship is a three-day, no-entry-fee event. The entire field competes on day one and day two and the top five teams compete on day three. The winning team is determined based on the heaviest kingfish from day one or day two plus the heaviest kingfish from day three.

Tournament officials canceled day one due to a Small Craft Advisory issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), so teams will now commence competition on day two with the top five advancing to day three. The inclement weather improved on day two, albeit slightly, as anglers fished in gusty winds and seas that grew to 8 feet offshore. Not that anyone would wish for such harsh conditions, but Mobile, Ala., native Marcus Kennedy, whose Team “Kwazar” leads the event with a 51-pound, 11-ounce smoker king, said the foul weather actually worked in his favor. Joined by Max Williams of Pensacola, Fla., and Mike Ward and Todd Kercher, both of Mobile, Kennedy ran approximately 60 miles southwest of Orange Beach and fished over patches of natural bottom in 180 feet of water. Team “Kwazar” caught three other kingfish in the 30-pound class on day two. Their heaviest hit a live blue runner on a downrigger set 70 feet deep at 11 a.m. Kennedy usually mans the helm during tournaments, but with other tasks occupying his teammates, he grabbed the rod and fought the fish for about 10 minutes. Another smoker on day three would likely put Kwazar in the winner’s circle.

Team “Sake,” led by Capt. Neil Nix of Okeechobee, Fla., also braved the big seas, running 50 miles south. The result was a 41-pound, 9-ounce kingfish that was caught over a reef in 180 feet of water. When “Sake’s” big fish ate a live blue runner around 10:30 a.m., Danny Marasocci fought the fish and Nix gaffed it after a 35-minute fight. The team caught another 11 kings between 20 and 25 pounds. FSN also follows Team “Square & Level/Reel Wild,” captained by Frank (Pete) Eldridge of Waycross, Ga. On the strength of a 40-pound, 14-ounce king mackerel, “Square & Level/Reel Wild” is third with one day of competition remaining. FSN is the industry leader in providing the most up-to-date technology in TV production.

FSN puts viewers in the boats with the pros, shadowing them from sunrise until the final weigh-in using innovative camera work that gives fishing fans the most intimate viewing experience available. FSN broadcasts “FLW Outdoors” Sunday mornings. Check local listings for show times and channels in your area. FLWOutdoors.com also provides an online guide listing upcoming episodes on “FLW Outdoors.”

FSN is broadcast to more than 81 million homes through its network of 20 regional sports channels. Established in 1996, FSN is the only cable network that supplies national, regional and local sports programming. FSN serves as the cable TV home to 62 of the 82 MLB, NHL and NBA teams based in the United States, and produces more than 4,500 live events each year. FSN has an extensive catalog of original national programs, including “Best Damn Sports Show Period” and “Beyond the Glory” documentary series, along with national packages of collegiate sports. Based in Los Angeles, FSN is part of the vast FOX Sports television family. For the latest up-to-the-minute sports news and opinions, visit the FOX Sports/FSN website at www.FoxSports.com .

“FLW Outdoors” is also broadcast internationally to more than 429 million households in such countries as Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide tournament coverage to more than 800,000 service men and women stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the American Forces Network.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.

Ice skating at the edge of the Gulf

by Guy Busby
November 29, 2007

Orange Beach, AL- Palm trees line the drive, and the white stuff on the ground is sand, and the skaters glide in circles just a few feet from Gulf yachts and fishing boats.

Welcome to the outdoor ice rink that opened Nov. 2 at The Wharf on the Intracoastal Waterway.

The 50- by 70-foot holiday-season attraction is the first of its kind on the Alabama coast, said Lesley Dethloff, Wharf special events coordinator.

"We've really picked up since it started," she said, estimating the crowd on the weekend before Thanksgiving at about 600 people.

Young skaters interviewed there recently said the ice was nice, once they got used to it.

Click here to read the full story from the Mobile Press-Register.

Armed Robbery Surveillance Video Released

By Pat Peterson Reporter

Investigators in Orange Beach hope surveilance video of an armed robbery at the Holiday Inn Express will help them catch the suspect. A night clerk at the hotel was robbed at knifepoint Tuesday morning. News 5 obtained a copy of the hotel's surveilance footage.

Click here to read the full article and watch the video on WKRG-TV5.

Sun shining brightly on SPU women's soccer team

(Photo: Jocelyn Charette (left) celebrates with teammate Shannon Oakes)

By DEREK BELT
SPECIAL TO THE P-I

When the Seattle Pacific University women's soccer team reached the NCAA Division II Final Four in 2005, the Falcons traveled to the not-so-exciting town of Wichita Falls, Texas, where they finished second after a 2-1 overtime loss to Nebraska-Omaha in the national championship game.

"It was kind of a bummer," SPU coach Chuck Sekyra said of the whole experience.

This year, Seattle Pacific is back in the Final Four. But this time the Falcons are in Orange Beach, Ala., a lavish resort community located 20 miles west of Pensacola, Fla.

"My players are in heaven!" Sekyra wrote Tuesday in an e-mail from the team's beachside condominium. "I'm sitting on a balcony with my assistant coaches overlooking white sand, the Gulf of Mexico, and my team standing in the water up to their knees."

Click here to read the full story from the SeattlePI.com.

Click here to view more articles about NCAA Soccer in Orange Beach.

Division II soccer championships to be televised

November 28, 2007 - http://www.ncaa.org/

The Division II Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championship finals will be televised live on CSTV this weekend. The women’s championship game is Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern time and the men’s final is Sunday at 2 p.m. Eastern. West Florida hosts both matches at the Orange Beach County Sportsplex in Orange Beach, Alabama.

Click here to read the full story from the NCAA website.

The Alabama Beach Mouse

From U.S. Fish & Wildlife Baldwin County Office

The Alabama beach mouse (ABM) is one of several subspecies of old field mice living only in coastal sand dune areas. The range of the Alabama beach mouse historically extended from Ono Island to Fort Morgan and included much of the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the Alabama Gulf coast.

These small light-colored mice burrow and excavate nests in dunes and are primarily active at night. Their diet consists of various plant seeds and insects. They prefer sand-covered slopes with patches of sea oats, beach grass, other grasses and herbs, as well as interior sand dune ridges.

Click here to read the full article & for links to additional articles.

Red Tide Cells Remain at Alabama Beaches

November 16, 2007

The Alabama Department of Public Health cautions the public that water samples collected this week on Baldwin County beaches indicate the presence of red tide cells and persons with respiratory problems or those experiencing symptoms of nose, throat or eye irritation should avoid the mist.

Red tide results from a massive build-up of certain species of microscopic sea organisms known as dinoflagellates. These organisms produce a toxin that affects the central nervous system of fish so they are paralyzed and cannot breathe. At high concentrations, the organisms may produce a discoloration of the water. Red tides are often referred to as "blooms." The species (Karenia brevis), isolated from Gulf Shores waters, may produce toxins that also cause skin irritation and respiratory problems in humans. Health Department officials advise:

- Avoid the area if you are susceptible to respiratory problems such as asthma or emphysema.

- Leave the water if you experience skin irritations while swimming or boating and rinse immediately with fresh water.

- If you experience nose, throat or eye irritation when exposed to the gulf mist, avoid the mist.

The Alabama Department of Public Health will continue to monitor gulf and bay waters for the presence of red tide cells.

Unfortunately, the presence of red tide cannot be predicted to be at a certain location at a certain time. The effects depend on many variables such as temperature, salinity, direction of the wind, and how concentrated the organisms are at a given location.

Final Day for Frank Brown Songwriters Festival

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Today is the last day of the the Frank Brown Songwriters Festival. The Songwriters' Festival wraps up tonight with a live web-cast from the Silver Moon Cafe', on the Alabama/Florida line.

Between 4:30-9:30pm there will be two 90-minute concerts, with interviews, special guests and an after concert party - all live from the Florida - Alabama Gulf Coast! The schedule includes:

4:30pm - Preshow/ Intro - Larry Jon Wilson, Shawn Mullins
5:00pm - Hank Cochran, Lea Anne Creswell, Rusty Budde, Dustin Shannon,
Jody Payne, Cathe Pace
6:30pm - Break
7:15pm - Larry Jon Wilson, Shawn Mullins
8:30pm - Break
9:00pm - Sam Anderson, Bo Roberts, Cass Hunter, Gove Scrivenor.

Click here for the complete Daily Schedule from the Frank Brown International Songwriters' website.

Closing set for sewer plant land swap

Orange Beach also restarts negotiations to lease Josephine area lines

Friday, November 16, 2007

By RYAN DEZEMBER

Staff Reporter

ORANGE BEACH -- After a nearly 18-month delay, the city and Alabama conservation officials have set a date later this month to finalize a land swap that will allow construction of a new $20 million municipal sewer treatment plant, Mayor Pete Blalock said Tuesday.

The two sides plan to close the transaction Nov. 27, which will give Orange Beach 40 acres south of the city's current treatment facility on Canal Road while the state will get 46 acres of maritime forest to be added to the Gulf State Park.

The trade had been delayed first because of problems with appraisals used in the deal, and later because of a disagreement between the state and the federal government over whether the state land could leave Alabama's hands.

Click here to read the full article from the Mobile Press-Register.

Beach becomes a runway

Low on fuel, small plane lands safely on Orange Beach shoreline

Thursday, November 15, 2007

By RUSS HENDERSON

Staff Reporter

A small airplane that tows advertising banners along the Gulf Coast made an emergency landing on a public beach in Orange Beach when it ran low on gas late Wednesday morning, one of the airplane's owners said.

The 1973 Bellanca's landed on the hard-packed sand beside Perdido Beach Boulevard shortly after 11 a.m., said Assistant Police Chief Greg Duck. The pair inside the plane had been "joy riding" and were not at work pulling advertising, said Don Bonner, an owner of Foley's Gulf Coast Aerial Advertising Inc., which owns the aircraft.

The pilot was low on gas and made a precautionary landing about five miles short of the nearby Jack Edwards Airport, Bonner said. Police and firefighters arrived on scene to ensure no beachgoers were endangered, Duck said.

Click here to read the full article from the Mobile Press-Register.

Click here to watch the video on WKRG-TV5.

FWC & USF Create Center for Prediction of Red Tides

The University of South Florida (USF) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) announce the establishment of the Center for Prediction of Red Tides (CPR) at the University’s College of Marine Science in St. Petersburg. The center will develop, test and implement models to forecast Florida red tide conditions.

A five-year, $1.25 million contract from FWRI will help finance the center that will assist the state’s red tide monitoring program. USF is matching the state’s contribution with a $400,000 computer cluster along with staff support for the center.

Florida red tides are natural phenomena caused by a microscopic organism, “Karenia brevis.” “K. brevis” produces a toxin that can kill fish, birds and marine mammals, such as dolphins and manatees. Also, it can cause respiratory problems in people.

The factors contributing to red tide formation and persistence in Florida are extremely complex. Oceanic currents, nutrients, weather and interactions among numerous marine algae species contribute to bloom conditions.

CPR will combine information from multiple sources including FWRI red tide monitoring data; USF water circulation, temperature, salinity and other information; satellite imagery; and models to develop forecasting capabilities for red tide conditions and impacts.

Initially, water circulation models combined with red tide cell counts will yield short-term forecasts based on projections of particle movements. The initial forecast capabilities will be refined through ongoing research and development of coupled physical/biological models, with results eventually being incorporated into FWRI’s weekly red tide status reports. CPR researchers also use satellite imagery to identify areas of red tide blooms within Florida coastal waters, helping the state target monitoring efforts.

"For the first time, the Center for Prediction of Red Tides will pull together biological, chemical and physical scientific expertise and couple it with advanced computing power to model factors contributing to red tide formation across all appropriate spatial scales,” said Gil McRae, FWRI director.

The long-term goal of this collaborative partnership is to create a routine capability to predict Florida red tides and their potential impacts. In the future, biological models that address factors such as bloom growth, when coupled with the physical models and supported by additional observations, will improve the predictability of bloom evolution from beginning to end.

“As a comprehensive research university within an urban setting, a USF goal is the application of science for the benefit of Florida’s citizens,” said Peter R. Betzer, dean of USF’s College of Marine Science. “CPR is an important step in this process. The same CPR red tide prediction tools can be applied to fisheries management, navigation, search and rescue, and other ocean matters of urban societal concern."

To learn more about FWRI’s red tide research program, visit http://research.MyFWC.com/redtide
.

Red Tide Current Status Report

Report from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) as of November 9, 2007

Note from OBA Editor: The FFWCC has by-weekly updates for Red Tide Information throughout Florida. This is the most up-to-date information we can find regarding Red Tides. While their reporting stops at the Florida-Alabama state line, the information contained in these reports will give us an idea of the conditions near Orange Beach.

FFWCC Report:
Water samples collected this week detected Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, alongshore between Escambia and Gulf counties at concentrations ranging from not present to high. Highest concentrations were detected 10 miles offshore of Perdido Key (Escambia County) and in St. Joseph Bay (Gulf County). Medium concentrations of K. brevis were detected in Garnier Bayou and at Destin Pass (Okaloosa County) as well as in St. Joseph Bay (Gulf County). Additional samples collected offshore of Franklin, Wakulla and Hernando counties contained no K. brevis. Discolored water was observed offshore of Escambia County. Fish kill reports have been received this week from Okaloosa and Walton counties.

The Fish and Wildlife Research Institute’s (FWRI) Red Tide Status Line, a recording detailing red tide conditions throughout the state, is now available to callers to hear a recording detailing red tide conditions throughout the state. FWRI updates the recording each Friday by 5 p.m. after sampling efforts for the week have been completed and analyzed. To hear the information, call the Red Tide Status Line at: (866) 300-9399 (toll-free inside Florida only); or (727) 552-2448 (outside Florida).

Bloom Boundary (alongshore): Background to high concentrations currently occurring between Escambia and Gulf counties.

Date Collected	Karenia brevis Concentrations/Observations			Site Location* (West to East)	Collector or Agency
	Alongshore (<1>	Offshore
Escambia – Santa Rosa Counties
11/07	LOWa + Karenia sp.	--		Perdido Key, state line	FDEP
11/05	--	HIGH + Karenia sp.		Perdido Key, 10 mi S of	ECR
11/07	LOWa + Karenia sp.	--		Big Lagoon, Grand Lagoon Yacht Club	FDEP
11/07	VERY LOWb + Karenia sp.	--		Pensacola Bay Bridge, S side	FDEP
11/05	not present	--		Escambia Bay (2)	FDACS
11/07	VERY LOWb + Karenia sp.	--		Pensacola Bay, Ft. Pickens	FDEP
11/07	not present	--		Casino Beach	FDEP
10/31**	not present	--		Pensacola Beach Pier	FDEP

More auctions predicted

By KATHY JUMPER
Real Estate Editor

Robbie Jaeger's client had looked at the eight-bedroom Gulf-front house in Gulf Shores last summer when it was listed for $2.9 million. When the 5,300-square-foot house hit the auction block earlier this month, Jaeger's customer traveled from Missouri to bid -- and won it for $1.65 million.

Click here to read the full article from the Mobile Press-Register.

Orange Beach Library's 15th Anniversary Open House

November 12, 2007
Andie Y. Mewbourn

It's been 15 years since the Orange Beach Public Library opened in a room of the Orange Beach City Hall. First headed by Marsha Owens, the library has moved twice, the last time in 2001 into the present building on Canal Road.

The library began issuing cards in October 1992 with the first books being circulated in December 1992. Now, 15 years later, the library has grown to include 41,611 items in the collection and 12,091 patrons.

"As set forth by the original library board and Ms. Owens, the library continues to provide our community free and open access to the information, material and service they need for lifelong learning, civic engagement and the exchange of ideas," said Bonnie Lee, director.

To celebrate the 15th anniversary, the Friends of the Orange Beach Public Library will hold an open house from 1 to 6 p.m. Wednesday.

The open house will feature light refreshments, a mini book sale, a Bricks for Books sale and a book signing with Ryan Anderson, a former Orange Beach resident who recently published her first book, "The Czech Files."

Florida Gators defeat Georgia Bulldogs in SEC Soccer Finals

November 12, 2007
Article & Photo by Ken Grimes, Jr.
(click on photo for larger view)

The Florida Gators defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 4-1 on a clear Sunday afternoon before a nationally televised audience.

The Gators bit early with a quick goal and the only score in the first half. As the second half began the Lady Gators expanded the lead with two goals early in the period. Georgia got on the board with a score on a penalty kick bringing the margin to 3-1. With minutes remaining, another Gator goal sealed the victory and the championship which brought fireworks and plenty of cheers.

The SEC Championship is merely the next step as the season will feature the Gators and Bulldogs who both advance to the NCAA tournament next week. More than 1,200 spectators were in attendance for the televised match at the Orange Beach Sportsplex.

NOAA Seeks Your Comment on Longline Research in Closed Areas

November 10, 2007
Florida Sportsman Magazine

Feds propose “research” with pelagic longline vessels in protected areas of the Southeast Atlantic Ocean.

Since 2001, specific offshore waters paralleling East Central Florida, around the North Atlantic Bight and up to the Charleston Hump, have been off- limits to longliners who targeted pelagic and Highly Migratory Species. The reasons for closure ranged from bycatch mortality of turtle and shark populations, to an entire swordfishery fished close to collapse. Since then, the federal government says longline vessels put into place new tactics to deter bycatch mortality. Swordfish populations have begun to recover—evident by increasing recreational catches, especially in southern Florida.

Now, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service invites the public to comment on an “Environmental Assessment” to conduct research with a limited number of pelagic longline vessels in two areas of the Southeast Atlantic Ocean (East Central Florida and the Charleston Hump).

“In less than a decade, we have nearly rebuilt swordfish and dramatically reduced bycatch of sea turtles and other species by requiring that pelagic longline fishermen use new fishing techniques,” said William T. Hogarth, director of NOAA Fisheries Service. “Now it is time for us to examine whether these techniques can be used in the closed areas with the same success.”

Click here to read the full article from the Florida Sportsman Magazine.

Gulf Shores Fire Victim Has Fake Identity

By Debbie Williams Reporter
Published: November 09 2007 - 5:13 pm
Last Updated: November 09 2007 - 5:55 pm

After Thursday's fire that burned down the Italian restaurant Nick's at Gulf Shores, the community really reached out to Nick and Cathy Cascario with offers of a place to live and a place to re-open their business according to restaurant manager Mike Loria. But, News Five has learned the people the community offered it's charity too are not who they say they are.

News Five received phones calls and e-mails from as far away as Washington State and as close as Atlanta, Georgia about Cascario. It seems they are well known, just by another name.

Their real names are Richard and Judy Morrell. According to court documents obtained by News Five, Morrell changed his name to Cascario after leaving California during a Mortgage and Real Estate fraud trial in 1982.

He was convicted of 24 counts of fraud and forgery and was on the run fro almost 12 years until his capture in Tennessee in 1993. After his release from prison he started a printer cartridge company called Holiday Ink. The Federal Trade Commission called it a scam. A class action lawsuit against the company ended last year with plaintiff's being awarded 14 million dollars. That case is being appealed.

Another interesting note, Cascario and Tommy Lunceford, the owner of the building that burned, are scheduled to be in court next week in a dispute over back rent and eviction.

Click here to read the full story and watch the video on WKRG-TV5.

Restaurant Fire Called Suspicious

Published: November 08 2007 - 12:21 pm
Last Updated: November 08 2007 - 12:48 pm
By Jamie Burch

The State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating an overnight fire at Nick's at Gulf Shores. The Italian food restaurant is located on Hwy 59 in Gulf Shores.

The fire started around 3:30 a.m. A Passerby saw the flames and called 911.

Nick's just opened 11 weeks ago. The owners, Nick and Cathy Casserio, lived in an upstairs apartment. They barely made it out. Their 12 year old dog did not.

Investigator's say someone shut off the building's sprinkler system before the fire started.

Click here to watch the story on WKRG-TV5.

Songwriters gather for Frank Brown Festival

Thursday, November 08, 2007
by Lawrence Specker, Entertainment Columnist
"We're back to some sense of whatever normalcy is in this event," says Joe Gilchrist, and that's just what you want to hear when it comes to the Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival.

Normalcy was last seen in 2003, the year before Hurricane Ivan laid waste to the stretch of coast where the festival has taken place since the mid-'80s.

In 2004 supporters showed how deep their love for the festival ran, putting it on despite devastation that affected every aspect of the event -- from the condos and homes where fans and performers stayed, to the venues where it took place, to the basic infrastructure tying it all together. Not far from the wreckage of Gilchrist's Flora-Bama Lounge & Package, the epicenter of the festival, participants had to contend with a police checkpoint maintaining a curfew on Perdido Key.

Click here to read the full article from the Mobile Press-Register.

Bayou La Batre Moves Toward Waterfront Tourism

Thursday, November 08, 2007
By KATHERINE SAYRE
Staff Reporter

CARRABELLE, Fla. -- For this sleepy fishing village on the banks of the Carrabelle River, the future of waterfront development could mean charter boats, not shrimp boats.

"Our future is going to lie in tourism, and yours might, too," said John McInnis, Carrabelle's city administrator, during a meeting with Bayou La Batre leaders on Wednesday. "The world looks at waterfront communities."

The seafood industry has shrunk considerably in Carrabelle, but city officials said the town of 1,300 has taken control of its future by creating public access to the waterfront, writing a city plan that focuses on small growth, and imposing strict rules on new developments, such as condominiums.

Click here to read the full article from the Mobile Press-Register.

LSU beats Auburn 4-2 in SEC tourney

Georgia, South Carolina and Florida all record victories in Orange Beach

Thursday, November 08, 2007

By DANIEL BOYETTE

Sports Reporter

ORANGE BEACH -- LSU edged Auburn 4-2 on penalty kicks in the first round of the SEC women's soccer tournament Wednesday night at the Orange Beach Sportsplex.

The teams were deadlocked at 2 after regulation, and neither scored during a pair of 10-minute, sudden-death overtimes.

Fourth-seeded LSU (12-3-6) will take on Florida in the semifinals Friday night at 7:30.

Click here to read the full article from the Mobile Press-Register.

Thompson adviser from Ono Island Resigns Campaign

Philip Martin quits after criminal record surfaces; owns firm that operates terminal at Gulf Shores' Jack Edwards Airport

Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Staff, wire reports

After reports surfaced of his decades-old drug-dealing record, an Ono Island man whose company manages some operations at Gulf Shores' Jack Edwards Airport resigned as co-chairman of Republican Fred Thompson's presidential campaign.

Philip J. Martin, who lives in an 8,060-square-foot Ono Island mansion and owns the Gulf Shores airport's terminal operator, Jet Center South, through his company Gulf Capital Holdings, had acted as a fundraiser and adviser to the former Tennessee senator since the start of his presidential run.

Click here to read the complete article from the Mobile Press-Register.

Sea, Sand, and Stars Open House Sunday

Nov. 3, 2007- Orange Beach, AL - This weekend you have a special invitation to experience a wonderful new experiential facility called Sea, Sand, and Stars, adjacent to Orange Beach Elementary School. Open house for the new $2.5 million facility is scheduled for Sunday afternoon from 1 until 5 p.m.

Sea, Sand, and Stars features a huge, beautiful 5,800 gallon aquarium with a large variety of fish. In addition, the facility has a 38 seat planetarium with a Digitarium Alpha II Projector, technology used in the best planetariums around the world. The facility is equipped to tap into the Hubble Telescope and allow visitors a real-time look through this amazing window into space. Sea, Sand, and Stars features a computer technology room, complete with 30 computer work stations. Just around the corner a laboratory will allow students and adults to get a closer look at marine life. You'll also be able to enjoy a library, meeting rooms and classrooms.

If this wasn't impressive enough, outside you'll find an 800 ft. boardwalk that will take you to four large outdoor gazebo classrooms where students will learn about birds, plants, amphibians, and insects. In partnership with WKRG TV, a weather station, complete with measuring and monitoring technology, allows students to learn meteorology and then report the weather in front of a real television news set.

Sea, Sand, and Stars has been made possible through generous contributions from Brett-Robinson Construction, the City of Orange Beach and the Baldwin County Board of Education. Beginning in January it will be available for field trips, mainly for kindergarten through 6th grade students.

For further information, call Lisa Allen, Director of Sea, Sand, and Stars at 981-5690 or e-mail her at lallen@bcbe.org.

Click here to view more pictures of Sea, Sand & Stars from the Coastal Marine Builders website.

Boat Accident at Gulf State Park Pier

Saturday, November 03, 2007

By GUY BUSBY

Staff Reporter

Five people were injured Thursday night when a 23-foot boat traveling about 30 mph hit unlit pilings left exposed since 2004 when Hurricane Ivan damaged the Alabama Gulf State Park pier, marine police said Friday.

The Formula-brand vessel was returning to the Orange Beach Marina from a fishing trip to an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico when it struck the west side of the pilings at around 7:50 p.m., said Alabama Marine Police Officer Richard Miller.

Four of the five people were taken to South Baldwin Regional Medical Center in Foley, Miller said. Thomas P. Brown of Orange Beach, operator of the boat, had been listed in critical condition after being admitted, but his status was upgraded Friday to good, said hospital spokeswoman Barbara Boller.

Click here to read the full article from the Mobile Press-Register.

Click here to see a map where the accident occurred.

Ice Skating Rink at The Wharf Opens Today

Orange Beach, AL — The Wharf announces the grand opening of an all new ice skating rink for the Gulf Coast, Friday (Nov. 2).

The rink is located under the arch at Levin’s Bend condominiums at Main Street and Wharf Parkway. A treat for the young and old alike, the rink will be open to the public seven days a week through Jan. 1, 2008 — except for Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

All ticket prices include ice skates and are sold per person, per session. Individual tickets are $6 per person, or $9 combo/person. Combo tickets include a ride on The Wharf’s Ferris wheel, the tallest in the Southeast, and a 10 percent discount at The Wharf Store on Main Street.

Discounted group tickets are available by appointment by calling 251-224-1000. Groups also are invited to make lunch or dinner reservations at FishTales restaurant where they will receive a 15 percent discount on menu purchases. Reservations for FishTales must be made separately by calling 251-224-1007 or 251-224-1910.

Hours of Operation: Ice Skating Sessions have been established to ensure every skater has the best experience possible. Sessions are available Monday-Sunday and are also posted on www.TheWharfAL.com. For details about hours of operation, use the same website.