Memorial Day 2020
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Inside the Moon Around The Islands A2 School's Out A2 The Big Dig A5 Marker 37's New Look A9 Issue 841 The 27° 37' 0.5952'' N | 97° 13' 21.4068'' W Photo bySteve Coons Island Free The voiceMoon of The Island since 1996 May 28, 2020 Weekly www.islandmoon.com FREE Around The Dr. Donna Island Memorial Day 2020 By Dale Rankin Shaver is a The Weekly Island Power Outage waited for the weekend this week and Final Finalist it didn’t take a driver running into a utility pole, or gravity getting the better of a power line. It was just the for “Sammie” wind and rain that hit us two nights in a row and brought some much needed Award rain our way. On the police beat this week Noise Ordinance Complaints Needs Islanders are down, car wrecks and Assaults are up with Suspicious Person calls Bob Hall Pier Michael J. Ellis Beach support to win holding steady. By Maureen Hurlow It was a weekend to stay away from the beach and the JFK Causeway Each year the and head for the Ski Basin. The rain Sammie awards turned the parking area under the JFK (“Sammies”) into a big lake and the fisherpersons are awarded to just parked their trailers in it anyway. honor members of the federal For the past several weeks the government parking area around the JFK Bridge workforce, has been jammed even during highlighting weekdays with boat trailers and the work of Dr. Donna trucks as people launch there. The employees Shaver city currently has $1.5 million in Island beaches from Port Aransas to Padre National Seashore were jammed over the Memorial Day Weekend with making bond money but no design yet for traffic on the JFK Causeway backed up all the Way to Oso Bay on Saturday. significant contributions to the reworking that area. Here is a look from the air courtesy of Islander Jason Cox. governance of the United States. The ISAC cancelled awards are considered "the Oscars" of American government service. They The June meeting of the Island are named after Samuel J. Heyman Strategic Action Committee Time to reason with Hurricane Season and the winners are awarded Service scheduled for Tuesday, June 2 has to America Medals. been cancelled making it the third Dr. Shaver who for four decades month in a row due to the COVID-19 has worked in the program at Padre virus. The May meeting of the Padre Busy Season Predicted for 2020 Island National Seashore to increase Isles Property Owners Association the population of the Kemp’s ridley scheduled for this week was also The National Oceanic and factors is driving the strong likelihood said Neil Jacobs, Ph.D., acting sea turtle population is a finalist in the cancelled, the June meeting, as of Atmospheric Admiration this week for above-normal activity in the NOAA administrator. “Our skilled “Sammies” award People’s Choice now at least, is still on the books. predicted an above-normal 2020 Atlantic this year. El Nino Southern forecasters, coupled with upgrades to Atlantic hurricane season with a 60% Oscillation (ENSO) conditions are our computer models and observing category. She is one of 12 out of 27 Blender Bob chance of an above-normal season, expected to either remain neutral or technologies, will provide accurate honorees in the running for People’s a 30% chance of a near-normal to trend toward La Nina, meaning and timely forecasts to protect life Choice to move to the next level. Once upon a time not that long ago season and only a 10% chance of a there will not be an El Nino present and property.” the number of Island residents was "Just to be named is such a below-normal season. The Atlantic to suppress hurricane activity. small enough that everyone pretty During the 2020 hurricane season, tremendous honor," Shaver said. hurricane season runs from June 1 Also, warmer-than-average sea much knew everyone else. The NOAA and the U.S. Navy will "What it reinforces to me is that they through November 30. surface temperatures in the tropical Island Rule was that if you heard deploy a fleet of autonomous (the other nominees) are such great Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, about a party you were invited, just NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center diving hurricane gliders to observe people who care so much more about coupled with reduced vertical wind don’t show up empty handed and as is forecasting a likely range of 13 to conditions in the tropical Atlantic the work and want to excel." shear, weaker tropical Atlantic Mike Ellis used to say, “An Island 19 named storms (winds of 39 mph Ocean and Caribbean Sea in areas trade winds, and an enhanced west Islanders who voted for Donna in party is like a seven-layer bean dip. or higher), of which 6 to 10 could where hurricanes have historically African monsoon all increase the the first round now are needed to It starts with separate layers but become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph traveled and intensified. likelihood for an above-normal vote again with the reduced pool of by the end of the night it’s just one or higher), including 3 to 6 major Atlantic hurricane season. Similar finalists. We can make this happen to big conglomeration.” But we had hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with Colorado State University conditions have been producing more honor Dr. Shaver and her 41 years of so many people with the same first winds of 111 mph or higher). NOAA active seasons since the current high- Colorado State University which dedication to the Kemp’s ridley turtles. names that we needed a modifier provides these ranges with a 70% activity era began in 1995. also issues it prediction for Hurricane Go to servicetoamericamedals.org/ and Mike was the one who handed confidence. An average hurricane Season each year is predicting a peoples-choice-award/ or just google out the nicknames. We had English season produces 12 named storms, of “NOAA’s analysis of current and season that is more active than usual, Sammies Awards to get to the voting Mike, Moon Mike, Mailman Mike, which 6 become hurricanes, including seasonal atmospheric conditions according to the Colorado State page. The voting time frame is May Flounder Mike, Shipwreck Sherry, three major hurricanes reveals a recipe for an active University Tropical Meteorology 26, 2020 until June 10, 2020. Atlantic hurricane season this year,” Tractor Steve, Cabana Dave, and The combination of several climate Project. Dave Behave. But most of all we Hurricanes cont. on A4 had a plethora of Bobs. Sausage Bob, Brisket Bob, Cadillac Bob, Billy Bob (he owned a goat), Boat A little Island history Bob, Cheating Bob (a poker player), Anchor Bob (lived at Anchor Resort), Port A Bob and Beach Bum Bob (also known as Crazy Bob). Some A History of June Storms on The Island of those Bobs are still around and some have come and gone and we By Dale Rankin Alberto in 1982. There was only one the Gulf of Mexico over history. near Victoria and passed over lost one this week when “Blender The 2020 Hurricane Season is June hurricane in the 1970s, Agnes, Palacious, Wharton, and Houston Bob” Seaman passed away. Blender now upon us so we take a look June Storms in the Gulf of which hit the Florida Panhandle in had winds of 49 mph with gust of Bob got his name by handing out his a back a storms that have hit our famous margaritas from his boat at 1972. Mexico 60 mph. Port O’Connor had winds island in the month of June. of 110 mph. Pressure was 929 mbs. the Ski Basin which he equipped with In the 1960s there were three June 1871 June 1-5 Rainfall 15.57”. a transformer to get from A/C to D/C. Gulf storms in June hurricanes, Hurricane Alma reached Pressure 29.51” 1909 June 29 The second storm Longtime Islander Annie Hoefel The longest gap between storms major hurricane status in 1966; then 1871 June 8-9 Upper Texas of 1909 hit Texas as a Category 2 wrote this week to say she would like on the Texas coast is 15 years from in 1968, two hurricanes formed in Coast Pressure 29.53” hurricane near Brownsville, to create something in Blender Bob’s June, Abby and Brenda, the only 1886 to 1902. But what about June 1886 June 13 Upper Texas 1913 June 27 75 mph. Hit the memory and since his son Chris time that has happened in the past 50 storms in the Gulf of Mexico, and Coast Center remained offshore. Upper Coast from the East- Seaman organized the "real" first ski years. particularly along the Texas Coast? Tide was 9’ at the mouth of the southeast. basin bash back before the current Texas’ storms have traditionally According to Dr Neil Frank, who Sabine River one started out Annie is suggesting hit in the late part of the season 1957 June 27 Hurricane Audrey tracked hurricanes for KHOU swept across the Gulf Coast near that "The annual Ski Basin Bash" with the most frequent months on Television in Houston until his 1888 June 26 SW of Galveston. be renamed "The Annual Blender the Texas Coast being August and Rainfall 13.9” the Texas-Louisiana line. Nine lives retirement in 2008, there have only were lost and 450 persons injured. Bob Ski Basin Bash." As Annie puts September. been four hurricanes since 1950 strike 1902 - The second storm of 1902 it, “Blender Bob is an Island legend Property damage, particularly But what about in June? Since the Texas coast.