Forecasters Watch Low For Possible Tropical Development
August 10, 2009
The National Hurricane Center is monitoring an area of low pressure, saying that there is a medium chance of development during the next 48 hours.
The low pressure area is located just south of the Southern Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Africa. The hurricane center says the chances for development appear favorable, with a 30 to 50 percent chance that the system will develop into a tropical storm in the next 48 hours as it moves westward at 10 to 15 miles per hour.
If the system becomes a tropical storm, it will be name the first of the Atlantic season and named Ana.
Bratt-Davisville Water Precautionary Boil Water Notice Continues
August 10, 2009
The Bratt-Davisville Water System has issued the following Precautionary Boil Water Notice:
To: Residents of Still Rd, Sandy Hollow Rd, Rigby Rd, Pine Forest Fd, Highway 4, Highway 97, Greenland Rd, and Meadows Rd — a water main break has occurred at the above locations.
Therefore, as a precaution, we advise that all water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth, or washing dishes be boiled. A rolling boil of one minute is sufficient. As an alternative bottled water may be used.
This “precautionary boil water notice” will remain in effect until the problem has been corrected and a bacteriological survey shows that the water is safe to drink.
What to do during a precautionary boil water notice (PBWN)
*When a PBWN is issued, a rolling boil for a period of one minute is sufficient to render water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth, or washing dishes microbiologically safe, free of bacteria, viruses, and protozoa.
*Tap water can be disinfected by adding 8 drops of unscented household bleach (4-6% active ingredients) to each gallon of water, then mixing the water and allowing it to stand for a minimum period of 30 minutes.
*Note: cloudy water requires 16 drops of bleach and a 30 minute contact time. also, other approved chemical disinfectants are available at stores that sell camping and hiking supplies.
If you have any questions you may contact Sherry Roley, Bratt-Davisville Water, at 850-327-6865.
Masland Employee Cuts Pony Tail To Help Rely, Locks Of Love
August 10, 2009
A Masland Carpets employee had a haircut at work this week, helping a child in need and the American Cancer Society at the same time.
The Masland Carpets Relay for Life team sold chances for one person in the Atmore plant to cut inventory control analyst Jim McMorris’ 12-inch pony tail for the Locks of Love program. Each chance was a donation to the American Cancer Society Relay for Life.
McMorris’ wife Jennifer has cancer, and they decided that this would be an opportunity to help both Relay for Life and Locks of Love.
Maria Hixon, who works as a creeler, won the chance to give McMorris his haircut. His pony tail was sent to the Locks of Love program, a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.
“She was nervous and kept asking Jim if he was scared, but I’m sure he wasn’t,” Susan Gunn, Masland human resources assistant, said. “He did have an appointment a few minutes after the cut with (Atmore hairstylist) Hazel Strawbrige to get his hair adjusted.”
Pictured top: Masland employee Maria Hixon cuts the 12-inch pony tail of fellow employee Jim McMorris for the Locks of Love program and Relay for Life. Pictured inset: A Masland engineer measures the pony tail. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Billings Theft Suspect Tice Had Previous Problems With Worthless Checks
August 9, 2009
Henry “Cab” Tice has been named a “person of interest” in the murders of Byrd and Melanie Billings, and he was arrested last week on grand theft for writing $17,342.51 in worthless checks to the Billings’ family company Worldo Financial Services.
But NorthEscambia.com has learned it was not the first time that Tice had problems with vehicle financing and bad checks. In August 1999, Tice gave numerous checks totaling $174,000 written on an AmSouth bank account to Dan Jaquish, who Tice described as his “best friend” and business associate. At the time, Jacquish was a wholesaler and retailer of used vehicles under the name of “Auto Outlet”.
The checks written by Tice on his business account were made payable to “Auto Outlet” and were, according to Tice, security for a loan Jaquish had made to Tice. Jaquish was to hold the checks and cash them later, according to court documents. Tice claimed that he made other payment arrangements on the loan, and both agreed that Tice would issue a stop payment at AmSouth on the loan security checks.
Tice went to an AmSouth branch and placed a written stop-payment order on the checks to Auto Outlet. The stop payment orders expired, under AmSouth’s terms, in six months.
Almost two years later, Jaquish, or someone acting on his behalf, presented the checks for payment at Amsouth on May 18, 2001, according to court records. After paying the old checks, Tice’s account was overdrawn, causing AmSouth to return six checks totaling over $95,000 payable to Manheim’s, an automobile auction company with which Tice did business. Tice claimed that because of the bad checks, he was blacklisted by Manheim’s and other automobile auction companies.
On August 23, 2002, Manheim’s obtained a judgment against Tice in the amount of $148,957.75 — the amount of the bad checks plus interest and attorney’s fees.
Tice sued AmSouth, claiming they should have never paid the checks written to Jaquish. A jury awarded Tice $52,206.75 for his expenses and $290,000 for mental anguish. AmSouth appealed, and the Alabama Supreme Court overturned the lower court’s findings.
Click here to read the entire Alabama Supreme Court case (pdf).
Escambia’s Roots Found In Molino; UWF Uncovers Historical Site
August 9, 2009
Escambia’s roots have been uncovered in Molino, along with evidence of habitation thousands of years ago.
The University of West Florida archaeological field school has wrapped up a successful summer dig last week, uncovering evidence of the San Joseph De Escambe Spanish mission dating back to the 18th century in Molino.
The Mission San Joseph De Escambe was established upriver along the Escambia River — which, along with Escambia County, actually took its later name from the mission near Molino. The Apalachee Indian settlement with about 75 residents is well documented, according to archaeologist John Worth. It was established in the 1740’s. A Franciscan missionary was stationed by the Spanish at the village along with 15 members of a Spanish cavalry unit until about 1757.
The village was led by Apalachee Chief Juan Marcos Fant until it was destroyed during a Creek Indian raid on April 9, 1761. The village and the church were at least partially burned during the raid. Following the raid, the residents moved down the Escambia River to what is now downtown Pensacola.
The mission was uncovered by the UWF archeology students under the leadership professor Dr. John Worth. Worth spent years digging through historical records before the actual digging in Molino began.
The missions settlement is believed to have included a Spanish missionary church and a small Apalachee Indian village. Evidence of the buildings was discovered during the summer field school, including a wall that appears to have been a post-on-sill construction type that was commonly used on French colonial sites. It has also been documented in Pensacola’s Spanish presidios. UWF archeologists said the Molino site also included an apparent floor structure on the inside of the building.
While the walls have deteriorated over time and appear to the casual observer to be nothing more than darker soil, UWF students found almost 40 wrought iron nails in their original positions. In what was called an “amazing” find, students uncovered a wrought iron nail still embedded in piece of wood (pictured left), the remains of a beam or post where the nail was hammered about 250 years ago.
One of the wall areas discovered was considered substantial, possibly part of the Spanish Calvary barracks or the actual mission church.
In addition to the 18th century Mission San Joseph De Escambe, UWF archeology students uncovered evidence of much earlier prehistoric life along the river in Molino. The oldest item found was a spear point dating between 1,200 and 3,900 B.C.
Friday was the final official day for the UWF field school, with students spending 14 hours wrapping up their research and filling holes. A few students will return next week to finish some final documentation and fill the remaining excavations.
The mission site was located near Yuhasz Road near Fairground Park. The entire site is on private property and is not open to the public.
For more information on the project, visit pensacolacolonialfrontiers.blogspot.com for the project blog. Also see two previous NorthEscambia.com articles:
- UWF Archeology Uncovers Possible Spanish Mission Evidence In Molino (July 21)
- UWF Digging For The Past In Molino; 2,000 Year Old Artifacts Found (June 29)
Pictured above: UWF Archeology students carefully sift through soil while they search for artifacts near Molino. Pictured bottom inset: A wrought iron nail in a fragment of wood from about 250 years ago. The excavation below shows evidence of two walls (the darker overlapping areas). NorthEscambia.com and courtesy photos, click to enlarge.
North Escambia Area August Gardening, Lawn Tips
August 9, 2009
The Escambia County Master Gardeners offer the following tips for the month of August:
Yard
Direct Sow: Seeds of late cosmos, gaillardia, lupine, petunia, zinnia, calendula, candy tuft, nicotiana, pansy, marigold, and verbena.
Start: Seeds of butterfly weed, purple coneflower, coreopsis and other perennials to be set out as transplants later in the fall season. Start your seeds indoors because of the heat. Shade them when transplanting to the garden.
Plant: Amaryllis, ajuga, Louisiana iris, ginger lily, daylilies. Plant your woody ornamentals in order for them to become established before winter.
Vegetables
Direct Sow: Seeds of beans (bush, pole, lima), sweet corn, cucumbers, onions (bulbing & green), peppers, southern peas, pumpkin, summer squash, turnips, and watermelon. Select varieties that mature early in order to produce before the weather gets too cool. Provide adequate water and watch for pests.
Plant: The tomato suckers you rooted in the spring, and broccoli, cauliflower, and collards. To plant garlic – Separate the cloves and plant, pointed end up, four to six inches apart and one inch deep.
Miscellaneous
Monitor plants carefully for pests and beneficials. Be especially alert for azalea caterpillars, Dantana major Grote & Robinson (Insecta: epidoptera: Notodontidae). They can defoliate a bush overnight!
Do not apply nitrogen to lawngrass too late in the growing season, as this can slow regrowth the following spring. A general guideline for the last
fertilizer application is mid-September for north Florida. It is possible to apply potassium at a rate of 1 pound of potassium per 1000 square feet. This will help the grass to overwinter, tolerate cold temperatures, and green-up quickly in the spring.
Check the mulch around your plants as organic matter decomposes readily in our climate. Add enough to bring the level back to three inches. Be
sure to keep the mulch pulled away from stems and trunks as roots can form in it, causing the plant to become susceptible to winter damage. Mulch right against the stem can also invite damage from insects and fungi.
Container plants may need watering every day. Continue using a water soluble fertilizer as nutrients wash through the soil.
Continue to water shallow rooted plants such as azaleas, camellias, blueberries and dogwoods during dry spells.
Clean up perennial clumps that have bloomed out and give them a light application of fertilizer. Apply last feeding to azaleas, camellias, and
gardenias.
Disbud camellias to increase flower size. (As soon as you can distinguish the rounded flower buds from the pointed vegetative bud, twist off all but
one of the flower buds at each tip.)
Tie dahlias to stout stakes and continue to disbud if large blooms are desired.
Take cuttings of woody ornamentals to increase your stock: azaleas, oleander, hydrangea, camellia, gardenia, etc. This is the latest in the year you
should air layer.
Try rooting some cuttings of your cold sensitive ornamentals. If they freeze during a cold winter, you will have replacements for the spring.
This is the last month to pinch back mums and poinsettias to produce bushing but do not disbud the plant. Purchase near-mature mums to add color, but do not pinch back.
Keep adding to that compost pile! Remember, diseased plant material should never be added to your compost pile.
The Escambia County Master Gardener Program was established in 1984, jointly with Santa Rosa County. Since that time each county has developed their own program to assist their respective Horticulture Agent. The Escambia County Master Gardener Association currently has 78 certified volunteers and 16 trainees. The volunteers have contributed more than 101,926 hours of volunteer service to the community since 1987. For more information, click here.
Vandals Strike Community Clothes Closet
August 9, 2009
The Jay Community Clothes Closet distributes clothing to anyone that needs it — for free. Now, organizers are trying to figure out why crooks would target their project.
The Clothes Closet operates out of the Jay Community Center, handing out the clothes, shoes and toys on set distribution days. But last week, someone vandalized the group’s items, throwing them all over the room.
“This is a community service, and we are here to try and help the community,” said organizer Wendy Booker.
Booker is asking anyone with information about the incident to please call her at (850) 675-8561 or (850) 686-6124.
Pelicans Win Four In A Row
August 9, 2009
The Pensacola Pelicans extended their winning streak to four games with a 7-5 victory over the Fort Worth Cats Saturday night. Luis Guance hitting his first home run of the year and Lou Palmisano going deep solo proved the difference in the game.
The Cats started Nat Harris against Pensacola, who gave up four Pelicans’ runs in the bottom of the third. Kevin Reynolds led off with a walk and stole second and third. Francisco Leandro was hit by a pitch, and Antoin Gray followed with a double to score Reynolds. Marcos Rodriguez picked up an RBI with a base knock that plated Leandro, and Gray came home on a Chase Burch RBI single. Adam Darby reached on a fielder’s choice, but Rodriguez came home on the play and the Pelicans led 4-0 after three innings.
Fort Worth came back with a run in the top of the fourth, scoring Ryan Patterson after he doubled to start the frame. However, Pensacola got the run right back in the bottom of the inning, when Luis Guance went deep for the first time this year. The solo shot put the Pelicans back up by four.
The Cats rallied for four runs in the top of the sixth and tied the game at five apiece. Ryan Patterson singled; John Allen did as well, but was out at second when Michael Bell reached on a fielder’s choice. Kelley Gulledge hit a single that plated Patterson, Isa Garcia singled to bring Bell home, and Brian Fryer hit a double that brought two more runs in.
The Pelicans took the lead for good when Lou Palmisano hit his second dinger of the year, a mono-blast with one out. The Pelicans added another run in the bottom of the seventh when Leandro, who walked, made it to third on two groundouts and scored on an error by the third baseman that would have ended the inning.
Aaron Jackson started the game for Pensacola and went 5.1 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks. Tyler Wilson provided steady relief, allowing just two hits over eight outs, and striking out two while earning the win. Hunter Davis came on in the ninth and stung the Cats to pick up his nineteenth save, yielding only a walk.
Antoin Gray and Chase Burch each went 2-4, with Gray hitting the double. Guance and Palmisano both went deep, and Leandro walked three times going 0-1. Kevin Reynolds stole two bases on the evening, bringing his season total to nine.
The Pelicans will look for the sweep tomorrow as Ulysses Roque makes his first start of the year for Pensacola. He will counter Joel Kirsten with tomorrow’s first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
District 5 Commissioner White To Hold Town Hall Meeting
August 9, 2009
District 5 Escambia County Commissioner Kevin White will hold a town hall meeting Tuesday, August 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Escambia County Extension Office, 3740 Stefani Road in Cantonment.
The District 5 meeting will begin with comments from the commissioner and proceed into an open forum where citizens may ask questions, share comments and concerns.
For more information, contact Commissioner White’s office at 595-4950.
Photos On The EDGE: Molino Church Wraps Up VBS
August 9, 2009
Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Molino held their Camp E.D.G.E. Vacation Bible School last week.
The church averaged just almost 50 children and over 50 volunteers each night during the adventure filled week.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.