Featured Recipe: Death By Oreo Cupcakes

October 3, 2010

This weekend’s featured recipe from Janet Tharpe is Death by Oreo Cupcakes.  Chocolate and Oreos? What could be better? These cupcakes are a mouthwatering combo of chocolate and and Oreo. And cream cheese.

To print today’s “Just a Pinch” recipe column, you can click the image below to load a printable pdf with a recipe card.

One Injured In Molino Mobile Home Fire

October 3, 2010

One person was treated for smoke inhalation following a mobile home fire in Molino Saturday night.

The fire was reported about 9:15 p.m. on Phillips Road, a narrow dirt road off Highway 95A across from Highland Baptist Church. The smoke inhalation victim was transported by Escambia County EMS to a Pensacola hospital. The victim’s condition was not available.

The fire was reported to be contained to the kitchen area of the mobile home. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The Molino, Cantonment, Walnut Hill, McDavid, Ensley and Century stations of Escambia Fire Rescue were dispatched to the blaze.

Bruce E. Lowery

October 2, 2010

Mr. Bruce E. Lowery, age 47, of Bratt, FL passed away Saturday, October 2, 2010 at Baptist Hospital, Pensacola.

Bruce was born in Atmore and was a native of Bratt. He was employed with the city of Atmore as a Code Enforcement Officer. Bruce was a 1987 graduate of Auburn University. He was also a 1981 graduate of Ernest Ward High School where he played on the 1979 State Championship football team. He was a member of Saint Luke Methodist Church, Pensacola, FL, lifetime member of the Bream Fisherman Association in Pensacola, FL and a long-serving member of the Northeast Pensacola youth baseball association board of directors.

Survivors include his wife Julie Van Pelt Lowery, two sons Bradley Lowery and Michael Lowery, a daughter Jessica Lowery, parents Charles A. and Reita Lowery, two sisters Sandra (Sammy) Day and Robin (Todd) Parker, one brother Alan (Becky) Lowery. Nieces and nephews include Kelly (Jason) Gurganus, Natalie Day, Jake Lowery, Cody Parker, Austin Lowery, and Dustin Parker and great nephew and niece Zane and Ava Gurganus and brother at heart Mike Digmon.

Visitation will be Monday, October 4, 2010, from 6 until 8 p.m. at Johnson Quimby Funeral Home in Atmore.

He will lie in state at the First United Methodist Church located in Atmore, on Pensacola Avenue on Tuesday, October 5, 2010, from 10 a.m. until the funeral service at 11 a.m.

Pallbearers are the nephews Jake Lowery, Austin Lowery, Cody Parker, Dustin Parker, Jason Gurganus and Nicholas Drew.

Honorary Pallbearers are Mr. Greg Robbins, Mr. Barney Lowery, Mr. Marion Cooper, Dr. Rick Ledkins, Dr. Bill Hixson, Mr. Bill Smith, Mr. Horace Ward, Mr. Byron Vaughn, Mr. Todd Wiggins, Mr. John Johnson, Mayor Howard Shell, Ms. Becca Smith, Ms. Nina Downing, Ms. Celia Lambert, Ms. Mary Carter, Mr. Chris Black, Mr. Milford Lassiter, Mr. Chris Pruitt, Ms. Adel Skipper, Mr. Billy Smith Jr. and Mr. Malford Gainey.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105-9959 or the American Cancer Society.

To honor Bruce, the family invites those attending either service to dress comfortable/casual and wear Auburn themed attire. Beyond the fanfare surrounding sports, Bruce believed in and lived the Auburn Creed and Loved It!…..WAR EAGLE!

Arrangements by Johnson Quimby Funeral Home.

Prep Football Roundup: All The Area Scores

October 2, 2010

Here’s a roundup of high school football scores from the North Escambia area Friday night:

Florida

  • Northview 39, Baker 36 [Read more...]
  • Catholic 56, Tate 30 [Read more...]
  • Sneads 33, Jay 21
  • Panama City 29, West Floirda 14
  • Pace 31, Niceville 17
  • Pensacola 49, Choctaw 0
  • Pine Forest 28, Tallahassee Lincoln 21
  • Rutherford 31,  Washington 28
  • Fort Walton 17 Milton 14

Alabama

  • Cottage Hill 31, Flomaton 28 (OT) [Read more...]
  • Thomasville 24 Escambia County (Atmore) 0
  • Escambia Academy 28 South Choctaw Academy 26
  • Monroe County 30 W.S. Neal 20
  • T.R. Miller 34 Clark County 26

Cheerleaders Holding Car Wash, Cookie Sale Today

October 2, 2010

Need a car wash? And a cookie?

The Northview High School cheerleaders are holding a car wash and a cookie sale today from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Advance Auto Parts in Atmore. All proceeds will help the Chiefs Cheerleaders attend competition.

Advance Auto Parts is located on South Main Street, just north of the Alabama/Florida state line.

Northview Chiefs Remain Undefeated With Win Over Baker (With Photo Gallery)

October 2, 2010

The Northview Chiefs survived the Baker Gators 39-36 Friday night to remain undefeated in District 1-A.

The Chiefs had almost 340 yards rushing against the Gators.

For a complete NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the game, click here.

“It was a wild one,” Northview Head Coach Sid Wheatley said seconds after the Chiefs’ victory. “We did some good things offensively, but we had some mistakes and penalties that obviously hurt us. Defensively, I thought we were challenged.”

“It was good to come out of here with a win. It was a tough place to play in,” Wheatley said.  “There was a lot of adversity that we were confronted with and we faced, but our kids pulled through and we got a score and a big interception late for the win.”

La’Mikal Kyles was in first for the Chiefs to put the Chiefs up 7-0 with 4:44 on the clock in the first quarter. Baker answered with 10:17 to go in the second with a two-yard touchdown and a good two point conversion to take the lead 8-7.

Then, with 5:26 in the half,  Dustin Yuhasz  scored and the Chiefs were back on top 14-8.  With 2:48 to go, Baker had another touchdown and a successful two point conversion to regain a Gator lead, 16-14.

With 25.7 seconds on the clock in the half, Yuhasz got the ball and was almost tackled but did not go down. He stumbled and regained his balance to run the pigskin in for touchdown. But a flag-happy referee inadvertently blew the whistle, calling the Chiefs touchdown dead. The Chiefs were not going down without a few more points on the board in the first half. Lance Bushaw kicked a 23-yard field goal to give the Chiefs a 17-16 lead at the halftime buzzer.

Five minutes into the third quarter, the Chiefs block a Baker punt to take over at five and goal. Roderick Woods punched it in for another Northview touchdown. A good two-pointer, and Northview was up 24-16.

The Gators answered with a 75-yard touchdown and a good two point conversion to tie the game 24-24 with 6:36 to go in the third.

The Chiefs were headed back to the lead with 5:48 in the third on a 45-yard touchdown run  from Brandon Sheets, 31-24. Baker, with 8.3 seconds in the third, had another touchdown but failed at their two point attempt. Northview was up 31-30 headed into the final quarter.

During the first part of the fourth, La’Mikal Kyles weaved his way in for another Northview touchdown, but the TD was called back for an illegal procedure. Baker scored again and missed the point after with 6:39 in the game to take a 36-31 lead.

With just over minute to go in the ballgame at Baker, Northview’s Sheets plunged in on a four-yard quarterback keeper. Then, on the two point conversion, Kyles found the end zone to give Northview a 39-36 advantage.

The Baker Gators had possession and were driving hard with less than a minute to go in the ballgame. But with 3.5 seconds on the clock, Taylor Martin picked off a Gator pass to seal the win for the Chiefs.

The Northview Chiefs (4-0, 3-0) take on Bonifay next Friday night in Bratt for homecoming.

For a complete NorthEscambia.com photo gallery including game action, cheerleaders andthe band, click here.

Pictured top: Baker had a hard time figuring out which was was up (see #80) as they hosted the Northview Chiefs Friday night. Pictured top inset:  The Baker defense was unable to stop La’Mikal Kyles as he heads for a touchdown.  Pictured bottom inset: Brandon Sheets on a quarterback keeper for the Chiefs. Pictured below: Taylor Martin and Logan Brown make a stop for the Chiefs. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Cottage Hill Gets Past Flomaton 31-28 In Overtime

October 2, 2010

The Flomaton Hurricanes came with a one yard of an overtime win Friday night, but the Canes fells short with a 31-28 loss to Cottage Hill.

Flomaton had scored with a 38-yard touchdown pass to Austin Patterson and a 27-yard pass to Jacob Newton. The Hurricanes also had a 47-yard touchdown run from James Jackson. Then the Canes took a 28-21 lead in the fourth on 48-yard TD pass from Newton to James Dean. But Cottage Hill answered with 3:06 to go, tying the game at 28-28.

Cottage Hill managed a 27-yard field goal in the overtime period. The Cane’s drove to the one yard line in OT, but the Warriors stopped Ryheem Dixon short of the end zone.

The Flomaton Hurricanes (4-2, 2-2) will be at home next Friday night against Leroy.

Catholic Beats Tate 56-30

October 2, 2010

The Catholic Crusaders amassed over 500 yards in a 56-30 defeat of the Tate Aggies Friday night.

The Aggies were up 24-21 at the half, but Tate’s defense was unable to stop the Crusaders, including Marquis Sumler who had 209 yards and four touchdowns.

In the first quarter Tate scored with a 7-yard run from Tydarrul Carmichael and a 79-yard pass from Thumper Grice to Lorenzo Long. The only score of the second quarter came from the Aggies’ Josh Dees with a five yard run just 38 seconds before the half.

The only other points for Tate came from Dees with a one-yard touchdown with 5:13 to go in the fourth quarter.

Today’s College Football TV Schedule

October 2, 2010

Here is a look at college football of interest on TV this weekend:

SEC:

Louisiana-Monroe (1-2) at Auburn (4-0, 2-0)
11 a.m. ESPNU

Alcorn State (3-0) at Mississippi State (2-2, 1-2)
11 a.m. FSN/ESPN3.com

Vanderbilt (1-2, 1-1) at Connecticut (2-2)
11 a.m. Big East Network

Kentucky (3-1, 0-1) at Ole Miss (2-2, 0-1)
11:21 a.m. WJTC TV 44/ESPN3.com

Tennessee (2-2, 0-1) at LSU (4-0, 2-0)
2:30 p.m. WKRG TV5/CBSsports.com

Georgia (1-3, 0-3) at Colorado (2-1)
6 p.m. FSN

Florida (4-0, 2-0) at Alabama (4-0, 1-0)
7 p.m. CT WKRG TV 5/CBSsports.com

OPEN: Arkansas (3-1, 1-1); South Carolina (3-1, 1-1)

Other games:

Florida State at Virginia
12 p.m. TV WFGX TV 35-2

Oklahoma vs. Texas
2:30 p.m. WEAR TV 3

Stanford at Oregon
6 p.m. WEAR TV 3

Fall Gardening: Time To Tackle The Chaos And Prepare For Winter

October 2, 2010

Towards the end of the growing season, many landscapes are overgrown and untidy.  Allowing plants to tower over others can mean the demise of the smaller plant.  It’s time to tackle the chaos and prepare for winter.

First and foremost, take a good look at your landscape.  If a plant has outgrown its allotted space, perhaps it was the wrong plant in the wrong place. Avoid these types of problems by becoming familiar with a plant before you plant it.  While you can try to control the size of the plant to fit its space, it will never be a happy, stress-free plant.

Information on the mature size of a plant and their site requirements can be found in several Extension publications.  The Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ (FFL) “Guide to Plant Selection and Landscape Design” is intended for homeowners who want to take the next step and design their own Florida-Friendly landscapes. Included in this book is information on landscape design strategies, a landscape planning worksheet, and the FFL plant list containing many of the UF/IFAS recommended Florida-Friendly plants for each region of the state.  It’s available online by clicking here.

Even in a well-planned landscape, though, the gardener’s controlling influence is important. The most useful methods for dealing with especially enthusiastic plants are removing, pruning, supporting or creating barriers to prevent unwanted spreading.

Removing and replacing

Autumn is an excellent time to establish shrubs and trees.  Consider removing oversized plants and replacing them with carefully chosen ones that will happily fit within your defined boundaries.  Plants that are installed late in the year will develop strong roots systems before hot weather arrives next spring.

Pruning

When it comes to pruning, it’s good to remember that it’s better to prune lightly occasionally as needed, than to allow a plant to get way overgrown and then cut it back severely. A few prudent snips here and there will help keep more vigorous plants from overwhelming their less vigorous neighbors.

Emphasis must be placed on the word “light.”  It’s important to remember that late summer pruning may stimulate an additional flush of shoot growth on species which flush several times each year. These shoots could be damaged by an early frost.

Supporting

Another technique to improve the look of an overgrown landscape is staking.  Staking or otherwise supporting plants keeps them from leaning or falling over onto others. It helps the tall plant look better, and obviously benefits the plants that would otherwise be covered. The stake should be tall enough to do the job but not be too obvious.

Stakes may simply be placed in such a way that the plant is supported by leaning up against it. On the other hand, it may be necessary to tie the plant to the stake. Typically, twine or plastic ties are used for this purpose.  Make sure you tie the lower and upper parts of the plant to the stake to provide proper support.

Other techniques for support include tying twine in a loop all the way around a plant, using a wire cage – this is best done early in the growing season to allow the plant to grow into it – tying a plant to a sturdier, nearby plant or using one of the commercially available support systems.

Barriers

Many perennials and tropical plants spread by underground structures called rhizomes.  If growth shows up outside the area you’ve allotted for that plant, promptly dig out the unwanted growth and replant it somewhere else.

Barriers extending at least one foot down into the ground around aggressive spreaders can sometimes help keep them under control. Digging, dividing and replanting clumps of aggressive spreaders annually is another good way to make sure they stay put.

Overgrown shrubs can cause a house to lose its curb appeal.  Proper, regular control measures should be employed to keep a landscape looking its best.

Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.

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