Good Eats: Blueberry Bake-Off Returns This June
May 9, 2010
The Great Blueberry Bake-Off will return to the Blueberry Jamboree this June in Barrineau Park.
The Escambia County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee invites bakers to bring their homemade blueberry goodies to The Great Blueberry Bake-Off, a competition held in conjunction with the Blueberry Jamboree.
Contestants may enter in any of three categories: pies/cobblers, cakes, and other assorted baked blueberry dishes. Entries should be brought to the Barrineau Park Community Center cafeteria on a disposable plate, covered with plastic, between 8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. on June 12. A copy of the recipe must be included with the free registration.
Judging begins at 10:30 a.m., and winners will be announced at 1:45 p.m. Youth and adult entries will be judged together. Judges’ decisions are final. Winners will receive monetary prizes; first place: $50, second place: $30, and third place: $20.
The Blueberry Jamboree will be Saturday, June 12th, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Barrineau Park Community Center, 6055 Barrineau Park School Road, in Molino.
The event is sponsored in part by NorthEscambia.com, the Escambia County Office of Public Information and the Escambia County Extension Office.
Pictured above: The second place winner in the “Pies and Cobbler” division of last year’s Great Blueberry Bake-Off was Blueberry Dream Pie from Marti Penland Koemmerer. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers Honored
May 9, 2010
The Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers program has been honored for work leading to hundreds of arrests and closing over 1,000 cases last year.
Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers Inc. received the Crime Stoppers 2009 Productivity Award at a recent conference in Myrtle Beach, S.C., the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.
In 2009, Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers was assisted in closing 1,135 cases, led to 312 arrests and gave out 286 rewards to those that provided tips.
“I am so proud of this program,” Deputy Jeff Van Camp, coordinator of the Gulf Coast program said, “It’s the hard work and cooperation of all the men and women of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office that make productivity like this possible.”
The award is given to the Crime Stoppers program in the Southeast that clears the most cases for the given year. The award is specifically for organizations serving areas with a population between 200,000 and 299,000, according to the sheriff’s office.
For more information on the Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers Program, Van Camp at (850) 436-9387 or visit gulfcoastcrimestoppers.org. To submit a crime tip, call (850) 433-STOP.
Giving Praise: Entire Bible Read Aloud In 30 Minutes
May 9, 2010
The entire Bible was read aloud in about 30 minutes Thursday evening in Atmore. Almost 200 people surrounded the walking track at Tom Byrne Park, each reading a different part of the Bible out loud on the National Day of Prayer.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
Photos courtesy Erin Pritchett, Cutting EJ Photography for Northescambia.com, click to enlarge.
May Lawn, Gardening Tips From The Master Gardeners
May 9, 2010
The Escambia County Master Gardeners offer the following May lawn and garden tips:
- Continue planting summer annuals. Try one or two that you’ve never grown and/or one that is not available in stores as transplants.
- Plant heat-resistant summer flowering annuals such as begonias, impatiens, coleus, salvia, marigolds, torenia, verbena, ornamental peppers and gaillardia.
- Bulbs: Caladium, gladiolus.
- Vegetables: Continue planting warm weather seeds and transplants (Shade those transplants!). Use transplants for cherry tomatoes, eggplant and sweet potatoes. Plant seeds of lima beans, okra, southern peas: purple hull, crowder, etc.
- Prune and shape spring flowering shrubs and trees now. Later pruning may destroy next year’s blooms.
- Good cultural practices help maintain a healthy lawn and discourage insects and disease. Mow with a sharp blade. Centipedegrass should be cut to a height of 1½ to 2 inches. St. Augustinegrass normal growth habit cultivars should be cut to a height of 3 to 4 inches.
- Climbing roses are pruned after they finish blooming. Blooms form on one-year-old canes, so any older ones may be removed to make them more tidy. Cut each flowering stem back to the first five leaflet stem to encourage them to bloom again.Spray with horticultural oil or malathion for mites, scale and white flies, if insects are present, before it gets too hot (85 degrees).
- Yellow leaves on azaleas may mean they need iron. Apply iron sulphate or chelated iron.
- Feed citrus plants using special citrus fertilizer. Broadcast under the tree canopy and water in.
- Begin planting palms while the weather is warm and rainy.
- Make cuttings of azaleas, hollies, camellias, and other choice shrubs as new growth becomes halfhardened.
- Take soft wood cuttings to root: alyssum, begonia, chrysanthemum, shrimp plant, dianthus, geranium, hibiscus, hydrangea, etc.
- Dig bulbs after foliage turns brown if they need to be divided or the space is needed for other plants. If the space isn’t needed, braid the foliage.
- Cut back the vines of Irish potatoes when they begin to die but leave the tubers in the ground for about two weeks longer to toughen the skin. Handle the potatoes carefully during digging, as skinned or bruised potatoes decay quickly when stored.
- Divide crowded and vigorously growing perennials.
- Promote continued flowering of bedding plants by removing faded blooms.
- Encourage coleus to branch and produce more colorful leaves by pinching off the flower stalks as they form.
- Prune poinsettias when new growth is 10-12 inches high (back to the last four leaves). Prune new growth at the base throughout the summer.
- Stop pruning after Labor Day.
- Keep roses watered, cut out weak spots, feed every six to eight weeks or at every new flush of growth, dust.
- For insect or disease problems in your garden, use the least toxic control possible.
May Lawn, Gardening Tips From The Master Gardeners
Nearly 500 Students Take Part In Sunshine Math Competition
May 9, 2010
Nearly 500 Escambia County third, fourth and fifth grade students took part in the annual Sunshine Math Competition Saturday morning at Tate High School. Bratt, Molino Park and Jim Allen elementary schools participated from the North Escambia area. Hannah McGahan from Molino Park Elementary placed third in the individual third grade category. Pictured top: The third grade Bratt Elementary team. Pictured left: Hannah McGahan. Pictured below: The Sunshine Math Competition at Tate High School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Piehl Guilty; Faces 20 Years For Shooting Over $40 Worth Of Fake Crack
May 8, 2010
A Molino man is facing at least 20 years in state prison after being found guilty of shooting into an elderly woman’s home in a dispute over $40 in fake crack cocaine.
Robert Grant Piehl, 42, of Wilder Road, Molino, bought what he thought was crack cocaine for $40 on April 15, 2009, on Barth Lane, according to his original arrest report. But when he discovered the crack was fake, he returned to confront the alleged dealer with a .22 caliber rifle.
Armed with the rifle, he confronted two women — one 88-years old at the time — in the front yard of a home on Barth Lane and eventually fired several rounds through the front door of the residence near where the two women were standing, according to the State Attorney’s Office. Piehl then proceeded to the residence next door where he fired yet another round through a window.
As Piehl left the scene, he was immediately apprehended by an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy responding to a 911 call from the area. The .22 caliber rifle and ammunition were found in Piehl’s truck. Testing by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement discovered gunshot residue on Piehl’s hands.
He will be sentenced by Circuit Judge Terry Terrell on June 21. At sentencing, he will be facing a minimum mandatory sentence of 20 years under Florida’s 10-20-Life law, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
There was a second man with Piehl at the time his truck was stopped by deputies; charges against him were later dropped.
Place Food By Your Mailbox Today And Help Stamp Out Hunger
May 8, 2010
Today is the day to place food out by your mailbox to help local families in need.
Americans in more than 10,000 communities will partner today with letter carriers to help “Stamp Out Hunger.” The Letter Carriers Food Drive is the largest, single-day effort to combat hunger in America.
To participate, residents are asked to place a bag of non-perishable food items, like canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal, by their mailbox before their mail is delivered on Saturday, May 8. Letter carriers will collect the food items and deliver them to hunger relief agencies with the help of volunteers.
Local hunger relief organizations including Manna Food Pantries, Bay Area Food Bank, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Warrington Emergency Aid, ACTS Ministries, and We Care Ministry will receive the food donated locally and distribute it to needy families throughout the summer.
Last year, letter carriers across the country collected a record total of more than 73.4 million pounds of food. But with hunger impacting 49.1 million Americans, including 16.7 million children, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual study measuring food security in the United States; help is needed now more than ever before.
“While we’re very proud of our success over the years in the battle against hunger, the fact remains that more Americans than ever are in need, which is why we remain committed to this drive,” said Fredric V. Rolando, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers.
In a recent survey conducted by Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic-hunger-relief organization, its 203 food bank members consistently reported increased demand for emergency food assistance, ranging from five to 150 percent. Food banks are also notoriously empty during summer months, having exhausted the supply of donations received from food drives conducted during the holidays that are then distributed during spring. Summer donations are even more critical since many children in need no longer have the benefit of their school lunch program.
For more information about the annual Stamp Out Hunger effort, ask your letter carrier, contact your local post office or visit www.helpstampouthunger.com. You can also follow the drive at www.twitter.com/StampOutHunger or text STAMP3 to 30305 to sign up for mobile reminders.
Royals Advance Toward State With Win Over Northview
May 8, 2010
It was all the things that good playoff games are made off Friday night in Jay as a capacity crowd watched the Jay Royals take on the Northview Chiefs the Region 2A Semifinals.
In the end, the Royals beat the Chiefs 1-0. Along the way, it was a game of great pitching, great hitting and equally great fielding.
The only RBI of the game came from Rush Hendricks in the bottom of the third with a single up the middle to score Sawyer Gandy.
It was the end of one of the best seasons ever for the Chiefs (18-10). The Royals (17-7) will advance to the Region 2A Finals at 7:00 Friday night in Jay.
Hunter Brown pitched seven for the Royals, allowing two hits, no runs, one walk and striking out three. Austin Reid pitched seven for the Chiefs, allowing five hits, one run, four walks and striking out six.
Northview hitters included Brad Lower 1-2 and Dakota Stuckey 1-2.
Jay hitters included Sawyer Gandy 2-2 with a run and Rush Hendricks 1-1 with an RBI.
Photos courtesy WEAR for NorthEscambia.com.
Looking For A Yard Sale? Try Our Classifieds
May 8, 2010
If you are looking for a yard sale on this Saturday, check out the NorthEscambia.com classifieds.
There are about a dozen yard sales listed in our classifieds today, plus lots of items for sale, vehicles, real estate, jobs and more. NorthEscambia.com classifieds are free for individuals, just email your listing to news@northescambia.com
To visit our classified page, click here or click “Free Classifieds” in the light gray menu bar near the top of the page.
Northview FFA Holds Annual Banquet (With Photo Gallery)
May 8, 2010
It was an emotional night Friday at the 15th Annual Northview High School FFA Banquet. For the FFA teacher sponsor and the FFA president, the night was a perhaps a little more emotional and special.
Northview FFA sponsor Perry Byars and his son — this year’s FFA President Micah Byars, a graduating senior, spent four years in Northview’s FFA under his father’s leadership.
The annual banquet includes a somber ceremony for graduating seniors…they slowly remove their signature blue FFA jackets and hang them up for the last time on a coat rack.
One at a time, the two graduating FFA senior officers participated in the ceremony. Sentinel Gavin Hinote, and President Micah Byers removed their jackets one by one, placing them on the coat rack.
The night also included many awards for Northview and Ernest Ward Middle school FFA members and supporters.
Among those honored for their support of the FFA program were Northview teacher Scott Slay, Northview and Ernest Ward agriculture teacher Tommy Weaver, FFA Alumni supporters Gayle and Angus Brewton and NorthEscambia.com Publisher William Reynolds. The five were named honorary members of the Northview FFA.
The new NHS FFA officers named for the 2010-2011 school year were: Lydia Weaver, president; Allie Vidak, vice president; Stephanie Solari, secretary; Allyson Bullard, treasurer; Courtney Solari, reporter; Jessica Baldwin, sentinel; and Devin Bell, historian.
Dozens of the students in Northview’s FFA received various awards during the night.
The night also included honors and awards for Ernest Ward Middle School’s FFA members presented by chapter sponsor Cynthia Wilson.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the event, click here.
Pictured top: Graduating senior FFA Sentinel Gavin Hinote, and President Micah Byers share their goodbyes. Pictured bottom: Members of the Ernest Ward Middle School FFA. NorthEscambia.comp photos, click to enlarge.
