Warm Weekend Weather
April 9, 2011
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Saturday Night: Patchy dense fog after 1am. Otherwise, increasing clouds, with a low around 63. South wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Sunday: Patchy dense fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 87. South wind between 5 and 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. South wind around 10 mph.
- Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 83. South wind between 10 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
- Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 57. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 82. North wind around 5 mph becoming south.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 57. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81.
- Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 62.
- Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 82.
- Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59.
- Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 76.
State Attorney: Deputies Justified In Shooting 25 Times At Suspect
April 9, 2011
The State Attorney’s Office says Escambia County deputies were justified when they fired their weapons during the October hostage standoff that seriously wounded Deputy Jeremy Cassady.
On October 29, deputies responded to a home off Scenic Highway were Phillip Monier was holding his ex-girlfriend Jackie Rosenbloom hostage. According to the State Attorney’s report, Cassady fired the first shot at Monier’s head and missed. Fourteen deputies in all fired a total of 25 shots, none of which hit Monier.
The hostage, Rosenbloom, was struck a number times in the pelvis and leg. She survived her injuries.
Sacred Heart Hospital Stands To Lose $15 Million From State Medicaid Cuts
April 9, 2011
Sacred Heart Hospital stands to lose $15 million in funding it receives for services it provides to low-income patients covered by Medicaid under the state budget proposed by the Florida Senate.
The state Senate’s proposed budget is threatening Florida’s health care safety net by imposing what amounts to a 35 percent Medicaid reimbursement cut on all Florida hospitals, according to the hospital. The funding cuts would have the most impact on 15 safety net hospital systems which deliver nearly half of all charity care and Medicaid care to patients in Florida.
Based in Pensacola, Sacred Heart Health System is one of those 15 hospitals which are now being asked to absorb a large part of the Senate’s proposed Medicaid cuts.
“These cuts in Medicaid funding will severely reduce access to health care services for those who are poor and vulnerable in our community,” Laura Kaiser, president and CEO of Sacred Heart Health System, said.
“Our mission is to care for everyone, regardless of one’s ability to pay. Medicaid payments to doctors and hospitals have always been low – actually less than our cost for providing care,” Kaiser added. “But these new cuts are extreme and will significantly reduce our ability to continue vital services that are life saving and life giving. For example, we provide the only Children’s Hospital in Northwest Florida – if we are forced to cut back our pediatric services or reduce staff, children will have nowhere else to go.”
The $720 million being slashed from just 15 safety net hospital systems represents 45 percent of the total $1.8 billion in program cuts that the Senate is leveling on all 200 hospitals in the state.
“These cuts, which are unprecedented in their enormity, will hurt patients, hospitals and communities across Florida,” said Tony Carvalho, President of the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida (SNHAF), which represents the state’s leading teaching, public and children’s hospitals. “We are urging the Senate to maintain funding for the Medically Needy and Medicaid for the Aged and Disabled programs, similar to what is being recommended by the Florida House.”
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Bake Sale Today
April 9, 2011
How about a dozen doughnuts this morning? Or a yard sale with homemade baked goods? You can find both in North Escambia this morning.
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church will be selling Krispy Kreme Doughnuts this morning at three locations — at the McDavid Mini Mart (Hwy 29 & Hwy 164), across from the Tom Thumb in Molino (by the peanut man on Hwy 97 at Hwy 29), and at Highway 29 and Detroit Boulevard in Pensacola.
Doughnuts will be $6 per dozen, with proceeds to benefit a church mission trip to Guatemala.
Yard/Bake Sale
A bake and yard sale will be held at Byrneville United Methodist Church today from 7 a.m. until noon. The church is located at 1351 Byrneville Road.
18th Annual 4-H and FFA Youth Livestock Show And Farm Expo Today
April 9, 2011
The 18th annual Gulf Coast Agriculture and Natural Resources Association annual Spring Livestock Show will continue today at the Langley Bell 4-H Center on 9 Mile Road in Beulah.
4-H and FFA members in Escambia, Baldwin, and Mobile counties in Alabama, and Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton counties in Florida will show their breeding heifers, preview steers, goats, sheep, rabbits, and poultry during the event.
The show will conclude with an auction at 5 p.m., where market animal participants will be selling their steer, swine, and goat projects.
The schedule of events is as follows:
- Swine Show: 9:00-11:00 a.m.
- Poultry & Rabbit Show: 9:30-11:00 a.m.
- Goat & Lamb Show: 11:00-11:30 a.m.
- Lunch
- Market Steer Show: 12:00-1:30 p.m.
- Preview Steer Show: 1:30-2:00 p.m.
- Beef Breeding Show: 2:30-5:00 p.m.
- Livestock Sale: 5:30 p.m.
The Langley Bell 4-h Center is located at 4810 West 9 Mile Road, one mile west of I-10. The public is invited to attend.
GCA and NRA is a nonprofit organization that provides opportunities for youth with livestock projects. All sponsorships, sales proceeds, and donations are returned to participants through award premiums.
Navy Drops Dismissal Of Tate Grad Sailor Found In Bunk With Another Male
April 9, 2011
The Navy has dropped dismissal proceedings against a Cantonment sailor who was facing unprofessional conduct charges after being found in bed with another male.
Petty Officer Stephen Jones, stationed at the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command in Charleston, S.C., learned Friday that the Navy was rescinding his discharge orders.
Jones, a Tate High School graduate, was reportedly found asleep in a bunk in February with another male soldier. The two men, who were both clothed, claimed they simply fell asleep while watching The Vampire Diaries on a computer, but their commander ruled that Jones “willfully failed to exhibit professional conduct” and discharge proceedings began.
His attorney claimed that the Navy wanted to discharge Jones because the Navy suspected his was gay, but there was no proof or admission of homosexuality.
“We strongly suspected that his command was trying to find a round about way to discharge Jones because it suspected him of being gay, and we simply were not willing to stand by and watch a new version of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ emerge under the new label of ‘unprofessional conduct,’” a statement from Servicemembers United Executive Director Alexander Nicholson said. Servicemembers United is the nation’s largest organization of gay and lesbian troops and veterans.
Woman, 78, Shoves Gun-toting Robbers Out The Door
April 9, 2011
A 78-year-old woman threatened at gunpoint in attempted home invasion fought back, and two suspects were in jail within about an hour.
Mary Collins, 78, was home alone at her residence in the 900 block of Twinbrook Ave., when three juvenile males came to her door asking if they could cut her grass. When she told them no, she closed the door and the juveniles walked away. About an hour later, while Collins was in another part of her home, she heard a noise and went to investigate. She found one of the juveniles armed with a gun standing in the residence.
Collins, according to a sheriff’s report, yelled at the suspect and shoved him toward the door. The startled suspect ran out of the house.
At around 12:07 p.m. Thursday deputies were dispatched to the incident and by 1:30 p.m. they had two suspects in custody. Arrested were 17-year-old Maurice Antoron Atkins, of Pensacola, and 13-year-old Luis Beuno Martinez, also of Pensacola. A third suspect, described as a light skinned black male wearing a grey shirt and jeans, was able to escape capture.
“We are working on identifying the third suspect in this case,” said sheriff’s spokesperson Deputy Chris Welborn. “We’re asking anyone with information concerning him or his whereabouts to contact us.”
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Molino Man Pleads Not Guilty To Torching His Foreclosed Home
April 9, 2011
A Molino man charged with setting fire to his home that was in foreclosure last fall has pleaded not guilty.
George Thomas Alexander, 49, entered the not guilty plea this week on a charge of felony first degree arson in Escambia County Circuit Court. The charge is in connection with the fire in the 3500 block of Molino Road on October 6, 2010.
The Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office believes Alexander torched the home that was in foreclosure.
“The fire obviously started with human intervention,” Lt. Kevin Fiedor with the State Fire Marshal’s Office said. Damage to the brick home was estimated at about $65,000. The home had no power or gas at the time of the blaze.
Alexander is due back in court for trial in July.
The Molino, Cantonment, McDavid, Century, Walnut Hill and Beulah stations of Escambia Fire Rescue worked for hours to fully extinguish the blaze.
For more photos from the blaze, click here.
NorthEsambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Majority Of Florida Voters Disapprove Of Obama’s Performance
April 9, 2011
Slightly more than half of Florida voters said they disapprove of the job President Barack Obama is doing, according to a poll released Friday.
The phone survey of voters taken in Florida March 29 to April 4 by Quinnipiac University found 52 percent of voters disapprove of Obama’s job performance while 44 percent approve.
About 4 in 10 voters say he should get a second term, compared to about 5 in 10 who say he shouldn’t.
It appears to be mostly about policy – 70 percent of those polled said they were inclined to like Obama personally – with 30 percent of them saying they like him, but disagree with what he’s done as president.
Weekend Gardening: Catering To Stink Bugs
April 9, 2011
There are some insect pests that simply laugh at insecticides. One such group is the stink bug family. Stink bugs are naturally tolerant of many pesticides; therefore, few insecticides are available to manage these damaging pests.
Several different species of stink bugs occur in Florida including the brown stink bug, the green stink bug, the Southern green stink bug and the omnipresent leaffooted bug. This group alone damages 21 important commodities in the U.S. They are major pests of beans, peas, okra, soybean, cotton, peach, pecan, and tomato.
Stink bugs live through the winter as adults huddled in grass clumps, leaf litter and under tree bark. Adults emerge in the spring just as crops are starting.
Members of the stink bug family have piercing mouthparts. They insert their mouthparts into the plant tissue and ‘suck’ liquids from the plants. Damaged foliage often will turn yellow and eventually brown in color or become malformed in shape.
Curled, distorted okra pods are often the result of stink bug feeding. Tomatoes develop white or yellow, corky spots underneath the skin as a result of stink bug feeding and this damage imparts an off flavor to the fruit. Depending on the size of the seed when attacked, feeding on pea and bean seed may result in complete shriveling of the seed or cause sunken, ‘stung’ spots on the seed. This latter type of damage is often confused with that caused by cowpea curculio. Okra is seldom damaged extensively, but heavy infestations of stink bugs can cause serious damage to tomatoes, beans, and peas. Stink bugs also feed on corn, and can cause death of seedling plants or curled, ‘cowhorned’ ears.
One non-traditional way of dealing with these pests is through the use of “trap crops”. Trap crops are composed of one or more plant species that are grown to attract insects in order to protect the desired crop from the pest. Protection may be achieved either by preventing the pest from reaching the crop or by concentrating the pests in a certain part of the garden where they can be managed. The idea is to lure and cluster the pests by providing them a more desirable food source.
Buckwheat, sunflower, millet and sorghum all serve as host plants for the four major stink bug and leaffooted bugs. Stink bugs are apparently very finicky with respect to plant growth stages and the quality of their food. Therefore, it is better to plant multiple trap crop species in order to maintain a continuously competitive food source to out compete your prized vegetable plants.
There are a couple of methods of planting these trap crops. They can either be planted to encircle the crop or interspersed among the crop plants. Research has shown that stink bugs exhibit a pronounced ‚edge effect‛ while moving through your garden. They tend to congregate their populations in the border rows. Therefore, it is recommended that trap crops be placed between the suspected sources of stink bugs and the planted vegetables to intercept moving stink bugs. With smaller plots, it is probably better to plant the trap crop around the entire garden.
Just remember, once the trap crop attracts the pest stink bugs, it’s best to eliminate them by hand removal or other methods.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County. Photos by Theresa Friday.