Conrad B. Manning
January 2, 2011
Conrad B. Manning (Shorty/Dumpling) of Molino passed away peacefully from a brief battle with cancer. He was born in Alabama to Ernest and Estelle Manning, later making Pensacola his home. He was a member of the Masons and was an amateur radio operator. He loved fishing, camping, and motorcycle riding. Mr. Manning was a veteran of the US Air Force and retired from Monsanto.
Mr. Manning was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy; his son, Ben; and his parents.
He leaves behind a daughter, Janet Williams (Randy) and their children Allen and Jason; a son, Mark (Kris) and their children Anthony, Justin, and Andrew; a daughter, Gail Coleman; brothers, Donald, Harry, and Harold; and six great grandchildren.
Visitation for family and friends will be Wednesday, December 29, 2010 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North, 1000 Hwy 29, Cantonment, Florida. Following the visitation, a graveside service will be held at 1:15 p.m. at Barrancas National Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Mr. Manning’s grandsons.
We love you, Daddy, and miss you already.
Featured Recipe: Pineapple Sweet and Sour Chicken
January 2, 2011
This weekend’s featured recipe from Janet Tharpe is a “Pineapple Sweet and Sour Chicken”, a simple dish with exotic flavors that will appeal to most any palette.
To print today’s “Just a Pinch” recipe column, you can click the image below to load a printable pdf with a recipe card.
2010 Persons Of The Year: Royce Ward
January 2, 2011
NorthEscambia.com is naming Persons of the Year for 2010 each day this week.
Royce Ward of Walnut Hill has posthumously been named one of our North Escambia Persons of the Year.
Ward was a longtime member of the Walnut Hill Ruritan Club, and served as the group’s president when the club organized the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department in 1965. A farmer and cattleman, he also served four years in the U.S. Navy achieving the rank of lieutenant. He was a graduate of Ernest Ward High School and the University of Florida. Ward was a lifelong member of the Walnut Hill Baptist Church.
Ward passed away August 25, 2010.
Cooler Tonight, Sunny Sunday
January 1, 2011
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers before midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 43. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. North wind between 10 and 15 mph.
- Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 27. North wind around 5 mph.
- Monday: Sunny, with a high near 57. North wind between 5 and 10 mph becoming calm.
- Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 34. Calm wind.
- Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 61. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.
- Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of rain. Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. Calm wind becoming south between 5 and 10 mph.
- Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39.
- Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61.
- Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 39.
- Friday: Sunny and breezy, with a high near 57.
WEAR 3 To Remain On Cable In Century, Cantonment For Now
January 1, 2011
Cable television customers in Century and Cantonment won’t be losing WEAR 3 — at least for the next couple of weeks.
Bright House Networks and the Sinclair Broadcast Group reached a last minute deal late Friday that will keep WEAR 3 on the cable systems in Century and Cantonment until January 14. In the meantime, negotiations toward a long-term retransmission agreement will continue between the two companies.
“We will continue to work toward a fair deal for our customers,” said Bright House CEO Steve Miron.
“We intend to continue our good-faith negotiations during this period with the intent of finalizing a longer-term agreement at pricing that reflects the higher cost of programming we are faced with today,” said Barry Faber, executive vice president and general counsel of Sinclair.
Nationwide, the talks affect just over 30 television stations that are owned or operated by Sinclair.
SEC Bowl Game Schedule
January 1, 2011
Here’s a look at this season’s remaining SEC team bowl games:
Tuesday, Jan. 4
Allstate Sugar Bowl
#8 Arkansas (10-2, 6-2) vs. #6 Ohio State (11-1)
Louisiana Superdome (72,000) • New Orleans, La. • ESPN • 8:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. CT)
Series Record: First Meeting
Arkansas in bowl games: 12-22-3 • Arkansas in Sugar Bowl: 1-4 (1962, 1963, 1969, 1970, 1980)
Friday, Jan. 7
AT&T Cotton Bowl
#11 LSU (10-2, 6-2) vs. #17 Texas A&M (9-3)
Cowboys Stadium (71,167) • Arlington, Texas • FOX • 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT)
Series Record: LSU leads, 26-20-3 • Last Meeting: A&M, 33-17 (Sept. 2, 1995 at College Station, Texas)
LSU in bowl games: 21-19-1 • LSU in Cotton Bowl: 2-1-1 (1947, 1963, 1966, 2003)
Saturday, Jan. 8
BBVA Compass Bowl
Kentucky (6-6, 2-6) vs. Pittsburgh (7-5)
Legion Field (71,594) • Birmingham, Ala. • ESPN • 12 p.m. ET (11 a.m. CT)
Series Record: First Meeting
Kentucky in bowl games: 8-6 • Kentucky in BBVA Compass Bowl: First appearance
Monday, Jan. 10
Tostitos BCS National Championship Game
#1 Auburn (13-0, 8-0) vs. #2 Oregon (12-0)
University of Phoenix Stadium (73,000) • Glendale, Ariz. • ESPN • 8:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. CT)
Series Record: First Meeting
Auburn in bowl games: 20-13-2 • Auburn in BCS National Championship Game: First appearance
Make A Resolution To Be More Wildlife Friendly
January 1, 2011
The tradition of the New Year’s Resolutions dates back to 153 B.C. Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was said to have two faces which allowed him to look back on past events and forward to the future.
The beginning of a new year is a great time to reflect on the issues of the past and resolve to do better in the upcoming year. The 2010 Gulf oil spill had a devastating impact on local wildlife. Florida is a state renowned for its diverse and unique ecosystems. But rapid development and environmental disasters, particularly in coastal areas, is continuing to destroy wildlife habitat. Resolve to be more wildlife-friendly in 2011 by following these easy tips from the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Program.
Provide food
Select plants with seeds, fruit, foliage, or flowers that butterflies, birds, and other wildlife like to eat. Berries, fleshy fruits, nuts, and acorns are all treats for many animals.
Supply water
Any water you provide will attract wildlife. You could have running water in the form of a natural feature, such as a pond, creek, or other body of fresh water, but a fountain or birdbath will also beckon wildlife. Empty and clean your birdbath every few days. Do not clean it with soap or bleach—just physically scrub all surfaces with a brush or scouring-type sponge. Change the water regularly to prevent mosquito breeding and bacterial contamination.
Leave snags
Leave snags, which are the trunks of dead trees, in place if they do not create a hazard. Many birds use snags for perching, nesting, and feeding. Snags are often removed from yards or land mistakenly thought of as no longer having value. Nothing could be farther from the truth. A tree’s full life cycle at this point, is far from over.
Manage pets
If you permit pets to harass or kill wildlife, you will only hinder any efforts you make toward attracting wildlife. This is especially true for cats allowed outdoors.
Reduce insecticide use
Each time you apply an insecticide to your landscape, you reduce insect populations, which form an important food source for birds. Some chemicals can also poison birds and other animals that feed on affected insects.
Reduce the amount of mowed lawn area
Unmowed areas can contain more plant species than mowed areas, providing more potential food sources and habitat for wildlife. Reduce the mowed area around your house, especially in low-traffic areas, such as corners of the yard.
Increase vertical layering
Plant a variety of plants in different sizes and heights to provide more cover and feeding opportunities for diverse species of wildlife.
By following the simple tips in this chapter, your Florida-Friendly lawn and garden can become a sanctuary for wildlife, as well as part of a migratory passage between one wild space and another. Animals need to move from place to place, just like people. They have trouble traveling in heavily urban and suburban landscapes, but you can help them by joining your Florida-Friendly yard with others in the neighborhood to create a “natural corridor”—a safe, traversable route between woodlands, wetlands, or other wild areas.
For more specific information, visit the University of Florida/IFAS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_landscaping_for_wildlife or call your local Extension Office.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.
Century Care Center Residents Ring In The New Year
January 1, 2011
The residents at Century Care Center rang in 2011 just a few hours early with a Friday afternoon celebration. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
2011 Brings New Laws For Florida’s Divorced Residents
January 1, 2011
New laws expanding protection for children at risk of being abducted by a parent and recalculating how alimony is paid go into effect January 1.
The first bill (HB 787), sponsored by Rep. Daryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, adds new protective measures to those a judge can use to prevent feuding parents from taking children out of state or out of the country if there is reason to believe they won’t bring them back. Included in the new tools would be the ability to pull a child’s passport, require a bond when traveling, or prevent the parent from taking the child to countries where extradition would be difficult or impossible.
The other measure (HB 907) that goes into effect Saturday recalculates how alimony and support payments are made by changing the formulas used to determine custody, percentage of care and other factors that make up the amount owed by a non-custodial parent. The law, sponsored by Rep. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, also bolsters penalties for non-custodial parents who don’t cooperate.
Among enhanced sanctions, the law raises the minimum amount owed if the parent is non-responsive. The bill specifically defines different types of support payments and when they should be applied. The law also adds statutory definitions dealing with the duration of a marriage, with certain types of alimony available only to ex-spouses of long-term relationships.
Under the new law, which affects cases pending after July 1, 2010, the judge’s first decision is whether one party actually needs alimony and if the other party has ability to pay. Once that’s settled, the judge then determines how long the marriage lasted and what type of alimony is appropriate.
2010 Year In Review In State Government
January 1, 2011
Gov. Charlie Crist started 2010 as a Republican, and the favorite to be the party’s nominee for U.S. Senate.
He ended 2010 as an independent, and about to join the 12 percent of Floridians who are unemployed as his four-year term as governor ends.
That was not the only thing that drastically changed in 2010 in Florida state government. With Crist ensured to be leaving office when the year came to a close and the entire Cabinet set to turn over too, change was the overriding theme of 2010.
Not many people outside of the health care sector knew who Rick Scott was when the clock struck midnight last New Year’s Eve. Next week, Scott will become the 45th governor of Florida. Similarly, Attorney General Bill McCollum was sure to be the Republican to taking on Democrat Alex Sink. Except, he wasn’t.
Sink was supposed to be the national Democrats’ one bright spot on what everyone saw shaping up to be a GOP tsunami this election cycle. But those 67,000 votes the Sink camp was looking for desperately on Election Night never came in from Palm Beach County, which was again at the center of a razor-thin contest in Florida.
Elsewhere, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Kendrick Meek was not supposed to be able to beat Jeff Greene in his party’s primary – he did – and he was not supposed to be able to overcome Crist siphoning Democratic votes in their fractious three-way race with Marco Rubio – he didn’t.
When Election Night 2010 was all said and done, Florida had an all-new – and an all-Republican – Cabinet. Former Senate President Jeff Atwater defeated former state Rep. Lorrane Ausley to replace Sink as CFO, leaving Democrats on the outside looking in. Ausley humorously biked to Atwater’s house to accuse him of ducking debates, but the charge – like her campaign – never really got rolling.
She also famously featured a spray-painted Old Capitol in her lone campaign commercial, but with Atwater being joined next year by Republicans Pam Bondi and Adam Putnam on the Cabinet, Democrats might consider tagging the place for real in 2011.
Speaking of unexpected political occurrences, Jim Greer was out as Republican Party of Florida chairman before Baby New Year 2010 was a week old. He was replaced by a legislative veteran in Sen. John Thrasher, who was brought in to calm things down as Greer was arrested and charged with steering party money to a company he set up with former RPOF executive director Delmar Johnson.
There was also probably a big change in Greer’s personal relationship with Johnson when he learned that his partner-in-alleged-crime had been working with investigators to catch him.
“Kiss my godson for me,” Johnson said as a farewell to Greer on a call released in May as he cooperated with an investigation targeting his boss and godson’s father.
If he’d only known the call was being recorded and Johnson had turned on him, Greer might have been the one telling Johnson to kiss something.
Last year’s scandal-plagued Republican, former House Speaker Ray Sansom, punctuated his fall from power this year by retiring from the Florida House all together just days before the beginning of the 2010 legislative session. He may be still muttering about the St. Petersburg Times, which drove the story that brought about his demise.
There was change on the state’s utility regulation panel as well. Five Public Service Commissioners voted against rate increases for the state’s largest power company – and now, four of them are no longer on the PSC. Commissioners David Klement and Benjamin Stevens were voted off the panel just months after joining – Stevens started out in the beginning of 2010. Later in the year, former PSC Chairwoman Nancy Argenziano and Commissioner Nathan Skop were denied second terms – in fact they didn’t even get interviews.
And at least one high-profile state agency head, Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Mike Sole, saw the changes coming at the end of the year and made plans for 2011 early. For Sole, that meant taking a much-better paying job with Florida Power & Light.
A SLICK SUMMER
Sole may have been ready for a change of pace in part because the situation in the Florida Gulf Coast was hard to get a handle on in the wake of a massive BP oil spill.
Hardly anyone in officially Tallahassee noticed when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded with days to go in a free-wheeling 2010 legislative session. But as soon as they adjourned Sine Die – with no handkerchief ceremony lest Republican leaders be seen with their then newly-former Republican governor – boy, did they notice the oil.
State government focused on the spill, the clean-up effort and the effect it all might have on the tourism-dependent Florida Panhandle all summer, and Sole was at the center of it.
The spill was finally contained in August, though the battles over the claims process continued the rest of the year – and likely will for years to come. BP set aside $20 billion to help the Panhandle recover, but the administrator, Ken Feinberg, likely wasn’t on anyone in Florida’s Christmas list this year. He came under fire from Crist, McCollum and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, who went after Feinberg at times harder than she targeted Scott.
In the process, a proposal to allow drilling in Florida waters that seemed destined for the fast track with support from new House Speaker Dean Cannon and Senate President Mike Haridopolos was killed dead. To make it official – and Republicans argued to capitalize on the spill politically – Crist called a special session this summer to consider putting a ban on drilling in the state constitution.
Reluctantly, lawmakers came back to Tallahassee, though they didn’t stay long and didn’t do much. The session was over in the House less than an hour after it started, and with no House to send anything to, the Senate called it quits too.
Crist called them the “do-nothing Legislature,” and pledged like Harry Truman to “give them hell for it.” But needing Democratic votes to try to catch up with Rubio, the newly-independent Crist spent most of the fall talking about things like protecting abortion rights, so it was more like Crist was giving them heck.
SB DEEP SIXED
If there was one lynchpin in Gov. Crist’s decision to run for the U.S. Senate without a party affiliation, it may have been the day he vetoed a bill to change the way teachers are paid.
By vetoing the bill to end teacher tenure and create merit pay for educators that was favored by almost every Republican in the Legislature – and former Gov. Jeb Bush – Crist may as well have declared his Independence Day. The GOP never forgave Crist for the veto, and two weeks later, he was an independent.
The writing was clearly on the wall with SB 6, as the bill came to be widely-known.
Crist spent most of the spring publicly waffling on the legislation, and further infuriating the ruling Republicans in Tallahassee, he compared the way the bill moved through the Legislature to Congressional Democrats’ push to pass a national health care bill, which has riled the GOP.
That of course didn’t sit well with what very quickly became Crist’s (Grand) Old Party. “He’s got an `R’ (on the) back of his name right now. (But) you’d have to ask him if he believes he’s following the principles of the Republican Party,” Florida GOP Chairman and State Sen. John Thrasher said at the time.
Many of the Republicans in the Legislature who endorsed Crist when he looked unbeatable in the primary responded to the veto by taking back their support. Among them was now House Speaker Cannon, who said immediately after the veto that it would be difficult to continue supporting Crist’s Senate campaign. His attempt to do so lasted only a few hours, because the same day, Cannon wrote Crist a letter saying sayonara.
More than any other piece of legislation in 2010, SB 6 shaped the year where more things changed than things stayed the same.
CENTER STAGE – ERR, COURT
One of the biggest stories in national politics this year was Congress passing – and President Barack Obama – signing a federal health care law this spring in Washington, D.C. By fall, the fight over health care was hardly over – and it had moved to Florida.
Democrats – those that weren’t disappointed the plan didn’t have a so-called “public option” anyway – were dithyrambic, but Attorney General Bill McCollum was not at all impressed. He showed it by filing a suit against the plan minutes after Obama signed it, touching off a legal fight everyone expects to reach the U.S. Supreme Court, but with the first rounds taking place in Florida.
There were also lawsuits filed in Michigan and Virginia, but McCollum’s Florida measure was joined by 20 other states, as well as the National Federation of Independent Business and two Florida residents who said they didn’t have insurance and didn’t want it.
The states claim that the sweeping reform violates states’ rights in the U.S. Constitution and will force massive new spending on hard-pressed state governments. Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice counter that Congress has always had broad taxation powers, and has been given the authority to regulate the parameters of the Medicaid program and who qualifies for coverage.
The judge in the case, U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson, appeared repeatedly this year to be sympathetic to arguments being put forth by Florida and the other states, at one point invoking the 1800’s Whiskey Rebellion in comments that likely made federal lawyers want a stiff drink.
“We had the Whiskey Rebellion because people rebelled against having to pay taxes for the whiskey that they made. The government never made people buy whiskey,” Vinson said.
STORY OF THE YEAR: The fall of Charlie Crist. The rise of Rick Scott. A one-time political superstar was clearly eclipsed by a newfound Sunshine State supernova, and everywhere around the Florida political landscape, dominoes fell.
QUOTE OF THE YEAR: “Things change,” Crist, explaining why he was on the verge of abandoning a promise to remain in the Republican U.S. Senate primary to run as independent, both perfectly summarizing and understating a crazy year that was in Florida politics and government.
By Keith Laing
The News Service Florida