NWS: Temps Could Fall Near Freezing Tonight, Maybe Some Frost
October 29, 2012
Temperatures could fall to near freezing tonight across the North Escambia area, according to a special weather statement issued by the National Weather Service.
A cold, dry airmass will continue to settle into the area through tonight. When combined with mainly clear skies and light overnight winds, many residents will experience the coldest night of the fall season so far. Temperatures are expected to fall to the 32 to 35 degree range, according to the weather service. A brief light freeze or some frost is possible in many locations.
Your official forecast for North Escambia is below. Keep in mind that temperatures may be slightly colder to the north (in or near south Alabama) and slightly warmer to the south (Cantonment and south).
- Tonight: Clear, with a low around 35. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 66. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 42. West wind around 5 mph.
- Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 74. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 48. West wind around 5 mph.
- Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 75. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
- Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 50. West wind around 5 mph.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 74. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
- Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 48.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 73.
- Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 42.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 73.
Trick Or Treat Hours Set, Festivals Planned
October 29, 2012
Several area towns have set official Halloween trick or treating hours, and many churches have scheduled fall festivals for this week in the North Escambia area.
OFFICIAL TRICK OR TREAT HOURS
- Century — Trick or treat, 6 until 8 p.m. Tuesday.
- Escambia County (except Century) — No official trick or treat times.
- Atmore — Trick or treat, 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
- Flomaton – Fall Festival, downtown, 5 until 7 p.m., Tuesday. Games, activities, costume contest, trick or treat downtown.
- Brewton – Trick or treat, 5 until 8 p.m. Tuesday.
- Jay – Halloween in the Park, 5 until 8 p.m. Wednesday at Bray-Hendricks Park on Highway 4. Candy, costume contest and more.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Barrineau Park Book Reading, Party
The Barrineau Park Historical Society will hold a Halloween book reading and kids party on Tuesday, October 30 at 6 p.m. There will be stories, food and games at the Barrineau Park Community Center on Barrineau Park School Road.
Atmore Nursing Center Trick or Treat
Safe place trick or trick at the Atmore Nursing Center, Tuesday, October 30 from 5:30 until 6:30 p.m.
Flomaton Festival
Flomaton Harvest Fest will held Tuesday, October 30 from 5-7 p.m. in downtown Flomaton. Family oriented event; free admission.
Molino Community Fall Festival
Fall Festival sponsored by numerous churches, Wednesday, October 31 from 6-8 p.m. at Victory Assembly of God on Highway 29. Fun, games, prizes and food for the entire family. Free; everyone welcome.
Cottage Hill Fall Festival
The First Baptist Church of Cottage Hill, 230 Williams Ditch Road, will have a Family Fun Fall Festival, Wednesday, October 31, 6 p.m until 8 p.m. There will be an inflatable bounce house, lots of carnival booths and candy, face painting, hayrides, cake walk, chili cook off, desserts and drinks, all at no charge. Everyone is welcome.
St Monica’s Trunk or Treat
St. Monica’s Episcopal Church will be hosting Trunk or Treat on Halloween night, Wednesday, October 31, from 6 until 8 p.m. Hay ride, bounce house, treats, all free. Join us for this safe alternative to door-to-door trunk or treating. $1 Hot Dogs, 50 cents sodas. For more information, email communications@st-monicas.org or call (850) 937-0001.
Bratt AOG Harvest Fest
Bratt Harvest Fest, Wednesday, October 31 at 6 p.m. at Bratt Assembly of God, 5150 West Highway 4. Wiener and marshmallow roast, hayride, treats and fun activities. Free.
Pine Forest Assembly Fall Festival
The Pine Forest Assembly of God, 3125 Pine Forest Road, Cantonment, will hold their annual Fall Festival on Wednesday, October 31, from 6 to 8 p.m. Fee event for the entire community. Games, food and tons of fun for everyone. Special attractions include a 32 foot obstacle course, laser tag, black light putt-putt, paint ball, and a toddler zone.
Jay Halloween In The Park
Halloween in the Park, sponsored by the Jay Area Chamber of Commerce Wednesday, October 31, 5 – 8 p.m. at Bray-Hendricks City Park. Food, candy, costume contest and more.
First Baptist Bratt Fall Festival
The First Baptist Church of Bratt will hold a fall festival on Saturday, November 3, from 10 a.m. until noon. Fun, food, games and fellowship for children in the Family Life Center.
Pollard McCall Harvest Festival
Pollard McCall Junior High will hold their Annual Harvest Festival on Saturday, November 3 from 2-6 p.m. Cake auction, costume contest, bingo, live entertainment, games food and more. 3975 Old Highway 31.
Woman Gets Three Years For Bratt Home Invasion Robbery
October 29, 2012
A 31-year old woman was sentenced to three years in prison for a home invasion robbery at her mother’s home in Bratt.
Jacqueline Bernice Morris, who told authorities that she was homeless, was found guilty of felony home invasion robbery and sentenced by Judge Jan Shackelford to 36.3 months in prison, with credit for 87 days served.
Morris was accused of entering her mother’s mobile home on C.W. Caraway Road, just north of Highway 4 near Northview High School on April 28 and snatching a bottle of about 90 Xanax out of her mother’s shirt.
Investigators said the victim was sitting in her living room watching television when Morris, her daughter, entered through a storm door. Morris grabbed her mother by the arms to restrain her, reached into the pocket of her shirt, grabbed the bottle of Xanax and ran away.
A nearby witness attempted to catch Morris, even giving chase for a brief distance along Highway 4 after Morris jumped into her Saturn and sped away.
The day prior to the incident, Morris had been trespass warned by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office to stay away from the residence as she retrieved her personal belongings from her mother’s trailer.
The mother was not seriously injured in the incident.
Breezy Monday, Cold Night
October 29, 2012
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Monday: Sunny, with a high near 63. Breezy, with a northwest wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph.
- Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 35. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 66. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 44. West wind around 5 mph.
- Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 72. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 46. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
- Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 76. West wind around 5 mph.
- Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 46. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming northwest after midnight.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 73.
- Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 75.
- Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 77.
Over 9,500 Weekend Voters Cast Early Ballots In Escambia County
October 29, 2012
Over 9,500 early voters cast their ballots in Escambia County over the weekend.
Saturday was the busiest single early voting day ever in the county with 6,421 early voters. All total, 9,518 early votes were cast Saturday and Sunday. The busiest early voting site in the county was the Tryon Library with 3,539 early voters, followed by Cantonment with 1,952 early ballots during weekend.
Early voting will be available through Saturday, November 3 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the following locations:
- Supervisor of Elections Annex, 292 Muscogee Road, Cantonment
- Tryon Branch Library, 1200 Langley Avenue
- Supervisor of Elections Main Office, 213 Palafox Place, Second Floor
- West Florida Public Library, 200 West Gregory Street
- Southwest Branch Library, 12248 Gulf Beach Highway
Fill Your Neighbor’s Plate: Molino Park Student Take Part In Food Drive
October 29, 2012
Molino Park Elementary School is participating in the “Fill Your Neighbor’s Plate” food drive along with the Escambia County School District to benefit Manna Food Pantries. The program encourages each student and their family to donate one can of fruit, one canned vegetable and one canned meat — enough for two meals — to fill a neighbor’s plate.
Donations can be made at Molino Park Elementary School through November 16.
Pictured: Food items collected last week by Molino Park Elementary School on the very first day of the “Fill Your Neighbor’s Plate” food drive to benefit Manna Food Pantries. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Drug Testing Law Heads To Appeal Court
October 29, 2012
A federal appeals court will hear arguments next week in a battle about a 2011 Florida law that would require people to pass drug tests before they can start receiving public-assistance benefits.
The state is asking the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a district judge’s ruling that blocked the law because of concerns it violated the federal constitution’s ban on unreasonable searches.
The Republican-controlled Legislature and Gov. Rick Scott approved the drug-testing requirement for applicants to the program known as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, which replaced more-traditional welfare in the 1990s. Florida carried out the testing requirement for more than three months, before U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven issued a preliminary injunction in October 2011.
In a brief filed early this year, the state said requiring urine tests does not violate the constitution and that TANF is designed to improve family stability and help beneficiaries get jobs.
“Drugs are antithetical to both goals, and thus drug testing furthers the program’s purposes,” the brief said. “TANF applicants, who must disclose a broad range of private information in order to participate in the program, have a substantially diminished expectation of privacy. Moreover, drug testing is commonly required in today’s society — particularly in the very job market that TANF prepares participants to enter.”
But opponents, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and the non-profit Florida Justice Institute, said in a brief that the district judge properly found the state had not shown a “special need that would allow the government to impose blanket suspicionless drug testing on all TANF applicants.”
“Since 1996, the TANF program has operated in Florida without forcing applicants or recipients to submit to suspicionless drug testing,” another part of the brief said. “There is no evidence of a sudden epidemic of drug use or abuse by TANF recipients; no indication that recipients of TANF were using those funds to purchase illegal drugs at all, let alone more often than other recipients of federal funding, including students, veterans, the elderly and government contractors.”
The lawsuit, which was filed in September 2011, includes a named plaintiff, Luis Lebron, who at least at the time was a college student, a single father and a Navy veteran. Lebron applied for TANF in July 2011 and met the program requirements, but he challenged the constitutionality of the drug-testing requirement, according to court records.
The appeals court is scheduled to hear arguments Thursday in Atlanta. The case is being watched in other states, with Alabama, Kansas, Michigan and Oklahoma filing a joint brief in support of Florida’s stance.
Meanwhile, a separate case is pending in the appeals court about a Scott effort to require drug testing of state employees. A lower-court judge this year blocked that plan, prompting the governor to appeal.
In the TANF case, the state contends that the 2011 law does not force people to take drug tests, though they must pass a test to receive benefits.
“If a TANF applicant objects to the drug-testing condition, he is free to decline the offer to participate in the program and no drug test occurs,” the brief said. “If the applicant consents, he may participate in the program upon passing a drug test.”
But opponents disputed that argument, saying the district judge was correct that “requiring TANF applicants to undergo universal suspicionless drug screening as a condition for even determining their threshold eligibility for benefits is an unconstitutional condition. Applicants have no ‘right’ to receive benefits, but they do have a right to apply for them; that right cannot be conditioned on their waiver of constitutional protections.”
By Jim Saunders
The News Service of Florida
Century’s Showalter Named American League Manager Of The Year
October 29, 2012
Century’s Buck Showalter of the Baltimore Orioles has been named the Sporting News’ 2012 American League Manager of the Year.
Baltimore, which lost 93 games in 2011, broke its streak of 14 consecutive losing seasons by winning 93 games and the AL Wild Card this past season.
“It’s quite an honor coming from my peers, but I view this as a team award. I really do,” Showalter said in a statement. “The players, coaches and everyone involved made this possible.
“We had some injuries along the way, we had some bumps in the road, but everyone does over 162 games. We never turned it into a woe-is-me situation. We played through it.”
The award was voted upon by AL managers. Showalter received four votes, Oakland’s Bob Melvin had three and White Sox manager Robin Ventura received one.
Richard “Pop” John Harigel
October 29, 2012
Richard “Pop” John Harigel , 67, of Molino passed away October 25, 2012, in Atmore.
He was born December 11, 1944, in Pensacola to the late Vincent and Ethel Harigel. He was a graduate of Tate High School. He was self-employed in the restaurant business.
He is preceded in death by his brothers, Freddy and V.J. Harigel. He served in the United States Air Force.
He is survived by his sons, Sean (Cindy) Harigel of Pace, Dr. Shane (Dawn) Harigel of Molino, Shannon (Brandy) Harigel of Molino, Malcolm Harigel of Molino, Dr. Sheldon (Kim) Harigel of Bratt, and Cody (Deanna) Harigel of Pensacola; sisters; Glenda Gulsby and Judy Herring both of Molino, Godparents W.C. and Doris Barnhill of Molino and 13 grandchildren.
Funeral services were held Saturday, October 27, 2012, from the Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Richard Daniels and Rev. Rob Hines officiating. Burial followed at Pugh’s Chapel Cemetery in Molino. Pallbearers were his sons.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Darlene Janette “Bubba” Diamond,
October 29, 2012
Darlene Janette “Bubba” Diamond, a longtime resident of Jay, passed away Saturday, October 27, 2012, at her residence.
She was born on March 1, 1939, in Birmingham to Dovie and Mardis Gidden. She was a member of Jay United Methodist Church and a loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend to those that knew her.
She is preceded in death by her parents and five brothers.
She was survived by her husband of 54 years, Wallace Diamond; son, Eddie (Margaret) Diamond; daughters; Amanda (Douglas) Ard, and Marybeth (Jeff) Slade; grandchildren Ashley Slade, Will Diamond, Trinty and Linda.
Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Tuesday, October 30, 2012, at Jay United Methodist Church with Rev. Lara Weant and Pastor Johnny Johnson officiating.
A visitation will be held from 1-2 p.m.. Jay Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.