Fall Gardening Tips
September 23, 2012
As fall approaches, now is the time to start preparing your landscape for the upcoming cooler weather, according to the Santa Rosa extension service.
Flowers
- Cut back, and remove old flower stalks from flowering annuals and re-fertilize in order to obtain one more color before cool weather.
- Prepare beds for the planting of cool season annuals next month. Some plants to establish for fall, winter and early spring include: pansy, petunia, snapdragon, larkspur, stocks, statice, bachelor button, calendula, cleome, alyssum, marigolds, verbena, dianthus and candytuft.
- Divide perennials such as Shasta daisy, canna, amaryllis, daylily, coneflower, violets, and ornamental grasses like mondo grass and liriope.
- Cut strong stems of roses to encourage new growth for final flush of the year.
- Find a local source, or order wildflower seeds for fall planting. Be certain to choose a mixture that is specifically for the south. Prepare the area, but wait until November to seed them.
Trees and Shrubs
- Last month to fertilize woody ornamental shrubs in the landscape.
- No pruning unless it’s absolutely necessary. This is probably the worst time of year to do major pruning of shrubs. Late summer/fall pruning can stimulate tender growth that might be damaged by low winter temperatures.
- Plant woody ornamentals, including trees, shrubs, vines and ground covers during the fall and early winter. They respond well to planting late in the year because our relatively mild winters allow for root growth. Fall planted shrubs, for example, are well on their way toward having their roots established before hot weather arrives next spring.
- Select crape myrtles while in bloom.
- Examine the small twigs on the outer canopy of hardwood trees for black twig borer damage. Remove and destroy infested twigs.
- Pine needles fall during September and October. Rake and use them in the vegetable and flower garden as well as in shrub beds. Pine needles make excellent mulch. Apply generously to obtain a depth of 2 to 3 inches on the soil surface after they have settled.
- Mature palms should receive an application of granular fertilizer. Use a special palm fertilizer that has an 8-2-12 +4Mg (magnesium) with micronutrients formulation. Apply one pound of fertilizer per 100 sqft of canopy area or landscape area.
Vegetable Garden
- Prepare the soil now, allowing about 3 weeks between the incorporation of amendments and planting. In September sow seeds of beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, endive, escarole, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mustard, onions, parsley, radishes and turnips.
- Last planting of beans (bush, lima and pole), cucumbers and summer squash
- Clean out the spring/summer vegetable garden once plants have stopped producing. Remove any that are known to have been diseased or heavily insect infested during the previous season.
Lawns
- Check the lawn weekly and watch for lawn pests. Check for chinch bugs and sod webworms in St. Augustine, spittlebugs and sod webworms in centipedegrass and mole cricket damage in all grasses
- Last month to fertilize bahiagrass, bermudagrass, St. Augustinegrass and Zoysiagrass using a complete fertilizer applied at 1.0 lb nitrogen per 1000 square feet containing 50% soluble and 50% slow-release nitrogen.
One Injured In Highway 95A Deputy Involved Crash
September 22, 2012
One person was injured in a three vehicle accident involving an Escambia County deputy early Saturday morning in the Quintette community.
The accident happened on Highway 95A just south of Quinette Road about 1:30 a.m. The Florida Highway Patrol said 17-year old Zachary P. Gravitt of Cantonment was traveling north on Highway 95A in a 1995 Chevrolet Blazer when he attempted a U-turn because he thought his turn had been missed.
Samantha N. Flaherty, age 16 of Cantonment, was traveling south on Highway 95A in a 2013 Hyundai Elantra and was unable to see the Chevy Blazer on the dark, unlit roadway, FHP said. After the Blazer and Sonata collided, Deputy Jeff Gardner took evasive action in his 2009 Ford Crown Victoria and struck a ditch to avoid the original crash.
A passenger in Gravitt’s Blazer, 16-year old Danielle R. Fuller of Molino, was transported to Baptist Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. There were no other injuries in the crash.
Gravitt was cited for an improper U-turn, the FHP said.
The Cantonment and Molino stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and additional units from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the accident.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Warm First Day Of Fall, Cooler Temps Coming
September 22, 2012
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Light and variable wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
- Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. West wind around 5 mph becoming north after midnight.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 85. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 52. North wind around 5 mph.
- Monday: Sunny, with a high near 81. Light north wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
- Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 52. North wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 84. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 62. East wind around 5 mph.
- Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 85.
- Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 68.
- Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.
- Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 68.
- Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.
Northview Chiefs Sink South Walton’s Seahawks 34-7 (With Photo Gallery)
September 22, 2012
The Northview Chiefs beat the South Walton Seahawks 34-7 Friday night in Bratt.
Northview took the lead with 8:21 on the clock in the first with a 67-yard punt return for a touchdown from junior Neino Robinson, 6-0 Chiefs. Northview struck again in the second with a touchdown and a good two point conversion from Brannon Freeman, 14-0.
In the third, quarterback Kevin Vaughan completed a 20-yard touchdown pass in the end zone to Cameron Newsome, 21-0. Vaughan was back at the QB spot for the first time Friday night since breaking his wrist on his throwing arm.
Vaughan, a senior, threw for 184 yards and two touchdowns for NHS.
With 1:07 to go in the third quarter of play, Robinson scored again on a 10 yard pass from Vaughan. A missed kick, and Northview increase their advantage to 27-0.
South Walton scored their lone touchdown with 5:11 to go in the game, 27-7. Northview answered with a 40-yard run Freeman TD with 2:59 to play, 34-7.
Robinson totaled 86 yards on eight carries on the night. Defensively, Chad Smith had a couple of interceptions for the Chiefs.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery, click here.
Even with the win, Northview Head Coach Sid Wheatley said there is room for improvement from his Chiefs, currently ranked No. 4 in the state in Class 1A.
“It’s always good to get wins, and we are proud of that win,” he said. “But I think we are smart enough to know that we have to play at a higher level, and we’ve got to get a lot better during the course of practice next week.”
“It just looked like we never had any cohesiveness offensively,” Wheatley said. “We were not executing like we needed to…just little things that add up during the course of a game that kind of take you off what you are trying to do, what you are trying to establish.”
“I think our defense overall played better. We gave up a couple of passes…but I thought we played a little harder on that side,” he said.
The Northview Chiefs will travel to Gulf Breeze next Friday night to take on the 5A Gulf Breeze Dolphins.
It will be the first regular season game of the year for Penn State recruit Neiko Robinson after the Florida High School Sports Association reduced his suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct from six games to four. [Read more...]
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery, click here. (Band, cheerleader, dance team and NJROTC photos will be published Sunday.)
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Florida Attorney General Charges Health Agency Owner With Fraud
September 22, 2012
A Santa Rosa County home heath agency owner has been arrested for allegedly defrauding the Medicare program.
Shannon Boyette, owner of Boyette Home Health Care, was taken into custody after an investigation by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, according to Pam Bondi, Florida Attorney General.
Boyette, 31, allegedly submitted fraudulent claims to Medicaid in excess of $6,600. Additionally, Boyette allegedly falsified service logs and failed to conduct employee background checks.
Medicaid fraud investigators discovered an alleged 123 fraudulent claims filed by Boyette Home Health Services in 2011.
Boyette is charged with one count of Medicaid fraud, a third-degree felony. If convicted she could receive up to five years in prison, $5,000 in court fines, and a mandatory fine equal to five times the amount of the fraud.
The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office under the authority of the State Attorney’s Office for the First Judicial Circuit.
Local Pilot Home Recovering After Mississippi Plane Crash
September 22, 2012
A local pilot injured in small plane crash in Mississippi Wednesday is back home recovering.
Freddie Wayne “Bo” McCall III of Flomaton was the only person aboard the single engine Cessna 172M when it crash landed in a hayfield near Quitman, Miss.
“It is going to be a long slow process,” Freddie Wayne McCall, the injured pilot’s grandfather and mayor of Century, said Friday. “He will see a plastic surgeon in about a week.”
Bo McCall suffered facial fractures and major bruising in the crash. He will need reconstructive surgery on his eye socket but suffered no damage to his eye, family members said.
“We want to thank everybody for their prayers,” the mayor said. “We really appreciate everybody and what they have done for us.”
McCall was inspecting pipeline routes from the air at the time of a crash. A full investigation into the cause of the crash will be conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board. The results of that investigation are not expected for several weeks.
For an earlier story about the plane crash, click here.
Pictured: A Flomaton man was seriously injured in this crash landing Wednesday in Mississippi. Photos by Cindy Baxley for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Latest Jobs Numbers Show Fewer Unemployed Locally
September 22, 2012
The latest job numbers released Friday showed a decrease in unemployment in the three-county North Escambia area.
Escambia County’s unemployment rate fell from 9.1 percent in July to 8.6 percent in August . There were 853 fewer reported unemployed during the period, for a total Escambia County unemployment of 12,004 people. One year ago, unemployment in Escambia County was 10.2 percent.
Santa Rosa County unemployment dropped from 8.8 percent in June to 8.1 percent in July. Santa Rosa County had a total of 5,871 persons reported to be still unemployed. The year-ago unemployment rate in Santa Rosa County was 9.8 percent.
In Escambia County, Alabama, unemployment edged downward from 10.i percent in July to 10.6 percent in August.. That represented 1,563 people unemployed in the county during the month. The year-ago rate was 11.0 percent.
The jobless numbers released by Florida and Alabama do not include persons that have given up on finding a job and are no longer reported as unemployed.
Florida’s August jobless rate remained unchanged from July, standing at 8.8 percent as the economy’s jerky recovery continues, the Department of Economic Opportunity reported Friday.
“The month of August showed that 28,000 more Floridians found employment in the private sector and are able to provide for their families,” Gov. Rick Scott said in a prepared statement. “This increase in new jobs is proving that the decisions we’re making here in Florida are pointing our state in the right direction.”
Alabama’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, at 8.5 percent in August, was up from July’s rate of 8.3 percent and was below the year-ago rate of 9.1 percent.
Nationally, the unemployment rate in August fell to 8.1 percent from 8.3 percent in July, a drop attributed to more people giving up job searches instead of finding jobs, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The figure was 1.2 percentage points below an adjusted 9.3 percent rate in August 2011.
Escambia Downs Tate (With Photo Gallery)
September 22, 2012
The Escambia Gators defeated the Tate Aggies Friday night in Cantonment, 45-0.
The Aggies held the Gators to just one touchdown in the first quarter, a two-yard run, and a 3-yard touchdown run in the second.
Tate drove to second and goal with about six minutes left in the half, but the Aggies fumbled it away on fourth down at the one.
For more photos, click here. (Homecoming, band and additional photos will be published on Sunday.)
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Pit Bull Shot By Deputies; Pot Plants Found In Backyard Near Molino
September 22, 2012
An animal complaint north of Molino led to deputies shooting a pit bull and the discovery of pot plants in a backyard Friday morning.
Escambia County deputies responded to a complaint about an aggressive put bull about 9 a.m. at a residence in on Highway 29 near Cotton Lake Road. Th dog was loose in the victim’s yard and had attacked and killed her dog.
Deputies kept the pit bull contained in the yard and notified Escambia County Animal Control. But before animal control arrived, the pit bull attempted to attack two officers who then utilized a shotgun to stop the dog, according to Melissa Rawson, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office.
When deputies attempted to contact the owner of the dog at a nearby home on Highway 29 across from the Camp Of the Pines, animal control located several other pit bulls in varying stages of distress. Escambia County Animal Control officers took possession of the dogs for further investigation.
During the investigation, deputies discovered at least four marijuana plants being cultivated in the backyard of the home. The Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division responded and took over that part of the investigation. Rawson said charges are pending against the residents at this time.
Code Enforcement also responded and opened a separate investigation for various code violations.
Pictured: Marijuana plants discoved Friday morning in the backyard of a home in the 10000 block of Highway 29, near the Camp of the Pines. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Today: Molino Car Show, Pinewood Derby; Blue Kazoo At Century Library
September 22, 2012
There will be a car show and Pinewood Derby today in Molino, and the Blue Wahoo’s mascot Kazoo will make a special appearance at the Century Branch Library.
Kazoo At The Library
On Saturday from 11 a.m. until noon, the Blue Wahoo’s mascot Kazoo will be at the Century Branch Library. September is National Library Card Sign-up month, and to celebrate the West Florida Library has teamed up with the Blue Wahoos. There will be lots of fun and frivolity for children of all ages. The Century Branch Library is located at 7991 North Century Boulevard. For more information, call (850) 256-6217.
Car Show And Pine Wood Derby
Highland Baptist Church in Molino will host an Open Car Show and a Pinewood Derby Saturday. The car show will take place from 8 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Admission is free. Registration fee is $25 with all registered vehicles receiving an entry trophy. There are 38 possible trophy awards in several categories. For more details, click here.
A Pinewood Derby race will be held at 9 a.m. Highland Baptist Church is located at 6240 Highway 95A in Molino.
Pictured below: This drag racer owned by Alan Lowery will be part of a car show this Saturday at Highland Baptist Church. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
