It’s National Invasive Species Awareness Week
March 4, 2013
Escambia County Extension and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Science (UF/IFAS) are drawing attention to invasive species during National Invasive Species Awareness Week, March 2 to March 8. Invasive species are non-native or exotic species that do not naturally occur in an area and cause economic, environmental harm or harm to human health.
Invasive exotic plants and animals cause many challenges for natural resource managers of timber, wildlife and recreational uses. Invasive species can displace native plants and wildlife affecting fire regimes, water flow and biodiversity. Private and public lands are in need of frequent treatment to eradicate these invasive species. Invasive species do not know boundaries and as a result public and private lands are affected as well as natural and man-made water bodies and associated watersheds.
For more information on prevention and containment of invasive species contact Escambia County Extension at (850) 475-5230 or click here.
Pictured: Cogongrass, considered one of the 10 worst weeks in the world, occurs throughout Florida, displacing native species. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Paving Projects Completed
March 4, 2013
Work to resurface several Century streets has wrapped up.
Roads, Inc., under a contract rate established with Escambia County, paved the following:
- Maple Street, $10,090.05
- Parking at Nadine McCaw Park, $4,356.55
- Front Street, $25,022.55
- Jefferson Avenue, $41,764.45
- Salters Lake Road, $17,522.30
- Ivy Street (near Hwy 29), $2,000
Prior to this year, Century completed paving projects totaling about $308,000 on Freedom Road, Old Flomaton Road, Hecker Road, Elm Street, Hilltop Road, West Cottage Street, Academy Street, Pleasant Hill Road, Ramar Street, Bonwell Lane, Gifford Lane, Barnwell Lane, Field Road and Sellars Road.
The projects began with a priority list created by the Century Town Council back in 2010.
Pictured top: The recently resurface Front Street as seen from the Pinewood Avenue intersection in Century. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Sunday Smoke Plume Visible For Miles
March 4, 2013
A large smoke plume was visible for miles Sunday afternoon in the North Escambia area. According the Florida Forest Service, the smoke was from a 205-acre controlled burn on Highway 168 near Wiggins Lane, about two miles northeast of Northview High School in Bratt. Reader submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Residents Take Part In Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee
March 4, 2013
Numerous Escambia County residents joined Vice President Joe Biden and a host of U.S. House and Senate members in the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee. The annual event commemorating the beating of voting rights marchers on “Bloody Sunday” in 1965 during which the marchers were turned around as they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge on their march from Selma to Montgomery. Speakers at the Martin and Coretta King Unity Brunch at Wallace Community College prior to the bridge crossing included Eddie Tullis, former chief of the Poarch Creek Indians. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Two ‘Heroes’ Save Woman That Flipped Vehicle Into Creek
March 3, 2013
Two men are being called heroes for pulling a young woman out of a creek after she flipped her vehicle off a bridge into the cold waters below.
Something out of the ordinary caught the eye of Danny Wilson and his son Chris Wilson as they cr0ssed a bridge over Brushy Creek Saturday afternoon — clothes were scattered in the trees. They stopped and discovered a vehicle had flipped off the bridge embankment, sailed through a tree and crashed into the opposite creek bank below the bridge on Deere Creek Road west of Atmore and just north of the Florida line.
They discovered 23-year old Kayla Stewart of Rabun, Ala., mostly submerged in the creek next to her vehicle. The Wilsons climbed down through the creek embankment through thick brush and pulled Stewart from the water.
“If they hadn’t got her out of the water when they did, she would probably be a lot worse off or dead,” Atmore Chief Gerry McGhee. “They saved her life.”
It was not immediately clear if Stewart was ejected from her vehicle, or if she crawled out following the crash.
She was transported in critical condition by Atmore Ambulance to the Walnut Hill Fire Station and then airlifted by LifeFlight to a Pensacola hospital. Her injuries were not believed to be life threatening, official said.
The accident remains under investigation by Alabama State Troopers.
Pictured top: First responders check a vehicle that flipped into Brushy Creek on Deer Creek Road outside Atmore Saturday afternoon. Pictured inset and below: Two men are being called heroes for pulling the driver out of the creek following the crash. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Forecast: Winter Holds On
March 3, 2013
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 30. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Monday: Sunny, with a high near 68. Wind chill values between 25 and 35 early. Southeast wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. South wind 5 to 15 mph.
- Tuesday: A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. South wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
- Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers before midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 39. Northwest wind around 10 mph.
- Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 58. Breezy, with a northwest wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
- Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 34. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph.
- Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 60. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 40. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 70.
- Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 44.
- Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 71.
- Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45.
- Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72.
Motorcyclist Killed In Saturday Afternoon Crash
March 3, 2013
A motorcyclist was killed Saturday afternoon in a Santa Rosa County crash.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 57-year old Steven Michael Cobbett of Milton was westbound on Red Rock Road near Pleasant Home Road south of Munson when he lost control in a curve and slid off the road.
Cobbett was wearing a helmet, according to the FHP. He was pronounced deceased at the scene following the 3:50 p.m. crash.
North Escambia Bee Association Holds Annual Workshop
March 3, 2013
The annual North Escambia Bee Association Workshop was held Saturday at Northview High School.
The event featured a variety of workshops and demonstrations as beekeepers from across the area gathered.
Participants learned about caring for their hives, pesticides, honey production and more.
Pictured: The annual North Escambia Bee Association Workshop was held Saturday at Northview High School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Bids Awarded For Ransom Renovations, Jim Allen Windows
March 3, 2013
The Escambia County School Board has awarded a bid to Vision Construction, Inc. for general renovations at Ransom Middle School and for window replacements at Jim Allen Elementary School.
The general renovations at Ransom Middle School will cost $68,800 of the total $126,400 bid. The window replacements at Jim Allen Elementary School will cost $49,700 plus an alternative amount of $7,900 for bathroom windows. The project is funded by half cent sales tax monies.
There were a total of seven bids received on the projects, ranging from the low bid of $126,400 by Vision Construction to $235,000 by The Green-Simmons Company. Second lowest bid was $132,800 by Southeastern Construction, Inc.
Tanker Training For Volunteer Firefighters
March 3, 2013
Volunteer firefighters in the midst of 160-hour Firefighters I class for Escambia Fire Rescue are continuing their training at the McDavid fire station.Last week, the volunteers took part in water shuttle and dump tank demonstrations.
The training involved Tanker 7 from Ferry Pass, Tanker 5 from Century and Tanker 9 from McDavid. All of the county’s tanker trucks can carry 2,500 gallons of water and a full crew of two or three firefighters, except for Tanker 7 which has room for five firefighters.
Earlier this month, the volunteers trained at the McDavid Fire Station using the 105-foot high Tower 7 from Ferry Pass. (See previous story.)
Pictured: Escambia Fire Rescue tanker trucks from Ferry Pass, McDavid and Century. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.