Photo Gallery: Hundreds Attend Williams Station Day
October 27, 2013
Hundreds attended the 22nd annual Williams Station Day in Atmore Saturday.
Williams Station Day takes its name from Atmore’s early history when in 1866 the community was a supply stop along the Mobile and Great Northern railroad.
Festival-goers were entertained by a wide variety of musical acts, and a wide variety of arts and crafts were also available. The Alabama Blues Brothers provided the feature entertainment as part of their farewell tour.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured top: The Alabama Blues Brothers perform during Saturday’s Williams Station Day in Atmore. Pictured inset and bottom: Scenes from Williams Station Day. NorthEscambia.com photos by Marcella Wilson, click to enlarge.
Master Deputy Gulsby, K-9 Caleb Place In National Competition
October 27, 2013
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Master Deputy Wayne Gulsby of Molino and his K-9 partner Caleb recently won third place in the Police K9 Agility Competition during the United States Police Canine Association National Certification Course in Washington, D.C.
Gulsby has been employed by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office for about 27 years, and K-9 Caleb has served since February of 2013. Caleb is a German bred and imported German Shepherd and is a certified patrol/bomb dog.
Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
NWE, Jay, Flomaton Advance Teams To Escambia River Finals
October 27, 2013
The Northwest Escambia Eagles swept three games Saturday with teams advancing to next Saturday’s Escambia River Conference’s league championships in Jay.
Saturday’s championship matchups, times to be announced, are as follows:
- NWE Sophomores vs. Poarch
- NWE Juniors vs. Jay
- NWE Seniors vs. Flomaton
Here are select playoff results from Saturday:
- Flomaton Seniors 27, Poarch 20
- NWE Seniors 33, Jay 0
- NWE Juniors 49, Neal 0
- NWE Sophomores 40, Baker 6
- Jay Juniors over Excel
Results of other games were not submitted for publication.
Pictured top: NWE Senior’s Trent Kite gains yardage as he faces a Jay defender Saturday in Walnut Hill. Pictured below: The NWE Seniors shutout Jay 33-0 Saturday. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
One Charged With Murder After Escambia Stabbing Death
October 27, 2013
An 19-year old Escambia County man was stabbed to death Saturday morning at a business near Mobile Highway.
Tyquon James Prim was stabbed outside a business on Grandview Avenue about 10:30 a.m.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office charged 26-year old Anthony Paul Peoples, Jr.with second degree murder in the incident. He remains in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
Other details, including a motive for the murder, have not yet been released by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The stabbing was third murder of the weekend in Escambia County. Two people were fatally shot about 10:30 p.m. Friday in an Ensley neighborhood behind the John R. Jones Athletic Complex on Nine Mile Road. Read more…
Bills Would Give Tax Help To Farmers
October 27, 2013
Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, and Rep. Jake Raburn, R-Lithia, filed bills this week that would create new tax exemptions for the agriculture industry.
The bills would provide exemptions for irrigation equipment, replacement parts for farm equipment and repairs to farm equipment. Also, it would allow landowners to keep what are known as “greenbelt” exemptions if they take part in programs with water-management districts that involve flooding land. The greenbelt law is designed to hold down property taxes on agricultural lands.
“This legislation will give much-deserved tax relief to Florida’s family farmers,” Simpson said in a prepared statement. “Florida farmers make our state one of the nation’s most important food producers, and reducing their tax burden will invigorate this crucial sector of the economy.”
The bills will be considered during the 2014 legislative session.
by The News Service of Florida
Weekend Gardening: Colorful Bedding Plants Can Brighten A Winter Day
October 27, 2013
Decreasing day length is a signal to start preparing for winter. Soon, deciduous shrubs will drop their leaves and the landscape will appear stark and less impressive. To keep the gloomy days of winter at bay, add cool season bedding plants to the landscape.
Bedding plants are those that are commonly used in residential and commercial landscapes to provide color and interest. No other group of plants can so quickly and economically create a colorful landscape.
Most bedding plants are annuals. These short-lived plants grow from seed, bloom and die within one growing season. The transient nature of annuals means that at the end of their season when they are no longer attractive, annuals are removed and replaced with new plantings.
Many flowering plants prefer a very specific season; therefore, bedding plants are classified into two groups based on the temperatures they prefer. Cool season bedding plants do best in the cold to mild temperatures of October through early May and generally tolerate typical winter freezes without protection.
According to a University of Florida/IFAS publication, bedding plants that can be added to the North Florida landscape now include alyssum, baby’s breath, calendula, carnation, dianthus, dusty miller, foxglove, hollyhock, ornamental cabbage and kale, pansy, petunia, snapdragons and violas.
Most annual bedding plants prefer to be in a sunny location. Prepare the planting beds several weeks before planting. First, remove any weeds or other unwanted plants from the bed. Next, turn the soil to a depth of about eight inches. Spread a two- to four-inch layer of compost, rotted leaves, aged manure, composted finely ground pine bark or peat moss over the bed, and then evenly sprinkle a light application of an all purpose fertilizer. Thoroughly blend the organic matter and fertilizer into the bed, rake smooth and you’re ready to plant.
Gardeners are accustomed to (and even demand) that bedding plants be in bloom when they are purchased. Some cool season bedding plants, however, will provide far superior results if they are purchased when young and before the colorful display begins.
Bedding plants are typically planted to make a dramatic statement. To accomplish that, place multiple plants of the same kind in a bed. Bedding plants generally look best and the beds will fill in better when the rows are staggered. Lay out the first row of plants spaced properly. The second row is laid behind the first row at the appropriate spacing from it, but the plants are placed between the plants of the first row so that they form triangles with those plants.
Flower beds of colorful bedding plants add a lot to the landscape but require a fair amount of maintenance to stay looking their best. Keeping beds well weeded is critical. A two-inch layer of mulch will help considerably in keeping weeds from growing, and using preemergence herbicides (weed preventers) may help in some situations. However, always plan on having to do some hand weeding.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.
Florida’s Prison Escape Plan
October 27, 2013
Even as the new Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger prison movie, “Escape Plan,” was making its way into theaters last weekend, Florida officials were dealing with a very real escape problem of their own. After apprehending a pair of fugitive murderers late Saturday, the state’s prison system was left dealing with the fallout this week.
With state lawmakers calling for an in-depth review of the escapes, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey said Tuesday several suspects have been “targeted” for helping two murderers escape from prison by using forged documents. But he added, “there is a way to go” in the investigation.
“There is still a lot we do not know and a lot we have yet to prove,” Bailey said during a news conference.
Bailey said the state is widening the scope of its investigation into how Charles Walker and Joseph Jenkins, both sentenced to life sentences for murder, were able to get out of the Franklin Correctional Institution.
Bailey said authorities know of at least five other attempted escapes using the same method of faked documents, including two that were in process when discovered. One of the prior attempts was by Jenkins. The attempts have occurred at the Franklin Correctional and Gulf Correctional institutions and the Pinellas County Jail.
Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, who chairs the Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Subcommittee, said he will hold a hearing on the escapes, which became national news.
Bailey said Tuesday he hopes to have new information to share before he goes in front of the Bradley’s panel in November to address the issues.
Meanwhile, FDLE and the Department of Corrections are also combing through several years of inmate records statewide to determine if other prisoners used fraudulent orders to con their way from behind bars.
On Monday, Ninth Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Jr., issued an order that changes procedures for dealing with criminal-court documents to try to prevent any other inmates from making similar escapes.
Perry advised the Orange County and Osceola County clerks of court that “effective immediately” they must verify with a judge or judicial assistant that an order was issued before the clerk processes and transmits the order to the appropriate Department of Corrections facility.
by The News Service of Florida
Dwight Wendell “Tookie” Grant
October 27, 2013
Dwight Wendell “Tookie” Grant, 69 of Barnett Crossroads passed away Thursday, October 24, 2013, in Brewton. He was born September 16, 1944, in Atmore to the late Hope Emitt and Mamie Kent Grant. Mr. Grant was a plant superintendent with Swift Lumber Company for 51 years, an active member of Canaan Freewill Baptist Church and an avid outdoorsman.
He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Charlotte Morton Grant of Barnett Crossroads; daughter, Tonya Grant (Justin) Ragan of Atmore; two brothers, Delano Grant of Atmore and Don (Faye) Grant of Bluff Springs, Fla.; five sisters, Mabeth Averill of Tyler, TX, Martha Peacock and Dartha (James) Turner, all of Atmore, Glenda (Tommy) Fields of Barnett Crossroads and Judy (Leroy) Smith of Atmore; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were held October 26, 2013, at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Waylon Stuckey and Bro. Kevin Fillmore officiating.
Interment was in Canaan Freewill Baptist Church Cemetery.
Active pallbearers were Chad Morton, Kevin Fillmore, Greg Fillmore, John fields, Brian Strawbridge, and Justin Beasley.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home, is entrusted with all arrangements.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: High Time For Politics
October 27, 2013
Peer pressure from a fellow lawyer won’t be enough to get Attorney General Pam Bondi to go along with an effort to make marijuana legal in Florida for medicinal purposes.
Bondi, who earlier in the week drew a Democratic opponent as she runs for a second term, came out Thursday against a ballot initiative aiming to give sick people access to cannabis. It was a decision that could have political as well as policy implications.
PAMELA JO VS. MARY JANE
It’s approaching high noon for those who would like to keep a ballot initiative aiming at legalizing medical marijuana from getting to voters. Or perhaps from attracting voters who might be a bit more liberal in their social views — and more likely to check the boxes next to the names of Democratic nominees while joining in reefer madness at the polls.
The first strike from those opposed to the measure came from Bondi, who wrote in a filing before the Supreme Court that the ballot summary written by United for Care: People United for Medical Marijuana wrongly suggests that only people with “debilitating diseases” could get the leafy green substance.
Bondi is required to seek an advisory opinion from the high court once an initiative reaches a certain number of signatures.
“But if the amendment passed, Florida law would allow marijuana in limitless situations,” she wrote in the Thursday filing. “Any physician could approve marijuana for seemingly any reason to seemingly any person (of any age) — including those without any ‘debilitating disease.’ So long as a physician held the opinion that the drug use ‘would likely outweigh’ the risks, Florida would be powerless to stop it.”
And while it didn’t necessarily seem like a joint effort, the GOP-leaning Florida Chamber of Commerce was quick to support Bondi’s filing in a statement Thursday.
“Our Constitution is a foundational document meant to provide for our basic rights and organization of government,” said David Hart, the chamber’s executive vice president. “It should be protected and not sold to special interests trying to purchase a place in it for their ideas to be forced onto the rest of us.”
Of course, the fight against grass also brings the chamber into conflict with one of its old foils. The most prominent supporter of the initiative has been John Morgan, the television commercial star and trial lawyer who also happens to be a prominent Democratic donor and Charlie Crist’s boss.
In any case, the reaction from those who are pushing the amendment could more or less be boiled down to: Chill.
“It is not surprising that out of touch Tallahassee politicians like Pam Bondi continue to oppose compassionate health care policy in Florida,” said Ben Pollara, the campaign manager for United for Care. “Just as politicians in the Florida Legislature refused to even give medical marijuana a hearing in the 2013 session, AG Bondi wants to deny Floridians the opportunity to even vote on this issue — despite numerous polls showing that an overwhelming majority of the state is supportive of the issue.”
BONDI’S OTHER OPPONENT
But the marijuana amendment was not Bondi’s only foe this week. George Sheldon, a longtime Florida hand and former Department of Children and Families secretary, jumped into the race against Bondi with an argument that he would return “character” and “integrity” to the office.
The move had been rumored for a while: Sheldon had been considering running for the position, and last week he quit his Washington job as a high-ranking official at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the agency implementing the federal health care law known as “Obamacare.”
Sheldon’s entrance into the race gives Floridians the option of choosing between an attorney general who crusaded to do away with the health law and a Democratic candidate whose boss was in charge of making it work — as long, of course, as Sheldon wins a primary that could also include House Minority Leader Perry Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale.
Bondi led the multi-state legal challenge to Obamacare, which was upheld for the most part by the U.S. Supreme Court last summer, and she has been a harsh and frequent critic of the law. She also supported Florida lawmakers’ decision not to expand Medicaid, something included in the law but which the high court decided was optional for states.
Sheldon tried to draw distinctions with Bondi’s focus on Obamacare.
“Taking on predatory lenders, human traffickers, and those who engage in deceptive practices is the job of the Attorney General…not working full time trying to deny health insurance to children and anyone with preexisting conditions,” Sheldon said in a message posted on his Facebook page Monday.
Sheldon said he decided to announce this week so he could drum up support at the Florida Democratic Party’s annual conference in Orlando this weekend.
Bondi will be difficult to beat. She’s raised more than $1.2 million for her campaign and a related organization. She’s also seen as a rising star in the conservative movement, frequently appearing on the Fox News Channel and campaigning in other states for Republican candidates.
“There may not be a greater contrast between two candidates in 2014 than in the Florida attorney general race,” Republican State Leadership Conference President Chris Jankowski said in a statement on behalf of GOP attorneys general. “On one hand, you have General Bondi, who courageously stood up to the Obama Administration in leading the fight against Obamacare and on the other hand, you have George Sheldon, a man who has spent years defending Obamacare and even worked for (Secretary) Kathleen Sebelius at HHS. Floridians should prepare themselves for a whole lot of excuses from Mr. Sheldon on why Obamacare’s rollout, in which he was personally involved, has been such a failure. The choice is clear — Pam Bondi deserves four more years as Florida’s top law enforcement officer.”
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “You don’t open a ski resort on the assumption that nobody’s going to be hurt. That’s just silly. The cost of doing business as a ski resort is you recognize there’s going to be broken legs. You don’t close the ski slope. You fund the ski patrol,” said Robert Hunter, who runs the Problem Gambling Center in Las Vegas, testifying at a public hearing of the Senate Gaming Committee about the need to set aside funds for the treatment of gambling addiction. Lawmakers are considering several options on gambling, including allowing resort-style casinos in some areas of the state.
by The News Service of Florida
Northview Band Ranked Best In Class At Dixieland Showcase
October 27, 2013
The Northview High School Tribal Beat Band took top honors in their class Saturday during the annual Dixieland Band Showcase at T.R. Miller High School in Brewton.
The Tribal Beat Band was named Best in Class Drum Major, Color Guard, Percussion, Drum Line and Band during the event. The Northview Band also received straight superiors in all categories but one and an overall superior rating.
Saturday’s event included bands from across Alabama and Florida.
Pictured top and below: The Northview High School Tribal Beat Band, rated superior and Best in Class during the Dixieland Band Showcase at T.R. Miller High School in Brewton Saturday. Pictured inset: Cory Hester, named Best in Class Drum Major during Saturday’s event.
