Darrell Steege
July 12, 2013
Darrell Steege, 51, passed away Friday, July 12, 2013, at his home surrounded by his family.
Born April 21, 1962, in Atmore, he was the son of Oleda Steege and the late Teddy Steege.
On June 27, 1992, he married the love of his life and soul mate, Evelyn Steege. The two shared a blessed union of 21 years together.
Darrell was a member of Mountain View Mennonite Church. As a church member, he had previously been active in supporting the youth and teaching Sunday school. Darrell was employed by Stuarts Draft High School, where he taught agriculture. Before teaching at Stuarts Draft, he had the opportunity to teach many area children at Northview High School in Bratt, along with Wilson, Buffalo Gap, and Chatham schools. His love for the outdoors, hunting and fishing particularly, led him to be active in Young Farmer, Shenandoah Valley Bass, Fishers of Men and FFA-Alumni. Always giving of his time, Darrell never met a stranger and was always willing to help anyone in need. Darrell will be remembered by those who knew him as a cherished husband, beloved father and brother, and special friend who had a wonderful sense of humor.
In addition to his loving wife, survivors include his two daughters, Nicole and Alexandra Steege; granddaughter, Kaelyn Steege; siblings, Arlene Mack and husband, Phil, Gerald Steege and wife, Sudie, and Rene Bunch; as well as many close friends.
A funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Monday, July 15, 2013, at Mountain View Mennonite Church, with Pastor Earl Monroe officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be James Wenger, Dick Taylor, Zane Taylor, Barry Gray, Matt Haskins, Doug Ramsey and Papa Joe Arbaugh. Honorary pallbearers will be Gerald Steege, Paul Grekos, Rick Shiflet and Joe Roberson.
The family will receive friends from 6 until 8 p.m. Sunday, July 14, 2013, at the Stuarts Draft Chapel of Reynolds Hamrick Funeral Homes, 1870 Stuarts Draft Highway.
In lieu of flowers, those desiring may make memorial contributions to Mountain View Mennonite Church, 55 Love Road, Lyndhurst, VA 22952 or Stuarts Draft High School – FFA, 1028 Augusta Farm Road, Stuarts Draft, VA 24477.
Bernice Barfield
July 12, 2013
Bernice Barfield, age 85, passed away Friday, July 12, 2013, at the Homestead Village in Pensacola.
Mrs. Barfield was a life long resident of Bratt and longtime member of Shiloh Free Will Baptist Church. She was a homemaker and a loving and caring wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
She was preceded in death by her loving husband Murdick; her sisters,Agnes Peacock and Ernestine Hayes; brothers Verl Pickern, Boots Pickern, Ellyn Rigby and Buddy Rigby.
She is survived by her son Don (Lillian) Barfield of Pensacola; her daughter Diane (Wayne) Baker of Bratt; one sister Tiny Bolton; two brothers Roy Rigby and Dallas Rigby; four grandchildren Miranda Brooks, Scott Baker, Stephanie Lamar, and Jessica Barfield; six great-grandchildren Tyler Brooks, Tanner Brooks, Taylor Baker, Jack Lamar, Kelton Wooten and Brandy Wooten; numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, July 15 at 10 a.m. at Faith Chapel North with Reverend Gene Pickern officiating. Interment will follow in the Godwin Cemetery in Bratt.
Visitation will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until service time.
Serving, as pallbearers will be Scott Baker, Malcolm Peacock, Terry Bolton, David Brown, Perry Brewton and Kelton Wooten.
In lieu of flowers, the family asked that donations be made to Covenant Hospice of Pensacola.
The family wishes to thank the loving caregivers at Homestead Village and Covenant Hospice of Pensacola.
Julian Blake Lamb
July 12, 2013
Mr. Julian Blake Lamb, 75, passed away on Thursday, July 11, 2013 in Pensacola.
Mr. Lamb was a native of Molino and a resident of Pensacola. Mr. Lamb attended the Highland Baptist Church.
He is survived by three brothers, Chase Lamb of Seale, AL, Phillip Lamb of Bay Minette, AL and Larry Meacham of Molino; and one sister, Willie B. Lamb Halbert of Black Mountain, NC.
Graveside services will be Sunday, July 14, 2013, at 2:30 p.m. at the Highland Cemetery in Molino with the Bro. Tim Adams officiating.
Visitation will be held Sunday, July 14, 2013, from 1:30 until 2:30 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home in Atmore.
Flash Flooding Hits Molino Area (With Photo Gallery)
July 11, 2013
Flash flooding caused numerous problems in the Molino area today, including the partial closure of the Highway 29 and Highway 97 intersection.
At one point, most of the intersection at Tom Thumb (also known as the “Atmore Cutoff”) was underwater, prompting authorities to close lanes. The water receded in just over an hour, and all lanes of traffic were reopened.
Scroll down for additional flooding photos from the Molino and Barrineau Park areas.
Above: Highway 29 at Highway 97. NorthEscambia.com photo.
Above: Hi Lo Trail off Molino Road. Reader photo by Donna Schachle.
Above: Pinoak Lane, Cantonment, near Highway 29. Reader photo by Valerie Davis.
Above: Wilders Creek on Fairground Road. Reader photo by Ian King.
Above: Barrineau Park Road between Barrineau Park School Road and Barrineau Lane. Reader photo by April Mitchell.
Half Million Savings: Alabama, Florida Farmers Learn Chemical Control
July 11, 2013
Drive around the back roads near Atmore or Walnut Hill at this time of year, and you will see big fields planted in cotton and peanuts. Keep driving and odds are pretty good that you may drive between Florida and Alabama without ever realizing that you have crossed the state line.
Farmers in this area often work fields in both states. Row-crop production is big business in this area. Last year, more than 28,000 acres of cotton were grown in the two neighboring counties. Peanuts were planted in more than 30,000 acres in that same time period.
For cotton and peanut producers to run profitable operations, they have to manage closely all of their production inputs from seed to fuel.
Kim Wilkins, a row crops regional agent with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, says agri-chemicals are the most expensive input farmers must buy.
“They use as little as they can to be effective because farmers just don’t have the money to waste,” says Wilkins.
Wilkins and her Florida Extension counterpart, Libbie Johnson, were looking for ways to help their farmers stay profitable when they came up with the idea of holding three agricultural sprayer workshops.
Johnson says it just made good sense to work together since many of the farmers have fields on both sides of the state lines. Wilkins agrees.
“In this area, we have farmers who work a lot of acres,” says Wilkins. “There is no way for them to be profitable in these crops without a lot of acreage. “
Johnson says the pair took an idea that was being used successfully in south Florida and modified it to work with their growers.
“We knew that if we could get the growers to the meetings and help them calibrate their sprayers that we could help them reduce input costs,” says Johnson.
Sprayer calibration is a critical element for producers, says Wilkins.
“Apply too much, you risk crop injury and potential environmental impacts, and you have increased costs because of wasted product. Apply too little, you risk poor pest control, increased chemical costs because of product reapplications and reduced income from yield loss.”
Wilkins and Johnson enlisted the assistance of Smith Tractor Company and Hypro Sprayer Company. The sprayer workshops reached 60 farmers and included classroom presentations followed by sprayer tip evaluation demonstrations. During these demonstrations representatives from Alabama Extension, Florida Extension, and the companies would calibrate sprayers brought on site by farmers.
Wilkins says most of these sprayers have more than 60 tips, and each tip was evaluated using state-of-the-art calibration equipment.
“We then took the information from calibration testing and put it in a spreadsheet designed by Florida Extension. After doing some calculations, the spreadsheet advises whether producers should change their sprayer tips.”
Wilkins says a five percent reduction in total spray volume is a conservative assessment as a result of calibration changes made at the workshop.
Extension economists estimated that each of the 60 producers was farming an average of 1,000 acres so workshop participants as a group were working about 60,000 acres. According to the Gulf Coast Farm Analysis Association, the average cost of chemicals for peanuts and cotton is about $171. This means that workshop participants as a group saved more than $500,000 in input costs.
Johnson says producers appreciated how the workshops were set up.
“They appreciated that the meetings were held well in advance of planting times and that the meetings offered more than classroom instruction,” she says. “Being hands-on with farmers is still an important part of the county agent’s job. We are just doing hands-on work in ways that make the most of the technology available to us.”
Wilkins and Johnson add another benefit to partnering with industry is reaching new clients. Wilkins says that the workshops highlighted the quality of Extension programs to producers who have not been to many Extension programs.
Pictured top: A farm sprayer. Pictured inset: (L-R) Kim Wilkins, Billy Danielson, Libbie Johnson and Eddie Booker. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Showers, Thunderstorms Likely
July 11, 2013
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Thursday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 8am. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Patchy dense fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
- Thursday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
- Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.
- Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
- Sunday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
- Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Monday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 91.
- Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71.
- Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90.
- Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70.
- Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90.
Jail Time For Man That Stole Guns From Dead Uncle, Beat Man Over Spilled Beer
July 11, 2013
A Cantonment man will spend the next several months in the Escambia County Jail for stealing guns from his uncle’s house hours after he had a heart attack and beating another man in the face with a baseball bat over a spilled beer.
Robert Michael Lanquist, Jr., 22, was charged with four felony counts of grand theft of a firearm last September for stealing firearms from his uncle’s gun safe while Lanquist’s aunt was at the hospital as his uncle passed away. When Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies and an ATF agent contacted Lanquist at his residence, he granted them permission to search the house. They reported finding the weapons hidden in a crawlspace under the home. Lanquist, according to a Sheriff’s Office report, served as pallbearer shortly after the theft.
Judge Michael Allen found Lanquist guilty of one count of felony theft of a firearm and sentenced him to nine months in the county jail.
Just days after the firearm theft, Lanquis was charged with felony aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability. The victim told deputies he and Lanquist became involved in an argument at a female’s house on Forest Avenue after a beer was spilled on Lanquist. The victim said Lanquist walked away and returned with a baseball bat, striking the victim in the head and face.
Lanquist admitted to deputies that he did become involved in an altercation with the victim after he poured a beer on him and began to belittle his mother. He admitted to punching the victim in the face but denied having a weapon, deputies said.
He was convicted of the felony battery charge by Judge Allen and sentenced to nine months in the county jail, concurrent with the weapons sentence.
Lanquist filed a motion to modify his sentence, but Allen denied that motion this week.
Escambia Schools Continue Four-Day Summer Work Week
July 11, 2013
Escambia County schools are continuing a four-day work week for the summer until the end of this month.
Schools are currently open Monday to Thursday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Monday, July 29, schools will return to a regular five-day work week.
Softball Tourney To Benefit Northview Student Fighting Cancer
July 11, 2013
A benefit coed softball tournament will be held next month for Dennis Trevor Mathis, a 16-year old Northview High School junior diagnosed with cancer in May.
The tournament will be held Saturday, August 10 at Showalter Park in Century. Entry fee is $150 per team. For more information, call or text Robin Cofield at (850) 336-1490.
To follow Mathis’ progress, visit the Facebook page “Fight to Win DTM“.
Photos: Blue Angels Back In The Skies Over Pensacola
July 11, 2013
The Blue Angels were back in the skies over Pensacola on Wednesday. While the Blue Angels’ 2013 air show season may have been canceled due to budget constraints, the pilots fly proficiency flights to maintain their qualifications in the F/A-18 Hornets.
Scroll down for more photos with captions.
Submitted photos by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Terrence Siren for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Above: The Blue Angels take off from Naval Air Station Pensacola Wednesday for proficiency flights to maintain their qualifications in the F/A-18.
Above: Blue Angels Commanding Officer and Flight Leader Cmdr. Tom Frosch taxis his F/A-18 Hornet down the runway prior to take-off.
The Blue Angels, F/A-18 Hornets go “smoke on” prior to launching a pilot proficiency flight from Naval Air Station Pensacola on Wednesday.
Above: Blue Angels Opposing Solo pilot Lt. Mark Tedrow waves to his crew chiefs prior to the launch.
Above: Crew chief Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class David Schooley of Easton, Pa., runs clear of the Number One jet.
Above: Blue Angels Maintenance and Support Team members run clear of the runway as part of a practice ground performance prior to the launch of a pilot proficiency flight.