Hidden Surprise In The Garden: Terrestrial Orchids
February 17, 2013
by The Escambia County Extension Service
A hidden surprise in many gardens this time of year are the delicate blooms of terrestrial orchids. One species that is a consistent bloomer along the Gulf Coast is the Chinese ground orchid, Bletilla striata.
Although foliage and flowers may be sensitive to cold weather, the preferred growing conditions under tree canopies often offer this plant protection during many winters. Flower spikes emerge from the underground structure and hold numerous bright pink flowers about 12-15 inches high.
Strap-like foliage is bright green and makes an effective groundcover for the remainder of the season. It is important that the ground orchids have rich soil with some moisture. Local sandy soils may need amendments with composted materials.
Each season, the clump of ground orchids will continue to expand so they can be divided in late summer for a new planting or to share with friends.
Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Church To Present Wild Game Dinner, Fish Fry
February 17, 2013
Highland Baptist Church in Molino will host a Wild Game Dinner and Fish Fry next Saturday.
Guest speaker will be Rep. Doug Broxson from the Florida House of Representatives, and there will be special music from Heaven Bound Gospel. The menu will include wild pig and venison dishes, fried fish with all the fixings, coffee and ice tea. There will also be a door prize.
The event takes place Saturday, February 23 with doors opening at 5 p.m., serving at 5:30 in the church fellowship hall of Highland Baptist Church, 6240 North Highway 95A in Molino. Admission is free, but there is a suggested $5 donation. For more information, call the church office at (850) 587-5174.
BBB Warns Of Fake, Free Plane Tickets
February 17, 2013
Consumers nationwide, including the Escambia County area, are receiving letters stating that they have won two round-trip tickets courtesy of American Airlines or US Airlines with a retail value of up to $1,298. US Airlines is not a real company, and this letter is not from the real American Airlines, according to the BBB of Northwest Florida.
Recipients of the letter are encouraged to call a provided number and then invited to attend a presentation. Upon arrival at the presentation, attendees discover the meeting is not hosted by American Airlines or US Airlines, but a travel package agency.
Documents acquired by BBB indicate the Daytona, Florida firm behind this promotion has numerous complaints filed against them with the Better Business Bureau.
The BBB offers the following tips for purchasing a travel package:
- Find out exactly what the package contains in terms of transportation and accommodations and for how many people
- How much money must be given as a deposit, if the deposit is refundable, and how much is later required.
- Get the name of the hotel, personally confirm all reservations, and get written verification.
- Before you decide to accept this type of offer do comparative shopping with a local travel agency before making your final decision. Companies that offer this type of service in Florida are required to be registered with the Sellers of Travel Act at 800-435-7352.
- Do not be pressured by any company to give an immediate decision or to give your cash, check, or credit card number until you are satisfied
Suspect Shot By Alabama Deputy
February 17, 2013
A suspect is recovering today after being shot by a Sheriff’s deputy early Saturday morning in Escambia County, Alabama.
The incident began when an Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s patrol deputy attempted a traffic stop near Brewton. Authorities have not said what prompted the traffic stop.
The suspect fled, with the Brewton Police Department joining the chase. On Highway 41 north of Brewton, the suspect lost control near Tippens Eddy Road. The suspect fled on foot, with the deputy giving chase.
“A struggle ensued resulting in the suspect being shot,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a prepared statement Saturday afternoon.
The shooting investigation has been turned over to the Alabama Bureau of Investigation. As is standard procedure in officer involved shootings, the deputy has been placed on paid administrative leave.
The suspect, whose name has not been released, remains in the hospital in guarded condition. The name of the of the deputy involved in the shooting also has not been released.
Pictured: These screenshots from a low-quality cellphone video show the scene early Saturday morning after a deputy-involved shooting on Highway 41 north of Brewton. Exclusive reader submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Jim Greer Soap Opera; Red Light, Green Light
February 17, 2013
It was supposed to be a week of loud scandal, with much of the attention of the Florida political establishment focused not on the Capitol, but on an Orlando courtroom where the trial of former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer was set to take place.
In the same courtroom where the sensational Casey Anthony trial played out, tales of golf carts crammed with prostitutes and stories about the inner workings of the RPOF stretching back to the days when Charlie Crist was still a Republican were supposed to unfold. No one was quite sure who had more to fear from the spectacle — the RPOF or Crist, now a Democrat — but the likelihood was that someone would end up covered in more sludge than a powerless cruise ship.
Instead, the courtroom was filled largely with a curious audience as the proceedings were set to begin. Greer, the attorneys and the judge were elsewhere — because a plea deal was being worked out that could send Greer to jail for 42 months and might have other, confidential terms.
The closest Tallahassee would come to political scandal would be the revelation that the state’s transportation secretary had ordered up a study of the speed limit on a road where he was pulled over for driving too quickly — a stretch of pavement with a top speed that had driven its fair share of city residents to distraction.
And the loudest things would get were perhaps at debates over traffic-light cameras or alimony. Which was somewhat fitting — after all, it was a stop-and-go week of news, there were suspicions that someone was getting paid to go away, and no one was happy in the end.
NOBODY DIES IN THE END
Maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise that Greer would ultimately cop a plea to four counts of grand theft and one count of money laundering; there were too many people who wanted it to go away. But the plea came after months of ominous warnings from Greer, who promised the Miami New Times “a Shakespearean play where everyone dies in the end.”
As it turned out, those threats were “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
Democrats believed Republicans “breathed a collective sigh of relief this morning,” but the RPOF was too busy focusing on its bête noire: Crist, who hand-picked Greer to head the party after Crist’s sweeping win in the 2006 gubernatorial election.
“For the past three years, Jim Greer has tried to damage the reputation of the Republican Party and its leaders, but the truth is now known that Jim Greer broke the law, stole from RPOF and our donors, and then said and did everything he could to cover up and distract attention from his crimes,” RPOF Executive Director Mike Grissom said. “Everything Jim Greer has said and done over these past few years should be considered in that light.”
The case against Greer centered on allegations that he used his position as party chairman to steer business to Victory Strategies, his fundraising company. Greer said party leaders knew what he was doing, and that a secret severance agreement between himself and party leaders should have protected him from any criminal liability.
And despite inquiries from multiple media outlets — including some who asked whether Greer was paid to walk away — Damon Chase, who had fiercely defended Greer during his legal troubles, wouldn’t elaborate on any terms of Greer’s agreement to plead guilty. Chase said it was confidential.
“Knowing the deal he got, I don’t blame him one bit for taking it,” Chase told the News Service.
Greer was not the only figure from the Republican political establishment who settled an investigation with a plea deal this week. On Tuesday, Panhandle developer and prodigious GOP contributor Jay Odom pleaded guilty in federal court to a scheme to funnel donations to a presidential campaign through employees or their family members. The two cases were not related, and no one had been threatened with as much as bodily injury in the Odom case.
MEANWHILE, BACK IN TALLAHASSEE
At about the same time Greer was considering his future, House Republicans were approving a legislative measure dealing with an entirely different kind of fundraising: the amount individual campaigns can raise and the kind of third-party groups that can involve themselves in campaigns.
On a 10-2 vote that included half the Democratic minority on the prevailing side, the House Ethics and Elections Subcommittee approved a measure allowing a candidate running for a state House seat in the Panhandle to raise almost four times as much money from each contributor as a candidate running for president of the United States.
The trade-off for the new, $10,000 limit is a law abolishing “committees of continuous existence,” often-shady groups that work as the attack dogs for candidates who want to appear above the mud-slinging. The measure (HB 569) is a key priority of House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel.
“Let’s face it, we would all like to see less money in the political process, but we know that that’s not going to be an option,” said Rep. Larry Ahern, R-Seminole. “On balance, and together, these reforms address the problem and provide the solutions.”
Others were less sanguine about the possibility of 20-tupling the amount of money a candidate could raise from each individual; Florida’s current limit is $500.
“By increasing these limits, (it) does not look out for the small guy,” said Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee, one of the dissenters. “It does favor incumbents.”
The same panel unanimously approved a bill designed to expand early voting in some areas and limit the length of ballots, though Democrats said they will want more for their support on the floor. Still, it left some hope that the legal overhaul following the snafus in November’s presidential election will not be a bitter, partisan fight like the 2011 battle over HB 1355, which included reducing early voting days.
“You’re certainly going to get Democratic support if it improves and resolves the problems we had with 1355,” Waldman said.
RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT AND AN ALIMONY FIGHT
With the big-ticket issues leading to a spirit of Kumbaya in the House, and Senate committee burying their noses in budget-briefing books, the legislative fighting was largely confined to issues that could labor in the background in the 2013 legislative session, like a bill to repeal the state law allowing cameras at traffic lights.
The cameras are used to catch — and hopefully deter — those who might run red lights. But they also bring protests from those on the right and left on civil liberties and privacy grounds.
“We’re willing to compromise the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution: the right against self-incrimination for self-perceived safety,” said Rep. Carlos Trujillio of Miami, the bipartisan measure’s Republican sponsor. “That’s the road we’re going down. We’re willing to tell somebody, ‘You are guilty until proven innocent.’ ”
But critics of the repeal bill (HB 4011) — some of whom draw funding from the cameras — say it would roll back a key safety feature.
“I think it’s obvious that it does change people’s driving behaviors, and I think it is obvious that it also helps to save lives and prevent people from having serious injuries,” said Haines City Police Chief Rick Sloan.
Also drawing some controversy: a proposal (HB 231) that would rein in the amount of time that alimony payments could be required, try to short-circuit alimony in marriages of 10 years or less and shield retirees form alimony requirements.
“I want to make this so people can get divorced and move on with their life,” said Rep. Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, who is divorced but indicated he has not paid or received alimony.
Nothing is ever quite so simple in family law. Rep. Cynthia Stafford, D-Miami, promptly slammed the bill as “anti-woman.
“I think this bill will do more harm than good, ” she said.
And foreshadowing another potential battle in the Legislature, Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, filed a bill that would allow parents to petition their school board to adopt a specific turnaround option for any school that drew an “F” on state report cards for two straight years.
“When you give parents the opportunity to get involved and do what’s best for their kids, it’s a win,” Stargel said.
But Democrats, who beat back the idea last year, were already drawing the battle lines, saying the measure (SB 862) could end up with private businesses running many Florida schools.
“We should focus our efforts on improving public schools, not giving up on them by handing the keys to a for-profit corporation,” Senate Minority Leader Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, said in a statement.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Jim Greer pleads guilty to four counts of grand theft and one count of money laundering, avoiding a trial that could have brought the secrets of former Gov. Charlie Crist and the Republican Party of Florida to light.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “I was one of those dorky kids in high school with no girlfriend that sat in the front row and read a lot and helped other students study for their exams and read the Congressional Record at night.” — Senate Appropriations Chairman Joe Negron, R-Stuart
Bobby Scott Peterson
February 17, 2013
Bobby Scott Peterson, 57, a native and lifelong resident of Pensacola, passed away January 28, 2013.
Mr. Peterson was a 1973 graduate of J. M. Tate High School. He was an avid fan and player of baseball and was an employee of Winn Dixie, Inc., for many years.
He was preceded in death by his father, James H. Peterson and his mother, Edna Berline Peterson.
Survivors include one brother, James A. Peterson; one nephew, Levi Peterson; one great nephew, James D. Thornton; and two nieces, Melony Barnard and Tiffany Peterson.
Burial will be private. Family-Funeral & Cremation is in charge of arrangements.
ARC Gateway Seeks Mardi Gras Bead Donations
February 17, 2013
Now that the Mardi Gras parades have passed, ARC Gateway is looking for donations of beads – as well as organizations to volunteer as collection sites. At ARC Gateway’s Pollak Industries, adults with developmental disabilities sort and package donated beads for resale to Mardi Gras krewes and other organizations.
The program not only allows them the opportunity to earn their own money while gaining valuable vocational training, it also supports local recycling efforts and helps generates revenue for additional services at ARC Gateway.
Collection boxes can be found in the following locations:
Pensacola
ARC Gateway Admin – 3932 North 10th Avenue
ARC Gateway Nursery – 1112 East Fairfield Drive
Becky’s Eatery – 5 Interbay Parkway
Barne’s – 1301 North 9th Avenue
Beach Community Bank branches – 9 Mile at Palafox, 4465 Bayou Blvd and 33 W. Garden St.
City Grocery – 2050 North 12th Avenue
Everman’s Foods – 315 West Garden Street
Food World – 4320 Lillian Highway
Pearl Nelson Center – 3911 North 10th Avenue
Pollak Industries – 2313 Truman Avenue
Pollak Training Center – 1000 East Fairfiled Drive
Publix – 2180 West 9 Mile Road
Publix – 9251 University Parkway
Seville Quarter – 130 North Government Street
Stein Mart – 1660 Airport Boulevard
Winn Dixie – 4751 Bayou Boulevard
Winn Dixie – 5975 Mobile Highway
Gulf Breeze
Beach Community Bank – Northcliff and Highway 98
Dani Demure – 913 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Harbourtown #31
Higher Learning: Firefighters Train In McDavid With Tower Truck
February 17, 2013
Twenty volunteers are currently in the midst of a 160-hour Firefighters I class for Escambia Fire Rescue that is being conducted at the McDavid fire station. Saturday, the crew from Tower 7, stationed at Ferry Pass, demonstrated the 105-foot tower truck’s capabilities in McDavid. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Andy Aliff
February 17, 2013
Andy Aliff, age 80, of Pensacola, passed away Wednesday, February 13, 2013.
Mr. Aliff was very dedicated to the U.S. Navy and loved the Navy life. After 30 years of service in the Navy he retired. During his Navy career he was a hard-hat diver and also served as a Navy Diving Instructor. He served in Antarctica, Vietnam and sailed around the world twice. After retirement from the Navy, he drove a truck for 20 years for Benton Express. He loved his children and especially his grandchildren. He was known as a man whose handshake was his bond. Mr. Aliff had a wonderful sense of humor and was honest with everyone he met.
He was predeceased in death by his parents, Thomas and Ruth Aliff; brother, Horace Aliff and his sister, Helen Neuman.
He is survived by his loving wife of 47 years, Jacqueline Aliff; daughter, Carrie (Rick) Rodriguez; son, T.J. (Wendy) Aliff; grandchildren, Thomas, Jared, and Adam Aliff; and many friends.
Visitation will be Tuesday, February 19, 2013, at East Brent Baptist Church at 10 a.m. followed by services at 11:30 a.m. with Dr. Dale Patterson officiating. Interment will follow at Barrancas National Cemetery.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is in charge of arrangements.
Details Released: Local, Federal Agents Raid Cantonment Meth Lab
February 16, 2013
Three people were arrested when federal and local law enforcement raided an alleged meth lab in Cantonment Thursday.
Nikki L. Kight, 45, Joseph David Peterson, 33, and Sylvia Marie Rutherford, 34, all of the 400 block of Well Line Road, were booked into the Escambia County Jail Thursday afternoon. Each suspect was charged with producing methamphetamine, trafficking pseudoephedrine, possession of a listed chemical with the intent to manufacture a controlled substance, possession of a listed chemical with the intent to manufacture a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
All three remained in the Escambia County Jail Saturday morning. Bond for Kight was set at$61,000. Peterson’s bond was at $26,000, while Rutherford was held on a $28,500 bond.
On Thursday, two federal probation officers performed a probation check on Kight at her residence at 445 Lakeview Drive. When the probation officers, along with an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics investigator and a DEA agent entered the residence, they found Kight, Peterson and Rutherford in the residence, along with Kight’s teenage children.
During a check of the residence, the federal probation officers observed what appeared to be several burned marijuana cigarettes in the ashtrays of the residence and smelled what they believed to be burned marijuana. Kight told the officers that she thought “someone” had been smoking it in the residence and she believed “Spice” was in the home.
Outside the residence, officers located a bag containing salt and drain cleaner on a makeshift shelf behind a pile of yard debris, along with a plastic soda bottle with a hose containing a white substance — items commonly used in a meth lab.
Upon searching the residence and property, investigators found dozens of items of drug paraphernalia typical associated with the manufacture of methamphetamine, including large quantities of pseudoephedrine. They also reported finding “paperwork” associated with the operation.
Deputies said additional arrests and charges may be forthcoming as a result of the raid.
Kight is expected to face federal violation of probation charges. She, according to federal court records, is currently on five years probation for conspiring to defraud the government. She was convicted last year in a scheme in which she and other defendants would use the names of social security numbers of Florida prison inmates to file fraudulent tax returns in order to obtain refunds. The scheme netted about $1 million, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.