Program To Introduce Youth To Animal Science 4-H Projects
December 5, 2014
UF/IFAS Extension will host an Intro to Animal Science 4-H Projects program on Thursday, December 11, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., at the UF/IFAS Escambia County Extension office, 3740 Stefani Road, Cantonment.
This free program is for anyone ages 8 to 18 interested in learning more about 4-H animal science projects including raising livestock, showing livestock and the cost that it entails.
Registration begins at 5:45 p.m. on December 11. For more information on the program call the UF/IFAS Escambia County Extension office at (850) 475-5230 or email Hank Bignell at hdbignell@ufl.edu.
Photos, Video: Northview Band Christmas Concert
December 5, 2014
The Northview High School Christmas Variety Show was held Thursday night in the school’s theater.
For a highlight video, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate’s Marquis Cass Makes Verbal Commitment To Florida A&M
December 5, 2014
Tate High School linebacker Marquis Cass made a verbal commitment Thursday to Florida A&M University, according to the Tate Aggie football program. NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Bill Would Require Police To Wear Body Cameras
December 5, 2014
Amid a broader national debate about the issue, a state House Democrat filed a proposal Thursday that would require body cameras for all Florida police officers who primarily are assigned to patrol duties. The bill filed by Rep. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park will be considered during the 2015 legislative session.
Under the proposal, officers would have to use the cameras “to record activities that take place during motor vehicle stops or other law enforcement actions taken during the course of his or her official duties.”
The bill comes amid a national debate, fueled by fatal incidents in New York and Missouri, about police use of force. Earlier this week, President Barack Obama proposed spending $263 million to increase the use of the cameras and to take other steps, such as expanding law-enforcement training. Jones’ bill is named the “Police and Citizen Protection Act.”
by The News Service of Florida
Tryouts Set For West Florida Elite Softball
December 5, 2014
Summer tryouts are coming up soon for West Florida Elite softball.
West Florida Elite was established in 2003 with a mission to assist female athletes in the development of their softball skills to prepare them for a future as a college student athlete. The organization has had over 100 players play at the collegiate level and is recognized as one of the top softball organizations in the Gulf Coast Region.
Their goal is to provide athletes an opportunity to compete at the highest level possible by playing the most competitive tournaments throughout the southeast. The 2014 West Florida Elite class had 18 players sign a National Letter of Intent to play at the next level.
Tryouts for 12U will be held Saturday, December 6 at 9:30 a.m. at Tate High School. Tryouts for 14U will be 2:30 p.m. on December 13; tryouts for 16U will be December 14 at 9:30 a.m.; and tryouts for 18U will be held December 14 at 2:30 p.m. at Tate.
For more information and a registration form, click here.
An Old Fashioned Canoe Christmas Celebration
December 5, 2014
It was an old fashioned Christmas celebration Thursday night a dozens friends and neighbors came together with the Canoe (AL) Civic Club. The group sang Christmas carols, ate great food and just enjoyed spending time with friends and neighbors from Canoe, Bratt, Walnut Hill and surrounding areas in a celebration reminiscent of community gatherings from days gone by.
The dinner table included everything from fried chicken, chicken and dumplings to fruit cake and cake pops.
Mike Hanks from the First Baptist Church of Bratt led the crowd in Christmas carols as his wife Gayle Hanks played the piano, and a group from the Walnut Hill Mennonite Church treated the crowd to Christmas carols.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Marcella Wilson, click to enlarge.
Video: Northview Band Christmas Variety Show
December 5, 2014
Northview High School Christmas Variety Show, December 4, 2014
(If you do not see a video above, it is because your home, school or work firewall is blocking external videos.)
Dispose Of Hazardous Waste, Electronics, Tires Saturday For Free
December 5, 2014
The Escambia County Department of Solid Waste will host a Regional Roundup Saturday, December 6 from 8 a.m. until noon at the Perdido Landfill, 13009 Beulah Road. The Regional Roundup event will provide an opportunity to residents to dispose of electronics, household hazardous waste, shoes and up to four tires per vehicle for free of charge.
Businesses and residents can dispose of all types of clean, dry, recyclable electronics including computers, monitors and terminals, keyboards, mice, printers, TVs, copiers, gaming systems, remotes, fax machines, VCRs, stereo systems, cell phones and telephones. Electronics that have been gutted will not be accepted. Businesses with large amounts of electronics should call the Department of Solid Waste Management to make an appointment to dispose of those items at the Perdido Landfill. Appliances, including fans and air conditioners, are not accepted.
Household Hazardous Waste items can cause injury if handled improperly. These items will usually have a warning or cautionary statement on their labels, such as flammable, corrosive, poison or toxic and include items such as swimming pool chemicals, cleaners, drain openers, paint and paint products, fuels, gases, lawn and garden chemicals, aerosol cans and automotive repair and maintenance products.
Shoes are also collected for the Soles4Souls program, which accepts donated shoes for the less fortunate. Donated shoes should be bound together with a rubber band.
All electronic, household hazardous waste and tires are recycled.
For more information about Regional Roundup events, proper disposal of waste or to make an appointment for a business electronics drop-off, contact the Escambia County Department of Solid Waste Management at (850) 937-2160.
School Officials Warn Parents About “After School” App
December 4, 2014
The Escambia County School District is warning parents to be aware of a new app that can be used for cyberbulling and other inappropriate activity.
The app, called “After School – Funny Anonymous School News For Confessions and Compliments.” According to the school district, the app is described as “an anonymous and private message board for your school” and can be downloaded to an iPhone, iPod or through Safari (a web browser developed by Apple) and accessed via Facebook. In some cases, graphic and sexually explicit videos have been posted and then followed by students displaying inappropriate comments, sometimes about students in their own or neighboring schools.
“As you can imagine, this can be distressing for students, some of whom are following this site just to ensure no one is making comments about them,” said Superintendent Malcolm Thomas. “What is different about this site, and makes it even more troubling, is that posts are made anonymously, unlike other social media sites where you can trace a username back to an email account. Because of the way this site functions, there is little the district can do if a student is being targeted, because the person posting the comments cannot be identified.”
The app is is no way associated with the school district.
“This app has caused so much difficulty, in so little time, that I want to reach out to our students, staff, district families, and the community to ask everyone to help monitor this app and to eliminate its use,” added Thomas.
The app has been blocked on school Wi-fi networks, and principals have been instructed to warn their students that use of this app on the personal devices on campus will result in disciplinary action.
“We are hoping that everyone will help us with the monitoring and elimination of this app from all student-owned devices. As your superintendent, as a father and grandfather, I am asking for your help. There are too many risks associated with this app to make it worth keeping,” concluded Thomas.
The “After School” app is no longer available for download from the Apple Store, but officials caution it may still be on students’ devices.
Christmas Memories: Antique Nativity Scene Back On Display In Century
December 4, 2014
A Nativity scene that was first displayed at a Century home over 50 years ago is once again shining bright this Christmas season.
“‘When my sisters and I were children, the Christmas season started for us when Mr. & Mrs. Straughn put their nativity up,” Leslie Gonzalez, now town clerk, said.
Bill and Sarah Straughn first displayed the Nativity scene in 1963 on their screened-in porch on State Line Road, just around the curve from Highway 29 behind what was then Straughn’s Hardware, now a laundromat and self-storage facility.
Now, decades later, their granddaughter Joan Carnley and her husband Hal have moved in and fixed up the family home — and returned the manger scene to display with the help of her parents, Cal and Carol Turner.
“Mom and Dad came and spent Thanksgiving with us so we set it up together,” said Joan Carnley. “Mom said grandmother went out and bought it for my sister Judy and me in 1963. We were living here at the time while my dad was in Vietnam. When we came home at Christmas through later years we always ran to see Baby Jesus. Just a simple manger scene but it evokes memories and feelings of love, family, peace and homecomings.”
Have a Christmas story to share? Email news@NorthEscambia.com.
Pictured: An antique Nativity scene out once again at a home on State Line Road in Century, over 50 years since it was first displayed. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.