Photos: Escambia Academy Wins State Championship
November 24, 2014
The Escambia Academy Cougars from Canoe, AL, won the AISA Class AAA state championship Friday night with a 35-28 defeat of Bessemer Academy at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy, AL.
For a bonus photo gallery, click here.
For the game story, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Ditto Gorme, click to enlarge.
Former Principal’s Wooden Santas On Display At Molino Library
November 24, 2014
Hand-carved wooden Santas created by a former principal are on display this month at the Molino Branch Library.
Dale Cooey was principal of Molino Elementary School and Molino Park Elementary School from 1997-2007, and was also principal at Barrineau Park Elementary school during the consolidation into Molino Park. He apprenticed under his uncle was a master wood carver.
Through a one year grant from the Florida Folk Art Association, Cooey and his uncle began showing their carvings and received several blue ribbons. The “Santa with the Tree” carving included in the display case won a blue ribbon this year at the Pensacola State Fair. His carvings are made from cypress knees and bass wood.
Pictured: Wooden Santas on display at the Molino Branch Library. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Lifts Ban On Silencers For Hunting Deer, Other Game
November 24, 2014
Florida hunters can now muffle their shots when hunting deer, gray squirrels, rabbits, wild turkeys, quail and crows.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Friday agreed, with little comment, to issue an order that immediately removes a prohibition on the use of noise-suppressors, or silencers, with rifles and pistols.
Florida becomes the 33rd state to allow the noise-suppressors for game hunting.
Florida had been the only state in the Southeast to have such a ban, which was lifted at the request of hunters, said Diane Eggeman, director of the agency’s Division of Hunting and Game Management.
Eggeman said silencers cut noise by about 30 decibels, and it’s a common misconception that such noise-suppressers eliminate sound from the weapon.
“You can hear it from a long way away,” Eggeman said. “It’s a significant noise.”
Florida already allows the use of suppressors on shotguns for game hunting. A suppressor can also be placed on a rifle or pistol when hunting on private lands for non-game wildlife, including hogs and armadillos.
During the commission meeting, held in Key Largo, Fish and Wildlife staff and a couple of hunters defended the proposal as a means to protect hunters’ hearing, lessen the impact of hunting on others and help while introducing people to the sport.
Buck Holly, an owner of C&H Precision Weapons in LaBelle, told the commission that silencers also improve communications among hunters in the field, and he noted his 17-year-old daughter prefers using a silencer on a rifle as it reduces the recoil and sound.
“None of my kids are afraid to hunt with rifles because there is no longer the loud bang,” Holly said. “There is not a lot of recoil, they all think it’s fun.”
Holly added there has been an uptick in silencer sales in Hendry County in anticipation of the prohibition being lifted.
Concerns have been expressed to the commission that lifting the ban would reduce safety and increase opportunities for illegal activities. But Eggeman said wildlife officials from other states haven’t reported an increase in illegal activities as few hunters use suppressors because they are expensive and highly regulated.
To purchase a silencer, a hunter must pay a $200 registration fee with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and pass an FBI background check.
The cost of a rifle suppressor has been estimated between $450 and $2,000.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Video: Kitchen Fire Demonstration
November 23, 2014
A grease fire and residential sprinkler system demonstration. Click here to return to story.
(If you do not see the video above, it is because your home, school or work firewall is blocking YouTube videos.)
Video: Christmas Tree Fire
November 23, 2014
A Christmas tree fire demonstration. Click here to return to story.
(If you do not see the video above, it is because your home, school or work firewall is blocking YouTube videos.)
Molino Fire Holds Live Burn Demonstrations (With Fire Videos)
November 23, 2014
The Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue held an open house and special fire safety demonstrations Saturday.
In live burn scenarios, the department demonstrated holiday and winter fire dangers in the home — from grease fires and a toaster fire in a mock kitchen to a dried-out Christmas tree in a living room setup.
In less than two minutes, a live Christmas tree that had been improperly watered became a raging inferno, filling an entire living room with fire. Click here to watch video.
A grease fire exploded into a tower of flames when water was incorrectly used on the flames. And in a second kitchen demonstration, a residential sprinkler system installed by Living Water Fire Protection of Molino quickly put out an appliance fire. Click here to watch video.
Organizers said they plan to have future live demonstrations to promote fire safety in the local community.
Pictured top and inset: A small fire on a dry Christmas tree explodes in just minutes into a raging inferno. Pictured below: The incorrect use of water to extinguish a grease fire results in a tower of flames. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Motorcyclist Airlifted To Hospital After Crash
November 23, 2014
One person was injured in a single motorcycle accident near Bratt Saturday morning.
The accident occurred about 9:50 a.m. on North Pine Barren Road just south of Highway 168. The motorcyclist failed to properly negotiate a curve, lost control and ran off the roadway. He was airlifted by Life Flight to Baptist Hospital in Pensacola in serious condition.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Atmore Ambulance responded to the call. Further details have not been released by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Northescambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Patchy Fog Overnight
November 23, 2014
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 57. South wind around 10 mph.
- Monday Mostly sunny, with a high near 71. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph.
- Monday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 41. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Tuesday A 20 percent chance of showers after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 59. North wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Tuesday Night A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39. North wind around 5 mph.
- Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 59. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
- Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 38. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
- Thanksgiving Day Sunny, with a high near 62. West wind around 5 mph.
- Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 39.
- Friday Sunny, with a high near 62.
- Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 40.
- Saturday Sunny, with a high near 64.
Firefighters Hold Annual Toy Drive For Needy Kids
November 23, 2014
The Atmore Fire Department held their annual toy drive Saturday in Atmore, collecting Christmas toys for needy children in the Atmore area. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Weekend Gardening: What To Do Before November’s End
November 23, 2014
Here is your November gardening calendar from the University of Florida/IFAS Extension:
What to Plant
- Bedding Plants: Create a display of fall colors with cool season plants. Some to try are pansy, viola, and chrysanthemum.
- Bulbs: Bulbs to plant this month include amaryllis, crinum, and daylily. Plant Lycoris (spider lily) in partial shade. Plants will produce foliage in winter and beautiful red flowers emerge in late summer.
- Herbs: Continue planting herbs from seeds or plants. A wide variety of herbs like cooler, dryer weather, including cilantro, dill, fennel, parsley, sage, and thyme.
- Vegetables: Continue planting cool season crops such as beet, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, kale, and lettuce.
What to Do
- Citrus: If freezing temperatures are predicted, protect small citrus trees by watering well at least a day before the freeze. You may also use covers that extend to the
- ground for protection.
- Scale on ornamental plants: Now that temperatures are lower, use dormant oil sprays to control scale insects on trees and shrubs.
- Irrigation: Plants need less supplemental watering in cooler weather. Turn off systems and water only if needed.
- Flowering Trees: Taiwan cherry is an ornamental cherry suitable for north Florida. Late winter will bring pink buds so consider planting one now.
- Birds: As you prune your plants during the cooler months, make a small brush pile in the back of the yard for birds.
- Camellias: Add some of the new cultivars for bright spots of color in winter. Disbudding, or removing some buds now, will insure larger blooms later.
What to Do Every Month
- Adjust irrigation based on rainfall.
- Deadhead flowers to encourage new blooms.
- Monitor the garden for insects and disease.
- Plant trees, shrubs, and perennials and water until established.