Cruce, Singleton Place In Speaking Events At FFA Districts
January 26, 2015
Two Northview High School students recently placed in FFA District One competitions. Mitchell Singleton placed second in the district in Prepared Public Speaking, while Tiffani Cruce placed first in the district for Extemporaneous Speaking and will advance to the finals during the State FFA Convention in June. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate’s Burks Signs With Florida Gulf Coast Community College
January 26, 2015
Tate High School senior Samantha Burks signed a letter of intent recently with Florida Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City. Joining her for the signing were here family Mark, Donna, Carla and Abbie; grandfather Waylon Burks, great uncle Donald Burks and grandparents Rebecca and Barry Millette. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
One Killed In Saturday Night Single Vehicle Crash
January 25, 2015
One person was killed in a single vehicle crash Saturday night on County Road 97 near Cantonment.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 22-year old Jonathon J. Hall was southbound in a 2006 Pontiac SUV near Devine Farm Road about 6:15 p.m. when he traveled off the roadway for an unknown reason. The SUV overturned, coming to rest on its side. Hall was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected.
Hall was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital were he was pronounced deceased. His passenger, 20-year old Jocelyn Mercer, of Pensacola was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in serious condition.
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Reader submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Man Dies After Being Struck By A Train
January 25, 2015
An Escambia County man has died from injuries he received Saturday when he was struck by a train while alongside railroad tracks.
Pensacola Police Department Sgt. Leon Martin said Blake Austin Doyle, 29, passed away about 9:00 Saturday night. He was walking beside train tracks right at the edge of the rail just after 5 p.m. in the 200 block of Chipley Avenue. Martin said a witness told police he was walking his dog and saw Doyle just prior to the incident.
The witness said Doyle was wearing headphones and had a camera around his neck while he was walking. Martin said the train was unable to stop, struck Doyle and threw him about 40 feet.
No charges will be filed, according to police.
McDavid Convicted Sex Offender Arrested
January 25, 2015
A McDavid sex offender was arrested for failing to register as required.
Joseph Matthew Trump, age 39 of 2131 South Century Boulevard, was charged with the felony registration violation and released from the Escambia County Jail on $2,500 bond.
Trump was convicted in Escambia County of a lewd or lascivious act on a child under 16 in October of 1999 and previously served a five year, 10 month sentence in prison, according to FDLE and Department of Corrections records.
Man Gets Life For Molino Murder
January 25, 2015
Zachary Greer has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2013 first degree murder of Harvey Ray Smith.
His co-defendant, 24-year old Debra Burge, has pleaded no contest in September to a lesser charge of second degree murder charge in the death of Harvey Ray Smith. She will be sentenced this week.
The body of Smith, age 43 of Pace, was found stuffed into a trunk behind a Motel 6 on Davis Highway on the morning of May4, 2013. Smith had been reported missing in Santa Rosa County. Family members located his vehicle at the motel and then discovered the body.
Reports state Burge and Greer conspired to rob Smith. Burge allegedly lured Smith, her acquaintance, to her home in the 3900 block of Highway 97 in Molino. She told deputies she went inside while Smith and Greer remained outside. When she later exited the home, she found Smith on the ground of the Molino home bleeding. She told Sheriff’s investigators that Greer told her he stabbed Smith and put his body in the trunk of the car that was later driven to the Motel 6 on Davis Highway in Pensacola.
Greer was convicted of first degree murder in a jury trial.
Man Charged With Beating Death
January 25, 2015
A man is being held in the Escambia County Jail after being arrested Saturday on a homicide charge by Pensacola Police.
Kenneth Salter, 69, no permanent address, was charged in connection with the murder of Winston D. Smith, 73, of the 900 block of Bayou Boulevard. Smith died Thursday afternoon in a local hospital.
Sgt. Kristin Brown said Smith had allowed Salter to stay in his house for awhile and that the men got into an argument January 12 when Smith told him he had to move out. Brown said that during the argument, Salter struck Smith several times in the head with an object and then left the residence.
Smith’s son found him injured in the home on Tuesday and called for an ambulance to take his father to the hospital. Police were notified about the incident on Wednesday. Detectives Jonathan Thacker and Chad Willhite developed Salter as a suspect during the investigation. Salter was found Saturday morning in a vacant house in the 400 block of West Jackson Street.
Fun, Strange, Even Weird Things Happening This Week At Elementary Schools
January 25, 2015
Elementary school students in Escambia may do things that seem a little strange, or dress a little weird, this week — and it’s all in the name of reading.
This is Literacy Week, with special events planned at most elementary schools in the county. Here are a few highlights from North Escambia are schools:
- Bratt Elementary – Students will drop everything and read each day, and volunteers will read to classes during the week. Students will chill out with a good book, along with winter scarves, hats and mittens on Monday. There will be popcorn for reading, hunting in camo clothing for a good book and read my shirt on Tuesday when students will read other’s shirts and use the vocabulary.
- Byrneville Elementary — Students will Read the Day Away on Thursday with visiting readers and enjoy Family Literacy Night. On Friday, students will take part in a vocabulary parade.
- Jim Allen Elementary — There will be special guest and buddy readers during the week, an author study and more.
- Lipscomb Elementary — Events will include buddy reading, teacher swap, a door contest and drop everything to read.
- McArthur Elementary — Students will take part in a read aloud day, awesome author’s day, learn cold hard facts, fantastic fiction and pajamas and poetry day.
- Molino Park Elementary — The week’s events will begin with a “Read Like Crazy” flash mob, dress up, a graffiti board, a read-a-thon with lasers lights and more.
- Pine Meadow Elementary — The week will be celebrated with decorated classroom doors, on-going literacy activities and a literacy night on Thursday.
For more information on Literacy Week or any of the activities, visit your child’s school website or call the school.
Stop Crape Murder: Don’t Cut Back Your Myrtles
January 25, 2015
by the Santa Rosa County Extension Service
Proper pruning is one of the most misunderstood of all gardening practices, yet it is one of the most important procedures in a landscape. A common victim of bad, improper pruning is the crape myrtle. Crape myrtles will occasionally need pruning to obtain the desired landscape effect, but many times these plants are butchered for no good reason.
According to Dan Gill, LSU Ag Center Horticulturist, an unfortunate trend in crape myrtle pruning is to lop off their tops, which results in a tree reduced to large branches ending in stubs. The lush growth that occurs at these cut sites appears vigorous but is actually structurally weak and more susceptible to fungus diseases such as powdery mildew. And when pruning is conducted improperly over several years, unsightly large, swollen knobs form at the point where pruning is done each year.
Flowers are not the only virtue of this tree. Many varieties have beautiful bark and growth habits that can be enjoyed all year if trees are not heavily pruned.
Crape murder
This unsightly, ugly pruning known as crape murder is not recommended. Once it’s done, it ruins the tree’s graceful natural shape for the rest of its life.
Often gardeners think they are supposed to prune their crape myrtles that way, and nothing could be farther from the truth. Many think that crape myrtles need to be cut way back to bloom well. This is not accurate. The flower clusters may be larger on lopped trees, but the added weight on the ends of long branches causes them to bend over awkwardly, especially after it rains. And since the tree is smaller, it actually produces fewer flower clusters.
Many people say they need to cut a crape myrtle back because of its size. If the height of the crape myrtle is not causing a problem with a nearby structure or power lines, there is little reason to reduce the tree’s height. To cut a crape myrtle back for the vague reason of “it just seems too large” ignores the fact that these plants are trees. They are supposed to be large.
To prune a crape myrtle properly, first decide if it needs to be pruned. As with any pruning project, you must have a specific, valid purpose in mind before you begin. In other words, if you can’t come up with a good reason to prune your tree – leave it alone. If you do see something that calls for pruning, study the tree carefully and determine what needs to be pruned to accomplish the specific purpose identified.
There are a few valid reasons for pruning a crape myrtle. One reason is to eliminate crossed and rubbing branches because rubbing branches can lead to open wounds.
Over time, branches that are too low on the trunk will need to be pruned to raise the canopy. We often need to remove weak, thin branches from the inner part of the tree to produce a cleaner-looking tree. Selected branches may need to be pruned back to a side branch or the trunk to create a shapelier tree. Of course, you need to prune to keep suckers removed from the base of the trunk.
Generally, avoid cutting back or shortening branches much larger than your finger, although cutting larger branches back to a side branch or to the trunk when needed is fine.
Visitors to our area often marvel over our crape myrtles. During summer, their colorful flowers, attractive bark and beautiful shape make them among our most valuable landscape plants. Please appreciate this – and stop the unfortunate trend of hacking them back.
Pictured top: Crape myrtle trees do not need pruning for new growth. Pictured below: These Crape myrtles were ruined with unnecessary topping. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com.
Weber Performs With All State High School Honors Band
January 25, 2015
David Weber of Northview High School was chosen to be in the All State High School Honors Band. He recently traveled to Tampa to the Florida Music Educators Association Professional Development Conference and All-State Concerts to perform with 123 other students from across the state. Pictured below: Weber performs with guest conductor Barry L. Houser from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com click to enlarge.
