Perfect Thanksgiving Weather
November 25, 2015
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. East wind 5 to 15 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 52. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thanksgiving Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 72. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 54. East wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 72. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 57. East wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 72.
Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59.
Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 68.
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas In Century
November 25, 2015
A work crew from the Town of Century and work release prisoners from the Century Correctional Institution were hard at work Tuesday erecting Christmas decorations in the Nadine McCaw Park on North Century Boulevard. While the decorations will be lit prior to the event, an official tree lighting ceremony will be held in the park at 6 p.m. December 3. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate’s Branden Fryman Signs With Samford University
November 25, 2015
Tate High School senior Branden Fryman signed a letter of intent Tuesday to play baseball for Samford University in Birmingham. Fryman hit .400 last year as a junior. The Aggies shortstop is the son of Travis Fryman who spent 12 years in the majors with the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Indians, and he was named an all-star five times. Photos courtesy Tate Baseball for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Turkey Time Cooking Tips
November 25, 2015
It’s Thanksgiving, time for family and friends to gather and give thanks. And time for cooks to ponder the correct way to prepare their turkey.
Today, we are taking a look at the proper way to cook your turkey with tips from Dorothy Lee, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent for the Escambia County Extension Office.
Clean
Begin every meal preparation with clean hands, and wash hands frequently to prevent any cross contamination. As a rule, hands that have come in contact with raw meat or poultry should be washed for twenty seconds in hot, soapy water.
Separate
Raw meat and poultry products may contain harmful bacteria, so make certain that the juices from those products do not come in contact with food that will be eaten without cooking, like the salad. Also, never place cooked food on an unwashed plate that previously held raw meat or poultry.
Cook
Use of food thermometer should be a standard operating procedure in your kitchen and, when used correctly, will ensure that your turkey is cooked to perfection. To be safe, the temperature of a whole turkey should reach 180°F between the breast and the innermost part of the thigh.
If you stuff your turkey, the center of the stuffing must reach 165°F. If the stuffing has not reached 165°F, then continue cooking the turkey until it does. Let the turkey stand twenty minutes after removal from the oven before carving.
Chill
This is another important step because food-borne bacteria can grow while food sits unrefrigerated. Refrigerate or freeze perishable leftovers within two hours of cooking. To prepare your leftovers, remove any remaining stuffing from the cavity and cut turkey into small pieces. Slice the breast meat. Wings and legs may be left whole. Refrigerate stuffing and turkey separately in shallow containers.
Use or freeze leftover turkey and stuffing within three to four days, gravy within one to two days. Reheat thoroughly to a temperature of 165°F, or until hot and steaming.
For more information, call the Escambia County Extension office, (850) 475-5230.
Brothers Arrested For Weekend Motel Murder
November 24, 2015
Two suspects have been arrested in connection with a weekend murder in Escambia County.
Aaron Lee Durning, 34, and Daniel Lee Durning, 28 have been arrested in Marion County, FL. The brothers are charged in connection with the murder of 57-year old Lisa Barberi.
Barberi’s body was discovered about 11 a.m. Sunday morning by an employee of he Quality Inn on New Warrington Road. An investigation determined that Barberi was strangled to death, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The Durning brothers will be returned to Escambia County to face charges of first degree premeditated murder.
Further details on the case have not been released.
Two Injured In Crash Involving Sheriff’s Deputy
November 24, 2015
An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy and another man were injured in a two vehicle accident Monday night.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 68-year old Jams Mohr ran a stop sign with his 1996 Nissan Altima at the intersection of 72nd Avenue and Penton Street about 10:05 p.m. His vehicle struck a 2010 Chevrolet Tahoo driven by Deputy Brittany Tate, 24.
Mohr was transported to Baptist Hospital with minor injuries. Tate also suffered minor injuries but was not transported to the hospital.
Mohr was cited for running a stop sign, driving with an expired license and no proof of insurance, according to the FHP.
Scott Proposes $79.3 Billion Budget
November 24, 2015
Gov. Rick Scott on Monday proposed boosting the state budget by more than $1 billion in the year that begins July 1, saying the additional spending would help Florida prepare to weather the next recession.
Despite calling for slashing $1 billion in taxes, the spending plan Scott outlined in Jacksonville would increase the total price tag for state government to $79.3 billion, an increase from $78.2 billion in the budget year that ends June 30. In a brief speech, Scott touted his plans to cut taxes and spend on education and services for Floridians with disabilities.
He also pushed again for a plan to plow $250 million into a new “Florida Enterprise Fund” to give the state another tool to draw economic development projects.
Without mentioning them specifically, Scott pushed back against criticism from some lawmakers who have questioned the need for the increased economic-development funding.
“We’re competing. These are all competitive projects. … If we don’t have the money to invest, we’re not going to win,” Scott said.
Legislative leaders have also raised question about whether Scott’s tax-cut package, which he had already outlined before Monday’s event, was too large given pressures on the budget from areas like health care.
In education, Scott would try to revive a campaign promise to set a new record for per-student spending in public schools. His budget would set aside $7,221 per student, for a total of $20.2 billion. It would break the previous record for per-student funding, set nine years earlier, by $95.
Education advocates and critics, though, are likely to note that the new figure doesn’t account for inflation.
Continuing his stance from recent years, Scott’s budget also doesn’t include tuition increases for colleges or universities.
Scott’s administration also highlighted funding for the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, saying the budget proposal would get rid of the waiting list for “critical needs” services, though that would still leave thousands of Floridians on a list for lower-priority services.
Lawmakers will begin considering Scott’s budget proposal during the legislative session that begins in January.
New Potties: Century Receives Grant To Upgrade Bathroom Fixtures
November 24, 2015
The Town of Century recently received a grant to update plumbing fixtures at town hall to be ADA compliant and for energy and water conservation. The Preferred TIPS Program awarded the town $4,511 for the upgrades. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Growers Selected For Florida’s Medical Marijuana
November 24, 2015
Nearly a year behind schedule, Florida health officials on Monday selected five “dispensing organizations” to grow, process and distribute non-euphoric medical marijuana for a select group of sick patients.
But many in the industry believe that the biggest challenge in the drawn-out process is yet to come.
The five winners, who scored the highest of 28 applications, are Hackney Nursery in the Northwest region of the state; Chestnut Hill Tree Farm in the Northeast; Knox Nursery in the Central region; Alpha Foliage in the Southwest region; and Costa Nursery Farms in the Southeast region.
Hackney Nursery is located in Quincy.
Parents of children with severe epilepsy pushed for a 2014 law to legalize the purportedly non-euphoric marijuana — low in euphoria-inducing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, and high in cannabadiol, or CBD — and contended that it can end or dramatically reduce life-threatening seizures.
Sen. Rob Bradley, who was instrumental in passing the law, said he congratulated state Surgeon General John Armstrong early Monday morning. Applications for the licenses were due on July 8, and Bradley and other lawmakers had become frustrated that it was taking the Department of Health so long to pick the five dispensing organizations.
“I think now the attention should be focused on the industry to make sure that they cause no further delays and we move forward getting this product to these suffering families as quickly as possible,” Bradley, R-Fleming Island, said. “The department did its job. And now it’s time for the industry to step up. No further delays. Let’s move forward.”
But legal challenges over the awarding of the licenses are almost a given.
“It has always been anticipated that there will be challenges, and I’ve seen nothing in this process to persuade me that we will not see some of the winners challenged,” said Louis Rotundo, a lobbyist who represents the Florida Medical Cannabis Association and who also has a small ownership interest in at least one of the losing applicants.
Losers have 21 days to file challenges, but Patricia Nelson, a former director of the Department of Health’s Office of Compassionate Use who served on the three-member panel that graded the applications, said earlier this year that the challenges to the licenses will not hold up the process.
The winners of the licenses have 75 days to request “cultivation authorization” and, once that authorization has been granted, must begin dispensing the low-THC products within 210 days, meaning that the low-THC products could be on the shelves by next summer. The winners also have 10 business days to post $5 million performance bonds.
Meanwhile, losing applicants are trying to make sense of more than 600 pages of scorecards used to grade the applications by the panel comprised of Nelson; her successor, Christian Bax; and accountant Ellyn Hutson.
“I’ve got a number of calls from people trying to figure out how they got scored,” said Jeff Sharkey, a lobbyist who formed the Medical Marijuana Business Association of Florida and is affiliated with two nurseries that didn’t make the cut. “From that, people will make some decisions. Going back to growing tomatoes is option one. Option two is, some people have raised concerns about the perception of the nursery rulemaking committee and trying to figure out their scores and whether or not there are grounds for a protest. That’s kind of a normal review process for folks who’ve lost.”
Implementation of the law has been delayed due to legal challenges and an administrative law judge, who last year rejected the Department of Health’s first stab at a rule that would have used a lottery system to choose the license winners.
The department then held a rare “negotiated rulemaking workshop” — comprised of industry insiders, including Florida nurseries and marijuana experts from other states — to craft the regulations for the state’s marijuana industry.
Under the law passed last year and approved by Gov. Rick Scott, only nurseries that have been in business in Florida for at least 30 years and grow a minimum of 400,000 plants at the time they applied for a license were eligible to become one of the five dispensing organizations.
The nurseries teamed up with a variety of consultants, including out-of-state marijuana growers, in the hopes of edging out the competition.
Four of the five winners of the licenses — Chestnut Hill, Costa, Hackney and Knox — were represented on the rulemaking committee.
One of the most high-profile losers among the 28 applications was Loop’s Nursery, a Jacksonville grower that teamed up with the Stanley Brothers, a Colorado family that developed the “Charlotte’s Web” strain of cannabis whose name has become almost synonymous with low-THC, high-CBD medical marijuana.
Peyton Moseley, the husband of committee member Holley Moseley, is also part of Loop’s team. Holley Moseley heads up the “Realm of Caring Florida” non-profit organization also linked with the nursery. The Moseleys lobbied fiercely for the low-THC law on behalf of their daughter, RayAnn, last year.
Nearly all of the winners are represented by some of Tallahassee’s most influential lobbyists. Costa is represented by the Southern Strategy Group, while lobbyist Brian Ballard represents Hackney and Jorge Chamizo is the registered lobbyist for Knox Nurseries.
Alpha Foliage, owned by John and Carolyn DeMott, applied in two separate regions. The nursery has partnered with Surterra Florida, a limited liability corporation whose officers include two Atlanta investors also seeking to establish a footprint in Georgia’s nascent medical-marijuana industry. Alex Havenick, whose mother Barbara owns greyhound tracks in Naples and Miami, is also one of the officers of the Florida group. The nursery is also affiliated with Surterra Holdings, represented by lobbyists Ron Book and Billy Rubin.
Many of the applicants had applied for the low-THC licenses in the hope of expanding their businesses in the event that a constitutional amendment legalizing full-strength medical marijuana passed. That amendment narrowly failed last year, but a nearly identical measure is almost certain to go before voters next November.
Jim Allen Elementary’s Saturday Scholars Graduate
November 24, 2015
Fifty-eight students from Jim Allen Elementary School graduated from the Saturday Scholars Program in a ceremony held at the Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola chapel recently.
Center for Information Dominance (CID) Unit Corry Station continued a long tradition of partnering with the Escambia County school district to have volunteers spend Saturday mornings, mentoring students and exploring science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts. The program has been in place for 31 years with a command from NAS Pensacola Corry Station supporting a session at a different school each spring and fall, with this fall marking the 61st session.
“The program’s great, the sailors enjoy it, and I think the best part about it is the elementary school kids,” said Cryptologic Technician (Technical) 1st Class Phillip Higgins, an instructor at CID Unit Corry Station and assistant coordinator for the Saturday Scholars Program. “They are just constantly smiling and constantly excited when we arrive. I hear they are all doing better at math and science, too.”
For four consecutive Saturdays, the children investigated stations side by side with their mentors around STEM topics such as the water cycle and building model bridges to foster critical-thinking and teamwork skills. They played math-based games in small groups in a math room, and a computer lab offered academic skills and basic computing games. An outside station allowed the students and mentors to play a sport, such as basketball and kickball. [Click here for an earlier NorthEscambia.com story.]
“The difference that we see in some students is remarkable, as they learn about not only the military and the world, as we have some students who have never even left Cantonment, but they also learn so much about how to interact with others and handle themselves socially,” said Rachel Watts, principal of Jim Allen Elementary School in Cantonment “Children who have this opportunity get transformed by the process, and the impact is long lasting.”
For the mentors, who were Navy “A” and “C” school students at CID Unit Corry Station, the experience was a new opportunity to reconnect with a younger generation and make a difference in a child’s life.
“I’ve never been involved in a volunteer program of this nature,” said Cryptologic Technician (Technical) Seaman Apprentice Michael Alves. “Interaction with children is important, as you get so used to interacting with people your age on base and (are) constantly in a learning environment, you don’t really know what’s it’s like to be a kid, so it brings you back. It’s fun.”
For Cryptologic Technician (Technical) Seaman Apprentice Jordyn Calhoun, the time spent with her student helped her appreciate the opportunity to motivate or inspire others, particularly for students who have a lot going on in their lives.
“I’ve worked with one particular student, and he’s going through some personal issues, so it’s really nice to see that he opens up and that he has some sort of fun,” said Calhoun, during the fourth Saturday session. “When I first started, and he was just starting too, he did not seem very interested or into it. But now when I see him, he just looks so happy, and he really looks like he’s enjoying himself.”
Following the graduation, the students and their mentors spent time exploring the National Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola, which many of the students had never visited.
“The other magical aspect of the program is seeing the Sailors grow and learn from our kids as well,” said Watts. “It’s just a great program for everyone involved, and we couldn’t be happier to be a part of it.”
Saturday Scholars is an example of the Navy Community Service’s Personal Excellence Partnership Program, which strives for excellence in developing the youth of surrounding communities by promoting academic achievement, healthy lifestyles and civic responsibility.