Holiday Closings, Trash Schedules
November 25, 2015
The following will be closed in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
- Escambia County Schools (Wed-Fri)
- Santa Rosa County Schools (Wed-Fri)
- Escambia (Fla. & Ala.) and Santa Rosa county offices (Thur-Fri)
- Century, Jay, Milton, Pensacola, Atmore, Flomaton city offices (Thur-Fri)
- Perdido Landfill (Thurs, landfill open Fri)
- Santa Rosa Landfill (Thurs, landfill open Fri)
- U.S. Post Office — retail windows closed, no mail delivery or collection (Thur)
- Florida state offices (Thur-Fri)
- Federal offices (Thur-Fri)
- No bus service from ECAT on Thursday, regular service Friday
- West Florida Public Libraries, including Century and Molino branches(Thur-Fri)
ECUA Garbage Escambia County:
All residential sanitation, recycling, and yard trash collections for ECUA customers that would normally be made on Thursday, Nov. 26, or Friday, Nov. 27 will be made one day later, on Friday, Nov. 27 or Saturday, Nov. 28, respectively.
All commercial sanitation collections for ECUA customers that would normally be made on Thursday, Nov. 26 will be made one day earlier, on Wednesday, Nov. 25. There are no changes to the schedule for commercial services scheduled on Friday, Nov. 28, or Saturday, November 29.
ECUA Customers, North Santa Rosa County:
There will be no garbage or yard trash collection on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26. Garbage and yard trash will be collected on the next normally scheduled collection day for that route (Monday). Recycling collection scheduled for Thursday, November 26, will be collected on Saturday, November 28, 2015.
There are NO CHANGES to Tuesday and Friday collections, which are unaffected by the holiday schedule change.
Holiday Cooking Can Be Bad For ECUA Sewers And Home Plumbing
November 25, 2015
The Thanksgiving holiday means special times with family, friends, lots of delicious food and the potential for sanitary sewage overflows (SSOs). No matter how the meal is prepared, it will certainly generate fats, oils and grease, or FOG, Which can be damaging to the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority sewer system and your household plumbing.
Keep your plumbing and the sewer system free from blockages and overflows by properly disposing of FOG this holiday season. Many homeowners may be surprised to learn that pouring the fatty remains of culinary delights down the kitchen drain can result in costly and unpleasant SSOs. Besides the mess, untreated sewage can cause health hazards and threaten the environment. Overflows can also require expensive cleanup.
Cooks should avoid depositing other oil-based foods down the drain and garbage disposal. No-nos include fatty substances such as lards or shortening, butter or margarine, food scraps, dairy products, batter and icing, salad dressings and sauces. For more information on ways to keep your kitchen clean and green, visit www.ecua.fl.gov.
Conscientious cooks should:
- Throw food scraps in the trash
- Use a paper towel to wipe away residue from serving dishes and plates
- Rinse these items over a sink strainer to catch and dispose of any remaining food particles
Any grease left-over from holiday cooking should be poured into a heat-safe can, place it in the freezer to cool and harden, and toss the can out with regular garbage. If you’re planning to deep-fry a turkey, put the used fryer oil back in its original container or use an ECUA Cooking Oil Disposal Container. Drop it off at an ECUA Disposal Station to be recycled into biodiesel fuel. ECUA has several conveniently placed stations throughout the community:
Clean & Green
3303 North Davis Highway
Baskerville Donovan Engineering
449 West Main Street
ECUA at Ellyson Industrial Park
9255 Sturdevant Street
ECUA Sanitation Department
3050 Godwin Lane
ECUA Bayou Marcus Water Reclamation Facility
3050 Fayal Drive
Pensacola Beach on Via de Luna Drive
Between Pensacola Beach Elementary School and Our Lady of Assumption Catholic Church
NAS Pensacola (Military and Base Personnel ONLY)
Andrew Jackson Court
Fort Santa Maria de Galve Hase Road
Slemmer Avenue
Murray Street and Billingsley Street
Corry Field Housing at NAS Corry Station
Escambia County Sheriff’s Sub Station Serving Perdido Key & Grand Lagoon
12950 Gulf Beach Highway
For additional information visit the ECUA website www.ecua.fl.gov or call ECUA Customer Service (850) 476-0480.
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.