Photo Gallery: Celebrating Mayfest
May 8, 2016
From beautiful babies, cute dogs, arts and crafts, entertainment and plenty of fun, Mayfest 2016 had a little bit of something for everyone Saturday at Tom Byrne Park in Thousands attended the annual event.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Crawfish Festival Held In Molino
May 8, 2016
The Molino Crawfish Festival was held Saturday at Jimmy’s Grill. In addition to crawfish with potatoes and corn, the festival included gumbo and crawfish chowder. There was also Cajun music during the afternoon. Photos by Michael Pevahouse for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Man Arrested After Attic Standoff With Deputies
May 8, 2016
A battery suspect was arrested Saturday afternoon after a nearly two hour standoff with deputies Saturday afternoon.
Phillip Jernigan, 29, reportedly hid in the attic of a home in the 4300 block of Wycliff Drive off Johnson Avenue when deputies arrived to arrest him on an outstanding warrant.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office eventually fired tear gas into the attic, forcing Jernigan to come down out of the attic and surrender. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail where remained without bond Sunday morning.
Jernigan was charged with domestic battery by strangulation, possession of a weapon by convicted felon and resisting an officer.
Clouds Tonight Low 66
May 8, 2016
After about a week of beautiful blue skies and cooler temperatures, our weather is slowly headed back to warm and humid this week. Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. South wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 63. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. South wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. South wind around 5 mph becoming west after midnight.
Friday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61. North wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 84.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 85.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 63.
Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 83.
Group Backs Out Of Plans To Help With Century Tornado Recovery
May 7, 2016
A team of college students scheduled to help with tornado recovery efforts in Century have canceled their plans.
In March, Greg Strader, director of BRACE (Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies), updated the Century Town Council on long term recovery efforts and announced that the National Relief Network planned to send a team of college students from Eastern Kentucky University to help with recovery efforts in Century May 15-20. He said the team specializes in demolishing damaged homes while reclaiming as many building materials as practical. They can also assist with roof repairs, hanging drywall and other tasks.
But Century Mayor Freddie McCall has updated his council with the news that the team of college students have backed out of the trip due to a lack of funding.
On February 15, the Town of Century was struck by an EF-3 tornado that had winds estimated to be up to 155 miles per hour that damaged or totally destroyed 109 structures. Many of the homeowners did not have insurance.
Incumbent State Attorney, Public Defender Running Unopposed
May 7, 2016
With the end of qualifying at noon Friday, the local state attorney and public defender were officially running unopposed.
The incumbents who clinched another term in the 1st Judicial Circuit. were State Attorney William (Bill) Eddins and Public Defender Bruce Miller.
There were 12 state attorney candidates statewide that did not draw opposition. There are 14 public defenders across the state running without opposition.
Pictured: State Attorney Bill Eddins. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Northview Presents ‘Into the Woods’
May 7, 2016
Northview High School presented two performance of their spring play “Into the Woods”.
In the play, a childless baker and his wife endeavored to lift their family curse by journeying into the woods, where they encountered Rapunzel (and her witchly “mother”), Cinderella, Jack (of Beanstalk fame), Little Red Riding Hood and other classic fairy tale characters, and they all learned the responsibility that comes with getting what you want.
“Into the Woods” cast members are:
Cinderella – Harmoni Till
Baker – Kyle Smith
Jack – DeJaunte Lowery
Little Red Riding Hood – Jordan Taylor
Baker’s Wife – Brianna Smith
Witch – Maddi Weber
Jack’s Mother – Abbie Johnson
Narrator – Sarah Perritt
Cinderella’s Prince – Josh Poston
Rapunzel’s Prince – Tristan Long
Mysterious Man – Josh Bailey
Wolf – Evan Till
Rapunzel – Amber Freeman
Stewardess – Sarah Dutton
Milky White – Moriah McGahan
Granny – Emily Heard/ Amber Freeman
Florinda – Jessica Stacey
Lucinda – Jerni Crabtree
Cinderella’s Stepmother – Hadley Woodfin
Cinderella’s Father – Zach Holland
Cinderella’s Mother – Emily Heard/ Amber Freeman
Giant – Leah Fischer
Sleeping Beauty – Hannah Mascaro
Snow White – Gracee Johnson
Set Design: Linda Till, Dana Dutton, David Smith
Costumes: David and Tami Smith
Lights: Katie Born
Sound/Sound Effects: Jessica Amerson, Leah Fischer
Photos by Ellie Amerson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FDOT: Weekly Traffic Alerts
May 7, 2016
Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.
Escambia County:
- U.S. 29– Intermittent and alternating lane closures within the town of Century and from Champion Drive north continue.
- I-10/U.S. 29 Interchange Improvements – Alternating lane closures on I-10 near U.S. 29 (Exits 10A and 10B) Sunday, May 1 through Thursday, May 5 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. as crews perform resurfacing and shoulder work. The speed limit on I-10 will be reduced to 50 mph during this time.
- Interstate 10 (I-10) Widening – Intermittent and alternating lane closures, between State Road (S.R.) 291 (Davis Highway/Exit 13) and U.S. 90 (Scenic Highway/Exit 17), from 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. and on Scenic Highway near Whisper Way from 8:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. the week of Monday, May 2 as work continues to widen these highways.
Santa Rosa County:
- I-10 Widening – Alternating lane closures on I-10, between the Escambia Bay Bridge and S.R. 281 (Avalon Boulevard/Exit 22), from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, May 1 through Thursday, May 5 as work continues to widen this section of the interstate. In addition, alternating lane closures on Avalon Boulevard near the I-10 interchange as crews perform bridge work.
- S.R. 399 over U.S. 98 – Overnight repairs to the S.R. 399 southbound overpass over U.S. 98 will be in place from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. throughout the project. U.S. 98 will be reduced to one lane in each direction from Shoreline Drive to just east of S.R. 399 to allow westbound U.S. 98 traffic to be diverted to eastbound U.S. 98. Westbound U.S. 98 access to S.R. 399 will be closed. An on-site detour will direct traffic to turn left on Daniel Street, left on Shoreline Drive and then right on eastbound U.S. 98 to access S.R. 399 via the at grade on ramp.
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather. Drivers are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling in a work zone and to watch for construction workers and equipment entering and exiting the roadway.
Pictured: Work on the I-10 widening project at Scenic Highway in Escambia County. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Weekend Gardening: Tips For The Month Of May
May 7, 2016
The Escambia County Master Gardeners offer the following May lawn and garden tips:
- Continue planting summer annuals. Try one or two that you’ve never grown and/or one that is not available in stores as transplants.
- Plant heat-resistant summer flowering annuals such as begonias, impatiens, coleus, salvia, marigolds, torenia, verbena, ornamental peppers and gaillardia.
- Bulbs: Caladium, gladiolus.
- Vegetables: Continue planting warm weather seeds and transplants (Shade those transplants!). Use transplants for cherry tomatoes, eggplant and sweet potatoes. Plant seeds of lima beans, okra, southern peas: purple hull, crowder, etc.
- Prune and shape spring flowering shrubs and trees now. Later pruning may destroy next year’s blooms.
- Good cultural practices help maintain a healthy lawn and discourage insects and disease. Mow with a sharp blade. Centipedegrass should be cut to a height of 1½ to 2 inches. St. Augustinegrass normal growth habit cultivars should be cut to a height of 3 to 4 inches.
- Climbing roses are pruned after they finish blooming. Blooms form on one-year-old canes, so any older ones may be removed to make them more tidy. Cut each flowering stem back to the first five leaflet stem to encourage them to bloom again.Spray with horticultural oil or malathion for mites, scale and white flies, if insects are present, before it gets too hot (85 degrees).
- Yellow leaves on azaleas may mean they need iron. Apply iron sulphate or chelated iron.
- Feed citrus plants using special citrus fertilizer. Broadcast under the tree canopy and water in.
- Begin planting palms while the weather is warm and rainy.
- Make cuttings of azaleas, hollies, camellias, and other choice shrubs as new growth becomes half hardened.
- Take soft wood cuttings to root: alyssum, begonia, chrysanthemum, shrimp plant, dianthus, geranium, hibiscus, hydrangea, etc.
- Dig bulbs after foliage turns brown if they need to be divided or the space is needed for other plants. If the space isn’t needed, braid the foliage.
- Cut back the vines of Irish potatoes when they begin to die but leave the tubers in the ground for about two weeks longer to toughen the skin. Handle the potatoes carefully during digging, as skinned or bruised potatoes decay quickly when stored.
- Divide crowded and vigorously growing perennials.
- Promote continued flowering of bedding plants by removing faded blooms.
- Encourage coleus to branch and produce more colorful leaves by pinching off the flower stalks as they form.
- Prune poinsettias when new growth is 10-12 inches high (back to the last four leaves). Prune new growth at the base throughout the summer.
- Stop pruning after Labor Day.
- Keep roses watered, cut out weak spots, feed every six to eight weeks or at every new flush of growth, dust.
- For insect or disease problems in your garden, use the least toxic control possible.
Barrineau Park Historical Society Awards Scholarships
May 7, 2016
The Barrineau Park Historical Society presented three scholarships to area seniors Friday night.
- Haylee Wearver, Northview High School, was presented the Stephen S. Jogan Memorial Scholarship.
- Susanna Rogers, homeschooled, was presented the Barrineau Park Annual Scholarship.
- Bethany Reynolds, Northview High School, was presented the Lynda Minchew Memorial Scholarship.
Pictured above: (L-R) Susanna Rogers, Haylee Weaver, Bethany Reynolds and Craig Exner of the Barrineau Park Historical Society. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
