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.
Panhandle Equine Rescue Hosts Animal Cruelty Investigations School
May 7, 2016
Panhandle Equine Rescue in Cantonment recently welcomed an equine class from the American Animal Cruelty Investigations School and Texas Academy of Animal Control Officers.
This was a two day, 16-hour class designed for animal control and police officers or cruelty investigators who come into contact with horses during the course of their work. This in-depth course teaches officers every aspect of care requirements for equine.
The course was taught by Alan Spence, who has 30 years of law enforcement and animal husbandry experience.
Students included animal control officers and deputies from Alabama, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Escambia County Animal Control, and two prosecutors from the State Attorneys Office. PER Investigator Diane Lowery and Linda Lambert also attended the class.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Take Series 4-3 Over Biloxi
May 7, 2016
With highly acclaimed pitching prospects Rookie Davis and Josh Hader on the hill, both offenses hoped they could save their best for last.
Pensacola pounced on the Biloxi bullpen and held off a late Shuckers rally to win 4-3 in front of a sellout crowd of 5,038 at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The Wahoos extended their winning streak to four games and have a chance to take first place in the Southern League South Division with a win Saturday.
The game lived up to the hype as a pitcher’s duel. Davis preserved his sub-1.00 earned run average, scattering a run on four hits over six innings, while Hader, Milwaukee’s No. 4 prospect according to MLB.com, struck out eight Wahoos in 5.2 innings. Alex Blandino knocked him out of the game with a double, forced a high throw from Shuckers catcher Jacob Nottingham to advance to third and scored on a wild pitch.
“I think Nottingham actually set him up,” Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said. “They had done it a couple of pitches before when Blandino had faked to break. I think Nottingham was hoping he’d run, but Alex was a good enough athlete to recognize on the long throw to second, he’s got a chance to go to third.”
The Wahoos put the game out of reach in the seventh as Tony Renda scored Joe Hudson on a triple to center field. Renda, batting .293 in 27 games with a team-leading 10 extra-base hits, credits his success to a simple approach.
“I’m working every day,” Renda said. “Nobody’s perfect, but I strive for perfection. I still haven’t had a perfect game, so I need to keep working toward it and go about my business the right way every day.”
Biloxi added intrigue with a late rally against Carlos Gonzalez, scoring two runs on three singles, before Alejandro Chacin struck out Brandon Macias and left the bases loaded.
“When we tacked on the two runs, it gave a little cushion to work with,” Kelly said. “Fortunately we had it, because we definitely needed it. Gonzalez has been so good, and they kind of seemed to find some holes.”
Sawmill Day And Car Show Today In Century
May 7, 2016
The Alger-Sullivan Historical Society will present the 27th Sawmill Day and Car Show in Century today, in the Historic District at Jefferson Avenue and Fourth Street.
There will be a vintage and custom car show organized by the Bad Boys Car Club, plus arts and crafts booths, the traveling museums of the Northwest Florida Living History Association, and Raymond Melvin’s Naval Stores Museum.
Free tours of the museums will be highlighted with the Search and Find Game, where completed questionnaire sheets will qualify participants for a prize drawing. Local history books will be on sale, including the release of the society’s new cookbook and museum guide. Boston Butt sandwich meals will be available, and entertainment is scheduled all day. The flag raising ceremony will be at 8:30 a.m. and the car show awards will take place at 2 p.m.
Perfect Weekend Weather
May 7, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 82. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 56. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 83. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 84. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66.
Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 86.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 66.
Friday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 86.