NorthEscambia.Com Teams With NORAD To Track Santa Live
December 24, 2016
NorthEscambia.com is teaming up with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to track the progress of Santa Claus around the world.
FDOT Suspends Road Construction For Christmas, New Year’s Holidays
December 24, 2016
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has suspended highway construction projects on major roadways across Northwest Florida for the holidays. There will be no lane closures or other activities that impede traffic on state roads through Monday, January 2, 2017. All major roads will be open to normal traffic.
Although no construction closures are scheduled over the holiday, existing state highway work zones will remain in effect and drivers may encounter construction workers and reduced speed limits. Motorists are reminded to use caution while traveling through work zones around barricades and equipment.
FDOT is encouraging drivers to allow extra travel time and to use extra caution in existing work zones along state highways. Drivers are urged to make sure they buckle up, along with their passengers. FDOT and other safety agencies also ask drivers to obey speed limits, get adequate rest before traveling, avoid distractions and never drink and drive.
Drivers also are urged to be prepared for unscheduled highway closures due to accidents, disabled vehicles or other events. Motorists should be alert to changing weather conditions while traveling.
Santa Visits Camp Fire Kids
December 24, 2016
Santa Claus recently paid a very special visit to the Camp Fire USA Learning Center in Century to take some last minute Christmas wishes. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Need Last Minute Gift Wrapping? The Tate Band Has You Covered
December 24, 2016
The Tate High School Showband of the South will provide gift wrapping services at the Walmart on Highway 29 in Ensley today from from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
UF/IFAS: Baking Blunders To Avoid
December 24, 2016
The way people get cooking advice has changed a lot over the years, due in no small part to the Internet, said Heidi Copeland, family and consumer sciences agent with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension.
“Before the Internet, people often took to calling their local Extension office for culinary advice, especially during the frenzy of holiday cooking,” Copeland said. “Fortunately, people still come to family and consumer sciences agents like myself to get answers to their culinary questions.”
“Folks are frequently concerned about baking,” Copeland said. “Many often wonder why their product isn’t turning out.”
Copeland has these tips for avoiding common baking blunders:
1. Take care with substitutions. “Baking isn’t as forgiving as cooking. Using the right ingredients is important because they strongly affect the taste and texture of baked goods,” Copeland explained. “For example, if a recipe calls for butter, don’t substitute a spread. Typical butter is 80 percent fat and 20 percent water, whereas a spread can be as little as 60 percent fat and 40 percent water,” Copeland said. “That bit of extra liquid in something like a pie crust could mean the difference between something deliciously flakey and a soggy mess.”
2. Measure it right. “Your measuring tools —cups and spoons— and how you measure can impact the final product,” Copeland said. “Flour, for instance, should be fluffed up a little with a spoon, swooped into a measuring cup and leveled with a knife or other straight-edged utensil—not packed and pounded into a cup. Brown sugar, on the other hand, should be packed into a measuring cup.”
3. Know your dimensions. “A recipe will tell you which pan size to use. Keep in mind that the recipe is design to fill pans of particular dimensions. For examples, the volume of a nine-inch cake pan is six cups, but that of a 10-inch baking pan is 11 cups,” said Copeland.
4. Get the right flour. “Which flour is best? It depends on what you’re making,” Copeland said. “Whole grain flours are higher in dietary fiber and overall nutrient content than white flour, but whole grain flours are not the norm for most traditional holiday recipes, nor is self-rising flour, which already has baking powder and salt added. All-purpose flour is the key to most basic recipes.”
5. When it comes to eggs, go large. “Unless otherwise noted, assume a recipe with eggs is calling for large chicken eggs at room temperature,” Copeland advised. “If a cookie recipe calls for two large eggs (about four ounces) and two jumbo eggs (about five ounces) are used, the cookies may turn out softer than desired.”
Jay Art Dept. Presents The Elf Shop Painting Party
December 24, 2016
The Jay High School Art Department recently hosted their first-ever “The Elf Shop Painting Party”.
Nearly 30 adults were assisted by Jay art students throughout the event. The students decorated, prepped canvases and all supplies, creating the culinary art refreshments, and assisted the participants. The Royal Outfitter Store, owned and operated by Jay Art Department, created a goody jar for each participant with their personalized vinyl initial.
The Jay Art Department is planning another painting party called “Spring Into Art 2017“, with two sessions available on March 4 and March 11, 2017. For more information, contact Teresa Dobson, Jay Art Department, at (850) 675-4507 in early January.
For more photos from “The Elf Shop Painting Party”, click here.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Riley Ray Mullins
December 24, 2016
Mr. Riley Ray Mullins, age 89 of Century, FL passed away on Wednesday, December 21, 2016 at Sacred Heart Hospital, Pensacola, FL.
Mr. Mullins was born in McCullough, AL and had been a resident of Century since 1959 coming from McCullough. He worked as a forester for 18 years and was with Alger Sullivan Lumber Company for 48 years. Mr. Mullins was a member of First Baptist Church of Century and is preceded in death by his son, Donnie Ray Mullins, Sr., ten siblings and son-in-law, John William Collins.
He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Mrs. Mary Lee Mullins of Century, FL; daughters, Laura (William) Chancery of McDavid, FL and Charlotte Collins of Flomaton, AL; seven grandchildren; fourteen great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held Monday, December 26, 2016 at Flomaton Funeral Home Chapel from 9:30 AM until a 10:30 AM service time with Pastor William H. Chancery officiating.
Pallbearers will be Tyler Walker, Ronnie Walker, Isaac Anderson, Derris Greggs, Aubrey Greggs, Charles Wicker.
Interment will follow in Flomaton Cemetery, Flomaton, AL.
Fire Displaces Five From Their Home, Adds Red Bulb To Safety Wreath
December 23, 2016
Five people — three adults and two children — were left without their home following Thursday night fire.
The fire was reported just after 7 p.m. on Rawlings Drive at Greenbriar Boulevard. The fire was brought under control in about 30 minutes. A clothes dryer in the laundry room was confirmed as the source of the fire, with flames spreading to the kitchen and smoke damage throughout the home. Damage was estimated at $50,000.
The American Red Cross was providing temporary assistance to the displaced residents.
The fire represented the eighth red bulb on the “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign wreath.
A seventh red bulb was added after a structure fire with entrapment on Wednesday at 9:15 p.m. on Horn Street. Crews arrived on scene to find a working fire of a 10 x 10 foot shed that was utilized as a home. The fire was called under control at 9:48 p.m., with the shed a total loss and the resident sustaining critical injuries requiring transport to Scared Heart. The State Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.
The “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign is a collaborative initiative with the city of Pensacola to promote fire safety during the month of December.
During the month-long campaign, five-foot wreaths are on display at 18 county fire stations and five city fire stations, with wreaths also placed outside Escambia County’s Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building downtown, the Escambia County Public Safety Building, Pensacola City Hall and Cordova Mall near the food court entrance. Each time firefighters respond to a residential fire with damage, a green light bulb will be replaced with a red one to remind citizens of the dangers posed by fires in residential home.
Photos by Kristi Barbour for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Partly Sunny And Warm
December 23, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 66. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming southeast in the morning.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 54. East wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. East wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: Areas of fog. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 59. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Christmas Day: Areas of fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Areas of fog. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers after 9am. Areas of fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 74. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 73.
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 72.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66.
ECUA Christmas Trash Pickup Schedule
December 23, 2016
ECUA offices will be closed Friday, December 23 and Monday, December 26, in observance of the Christmas holiday, and on Monday, January 2, 2017, in observance of the New Year’s holiday.
There are no changes to the ECUA sanitation collection schedules in Escambia or Santa Rosa counties (garbage, recycling and yard trash).
Customers may place real wreaths and Christmas trees, free of stands and decorations, at the curb for pick-up with regular yard waste collection. Call ECUA customer service at (850) 476-0480 for additional information.