Scott Visits Local Leaders At Navy Federal
April 8, 2017
Gov. Rick Scott was at Navy Federal in Beulah Friday for financial round table with local government officials and business leaders. Pictured top: Debbie Calder, executive vice president of Navy Federal, addresses the group including Gov. Rick Scott (seated light blue shirt), Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward (seated, right) and Century Mayor Henry Hawkins (standing, right). Pictured below: Enterprise Florida’s Mike Grissom talks about the importance of partnerships in diversifying and stregthening Florida’s economy. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click toe enlarge.
Man Convicted Of Armed Robbery Of Cantonment Couple
April 8, 2017
An Escambia County man has been convicted of robbing an elderly couple at gunpoint in Cantonment during an armed home invasion.
Aray Donell Levine, 22, was convicted by an Escambia County jury of robbery with a firearm, theft from a person 65 years of age of order ($10,000 or more but less than $50,000), aggravated battery while actually possessing a firearm, two counts of aggravated assault (actual possession of a firearm) and grand theft auto.
Deputies arrived at the victims’ home on Pelican Pointe Drive after a reported invasion on May 7, 2016. They found one victim lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen and a second on the floor in a back bedroom. Levine and two other perpetrators forced their way into the home after ringing the doorbell. They were armed with firearms and demanded money and guns from the victims.
One victim was pistol whipped while two more were threatened at gunpoint.
Prior to fleeing the scene the perpetrators stole nearly $20,000 in cash as well as the elderly victims’ 2008 Cadillac.
Levine is scheduled to be sentenced on May 2 before Circuit Judge Gary Bergosh. He faces up to life in state prison with a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in state prison.
Bond Denied For Former Coach Accused Of Sex Crimes
April 8, 2017
A former Tate High School football coach and church youth leader facing 42 sexual assault charge has been denied bond during a hearing Friday. He is due back in court next week for an arraignment hearing.
Charlie Hamrick, 54, is charged with abusing four victims. He faces a total of 42 counts of sexual abuse, including 36 counts of capital sexual battery. Upon conviction, each capital count carries a minimum mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.
Eight additional people have come forward as possible victims in the case. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating those claims. So far, no additional charges have been filed.
Those new allegations include claims that Hamrick gave unlicensed physical exams to athletes at Tate High School during is 2012-2015 tenure there as a supplemental football coach. Those physicals, it is alleged, may not have been limited to just football players. The physicals included genitalia exams.
Hamrick was paid a supplement as a football coach at Tate High School from August 1, 2012, to September 14, 2015. He was not a teacher and did not have students under his watch in a classroom. He passed all of the background checks at the time.
For a previous story, click here.
Dry Weather Creates Increased Fire Potential
April 8, 2017
Officials with the Florida Forest Service’s Blackwater Forestry Center are issuing words of caution as high winds and low humidity have all but negated the effects of this week’s rainfall.
Thursday brought winds upwards of 25 mph in much of the three-county area and the forecast calls for extremely low humidity through Sunday. When combined, these factors dry out smaller vegetation such as grass, shrubs and small limbs and debris that while great for backyard burning of yard trash, can increase the chances of a wildfire.
“We’re certainly not in an extreme fire situation, we’re simply urging caution,” said David Smith, operations administrator for Blackwater. “Spring is the peak of Florida’s fire season and we want people to be aware of the potential.”
There are no burn bans in effect in our area but residents must still follow certain requirements: Burning piles of yard debris less than 8 feet in diameter is allowed if it is 25 feet from and wooded area or combustible structure, 25 feet from your house, 50 feet from a paved public road and 150 feet from other occupied dwellings.
Piles greater than 8 feet require a burn authorization from the Florida Forest Service and must meet more stringent standards. For more information about authorizations, call Blackwater Forestry Center headquarters at (850) 957-5701.
Tate Baseball Beats Washington; Softballs Suffers Loss In Kissimmee
April 8, 2017
BASEBALL
Tate 4, Washington 3
The Tate Aggies beat Washington 4-3 Friday night when Washington walked Logan Blackmon to drive in the winning run.
Logal McGuffey earned the win for the Aggies. He pitched one inning, giving up no runs, not hits, nowalks and striking out one. Trey LaFleur opend the game for the Aggies, pitching five innings, giving no runs, one hit and striking out nine.
Tanner Helton, Ryan Greene, Jesse Sherrill, and Ethan Bloodworth had one hit each for the Aggies.
Tate 10, Washington 3 (JV)
SOFTBALL
Lake Howell 8, Tate 3 (Kissimmee Tourney)
Weekend Gardening: Remember Your Houseplants When Spring Cleaning
April 8, 2017
by UF/IFAS Santa Rosa Extension
Warmer weather signals that spring is here. After months of being cooped up indoors, it’s finally time for gardeners to go dig in the dirt. It’s also time for cooped up house plants to be revitalized.
Locate a shady area for this work. Even if houseplants are to be left out for a short period, after being shut up all winter, leaf damage can occur with only brief exposure to direct sunlight.
First, give the houseplants a bath. Use a soapy solution made of two teaspoons of mild liquid soap mixed with one gallon of water. Wash the leaves and stems, being certain to clean both upper and lower leaf surfaces. Allow the solution to remain on the plants for a few minutes, but rinse it off thoroughly before it is allowed to dry. This not only cleans plants, making them more attractive, but the soap helps to remove aphids, mealybugs and other insects.
Next, see if your plant needs re-potting. Although some plants require being pot-bound in order to flower eventually all plants outgrow their containers and become root- or pot-bound.
Why repot in the spring? Plant roots grow most actively in the spring, which means the plant will be able to quickly overcome the shock associated with re-potting.
When repotting, start with a clean, appropriately sized pot. If you want the plant to grow larger, then you will need to repot it in a larger pot. If you want it to maintain its present size, you’ll have to prune its roots.
In general, the pot size should be increased by only about two inches per re-potting. Therefore, a plant whose root ball is in a six inch pot is normally transplanted to a pot with an eight inch diameter. For some reason, drastic changes in pot size when re-potting seems to be detrimental to some plants.
Watering the plant several hours prior will help you remove the plant more easily. Invert the pot and gently remove the plant by grasping the main stem. Give it a slight tug, and it should slip out of the pot. If it doesn’t, use a butter knife or other flat-bladed tool to loosen the sides of the pot and try again.
Once the plant is free of the pot, take the time to inspect the root system. Look for large, old circular roots which can strangle the plant and prevent much-needed nourishment. Sever or remove these old roots to allow new feeder roots to establish.
To re-pot, first add enough new soil mixture to the bottom of the pot to return the plant to its original depth. After the plant is replaced, fill in the sides with new potting soil.
Use a quality potting mix when re-potting. Gardeners generally rely on commercially available potting soil mixes for growing most types of houseplants. A lot of brands are out there and not all of them are especially good. In particular, avoid heavy, black potting soils. If the bag feels dense and heavy for its size, put it back.
The best potting mixes include vermiculite, bark and perlite in proportions that create a fairly light, loose mix that water penetrates readily but drains rapidly.
If you don’t want to change pots, there is a way of dealing with a pot-bound plant and keeping it in the same size pot. First, remove the plant from the pot and trim off one-quarter to one-third of the lower part of the root ball. Put a layer of fresh potting mix in the bottom of the original container equal to the amount of the root ball removed. Place the plant back in the pot, adding a little more soil around the sides. Water well, and place the plant in a shady location to recover.
House plants would also benefit from fertilization at this time of year. There are many commercial materials available for fertilizing indoor plants. Most are effective and safe if used as directed.
Smokies Beat Wahoos
April 8, 2017
In his second game of the season, Pensacola right hander Luis Castillo did his impression of Amir Garrett who toed the mound for the Blue Wahoos last year. The Tennessee Smokies defeated Pensacola, 2-1, Friday to tie the series at one game apiece in front of the second sellout crowd of 5,038 this season.
Despite the loss, Blue Wahoos coaches liked what they saw from Castillo, the Red’s No. 7 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Castillo was the No. 2 prospect in the Miami Marlins organization and its Minor League Pitcher of the Year before being picked up in a trade Jan. 19.
Castillo, who effortlessly throws a fastball in the upper 90-mph range, allowed just one run, three hits, walked one and struck out five in six innings in his first start for Pensacola. It was just his fourth start in Double-A.
Blue Wahoos pitching coach Danny Darwin compared Castillo’s explosiveness to Garrett’s.
“The only thing holding him back right now is his slider,” Darwin said. “There are not many arms that can throw 97, 98 mph like he does with ease.”
Speaking of Garrett, all he did was become the first Reds’ pitcher since 1970 – 47 years ago – to throw six or more scoreless innings in his debut. In franchise history, it has only been done three times. His line against the St. Louis Cardinals: 6 IP, 2H, 0R, 2BB, and 4Ks and picked up the victory.
Castillo had his slider working against Tennessee. After allowing a leadoff single to Tennessee left fielder Charcer Burks, the 24-year-old Dominican, struck out the next batter and then got out of the first inning on a double play by second baseman Josh VanMeter and shortstop Blake Trahan that wowed Blue Wahoos fans. Castillo then set down the next 11 batters in a row.
He ended his night on the hill striking out Smokies second baseman Davis Bote on a slider. He pumped his fist and looked up to the sky.
“That was great to see him use his slider,” said Pensacola manager Pat Kelly. “He did a really good job. (Catcher Adrian) Nieto made him throw it.”
The only run off of Castillo came on a two-out solo shot over the left center wall in the fifth inning to Tennessee center fielder Trey Martin, who was 2-4 Friday.
Pensacola got its third solo home run of the season when center fielder Brian O’Grady yanked the ball deep over the right field fence to tie the score, 1-1, in the bottom of the fifth.
Tennessee regained the lead, 2-1, in the eighth inning when Smokies second baseman Davis Bote hit a ground rule double that bounced just inside the right field line over the fence. It dove in pinch hitter Cael Brockmeyer, who had reached first when he was hit by a pitch thrown by Pensacola reliever Alex Powers.
Right-handed reliever Austin Brice, who is doing rehabilitation in Pensacola to recover from an inflamed ulnar nerve of his throwing elbow, relieved Castillo. In his one inning of work, Brice struck out two, hit Tennessee hitter Jeffrey Baez in the back with a fastball, and got Martin out on a long fly ball to the warning track in left field.
“The pitch he hit the guy with was his first two-seamer in three weeks,” Darwin said. “He threw on the side the day before and was a little anxious.”
Perfect Weather Weekend
April 8, 2017
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 74. North wind around 5 mph becoming west in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 44. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 78. East wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 50. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 81. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 56. South wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. East wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 60.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83.
Control Burn Near Molino
April 8, 2017
A 100 acre control burn in the Molino area sent a lot of smoke skyward, concerning local residents Friday. The control burn area was in the area bordered by Jacks Branch Road, Barrineau Park Road and Schifko Road. The burn is expected to continue on Saturday. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
College Class Donates Cases Of Water To Flomaton Police, Fire
April 8, 2017
Ethics class members at Coastal Alabama College collected just over 60 cases of water for the Flomaton Police and Fire departments. Rebekah Turner, Perri Scurlock, Leah Paige Findley, and Emily Loring took part in the community service project. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
