Showers And Thunderstorms
July 7, 2018
For the latest on Hurricane Beryl, click here.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Monday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Monday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Calm wind.
Tuesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Wednesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Thursday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Century Mayor, Council Member Recognized
July 7, 2018
Century Mayor Henry Hawkins and council member Luis Gomez were recognized recently by the John Scott Dailey Florida Institute for Government and the Florida League of Cities for completing the Advanced Institute for Elected Municipal Officials in Tampa.
This educational program is specially designed for newly elected officials and those with less than one term in office. The primary objective of the IEMO is to provide elected municipal officials with an intensive academic program that will assist them in effectively meeting the requirements of their elected role. The program offers a comprehensive overview of Florida municipal government, presented by a faculty of top professionals in the field.
Pictured: Century Mayor Henry Hawkins (left) and council member Luis Gomez. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Beryl Continues Westward
July 7, 2018
Beryl continues moves to the west. It expected to reach dry air and shear near the Lesser Antilles early next week. It is no threat to us locally and is forecast to dissipate as it reaches the Caribbean, according to the National Weather Service.
The latest information on Beryl is in the graphics on this page.
July Gardening Tips
July 7, 2018
The heat, humidity and frequent rains of July are great for tropical plants. Gardeners, however, take a bit of a beating. Remember to keep the sunscreen, insect repellant and iced tea handy as you venture out into your garden to perform some needed summer maintenance.
A midsummer application of fertilizer is usually required, especially on annual flowers, lawns, shrub beds and vegetable gardens. This is a supplemental application, so don’t overdo it. A 15-0-15 slow-release fertilizer is a good general purpose landscape fertilizer for most plants.
Major pruning jobs should have been done earlier, but there is still some maintenance pruning that should be done. Deadhead, or clip old flowers, from summer flowering shrubs as soon as they fade to help insure an extended season of bloom. Crape myrtles, hibiscus, hydrangeas and althea are examples of shrubs that will bloom repeatedly if light, selective pruning is done.
Flowering annuals also respond well to deadheading. Snip off old flowers and flower spikes before they have an opportunity to form seed. Allowing annual flowers to set seed can shorten their blooming season considerably.
Inspect your lawn and shrub plantings frequently in order to identify pest problems as early as possible. The most severe damage from pest insects normally begins in July. Be on the lookout for chinch bugs in St. Augustine grass; spittlebugs in centipede grass; sod webworm in all lawns-especially new ones; lacebug and caterpillars on azaleas; whiteflies on gardenia and spider mites on lots of different types of shrubs.
Sod webworms often attack lawns in the summer. They eat the grass blades producing areas that look as if they have been mowed too short. Close inspection will reveal that the blades have not been cleanly cut as with a mower blade but have been chewed along their edges and tips. These caterpillars feed at night and rest during the day down among the runners and in the thatch.
Once an insect pest is found, evaluate the damage and determine if control is necessary. If it is, choose the least toxic option. If only a few caterpillars are found, hand picking might be the choice. Aphids and spider mites can often be controlled by spraying with an insecticidal soap solution. Chemical insecticides are sometimes required. Before choosing one be sure that the insect pest has been properly identified and that the insecticide is labeled for that purpose For vegetable gardeners that have problems with nematodes, soil borne diseases and extensive weed problems, July is a great time to try soil solarization.
Prepare the soil as you normally would for a vegetable garden including adding organic matter. Moisten the area and cover with clear plastic, not black plastic. Clear plastic will produce the highest temperatures. Be sure to weigh down the edges of the plastic so that it doesn’t blow up. Allow the soil to bake in the sun for four to six weeks. The sun will raise the soil temperature high enough to kill many soil borne problems.
Tip of the Week: The nice thing about tomatoes is that you have the option of harvesting when the fruit is green if needed. Tomatoes will ripen indoors at room temperature. To ensure even ripening, place the tomato with the stem up. The ideal time to harvest tomatoes is when they are fully colored but still firm.
In general, it is best to harvest vegetables early in the mornings while the moisture content is higher. The overall quality will quickly diminish as vegetables are exposed to hotter temperatures later in the day.
School Bells Ring Early For Florida Students
July 7, 2018
In a little more than a month, tens of thousands of Florida students will return to their classrooms.
Nineteen of the 67 school districts will open their doors on August 10, according to the state Department of Education’s 2018-2019 school district calendar. Another 40 districts, including Escambia County, will be open by August 13, meaning nearly nine out of every 10 districts statewide will be operating by mid-August, well ahead of the September 3 Labor Day holiday.
Miami-Dade County, which is the largest district with some 350,000 students, and Hamilton County, which is one of the smallest with fewer than 1,700 students, will both open on August 20, the latest date to start the new school year. Both of those districts will end their academic years on June 6, the latest date to conclude the year. In general, school, districts that start classes early will also release students earlier in the spring.
Sixteen districts including Escambia County, will conclude their school years on May 24, ahead of the May 27 Memorial Day holiday. Teachers will return to their classrooms ahead of the students, with teachers in Bay, Calhoun, Holmes and Madison counties set to return on August 1, the earliest return date for teachers. Escambia County teachers will return August 3.
Florida schools, which generally operate on a 180-day school year, are projected to serve nearly 2.85 million students in the new academic year.
by The News Service of Florida with contribution from NorthEscambia.com
Wahoos Win in 11
July 7, 2018
After a sluggish performance Thursday night, the Wahoos showed their grit with a hard-fought, 8-7 win in Friday’s 11-inning contest at Riverwalk Stadium.
After neither team was able to score in the 10th inning, T.J. Friedl broke a 6-6 tie with an RBI triple that put the Wahoos ahead. He later scored on Brian O’Grady foul sacrifice fly that extended Pensacola’s lead to 8-6.
The bottom of the 11th was not without drama. Montgomery began with a runner on second base, and Victor Payano was brought in the game to try and close out the win. After Dalton Kelly grounded out, Peter Maris tallied a RBI single to make it 7-6 Pensacola. After Nick Solak flew out to center, Payano had a 1-1 count on Nate Lowe before grimacing on the mound. He was looked at by the Wahoos athletic trainer before lifted from the game. Alejandro Chacin became the fifth relief pitcher used by Jody Davis and was able to induce Lowe to foul out to Cassidy Brown to end a wild game.
Pensacola got off to a dream start against one of the premier pitching prospects in the Rays system in Genesis Cabrera. Friedl opened the game with a single, and after a walk to Jose Siri, Shed Long drove home Friedl with an RBI single to center. The Wahoos doubled their advantage after Narciso Crook’s sac fly to center scored Siri.
Seth Varner took the hill in the first inning with a 2-0 lead and did not squander it. Despite not having his “best” stuff, the Cincinnati-native battled his way through five innings and only yielded one run. Michael Brosseau tagged Varner with a triple in the fourth inning and later scored on David Rodriguez’s sac fly to make it 3-1.
The Wahoos quickly countered with three runs in the fifth. Crook picked up his second RBI with a single that brought home Siri, and after a wild pitch from Matt Krook, Taylor Sparks delivered a two-out RBI single that made it 6-1 Wahoos.
Montgomery slowly chipped at away the Wahoos lead over the final four innings. They scored one run in the sixth, and three runs in the seventh all of Rafael De Paula, which cut the Wahoos lead to 6-5. There was a scary moment in the top of the seventh inning when Long was hit in the helmet with a pitch from Matt Krook. After being checked by the athletic trainer for several minutes, Long was helped off the field and replaced by O’Grady.
Alex Powers entered the game in the ninth inning with a chance to wrap up his ninth save of the year, but he and the Wahoos watched their one-run lead evaporate with Nick Solak’s twelfth home run of the season that tied the game at 6-6.
The series concludes Saturday with the Wahoos hoping to clinch their sixth consecutive series win. RHP Vladimir Gutierrez (5-8, 4.95) has been stellar as of late for Pensacola and he will be opposed by RHP Sam McWilliams (3-4, 4.57)
Pine Forest Road Crash Claims One Life, Two ECUA Workers Seriously Injured
July 6, 2018
One person died in a traffic crash on Pine Forest Road near 9 1/2 Mile Road Friday morning, and two ECUA workers were seriously injured.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 32-year old Blake Emory Wartenbe was southbound on Pine Forest Road when he traveled into the northbound lane in a no passing zone in an attempt to pass. His 2009 Audi S5 collided head-on with an ECUA sanitation pickup truck driven by 47-year old Robert Bodiford of Pensacola.
Wartenbe was pronounced deceased. Bodiford and his passenger, 62-year old Horace Green, were transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in serious condition.
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Pictured: The scene of a fatal crash Friday morning on Pine Forest Road. Photo below for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge. Photo above courtesy WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com.
ESCO: Child Found Living In Squalor With Drugs, Easy Access To Gun
July 6, 2018
A couple was charged after a child was found living in squalor with drugs and easy access to a gun when the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office served a narcotics search warrant.
Justin Lee Devries, 33, was charged with felony child neglect, unsafe storage of a firearm, possession of marijuana with intent to sell, manufacture, or deliver with 1,000 feet of a worship center, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Brooklyn Sky Sorrells, 28, was charged with felony child neglect and unsafe storage of a firearm.
Inside the home, deputies reported finding piles of dog feces, dog feces smeared and smashed all across the floor and walls, a dead rat in the toilet, a large number of live flies and cockroaches, and a lack of available food. The only furniture in the house was a mattress and box spring used by the child that was “soiled and when moved produced a cloud of dirt and dust”, according to an arrest report. Deputies found a loaded .45 caliber handgun between the mattress and box spring..
The male child was walking around the home at the time of the search in an adult diaper with no shoes, the report stated, and would have easy access to the gun. The Department of Children and Families responded, and the child was released to Sorrell’s mother.
When the home was searched, investigators recovered $19,503 and 1,074 grams of marijuana. Sorrell told deputies that she did not know her boyfriend was selling marijuana.
The house was located with 1,000 feet of Ensley United Methodist Church on East Johnson Avenue.
Devries was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $26,000 bond. Sorrells was released on a $6,000 bond.
Beryl Becomes A Hurricane, Moving West
July 6, 2018
Beryl strengthened into a hurricane Friday morning as it moves to the west. It expected to reach dry air and shear near the Lesser Antilles into the weekend. It is currently forecast to dissipate.
The latest information on Beryl is in the graphics on this page.
Free Meals Available At The Molino, Century And Main Libraries
July 6, 2018
Free summer meals continue to be available at the libraries in Molino, Century and downtown Pensacola.
The meals are available through a partnership with West Florida Public Libraries and Feeding the Gulf coast through Friday, August 3 for children 18 and younger.
Meals are available as follows:
– Molino Branch Library, 6450-A Highway 95A : Monday-Friday, breakfast from 9-10 a.m. and lunch from noon to 1 p.m.
– Century Branch Library, 7991 N. Century Blvd: Tuesday-Friday, lunch from noon to 1 p.m.
– Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St.: Monday-Friday, breakfast from 9-10 a.m. and lunch from noon to 1 p.m.
Pictured: Summer meals at the Century Branch Library. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
