Food Safety Tips For A Happier Fourth Of July
July 4, 2021
Due to a variety of factors, including warmer temperatures, foodborne illness increases in summer. Stay healthy and safe during warmer months by following these food safety recommendations from the USDA:
When bringing food to a picnic or cookout:
- Use an insulated cooler filled with ice or frozen gel packs. Frozen food can also be used as a cold source.
- Foods that need to be kept cold include raw meat, poultry, and seafood; deli and luncheon meats or sandwiches; summer salads (tuna, chicken, egg, pasta, or seafood); cut up fruit and vegetables; and perishable dairy products.
- A full cooler will maintain its cold temperature longer than a partially filled one. When using a cooler, keep it out of the direct sun by placing it in the shade or shelter.
- Avoid opening the cooler repeatedly so that your food stays colder longer.
When cooking on the grill:
- Use separate cutting boards and utensils for raw meat and ready-to-eat items like vegetables or bread.
- Keep perishable food cold until it is ready to cook.
- Use a food thermometer to make sure meat and poultry are cooked thoroughly to their safe minimum internal temperatures
- Beef, Pork, Lamb, & Veal (steaks, roasts, and chops): 145 °F with a 3 minute rest time
- Ground meats: 160 °F
- Whole poultry, poultry breasts, & ground poultry: 165 °F
- Always use a fresh, clean plate and tongs for serving cooked food. Never reuse items that touched raw meat or poultry to serve the food once it is cooked.
When serving food outdoors:
- Perishable food should not sit out for more than two hours. In hot weather (above 90 °F), food should NEVER sit out for more than one hour.
- Serve cold food in small portions, and keep the rest in the cooler. After cooking meat and poultry on the grill, keep it hot until served – at 140 °F or warmer.
- Keep hot food hot by setting it to the side of the grill rack, not directly over the coals where they could overcook.
Happy 4th Of July! Our Forecast Calls For More Afternoon Showers And Storms
July 4, 2021
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Independence Day: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Monday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Southeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. South wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Southeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Tuesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind around 5 mph becoming northeast after midnight.
Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. High near 85. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Wednesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73.
Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 86.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73.
Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 86.
Tropical Storm Elsa Continues On A Path Toward Florida; No Serious Local Impacts Expected
July 4, 2021
Tropical Storm Elsa is continuing on a path toward the Gulf of Mexico, but is not expected to have any major impact on Escambia or Santa Rosa counties.
Elsa is forecast to move in a west-northwest to northwestward direction towards the extreme southeast Gulf through early next week, then turn to a northerly direction.
No local impacts are expected through the holiday weekend. Direct local impacts are no expected if Elsa continues on the current forecast path. The main local concern in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties will be scattered to numerous storms each day with locally heavy rainfall. An increase in waves are rip currents is possible by Wednesday.
Complete details on Hurricane Elsa are in the updated graphics on this page.
Annie Olivia Sutton
July 4, 2021
Annie Olivia Sutton was born Jan. 10, 1933 in Beatrice, AL to the late Barney, Sr. and Sarah McCants Odom. She departed this life on June 26, 2021. She worked many jobs during her life but retired with the Escambia County School Board. She was a faithful member of the Great First Baptist Church of Cantonment, FL where she served in many ministry positions to include Usher Board, Choir, Missionary Secretary, and in the kitchen. She loved to cook.
Mrs. Sutton was preceded in death by her husband, Rev. Solomon Sutton; infant son, Charles Sutton; son, Michael W. Fountain; parents; and sister, Melinda Johns.
She leaves behind nine children to cherish her memories, seven daughters, Hattie (Robert) Gross, Mable Johnson, Gloria (John) Beastey, Alfreda (Matthew) Ewing, a very devoted, Sarah Fountain, all of Cantonment, Valarie (Lawrence) Blankenship and Sandra (Angelo) Debrow, both of Pensacola; two sons, Solomon Jr. (Katha) Sutton and Anthony Sutton both of Pensacola; two granddaughters born into the house, Takelia Sapp Jones and LuTedra Jones; four brothers, Barney (Emma) Odom, Jr of Pensacola, Walter Odom and Brady (Francis) Odom of Flint, Michigan and David (Francis) Odom of Newton, MS; one sister, Sadie Wilson of Bridge City, LA; three sisters-in-law, Maggie Sutton and Ludie Head of Columbia, AL and Jackie Sutton of Akron, Ohio; one Godson, Nick Harrison; and one very special Godson, Curtis Moore of Atlanta, GA. She is also survived by, 45 plus grandchildren; 95 plus great grandchildren; 20 plus great, great, great grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, relatives, friends, and church family.
Funeral services will be held at 12noon on Sat., July 9, 2021 at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North.
Interment will follow in Bayview Memorial Park Cemetery. Repass will take place at Ashton Brosnaham Park, 10370 Ashton Brosnaham, Pensacola, FL 32534.
Farm Bureau: July 4th Cookout Costs About The Same This Year
July 4, 2021
U.S. consumers will pay just a few cents less for their favorite Independence Day cookout foods compared to last year, including cheeseburgers, pork chops, chicken breasts, homemade potato salad, strawberries and ice cream, says the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Farm Bureau analysis reveals the average cost of a summer cookout for 10 people remains affordable at $59.50, or less than $6 per person. The cost for the cookout is down 16 cents (less than 1%) from last year, but 8% higher compared to 2019.
The largest year-to-year price increase was for strawberries. Survey results showed 2 pints of strawberries at $5.30, up 22% from last year, due to strong demand and the effects of several weather events including severe rain, hail and high winds that caused significant setbacks to the harvest early in 2021.
Retail price changes for products in the meat case are a bit more nuanced, according to AFBF Economist Veronica Nigh.
“Beef and pork processing plant disruptions that occurred in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic have been resolved, leading to lower retail ground beef and pork chop prices in 2021 compared to 2020,” Nigh said. “However, consumers looking a bit farther back to compare prices are seeing higher prices for ground beef, pork chops and chicken breasts compared to pre-pandemic (2019) prices. That’s due to continued strong demand for American-grown beef and pork from both U.S. and international consumers.”
AFBF’s summer cookout menu consists of cheeseburgers, pork chops, chicken breasts, homemade potato salad, pork & beans, strawberries, potato chips and fresh-squeezed lemonade with ice cream and chocolate chip cookies for dessert.
Individual Prices, AFBF 2021 Summer Cookout
- 2 pints of strawberries, $5.30 (up 22%)
- 13-ounce bag of chocolate chip cookies, $4.02 (up 11%)
- 8 hamburger buns, $1.66 (up 6%)
- 2.5 pounds of homemade potato salad, $2.75 (up 3%)
- 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, $6.74 (up 1%)
- 32 ounces of pork & beans, $1.90 (down 13%)
- 2 pounds of ground beef, $8.20 (down 8%)
- Half-gallon of vanilla ice cream, $4.69 (down 5%)
- 3 pounds of center cut pork chops, $11.63 (down 2%)
- 2.5 quarts of fresh-squeezed lemonade, $3.65 (down 2%)
- 1 pound of sliced cheese, $4.05 (down 1%)
- 13-ounce bag of potato chips, $4.93 (down 1%)
Burdick’s Blast, Stewart’s Six Shutout Innings Lead Pensacola Past Biloxi
July 4, 2021
Will Stewart turned in a quality start and Peyton Burdick hit a go-ahead home run late as the Wahoos came from behind to win 6-3 against the Biloxi Shuckers Saturday evening at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Trailing 3-1, the Wahoos exploded in the seventh inning, scoring four times and sending all nine batters to the plate. Braden Webb (L, 2-4) was brought into the seventh for Biloxi, but only retired one batter before being lifted from the game. For Pensacola, Devin Hairston started the inning with a ground ball that snuck under the glove of third baseman Gabriel Garcia for a leadoff double. After a foul fly out, Victor Victor Mesa walked to set up runners at first and second with only one out.
That brought Burdick to the plate, who earlier this season hit a go-ahead grand slam off Webb in Biloxi to give the Wahoos an improbable win on May 28th at MGM Park. Like that night, Burdick fell behind 0-2 before turning around a fastball over the centerfield wall for a go-ahead three-run home run to give Pensacola a 5-3 lead and send a sold-out Blue Wahoos Stadium crowd into a frenzy. The home run was Burdick’s 13th of the season, tying him with Birmingham’s Micker Adolfo for the most home runs in the Double-A South.
Pensacola added an insurance run in the eighth when Devin Hairston belted his third homer of the season off Cody Beckman. For Hairston, all three of his homers have now come against his former team.
The late game drama was set up by Will Stewarts brilliant outing. Stewart allowed two hits across six shutout innings while striking out five. For the southpaw, it was his third quality start of the season, and his first since June 4.
Earlier, the Wahoos took the lead in the fourth inning by capitalizing on some sloppy play from the Shuckers. After Galli Cribbs Jr. was hit by a pitch, he advanced to second on a groundout to third. Later in the inning, he stole third base before ultimately scoring on a wild pitch from Shucker starter Noah Zavolas.
Zavolas finished his night with a quality start of his own, tossing six innings and allowing just one run while striking out eight.
Stewart’s chances of a win evaporated in the seventh, when Brent Diaz hit a three-run homer in the top of the seventh to give the Shuckers a 3-1 lead.
After the Wahoos retook the lead, Dylan Bice pitched the final two innings in scoreless fashion to give the right-hander his first career Double-A save.
The series concludes on Sunday with Marlins #3 prospect Max Meyer (4-1, 1.84) making his second start of the series. On Tuesday, Meyer picked up his fourth win of the season after six shutout innings against Biloxi. Just like on Tuesday, Meyer will be opposed by LHP Nick Bennett (1-4, 5.46).
Elsa Weakens Slightly To A Tropical Storm
July 3, 2021
Elsa weakened slightly to a tropical storm Saturday morning and is continuing on a path toward the Gulf of Mexico.
It will approach Jamaica and Cuba over the weekend.
As of the 10 a.m. advisory, Elsa became a tropical storm as winds dropped below 74 mph.
Elsa will continue moving rapidly to the west-northwest through Saturday night, after which a gradual turn to a northward movement is expected.
No local impacts are expected through the long holiday weekend. It is still not certain if any local impacts will occur next week given the uncertainty of the long range forecast.
Complete details on Hurricane Elsa are in the updated graphics on this page.
Scattered Showers And Thunderstorms For The Fourth Weekend
July 3, 2021
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Independence Day: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind around 5 mph becoming southeast after midnight.
Monday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. East wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. South wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Southeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Tuesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind around 5 mph becoming northeast after midnight.
Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Wednesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Thursday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 85.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 88.
Where To Find Fireworks Shows On The Fourth (And The Third)
July 3, 2021
Here’s a guide to Fourth of July fireworks shows and events in the North Escambia area. Note that the Jay show is on Saturday, July 3, and the Flomaton-Century show was canceled.
JULY 3
Jay Fireworks
The annual Jay fireworks show will be at 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 3 at Bray-Hendricks Park on Booker Street. Events will begin at 5 p.m. on the tee ball field with a Jay Elementary School Junior Beta Club cash only fundraiser for a Washington, D.C. trip. There will be a bounce house, glow items, face painting, boiled peanuts, drinks and cotton candy.
JULY 4
Sertoma’s 4th of July Celebration, Pensacola
For the 32nd year, area Sertoma organizations are again coordinating and hosting the largest Fireworks display on the Gulf Coast over Pensacola Bay on Sunday, July 4 at 9 p.m.
The festivities are going to be different this year. Organizers decided to focus on holding the largest fireworks show ever for the Fourth. The celebration will return to the full day of festivities for 2022.
There will be live music on the main stage on Bayfront Parkway at Bartram Park, with Not Quite Fab taking the stage at 4:30 with their Beatles show and Still Standing from 6:30 until 9 p.m. with a tribute to Elton John.
The fireworks show over Pensacola Bay at 9 p.m. will be synchronized with music on CatCountry 98.7. You’ll need an actual FM radio — there is too much of a delay when using a device or app.
Pensacola Symphony Orchestra Sparks & Stars Performance
There will be a free performance from the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra at the Hunter Amphitheater in Vince Whibbs Community Maritime Park is at 7 p.m. Sunday. Bring your blanket to enjoy the show on the lawn. This orchestra concert will be broadcast live on NewsRadio 92.3 / AM 1620, on BLAB-TV and in Wahoos Stadium from 7:30 until 9 p.m.
Pensacola Beach Fireworks
The Pensacola Beach Fireworks show will be at 8:30 p.m. Sunday along the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk and Santa Rosa Sound. The best viewing spots are from the Portofino Boardwalk or Quietwater Beach.
Downtown Milton Riverfest
Celebrate the 4th of July along Willing St. in Milton. in Historic Downtown Milton from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. with a family-friendly event featuring the Firecracker Bike Show, car show, food and retail vendors, live entertainment, and the Great Mill Town Duck Race. The night will end with a firework display over the Blackwater River at sundown.
NorthEscambia.com photos.
FWC’s Operation Dry Water Targets Boating Under The Influence This Weekend
July 3, 2021
FWC’s Operation Dry Water promotes education, enforcement for boating under the influence this weekend
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Division of Law Enforcement will be promoting awareness and conducting heightened enforcement targeting boating under the influence as part of the national Operation Dry Water campaign this weekend.
FWC officers will be enforcing Florida’s boating under the influence laws and educating boaters about safe boating practices, which includes boating sober.
The Fourth of July holiday is one of the busiest boating holidays all over the U.S., including here in Florida. In 2020, the month of July had nine fatalities and 53 people injured due to BUI related boating accidents.
Operating a vessel under the influence of alcohol or drugs is illegal on all bodies of water and can lead to serious injuries and consequences. In Florida, it is illegal to operate a vessel with a blood alcohol content level of .08 or higher — the same as it is to operate a vehicle.
“If you are boating and choose to operate while impaired, you are endangering not only yourself, but your family, friends and other boaters on the water,” said Maj. Rob Beaton, FWC’s Boating and Waterways Section Leader. “FWC officers will be actively patrolling statewide looking for boaters who show signs of impairment. One of our primary missions is to ensure the safety of all those enjoying the state’s vast and diverse waterways. That is why the FWC is joining other states and agencies across the country to do our part in keeping boaters safe and preventing accidents related to boating under the influence.”
Alcohol is a leading contributing factor in recreational boating deaths and a major contributor to accidents. Last year in Florida, 23% of fatal accidents were related to alcohol or drug use.
If a person decides to take alcohol on their voyage, it is important to designate an operator who isn’t drinking alcohol and will remain sober to ensure everyone gets home safely. The FWC encourages boaters to enjoy the boating season to its full extent by boating sober, wearing a life jacket and taking a boating education course.
The national Operation Dry Water weekend will take place July 2 through July 4. The mission of Operation Dry Water is to prevent alcohol and drug related accidents and fatalities through increased recreational boater awareness and fostering a stronger and more visible deterrent to alcohol use on the water.