Century Correctional Helps Byrneville Elementary Celebrate Literacy
January 17, 2014
Byrneville Elementary School took part in “Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida!” this week with a little help from Century Correctional Institution.
Several Century Correctional staff members volunteered their own time to read to the students this week because they realize that reading to young children is a great activity to stimulate language and cognitive skills while building motivation for reading, curiosity and memory.
The CCI staff members stressed the importance of learning to read and good education to the Byrneville students.
Pictured top: Assistant Warden Hutchins with Byrneville Elementary students. Pictured below: Warden Doug Sloan reads to students. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Grad Dixon Completes Military Basic Training
January 16, 2014
Air Force Airman Quadry D. Dixon graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.
The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.
Dixon is the son of Bonnie Ewing of Flomaton and Jimmy Dixon of Brewton.
He is a 2012 graduate of Northview High School.
Arbor Day Celebration and Tree Giveaway Planned For Molino
January 16, 2014
Escambia County Extension will host an Arbor Day celebration and tree giveaway event on Friday, January 24, from 10 a.m until noon at the Molino Community Center, 6450 Highway 95A North.
To obtain a free tree, residents must participate in a 10 minute tree-based educational session that will include site selection, proper planting, watering and general care and maintenance. Two tree species will be offered, mayhaw and willow oak, in one gallon containers. The giveaway is limited to one tree per client.
Pictured: Leaves of the willow oak tree. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Sea Turtles Rescued From Cold Released Again
January 15, 2014
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and several partners returned approximately 50 sea turtles to the wild Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico off Cape San Blas after the animals were rescued from last week’s cold water temperatures.
“It is very satisfying to be able to release these turtles following the exhaustive effort put in by rescuers last week,” said Dr. Allen Foley, FWC sea turtle biologist. “Our staff, partners and volunteers spent many hours braving cold conditions to search for and rescue these cold-stunned turtles.”
The sea turtles were rescued between Jan. 7 and Jan. 9, when water temperatures dipped below 50 degrees, causing cold-stunning. Cold-stunned turtles may float listlessly in the water or wash ashore, largely unable to move. In this state, they are susceptible to further effects from the weather, and to attacks by gulls that often involve eye injuries. Many of these turtles would die without human intervention.
Many of the turtles were rescued near Crooked Island and in Big Lagoon in Escambia County. The rescued turtles were all taken to Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City to allow them to recover from exposure to the unusually low water temperatures.
A water-temperature-monitoring buoy in St. Joseph Bay allows biologists to predict when sea turtle cold-stunning may occur. Thanks to this, responders were ready with a plan of action for this event. There is no forecast of cold-stunning conditions returning to the area in the near future.
The turtles were tagged before their release to allow researchers to individually identify them if any are encountered again in the future. Biologists chose to release the turtles into the Gulf at Cape Palms Park on Cape San Blas because the water is warmer and turtles released in the area in the past have returned to St. Joseph Bay, which is a known feeding area.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Library To Uncover “The History Of Molino”
January 14, 2014
The West Florida Library will present “The History of Molino” in a special program later this month.
The event will be hosted by Lil King, president of the Molino Mid-County Historical Society at the Molino Branch Library, 6450 Highway 95A, on Saturday, January 25.
With its location just 25 miles north of Pensacola, the Molino area, including the old town of Molino, played a vital role in the area’s settlement and development. From its start as a Spanish mission in the 1700s, an important mill town during the Industrial Revolution and into the modern era, Molino’s history is the story of life in rural Florida and how it has changed over the years.
The event is a part of the Explore Pensacola History lecture series. For more information, call the Main Library at (850) 436-5060.
Pictured top: Work to uncover evidence of The Mission San Joseph De Escambe along the Escambia River in Molino by the University of West Florida Archaeological Field School. Pictured below: An unusual glass necklace bead found in Molino, believe to possibly be an 18th-century “melon bead” with a translucent cobalt blue color. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
It’s Celebrate Literacy Week At Area Elementary Schools
January 13, 2014
It’s “Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida!”, and North Escambia elementary schools will celebrate a variety of activities this week.
The goal of the week is to promote literacy by raising awareness of programs and projects offered by the Florida Department of Education and partner groups, and to promote the enjoyment of reading for adults and children of all ages.
The following events are planned at North Escambia elementary schools this week:
- Bratt Elementary — An AR test, “Reading Rocks” with funny socks, student designed bookmarks, wear a hat and wear favorite team gear.
- Byrneville Elementary — Teacher swap day, buddy reading, community guest readers, family literacy night and vocabulary day.
- Molino Park Elementary — Used book sale, human bookwork, camo day, buddy read, guest readers, poster contest.
- Jim Allen Elementary — Guest readers, buddy readers and author studies.
- Lipscomb Elementary — guest readers, buddy reading, teacher swap, door contest.
- McArthur Elementary – 20 minutes reading period, awesome author’s day, cold hard facts day, fantastic fiction and pajama and poetry day.
- Pine Meadow Elementary — door decorating, buddy reading, sunglasses, pajama day to cuddle up and read.
Pictured top: Jacke Johnston’s fifth grade class at Byrneville Elementary School celebrated literacy with a guest reader last January. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Atmore Native Serving Up Authentic Air Force BBQ
January 12, 2014
When some people think of barbecue, they may imagine a simple hamburger thrown on a grill slathered in sauce on the Fourth of July. But for others, authentic barbecue is an extensive process that involves imported wood, secret ingredients, exact temperatures and up to 20 hours – all in hopes of perfecting the combined flavors of smoke, meat juices, spices and rub.
For Tech. Sgt. Sheldon Mason, 341st Maintenance Operations Squadron mechanical pneudraulics section assistant NCO in charge, perfecting barbecue is what the Atmore native does best.
“I started cooking when I was really young because my grandmother was a chef,” Mason said. “She didn’t really do barbecue as opposed to other cuisines, but I took to cooking at a young age.”
Mason has always been accustomed to large family gatherings of more than 100 people. But it wasn’t until his teenage years during these get-togethers when he learned “whole hog cooking,” that his love for barbecue took off.
“It’s just one of those things I’ve always wanted to do,” Mason said. “Within the past five years I’ve been able to get all the equipment I need to actually pursue this one day because barbecuing is really where my heart lies.”
Although Mason hails from the south in a place where barbecued pork is the food of choice, his specialty is beef brisket.
“It’s funny because I’m a southern guy and I cook brisket, which is very popular in Texas,” he said. “It’s a little different to cook something that’s not from where you’re from, but I figured once I mastered brisket, which is one of the hardest things to cook, I felt like I could take on anything.”
Today, Mason uses a gravity-fed smoker for low and slow cooking, which can cook up to 200 pounds of meat. Through trial and error, he has perfected his sauces, cooking time and wood type in the past decade.
“Length [to cook] depends on what the meat is and the size,” Mason said. “Ribs can take anywhere from four to six hours and pulled pork and brisket can take upwards of 12 to 16 hours; but each one is temperamental so I just have to go by the feel and the color. It’s not an exact science – it’s something I’ve learned based on experienced.”
Mason says he aims to satisfy the taste buds of all barbecue lovers from various regions in the U.S.
“I try to cater to everyone,” Mason said. “I don’t have one particular style of barbecue but I put my own spin on it to try to hit all the regions. From the east coast, to the west coast, to the Carolinas and Kansas City, every region has a different flavor of barbecue sauce and specialty meat.”
As an NCO who’s spent 14 years at Montana’s Malmstrom Air Force Base in various maintenance sections, Mason is accustomed to working with and supervising Airmen of different backgrounds. Mason’s vision to stay true to regional barbecue calls for importing wood directly from various states.
“The wood infuses different flavors into the meat,” Mason said. “Wood reacts with the different types of rubs and the different meat used. In order to cook true barbecue, I import all of the wood – from California to Georgia to Washington to stay true to that type of barbecue.”
For hopeful or avid lovers of making their own barbecue, Mason has a few suggestions.
“As far as wood, never use pine,” he said. “Fruit woods add a sweet flavor to the meat; whereas woods like hickory and oak infuse strong flavors, so it’s important to be careful. Mixing those with sugars can create a very robust flavor. Some people don’t know that they don’t need as much smoke as they may think they need. Although [the meat] is smoked, it doesn’t need 12 to 15 hours of straight smoke because it’ll darken the meat too much. Depending on the kind of meat – pork, ribs or brisket – it needs just enough smoke to give it that smoked flavor because the heat is what gives it the true smoke flavor.”
Although Mason typically barbecues for 10 to 50 people, he hopes to one days cook for the masses.
“I’ve done squadron functions, going-aways, retirements – I’ve done a little bit of everything,” he said. “Anyone that requests barbecue usually comes to me. It doesn’t really matter what the occasion is; the more the merrier.”
While Mason intends to pursue barbecuing as a full-time career in the future, his current life as an active-duty Airman continues to be his number one priority.
“I currently plan on retiring at 20 years to pursue this venture, but anything could happen,” Mason said, adding that he plans to open a barbecue place in Great Falls, Montana.
Although creating a business is Mason’s ultimate goal, he finds satisfaction in simply bringing friends, family and Airmen together on the principles he was raised on.
“Honestly, I think food is what brings people together,” he said. “Food, to me, is something everyone can relate to because everyone has to eat. The time it takes to barbecue is something a lot of people don’t understand because it takes such a long time to make this sort of food. It’s a simple food, but it’s not a simple science. Not a lot of people do this because it’s very time consuming and I’m very particular about how I make it. But I really enjoy doing it and that’s why I truly do it; that’s the passion I have.”
Pictured top: Tech. Sgt. Sheldon Mason of Atmore, 341st Maintenance Operations Squadron, pours barbecue sauce on ribs during an office lunch on Montanta’s Malmstrom Air Force Base. Pictured inset: Mason seasons his barbecue ribs. Photos by Senior Airman Katrina Heikkinen for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
High School Seniors: EREC To Award Two $4K Scholarships
January 12, 2014
This April, EREC will award scholarships to graduating seniors in Escambia County and Santa Rosa County whose parent or guardian is a member of the cooperative. Two $4,000 scholarships, one in each county, will be offered.
Seniors in EREC’s service area should check with their high school guidance counselors or click here to download an application. Deadline to submit scholarship application is March 3. Winners will be announced at EREC’s Annual Meeting on April 26.
The students must show proof of enrollment and maintain a GPA of 2.5 to continue to receive the funds each year.
This is EREC’s 17th year of offering scholarships to high school seniors. In the past, those capital credits issued by EREC that were unclaimed had to be turned over to the state. But state legislation now allows such funds to be deposited into a qualified, educational charity fund. The EREC membership voted to use these funds in the form of scholarships for graduating seniors in EREC’s service area.
Cantonment Teacher Is Finalist For Trip To Mars
January 11, 2014
A Cantonment teacher is among 1,058 hopefuls that have been selected from 200,000 applicants as candidates to begin human life on Mars in 2025.
Louis O’Rear, a 49-year old science teacher at Ransom Middle School, is hoping for that ticket to ride from the Mars One program.
“I want my students to know that it’s important not what your dream is but to have a dream. And I’ve always wanted to explore space, always,” the father of two said.
“After all, the universe is the best classroom,” the teacher of 20-plus years said.
“The next several selection phases in 2014 and 2015 will include rigorous simulations, many in team settings, with focus on testing the physical and emotional capabilities of our remaining candidates. We expect to begin understanding what is motivating our candidates to take this giant leap for humankind. This is where it really gets exciting for Mars One, our applicants, and the communities they’re a part of,” said Norbert Kraft, M.D.
Details of the 2014 selection phases have not been agreed upon due to ongoing negotiations with media companies for the rights to televise the selection processes. Expect further information to be released in early 2014. Lansdorp says, “We fully anticipate our remaining candidates to become celebrities in their towns, cities, and in many cases, countries. It’s about to get very interesting.”
O’Rear’s application video for the Mars One program is below.
Space Available For Beginning Spring Into Vegetable Gardening Classes
January 10, 2014
If you have ever considered planting a spring vegetable garden, now is the time register to attend a four-week series to learn how to get started. T
he workshop “Spring into Vegetable Gardening,” will be held Tuesday evenings from 6 – 7:30 p.m. starting January 14 until February 4. The cost is $30 per person or $45 per couple and includes numerous handouts.
Classes will be held at the Milton and Jay locations of UF/IFAS Extension Santa Rosa County. The Milton office is located at 6263 Dogwood Drive. The Jay office is located at 5259 Booker Lane. Register on online at: http://spring-into-vegetable-gardening-2014.eventbrite.com.
Topics for the workshop include:
- Jan. 14 – Homeowner Vegetable Garden Expectations: what to grow and seasonal information, site selection and improving soils
- Jan. 21 – Growing Tomatoes, Peppers, Squash and Cucumbers; Seeding and Transplanting Basics
- Jan. 28 – General garden Maintenance: watering, fertilizing, integrated pest management
- Feb. 4 – Harvesting, Troubleshooting Vegetable Garden Problems
For more information please contact Mary Derrick at (850) 623-3868 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays or via email at maryd@santarosa.fl.gov.