DeSantis, Pence Mark 50th Anniversary Of Apollo 11 Mission
July 21, 2019
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joined Vice President Mike Pence and NASA officials Saturday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission that launched from Florida at the Kennedy Space Center in Meritt Island.
The governor and vice President were joined by former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana, Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and distinguished members of Congress.
Speaking before the crowd at the Neil Armstrong Operational Building, Governor DeSantis highlighted Florida’s legacy and prominent role in the aerospace industry:
“It’s a pleasure to be here with Vice President Pence and welcome so many esteemed representatives of the space industry from across the private and public sector to commemorate such a historic event,” said DeSantis. “Since the launch of the historic Apollo 11 mission 50 years ago, Florida has used its talents, resources, and manpower to establish and uphold our role as a global leader in space exploration and commerce. Florida will continue to be on the cutting edge of space technology for years to come.”
Earlier this week, the Governor issued a proclamation observing July 16-20, 2019, as Florida’s Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Celebration.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Monday Deadline To Register To Tate Men’s Soccer Camp
July 21, 2019
Monday is the deadline to register for the 2019 Tate High School Men’s Soccer Camp in order to receive a camp t-shirt.
The camp is for all returning Tate players and all aspiring players for the 2019-2020 varsity and junior varsity teams. Camp will be held July 26-28 from 8 a.m. until noon as Ashton Brosnaham Park. The cost is $100.
For a registration form, click here.
No Arrests After Man Shot In Cantonment By His Wife’s Ex-Husband
July 21, 2019
UPDATE: Saturday night, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said there have been no arrests in this case. The ECSO incorrectly released information earlier in the day that a suspect had been arrested. The ECSO later retracted that statement and said a man was questioned, but he was not charged.
One man was shot in Cantonment Saturday afternoon, and another man was taken into custody.
The shooting happened about 12:45 p.m. in the 600 block of Hanley Downs Drive, just off West Kingsfield Road.
According to Sgt. Melanie Peterson of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, a man arrived at the home of his ex-wife and shot her current husband. Peterson said the the victim’s wounds were not considered life threatening.
Further details will be posted when available.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
County Bans Big Trucks On Stefani, Pine Forest Roads
July 20, 2019
The Escambia County Commission has voted to restrict truck traffic on Stefani Road and West Ten Mile Road.
District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry brought the recommendation to the board. He said the prohibition will serve to keep truck traffic in the area on Pine Forest and Nine Mile Roads.
The prohibition is on vehicles over 10,500 pounds gross weight.
In February 2018, the commissioner imposed the truck prohibition on several other roadways in the Cantonment and Ensley areas:
- River Annex Road, from Muscogee Road To Jacks Branch Road
- Nine and One Half Mile Road, from Pine Forest Road to US Highway 29
- Ten Mile Road, from Edendale Lane to Stefani Road
- Edendale Lane, from Ten Mile Road to Nine and One Half Mile Road
- Ashland Avenue, from Ten Mile Road to Nine Mile Road
- Bowman Avenue, from Ten Mile Road to Nine Mile Road
- Cove Avenue, from Ten Mile Road to Nine Mile Road
- Fowler Avenue, from Nine and One Half Mile Road to Nine Mile Road
The truck ban does not include trucks servicing or having business within the area.
Number Of Unemployed Increases In Escambia, Santa Rosa
July 20, 2019
The latest job numbers released by the state Friday show an increase in the unemployment rate in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Escambia County’s unemployment increased from 3.0 percent in May to 3.5 percent in June. There were 5,214 people were reported unemployed during the period. One year ago, unemployment in Escambia County was 3.8 percent.
Santa Rosa County’s unemployment rate increased from 2.8 percent in May to 3.4 percent in June. Santa Rosa County had a total of 2,748 persons still unemployed. The year-ago unemployment rate in Santa Rosa County was 3.6 percent.
Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.4 percent in June 2019, unchanged from the May 2019 rate, and down 0.2 percentage point from a year ago. The national unemployment rate was 3.7 percent in June.
The jobless numbers released by the state do not include persons that have given up on finding a job and are no longer reported as unemployed.
Weekend Gardening: July Tips
July 20, 2019
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.
Town Of Century Sets Budget Workshops
July 20, 2019
The Town of Century has set dates for budget workshops.
Those workshops will be held each Thursday at 3 p.m. for four weeks beginning August 1.
Century’s new fiscal year begins October 1.
Ascend Takes Part In Summer Program At Carver Park
July 20, 2019
The Ascend Cares Foundation provide a hut lunch during the Summer Feeding Program Friday at Carver Park in Cantonment. Ascend employees also spent time playing board games and enjoying the park with the children. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Seeks Volunteer For Health Facilities Authority
July 20, 2019
The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners is seeking Escambia County residents interested in volunteering to be considered for a possible appointment to the Escambia County Health Facilities Authority. Appointees serve without compensation.
The Escambia County Health Facilities Authority was established in accordance with Florida statutes. The authority’s duties are to assist health facilities in acquisition, construction, financing and refinancing of projects. Knowledge of finance and/or health care administration required. Authority members serve a four-year term of office. Financial disclosure required.
Escambia residents interested in serving on the Escambia County Health Facilities Authority are asked to submit a letter and resume indicating their desire to serve by the close of business on Wednesday, July 31. Resumes should be submitted to Shamara Jernigan, Program Coordinator, Board of County Commissioners, P.O. Box 1591, Pensacola, FL 32502 or emailed to boardapply@myescambia.com.
Requirements:
- An authority board member must be a resident of Escambia County. An appointee must be able to attend monthly board meetings during regular business hours and to travel out of town. This requires the board member to have an employer and/or occupation which provides flexibility to engage in volunteer community service activities.
- Under its current annual meeting schedule, the authority meets once a month on the third Tuesday at 4 p.m., except for the months of April and September when the board and staff attend educational conferences related to current topics in tax exempt capital financing for healthcare organizations. Monthly time commitments generally range from three to five hours per month, depending on business matters under consideration. For educational conferences, the board members are out of town for up to four days, twice a year.
- Board members must have reasonable computer skills and access to a computer running Windows 7 or higher, with the current version of Adobe Reader, Microsoft Word and Excel, and with high-speed internet access to receive email with attachments and download large PDF files containing meeting agendas and backup materials. A new board member will spend three to five hours for the initial orientation and training on authority operations.
- Board members must be able and willing to learn about (1) tax exempt bond financing and federal regulations related to municipal bond financing; (2) rules and regulations for municipal bond issuers; (3) current capital financing options and techniques for nonprofit healthcare organizations; and (4) Florida laws related to local government operations and finance.
M-Braves Beat The Wahoos
July 20, 2019
The Blue Wahoos knew there might be few scoring chances Friday if Mississippi Braves’ ace Ian Anderson was on top of his game.
When they missed on early opportunities, it became costly again at the end.
The Blue Wahoos’ bats remained in a slumber and their record continued its slide after a 4-2 loss against the M-Braves at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss.
Anderson, the No. 3 ranked player by MLB Pipeline in the Atlanta Braves system, struck out 10 Pensacola hitters to improve his season strikeout total to 129. That leads the Southern League and ranks fourth in all of minor league baseball.
For the Blue Wahoos, this is the first time since the first game of the season their overall record (49-49) is even at .500. They fell into last place (11-17) in the Southern League South Division second-half standings, after losing for the 12th time in 14 games.
On July 3, the Blue Wahoos swept a four-game series at home against the M-Braves for a sixth consecutive win. Friday, they were saddled with a seventh loss in eight games.
The same issue has been the culprit. It’s been a week since they have scored more than two runs in any game.
But before Anderson settled into a seven-inning masterpiece, the Blue Wahoos had a couple chances. They had a runner on base with less than two outs in three of the first four innings.
In the first, leadoff batter Ivan De Jesus Jr. singled. But Anderson got Alex Kirilloff to hit into a double-play and struck out Trevor Larnarch.
In the second inning, the Blue Wahoos got their first run when loading the bases with one out. Lewin Diaz was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Mark Contreras, who went 2-for-4 as the Blue Wahoos only player with multiple hits, followed with a single.
Joe Cronin then singled to load the bases. Diaz scored on Aaron Whitefield’s force out. With runners on second and third, Jordan Gore grounded out to end the inning.
In the fourth inning, Ben Rortvedt had a one out single, but Anderson struck out Contreras and Cronin. The next three innings, the Blue Wahoos had only one baserunner against Anderson, who improved to 7-5, after allowing just five hits, no walks to go along with his 10 strikeouts.
The Blue Wahoos again got their own solid starting pitching. Charlie Barnes worked into the fifth inning, allowing just three hits, one run and struck out six. He had just one walk.
Tom Hackimer, pitching for the first time since June 26, entered in relief and worked 1.2 scoreless innings. In the seventh, however, Adam Bray began the inning and had his roughest relief appearance.
The first three M-Braves batters reached base. William Contreras’ double scored two runs and gave the M-Braves a 3-1 lead. Trey Harris hit a one-out double to score Contreras.
That was the game. The M-Braves’ Claudio Custodio entered in the eighth and gave up a leadoff double to Gore. Larnach’s two-out single scored Gore, then Lewis struck out to end the inning.
Jordan Harrison retired the Blue Wahoos in order in the ninth to get his second save.
The two teams will play again Saturday night in the third game of their weekend series.