Clouds For The Weekend; Rain Chance Next Week
February 9, 2019
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. East wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. East wind around 5 mph.
Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72. South wind around 5 mph.
Monday Night: A chance of showers before midnight, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between midnight and 3am, then a chance of showers after 3am. Patchy fog. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Tuesday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before noon, then showers likely. High near 68. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 62. North wind around 5 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 44. East wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67.
Thursday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a low around 58. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Friday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 41.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 61.
Pictured: Friday’s North Escambia sunset. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Weekend Gardening: February Tips
February 9, 2019
Here are gardening tips for the month of February from your local Extension Service:
Flowers
- Re-fertilize cool season flowerbeds, using a liquid or granular form of fertilizer. Be careful not to apply excessive amounts and keep granules away from the base of stems.
- Prepare flowerbeds for spring planting by adding and incorporating soil amendments like mushroom compost, manure or homemade compost. Till or spade the bed to incorporate the amendments with the existing soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Allow the prepared bed to lie undisturbed for 3 to 4 weeks before planting. This provides time for some important biological activity to take place, and new plants are less likely to suffer from stem and root rots as a result. Have a soil test done. Sometimes lime is needed. However, a lime application should be made only if the need is revealed by the test.
- Replenish mulch in flowerbeds.
- Prune rose bushes.
Trees and Shrubs
- February is possible the best month for rejuvenation of old, overgrown shrubs. When pruned now, plants have an entire growing season to recover.
- Prune summer flowering deciduous shrubs such as Althea and Hibiscus. Since they flower on current season’s growth, flowering can actually be enhanced by proper pruning
- Do NOT prune the spring flowering shrubs yet. Azaleas, Spiraeas and Forsythia flower during early spring because buds were formed last summer and fall. Pruning in February would therefore remove most of the flower buds.
- Cold damaged trees and shrubs should NOT be pruned until new growth appears. You want to preserve as much healthy plant material as possible.
- Replenish mulch in shrub beds
- Finish planting ornamental and fruit trees.
Fruits and Nuts
- Fertilize established pecan trees. Use a “special pecan fertilizer” that contains zinc. Use 2 lbs. for every year of age of the tree up to a maximum of 55 lbs. Broadcast the fertilizer evenly beneath the tree.
- Fertilize established peach, plum, pear, persimmon, apple and fig. Apply about 1 ½ lbs of a 10-10-10 (or similar) fertilizer for each year of age of the tree until a maximum of 10 to 15 lbs. per tree is reached.
- Blueberries are very sensitive to nitrogen and can be killed easily, particularly when they are young. Fertilize only if your goal is to increase yield or berry size. An annual application of 2 ounces of a special “azalea/camellia” or “special blueberry” type fertilizer per plant in February is ample fertilizer on 2-year-old plants.
- Prune muscadine grapes between mid-February to mid-March. A standard method is to allow 2 to 4 node spurs spaced every 6 inches of cordon. You may notice that pruning cuts bleed, but there is no evidence that this is injurious to the vine.
- Grapes (bunch and muscadine) should be fertilized at the rate of 1 ½ lbs of 10-10-10 for each year of age with a maximum of 5 lbs per plant applied in late February.
- Last call for planting fruit trees! Most fruit trees such as pecans, plums, persimmons, figs, peaches and nectarines are shipped bare roots and should be planted during the dormant season.
- Apply a spray containing horticultural oils emulsion to dormant fruit trees and ornamental shrubs. Follow label directions carefully.
Vegetable Garden
- Several winter vegetables can still be successfully grown by starting them this month. Plant beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, collards, endive/escarole, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mustard, parsley, English peas, radish and turnips.
- Plant Irish potatoes. Purchase certified seed potatoes rather than using the grocery store kinds. Use 2-ounce seed pieces with eyes and plant them 3 to 4 inches deep.
- Prepare spring vegetable and herb beds for planting by adding and incorporating soil amendments like mushroom compost, manure or homemade compost. Wait 3 to 4 weeks before planting.
Lawns
- Hold off on fertilizing the lawn. It is still too early for an application of nitrogen containing product. Cold temperatures and lack of plant response would likely result in wasted fertilizer. However, your winter weeds would benefit greatly.
Escambia Fire Rescue Smoke Detector Program Credited For Saving Life In House Fire
February 9, 2019
It’s a story that could play out anywhere in Escambia County.
Sometimes things have a way of coming together, even in the worst of circumstances.
When Escambia County Fire Rescue installed a smoke detector in a home on Herron Villon Lane a year ago, they had no way of knowing that it would help save a man’s life.
A fire broke out overnight in the residence, with flames ultimately consuming the home and making it a total loss. The elderly resident was asleep in his bed, but thankfully the smoke detector installed by ECFR last year woke him. Between being asleep at the time of the fire and having significant mobility issues, he said there’s no way he would have escaped without it.
ECFR crews arrived on scene to find the resident partially outside of the home. They were able to move him to a safe location, where he was then transported by Escambia County EMS to Baptist Hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile, Escambia County Emergency Communications Supervisor Shenae Maxwell was having trouble sleeping and decided to step outside. She saw the glow of the fire, called 911, drove to the location and provided the address and information to dispatchers. Since Maxwell is used to taking 911 calls, she was able to provide valuable information from the scene for her colleagues on the other end of the line.
Fire crews were able to bring the fire under control less than an hour after arriving on scene.
If you live in Escambia County and do not have a working smoke detector, call (850) 595-HERO (4376) for a free one. City of Pensacola residents can call (850) 436-5200 for smoke detector installation assistance.
Tate Drama Dept. Presenting Sunday ‘Sister Act’
February 9, 2019
The Tate High School Drama Department will present the musical “Sister Act” Sunday at a 2:30 p.m. matinee. Tickets at the door are $7. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Fracking Ban Bills To Be Heard In House, Senate
February 9, 2019
With Gov. Ron DeSantis supporting the idea, proposals to ban the controversial oil- and gas-drilling technique known as “fracking” could start moving in the House and Senate. The House Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee and the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee are scheduled Wednesday to take up bills (PCB ANRS 19-01 and SB 314) that would prohibit fracking in the state.
Florida has long had oil drilling in parts of the Panhandle and Southwest Florida, but the possibility of fracking has led to repeated debates. Critics of the technique contend it could lead to water contamination. Past attempts to ban the practice have died in the Legislature, but DeSantis, who took office Jan. 8, has called for a prohibition. The bills are filed for consideration during the legislative session that starts March 5.
Stolen Vehicle Crashed Into Cantonment Home; Gun, Cupcakes Stolen In Six Other Vehicle Burglaries
February 8, 2019
A vehicle was stolen in the Ironhorse subdivision in Cantonment early Friday morning and a second stolen vehicle crashed into house a short distance away.
A 2015 Nissan Rogue was taken from a home on Chesapeake Trail, just off County Road 97, during the early morning hours, and six unlocked vehicles on the same street were burglarized.
Also overnight, a suspect crashed a Nissan Altima into a brick home less than a mile away on Silver Ridge Drive. The vehicle traveled through the dining room and into an interior wall to the garage about 3:45 a.m. No one in the home was injured. The suspect fled on foot, according to Maj. Andrew Hobbs of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. He was described as a black male with dreadlocks wearing a white hoodie.
The Nissan Altima was stolen earlier this month from Metford Avenue in the Monclair area.
A handgun and cupcakes were among the items stolen from six unlocked vehicles on Chesapeake Trail. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Gun Response Team is involved in the investigation due to the stolen firearm.
“We just can’t stress enough how important it is to lock your vehicle,” Hobbs said.
The possible connection between the two incidents remains under investigation.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the ECSO at (850) 436-9620 or to remain anonymous call Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP. Crime Stoppers callers can be eligible for a cash reward.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Taco Bell On Nine Mile To Reopen After Fire; Workers Not Out Of Job
February 8, 2019
There are plans to reopen the Taco Bell on Nine Mile Road following a fire Wednesday afternoon, and the restaurant’s workers are not out of job.
A statement Thursday night from the Taco Bell corporate office said the franchise owner and operator of the location is “working quickly” to reopen.
“In the meantime, all team members have been given the opportunity to work at nearby Taco Bell locations,” the Taco Bell Corp. said in an email to NorthEscambia.com.
The fire was reported just after 3:30 p.m. The first firefighters arriving on scene reported a heavy ceiling fire, according to Joy Tsubooka, spokesperson for Escambia County. Fire crews were able to save about 75 percent of the building.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Pictured: The first firefighters arrive on scene at a fire at the Taco Bell on Nine Mile Road in Pensacola Wednesday afternoon. Pictured below: More photos as firefighters battle the fire. Photos by Dylan Shipman and others for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Approves $5 Million More For ST Engineering Expansion
February 8, 2019
Escambia County will contribute another $5 million dollars to the expansion of ST Engineering at the Pensacola International Airport.
The Escambia County Commission approved the increase on a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner Doug Underhill voting against. The move brings the county’s total contribution to the project to $15 million, mostly from local option sales tax funds.
The Pensacola City Council also voted this week to contribute another $5 million to their previous $10 million commitment.
The city asked Friday morning for another $12.5 million from Triumph Gulf Coast in addition to their previously committed $56 million. The Triumph board committed to additional $10 million, $2.5 million short of the ask, for a commitment of 1,325 jobs for at least seven years.
A total of $210 million in funding is needed for the project by March 31.
The project includes the construction of hangers and is expected to create over 1,300 jobs.
Atmore Explores Establishing Downtown Historic District
February 8, 2019
The immediate downtown Atmore business district could be designated as a historic district.
The City of Atmore held a public hearing Thursday evening to discuss the proposed historic district. Officials from the Alabama Historical Commission and the consulting firm of McNair Historic Preservation fielded question from a small crowd of mostly business owners and stakeholders at Atmore City Hall.
City Clerk Becca Smith said boundaries for the historic district have not yet been established, but the area currently under consideration is along and either side of Main Street downtown.
If the city moves forward, it could take well over a year before the historic district could become officially recognized.
Pictured: Downtown Atmore and a public workshop at the Atmore City Hall Thursday evening. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
North Escambia Transportation Service Explained In Century; Next Meeting In Walnut Hill
February 8, 2019
Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) held a public workshop Thursday evening in Century to provide information about the North Escambia Transportation Service Pilot Project. There is one more workshop meeting set for Monday in Walnut Hill.
The North Escambia Transportation Service Pilot Project will begin February 20 as a door-to-door on demand transportation project.
To qualify for the program, participants must live north of Quintette Road within Escambia County and complete a short application (click to download). All trips will require a 24-hour advance reservation by calling (850) 595-0501 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays. The participant’s fare will be $1 for each trip.
The project will service Walnut Hill, Davisville and Bratt on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Century, Molino and McDavid on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The service will be available from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday.
A meeting will be held at 5 p.m. on Monday, February 11 at the Walnut Hill Community Center (Ruritan Building) on Highway 97.
Pictured: ECAT Division Manager Tonya Ellis explains the North Escambia Transportation project during a meeting Thursday evening in Century. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.