Light Freeze Tonight
January 19, 2020
Clearing skies, a dry airmass, and high pressure building into our region will result in much colder temperatures tonight. A light freeze is expected to impact most of our area tonight, with overnight lows ranging from the upper 20s to around 32 degrees. Be sure to protect pets and any tender vegetation you may have. Be prepared to dress warmly if venturing out early Monday morning.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 29. North wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
M.L.King Day: Sunny, with a high near 46. Wind chill values between 20 and 30 early. North wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 28. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. North wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 47. Wind chill values between 20 and 30 early. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 26. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 52. East wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35. East wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41.
Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 60.
Crash With Two Boulders Claims Life In Escambia County
January 19, 2020
A young woman lost her life after striking two boulders Saturday in Escambia County.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 19-year old Allanah Sharee Simmons of Milton was traveling east on Detroit Boulevard about a half mile east of Pine Forest Road. Troopers said her 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer left the roadway about 11:40 a.m. during “adverse conditions” and struck a large boulder along the shoulder of the roadway at a business entrance. The vehicle began to spin around and became wedged between the first boulder and a second boulder on the shoulder.
Simmons was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital where she passed away from her injuries at 12:32 p.m.
File photo.
Century Set To Finalize Employment Contract With Vernon Prather As Interim City Manager
January 19, 2020
The Town of Century is set to finalize an employment contract this week with Vernon Prather as interim city manager.
Prather will be paid $40 an hour for 30 hours per week, or $1,200 per week. He will have complete control over his work schedule and hours worked. If he exceeds 30 hours per week, he will not be paid overtime but will be allowed to take comp time off at his discretion. He will also receive a $600 per month vehicle allowance, but will not receive employee benefits such as vacation, retirement or insurance.
The council voted 4-1 back in December to hire Prather. Council member James Smith cast the dissenting vote, saying Prather was not Century’s “saviour” and that the town was getting “robbed”. Smith said the town could not afford Prather and could user the same funds to hire three employees.
Prather served Gulf Breeze in various positions from 2006 to 2017, including director of public services, operations consultant and assistant city manager. He also hold wastewater and water system certifications.
The council will have the right to suspend Prather with full pay and benefits at anytime if the council and Prather mutually agree, or if the council votes to suspend him for just cause after he’s been given 10 days notice.
If the council terminates Prather before the expiration of the contract, they will owe him a lump sum cash payment of six weeks salary. Prather can be terminated for cause including criminal conviction. If Prather resigns, he will provide 45 days advance notice, unless all parties agree otherwise.
If the council approves the employment contract with Prather, it will be retroactive to January 1. The contract will end December 1, 2020, unless extended.
The Century Town Council is set to vote on the contract during their regular meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
What’s Closed For The MLK Holiday, Trash Pickup Info
January 19, 2020
Here are closures in Escambia County and the Town of Century in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday on Monday, January 20.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Escambia County offices and departments closed Monday, Jan. 20:
- Escambia County Board of County Commissioners - All departments, including:
- West Florida Public Libraries (All locations – normal hours will resume Tuesday, Jan. 21)
- The Escambia County Animal Shelter
- Escambia County Property Appraiser
- Escambia County Tax Collector
- Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller’s office
- Escambia County Area Transit
Exceptions:
- The Perdido Landfill will be open
TOWN OF CENTURY
All town of Century office will be closed. A council meeting has been rescheduled for Tuesday, January 21.
ECUA
ECUA business offices will be closed on Monday, January 20, in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Holiday. However, residential and commercial sanitation collections for ECUA customers in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties will be unaffected by the holiday and will be carried out as usual. Customers may contact ECUA Customer Service at (850) 476-0480 for more information.
Escambia County Arbor Day Tree Giveaway Held Saturday
January 19, 2020
A tree giveaway was held Saturday in observance of Arbor Day was held Saturday.
Escambia County held the tree giveaway and public planting Saturday morning at Beulah Middle School. Support for the event wass provided by the Florida Forest Service, Escambia County Natural Resources Management Division and UF/IFAS Extension with help from volunteers including the Beulah Middle School FFA and International Paper.
The event began with a tree planting ceremony followed by a tree giveaway and educational sessions. Families received two free native 1-gallon trees while supplies lasted, including swamp chestnut oak, chickasaw plum, red maple and mayhaw.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
MLK Day Programs, Parades Planned
January 19, 2020
Parades and special events will honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. across the area on Monday.
Century
The Century-Flomaton Improvement Association will honor Dr. King with a motorcade in Century Monday morning. The motorcade will line up at the old Carver School on Pond Street at 8:00 a.m. The motorcade will roll at 9 a.m. and will end at the Agricultural Building on West Highway 4. A program and celebration will follow in the Ag Building at about 10:00 with a guest speaker Pastor Karen Shuford of Wesley Chapel Church in Century, special music and lunch.
Cantonment
The 14th Annual Cantonment MLK Parade will roll at 4 p.m. on Monday. There are no entry fees required, but it is required that entries have plenty of candy or trinkets for children, and organizers are asking that each car or float display a symbol or picture that pertains to the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Participants are asked to line up beginning at 3 p.m. at the Carver Park at 208 Webb Street. Floats, cars, horses and motorcycles are welcome. The parade will travel Washington, Booker and Carver before returning. For more information, call (850) 390-1912.
Atmore
The 2020 Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade will line up at Houston Avery Park and roll at 10 a.m. on January 20. The parade will travel MLK Avenue to Carver Avenue, to Ashley Street, to Main Street, to Liberty Street, To MLK Avenue, to Ridgely Street and end at the Emmanuel Faith Center at 710 East Ridgely Street for a program with guest speaker James Averhart of Mobile.
Flomaton
A march will begin at Highway 31 and MLK Drive at 8:30 a.m. and end at MLK Drive and Van Hoosen Road on Monday, January 2020. At 10 a.m., a celebration will be held at the Damascus Baptist Church at 623 MLK Drive with guest speakers Bro. Michael Bowel and Pastor Henry Hawkins.
Pensacola
Pensacola’s 33rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade will roll at 11 a.m. Monday in downtown Pensacola.
NorthEscambia.com file photos from the Cantonment MLK Day Parade, click to enlarge.
Stop Crape Murder: Don’t Cut Back Your Myrtles
January 19, 2020
by the Santa Rosa County Extension Service
Proper pruning is one of the most misunderstood of all gardening practices, yet it is one of the most important procedures in a landscape. A common victim of bad, improper pruning is the crape myrtle. Crape myrtles will occasionally need pruning to obtain the desired landscape effect, but many times these plants are butchered for no good reason.
According to Dan Gill, LSU Ag Center Horticulturist, an unfortunate trend in crape myrtle pruning is to lop off their tops, which results in a tree reduced to large branches ending in stubs. The lush growth that occurs at these cut sites appears vigorous but is actually structurally weak and more susceptible to fungus diseases such as powdery mildew. And when pruning is conducted improperly over several years, unsightly large, swollen knobs form at the point where pruning is done each year.
Flowers are not the only virtue of this tree. Many varieties have beautiful bark and growth habits that can be enjoyed all year if trees are not heavily pruned.
Crape murder
This unsightly, ugly pruning known as crape murder is not recommended. Once it’s done, it ruins the tree’s graceful natural shape for the rest of its life.
Often gardeners think they are supposed to prune their crape myrtles that way, and nothing could be farther from the truth. Many think that crape myrtles need to be cut way back to bloom well. This is not accurate. The flower clusters may be larger on lopped trees, but the added weight on the ends of long branches causes them to bend over awkwardly, especially after it rains. And since the tree is smaller, it actually produces fewer flower clusters.
Many people say they need to cut a crape myrtle back because of its size. If the height of the crape myrtle is not causing a problem with a nearby structure or power lines, there is little reason to reduce the tree’s height. To cut a crape myrtle back for the vague reason of “it just seems too large” ignores the fact that these plants are trees. They are supposed to be large.
To prune a crape myrtle properly, first decide if it needs to be pruned. As with any pruning project, you must have a specific, valid purpose in mind before you begin. In other words, if you can’t come up with a good reason to prune your tree – leave it alone. If you do see something that calls for pruning, study the tree carefully and determine what needs to be pruned to accomplish the specific purpose identified.
There are a few valid reasons for pruning a crape myrtle. One reason is to eliminate crossed and rubbing branches because rubbing branches can lead to open wounds.
Over time, branches that are too low on the trunk will need to be pruned to raise the canopy. We often need to remove weak, thin branches from the inner part of the tree to produce a cleaner-looking tree. Selected branches may need to be pruned back to a side branch or the trunk to create a shapelier tree. Of course, you need to prune to keep suckers removed from the base of the trunk.
Generally, avoid cutting back or shortening branches much larger than your finger, although cutting larger branches back to a side branch or to the trunk when needed is fine.
Visitors to our area often marvel over our crape myrtles. During summer, their colorful flowers, attractive bark and beautiful shape make them among our most valuable landscape plants. Please appreciate this – and stop the unfortunate trend of hacking them back.
Pictured top: Crape myrtle trees do not need pruning for new growth. Pictured below: These Crape myrtles were ruined with unnecessary topping. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com.
Richard Dewayne ‘Ricky’ Davis
January 19, 2020
Mr. Richard Dewayne ‘Ricky’ Davis, age 61 of Century, FL, passed away on Saturday, January 18, 2020 at Sacred Heart Hospital from injuries he sustained in a car accident.
Ricky was born in Pensacola, FL, but lived most of his life in Century, FL where he attended Abundant Life Church in Century and considered it his church. He enjoyed fishing for bluegills, was a self-employed painter, and a proud tattoo artist. Ricky did what he wanted to do. He is preceded in death by his parents, Ted T. and Bernestine Holland Davis.
He is survived by his wife, Linda Davis of Bratt, FL; daughters, Ashley (Chris) Johnson of Montgomery, AL, Becky Adkins of Atmore, AL, Machalle Adkins of Atmore, AL; siblings, Susie (Shane) Adams of Flomaton, AL, Skinny (Jimmy) Morris 0f Byrneville, FL, Rocky (Brenda) Davis of Lafayette, AL, Pat (Sherman) Glover of Byrneville, FL, Betty (Walter) Porz of Byrneville, FL, Mary Carroll of Michigan, Jim (Patti) Wolters of Atlanta, GA, Reggie (Susie) Palmer of Mississippi; one grandchild, Rose Johnson.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at Flomaton Funeral Home Chapel from 6 P.M. to 8 P.M.
Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, January 22, 2020 at Flomaton Funeral Home at 1 P.M.
Interment will follow in Christian Home Cemetery.
Please share your memories and condolences with the family at www.flomaotnfh.com.
Flomaton Funeral Home Directing.
Big Changes: Rain Saturday, Becoming Much Colder Later
January 18, 2020
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly before 3am. Cloudy, with a low around 45. South wind 5 to 15 mph becoming north after midnight.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 52. North wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 31. Wind chill values between 25 and 30. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
M.L.King Day: Sunny, with a high near 48. North wind around 10 mph.
Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 28. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 48. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 30. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 54. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 61.
Thursday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49.
Friday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50.
Saturday: A slight chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 62.
Guy Thompson, Former Milton Mayor And United Way Boss, Headed To Federal Prison
January 18, 2020
Guyland Thompson, former Milton mayor and formerexecutive director of the United Way of Santa Rosa County, was sentenced Friday to 51 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion.
Thompson, 65, of Milton, was ordered to forfeit $221,868.28 seized from his bank accounts and pay an additional monetary judgment of $430,132.33.
Thompson pled guilty last May to 20 counts of wire fraud and three counts of tax evasion stemming from his embezzlement of funds from United Way of Santa Rosa County while he ran the organization. Between at least 2011 and 2018, Thompson embezzled over $650,000 from the charity. He used his position and access to the charity’s records and bank accounts to steal money from the charity for years by conducting a series of complicated financial transactions to cover his tracks. He also made false representations to board members, employees, bank tellers, and United Way Worldwide to keep his fraud undetected for so long.
Thompson then failed to report the extra income from his embezzlement scheme to the IRS.
“These crimes affected not only an outstanding charitable organization, but also the many individuals who depended on multiple nonprofits to help them deal with day-to-day challenges. This defendant violated the trust of all these innocent victims, and this sentence reflects the harm he did to so many,” said Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
As a result of Thompson’s crimes, United Way of Santa Rosa County lost its charter with the international organization and was forced to close. The restitution Thompson was ordered to pay will be divided between United Way of Santa Rosa County and 15 local charities that previously had been supported by it.
The United Way of Escambia County later expanded their service area to include Santa Rosa County and changed the organization’s name to the United Way of West Florida.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.