Credit Report Freezes Are Now Free In Florida
July 9, 2018
The Credit Report Freeze Bill that was signed into law in Florida in March is went into effect July 1. It eliminates the $10 fee that credit reporting agencies were charging to freeze their credit.
A credit freeze prevents access to your credit report, which makes it more difficult for scammers to open credit lines in your name. The law also removed the paperwork requirements for victims of identity theft to freeze their credit without a fee.
“Protecting consumers’ hard-earned money from criminals is a top priority, and this legislation that removes the fee to freeze credit reports makes it easier for consumers to protect themselves from fraud,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam.
Local 4-H Members Take Part In Mock Legislative Session
July 8, 2018
Escambia County 4-H members recently took part in a mock legislative session at the Florida State Capitol.
The civic education event allowed students to write bills, act as lobbyists, pass the bills through various committees and debate the potential laws on the Capitol House and/or Senate Floor as acting representatives and senators. The event provided the 4-H’ers an opportunity to debate issues and experience the legislative process first-hand.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
July Gardening Tips
July 7, 2018
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.
Free Meals Available At The Molino, Century And Main Libraries
July 6, 2018
Free summer meals continue to be available at the libraries in Molino, Century and downtown Pensacola.
The meals are available through a partnership with West Florida Public Libraries and Feeding the Gulf coast through Friday, August 3 for children 18 and younger.
Meals are available as follows:
– Molino Branch Library, 6450-A Highway 95A : Monday-Friday, breakfast from 9-10 a.m. and lunch from noon to 1 p.m.
– Century Branch Library, 7991 N. Century Blvd: Tuesday-Friday, lunch from noon to 1 p.m.
– Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St.: Monday-Friday, breakfast from 9-10 a.m. and lunch from noon to 1 p.m.
Pictured: Summer meals at the Century Branch Library. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
So This Beaver Heads Down To The Liquor Store On Highway 29…
July 3, 2018
A larger beaver was spotted alongside Highway 29 at Old Chemstrand Road, right in front of a liquor store, and it’s getting a lot of attention (and a lot of bad puns) on social media. Rick Littlefield said he was surprised to see the beaver, and it retreated into the drainage ditch shortly after these photos. Other local residents say they have seen beavers by the busy highway before. Photos courtesy Rick Littlefield for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
New Little Free Library At Cantonment Park
July 2, 2018
There’s a new Little Free Library in Cantonment. Ascend Performance Materials donated the new library at Carver Park on Webb Street.
The Little Free Library concept is simple — anyone from the community may borrow a book or add a book to the library. Anyone taking a book or two from library does not need to return that exact book, and there are no due dates.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ransom Teacher Receives Holocaust Education Fellowship
July 1, 2018
Ransom Middle School teacher Lauren Samoszenko was recently selected as one of 29 Holocaust educators from 12 states, Croatia and Poland, as a 2018 Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (JFR) Alfred Lerner Fellow.
As a newly minted fellow, Samoszenko took part in the JFR’s Summer Institute, an intensive five-day course for Holocaust educators held at Columbia University last week. She was able to explore the complex history of the Holocaust as well as discuss new teaching techniques for introducing the subject of the Holocaust into her classroom.
Teachers selected for the program must be English or social studies teachers at the middle or high school level, have taught at least five years, are at least five years from retirement and currently teach the Holocaust in their classroom.
Participants each come from a region of the country where the JFR operates Holocaust Centers of Excellence in conjunction with a local Holocaust museum or center. International educators were first invited to join the seminar in 2001 at the request of the U.S. State Department. Samoszenko was nominated by the Gulf Coast Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education.
Escambia Sheriff’s Office Announces Awards, Promotions
June 29, 2018
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has presented quarterly awards and recognized recent promotions.
Promotions:
Jamie Nicole Dittmer to Administrative Assistant
Mark Harper to Evidence Technician
Stephanie Schmidt to Crime Scene Tech Trainee
Deputy 1st Class M. Scruggs to Sergeant
Life Saving Awards:
Deputy 1st Class B. Minor (two awards), Sgt. R. Pollock, Deputy 1st Class S. Shelley, Deputy G. McMullen, Deputy B. Godfrey, Deputy D. Voght, Deputy S. Housam, Deputy J. Ates, Sgt. A. Kilgen, Sgt. G. NeSmith, and Senior Deputy J. Mann.
Civilian Service Medal: Myron Bose
Law Enforcement Employee Of the Quarter: Nancy Digman
Law Enforcement Officer of the Quarter: Senior Deputy J.Holcombe
Kids Show Off Their Artistic Skills During Library Summer Reading Program
June 28, 2018
Summer Reading Club program participants had a chance to show off their artistic skills Wednesday at the Century Branch Library.
Mike Artell, author of “Petite Rouge The Cajun Red Riding Hood”, visited the library to share his unique talents including cartooning and music.
Artell also appeared Thursday morning at the Molino Branch Library.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Do You Know The Difference Between Heat Exhaustion And Heat Stroke?
June 25, 2018
During extremely hot and humid weather, your body’s ability to cool itself is challenged according to the National Weather Service.
When the body heats too rapidly to cool itself properly, or when too much fluid or salt is lost through dehydration or sweating, body temperature rises and you or someone you care about may experience a heat-related illness. It is important to know the symptoms of excessive heat exposure and the appropriate responses.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides a list of warning signs and symptoms of heat illness, and recommended first aid steps. Some of these symptoms and steps are listed below. Click on the infographic below for a full size version.
Source. National Weather Service