Ernest Ward Names March Students Of The Month
April 11, 2013
Ernest Ward Middle School has named their Students of the Month for March. They are (left to right) Desmone Knight, 8th grade; Sierra Slay, 6th grade; Hannah Godwin, 7th grade. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Lawmakers Look To Get Rid Of “R” Word
April 10, 2013
It’s known as the “R” word.
Florida lawmakers are moving toward erasing the terms “mental retardation” and “mentally retarded” from myriad state laws, as the word “retarded” has become widely viewed as offensive to people with disabilities.
“Mental retardation” would be replaced by “intellectual disability,” and “mentally retarded” would be replaced by “intellectually disabled.” As an indication of how references to retardation thread through state laws, the House is considering a 71-page bill to replace the terms — which pop up in everything from criminal laws to health laws.
“”It makes me upset, mad, when people use the R word. The word makes us (people with developmental disabilities) mad, and angry, and sad. People need to stop saying this word. I speak for others like me,” Barbara Collier (pictured), a client of ARC Gateway in Pensacola since 1996 said. She is a resident of one of six ARC group homes, a valuable member of the ARC horticulture program, a bocce player and bowler in the Special Olympics.
Deborah Linton, executive director of The ARC of Florida, said she has worked for three years to convince lawmakers to eliminate the “R” word and its variations. In the past, Linton’s group was known as the Association for Retarded Citizens.
“It was a medical term, and it became an insult,” Linton said Tuesday after the House Health and Human Services Committee voted unanimously to approve the bill (HB 1119). At the other end of the Capitol, the Senate Rules Committee also voted unanimously for the Senate version (SB 142).
House sponsor Janet Adkins, R-Fernandina Beach, said 39 states have made similar changes to their laws. A person with an intellectual disability typically has an IQ of 70 to 75 or below, has limits on the ability to carry on everyday life activities and had the disability before age 18, according to The ARC website.
But while advocacy groups have made a priority of changing the terms, two speakers with intellectual disabilities told the House committee Tuesday that they are still hurt by getting called retarded.
“A lot of people have special needs and different personalities,” said Tyler Creamer, 20, of Panama City “I don’t like when people judge us or put us down. I am important.”
Members of the committee praised the measure.
“Sometimes the most simple of bills can be the most monumental,” said Rep. Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach.
By The News service of Florida
Grand Champions Named In Annual Livestock Show (With Photo Gallery)
April 7, 2013
The 20th annual Gulf Coast Agricultural & Natural Resources Association Livestock Spring Show was held Saturday at the Langley Bell 4-H Center on West Nine Mile Road.
The show provided an opportunity for local 4-H and FFA members to show their steers, swine, goats, lambs, heifers, rabbits and poultry. In addition, many of the steers and swine in the program were auctioned off.
Coming Monday: Saturday’s 20th anniversary livestock show will be the last at the Langley Bell 4-H Center after the property was sold to Navy Federal Credit Union. We’ll update you on the search for a new 4-H facility.
This year’s Grand Champion Steer was exhibited by Donald Cunningham. Donald, age 15, is a member of the Barrineau Park 4-H Club. In addition to showing steers, he enjoys swimming, NJROTC, basketball, football, working and being a Boy Scout. He is the son of Lewe and Beth Cunningham. He attends Pace High School. His Grand Champion Steer sold at auction to Dr. Tom Lampone for $3.50 per pound.
The Reserve Grand Champion was exhibited by Ashley Cunningham, a 17-year old Northview High School Student and member of the Northview FFA. Ashley is the daughter of Andy and Christina Cunningham. She is a Northview High cheerleader and a member of the Northview Dance Teams. Her hobbies include bowling, playing tennis, showing cattle, and volunteering at the Century Care Center.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Other winners Saturday included:
Beef Breeding Registered:
- Grand Champion: Willow Foxworth
- Reserve Grand Champion: Tyler Simmons
Beef Breeding Commercial:
- Grand Champion: Austin Cunningham
Beef Breeding Registered and Commercial
- Supreme Grand Champion: Willow Foxworth
- Reserve Supreme Grand Champion: Tyler Simmons
Swine:
- Grand Champion: Patra Miller
- Reserve Grand Champion: Whitney Patterson
Patra Miller’s Grand Champion Swine sold to Mike Johnson for $5 per pound.
Meat Breeding Goats:
- Grand Champion: Izzy Kent
Dairy Goats
- Grand Champion: Virginia Montgomery
- Reserve: Madison Fendley
Lamb:
- Grand Champion: Jessica Baldwin
Rabbits:
- Best in Show: Donnie Dixon
- Reserve Best in Show: Ethan Thorne
Poultry:
- Best in Show: Joshua McLamb
- Reserve Best in Show: Ami Rodgers
The 20th annual Gulf Coast Agricultural & Natural Resources Association Livestock Spring Show was sponsored in part by NorthEscambia.com.
Complete results were not available Saturday night. NorthEscambia.com anticipates receiving complete results for publication later this week.
Pictured top: Donald Cunningham. Pictured top inset: Ashley Cunningham. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Sun Dogs Signal Sunny Skies
April 7, 2013
Pictured: Colorful “sun dogs” appear over Walnut Hill Saturday morning. Reader submitted photo by Sandi Boone for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Lloyd And Annie Savage Renew Wedding Vows
April 7, 2013
Lloyd and Annie Savage of Century recently renewed their wedding vows. The ceremony was held at the First Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, with a reception following at the Century Community Center.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photos: Northview Spring Concert
April 6, 2013
From Johnny Cash to Disney to Katy Perry, the Northview Music Department Spring Concert featured a variety of music Friday night at the school. Performances included members of the Concert Band, Guitar Ensemble and Glee from Northview.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured above and below: The Northview High School Music Department Spring Concert Friday night. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Weekend Gardening: Hit A Home Run With Knock Out Roses
April 6, 2013
I love roses, I always have. After many years of growing roses, I found myself becoming, dare I say it, a bit of a rose snob. If it wasn’t a hybrid tea, I didn’t want anything to do with it. But as many Southerners know, the hybrid teas do have to be pampered and constantly monitored and treated for fungal diseases.
A couple of years ago, I decided to add some Knock Out roses to my landscape. I was taking a hesitant turn away from the long stems of the hybrid teas to a common shrub rose. I am very glad that I did. This year, the shrub roses are covered with dozens of beautiful blooms. Massed together, they are breathtaking and grab the attention of neighbors.
Landscape shrub roses will not make you great cut flowers, but they will give your landscape an abundance of rose flowers for the majority of the year. They practically bloom non-stop during the growing season, from March to November in Northwest Florida. Also, they are much less prone to blackspot disease than the traditional hybrid tea, floribunda and grandiflora roses.
The Knock Out family of roses was started by rose breeder Bill Radler when he crossed seedlings of ‘Carefree Beauty’ with ‘Razzle Dazzle’ to create the original Knock Out rose. The family now includes varieties that range from blush to vibrant red and even yellow.
In general, Knock Out roses are drought tolerant, self cleaning, and resistant to black spot and powdery mildew. Since they require little maintenance, they are ideal for gardeners who enjoy roses but who aren’t interested in the upkeep required to grow hybrid tea roses. The only drawback of Knock Out roses is that they don’t have a strong fragrance. According to the Conrad Pyle website, the only true fragrant Knock Out is the yellow ‘Sunny’ cultivar.
Like all roses, Knock Out roses need to be planted where they will receive at least six to eight hours of sun each day. It also helps to have a site with good air movement and well-drained soil that falls between pH 6.0 and pH 6.5.
Knock Out roses generally grow three to five feet tall and equally as wide, but some sources say they can reach eight feet tall if not pruned, so be sure to space them appropriately.
After planting, water them regularly until they get established. Apply a three-inch layer of mulch to help retain moisture in the soil, pulling the mulch back from the stem of the plants. Be sure to avoid overhead watering which can increase the chance of fungal leaf spots. They prefer a deep watering every once in a while rather than frequent light waterings.
Knock Out roses are referred to as self-cleaning meaning that the spent blooms will fall off on their own. They will re-bloom every five to six weeks regardless of your deadheading practices. Deadheading is the removal of faded blooms. Most gardeners have found, however, that occasionally deadheading will create and maintain a tidier, more attractive plant.
For more information on rose pests and diseases, refer to the University of Florida/IFAS online publication at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep371 or contact your local Extension Office.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.
Northview High Students Win Free Limo Ride To Prom
April 2, 2013
A Northview High School couple will be arriving at the school’s prom in style.
In a random drawing Monday, Johnny Robbins won a free Denali limousine ride with his date Jessica Brown for April 13th’s prom night. There were 223 students attending prom that were eligible for the prize.
Pictured top: Jessica Brown (left) won’t be pulling up to Northview’s prom with her date, Johnny R0bbins, in the most recognizable vehicle on campus — Principal Gayle Weaver’s golf cart. Instead, Weaver awarded the couple a free Denali limousine ride after they were randomly chosen in a school contest Monday morning. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Santa Rosa Kids House 5K, Fun Run Is Saturday
April 2, 2013
In honor of April being Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Santa Rosa Kids House is hosting a 5K Race and 1 Mile Fun Run at NAS Whiting Field this Saturday, April 6.
Registration begins at 6:30 a.m., and the race starts at 8 a.m. The cost is $20 for early registration, or $25 day of the race. The first 200 entries are guaranteed a t-shirt, and awards will be given to the top finishers in all age groups.
Register early at the Santa Rosa Kids’ House, 5643 Stewart Street in Milton anytime, or during packet pick-up at the Kids House on Friday, April 5th from 4-6 p.m. For more information call (850) 623-1112 or email coordinator@srkidshouse.org.
Softball Tourney To Benefit Wreck Victim Mark Shipps, Jr.
April 1, 2013
A Molino man and Northview High graduate is facing a long road to recovery from a March 24 wreck in Molino, and his friends are organizing a softball tournament in May to offset some of the family’s financial expenses.
Mark Allen Ships, Jr. was traveling west on Molino Road near Chestnut Road about 3:30 a.m. on March 24 when he crossed over the eastbound lane and onto the shoulder. He continued on the shoulder until he struck a cement culvert and cement embankment with the front of his 2002 Jeep Liberty.
At the time of the wreck, Shipps was returning home from a formal banquet for the Kappa Sigma Fraternity of University of West Florida. Shipps, a 2010 Northview graduate, is the vice president of the fraternity at UWF, where he is majoring in electrical engineering.
According to Shipps’ mother, Heather, Mark planned to spend the night with a friend in Pensacola. She said he apparently decided to come home because he was scheduled to work Sunday morning in the meat market at Piggly Wiggly in Davisville. He wrecked less than a half mile from his parent’s home.
Shipps’ injuries include intestinal damage, two broken femurs, bruised lungs and a fracture above his left eye, according to his mother. “Most of the damage was done by the seatbelt and airbag, but if he hadn’t had the seatbelt on he probably wouldn’t have survived,” she said.
He has undergone several abdominal surgeries to repair the damage, and rods were inserted in surgeries to repair his broken legs.
“Thankfully he did not suffer any head injuries,” Ms. Shipps said. “They have done CT scans and have found no injuries.”
“He is expected to make a full recovery,” Ms. Shipps said. “It is just going to be a long process.”
Junior Classic
The Junior Classic Softball Tournament will be held beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 10 and continuing Saturday, May 11 at Bradberry Park in Walnut Hill.
It will be based on USSSA slow pitch softball rules, with three females on the field per team at all ties. There will be a two loss elimination in effect. Registration is $150 per team.
The event will also include food, music and more. Volunteers are needed in any form — from playing on a team, to umpiring and more. For more information or to register, contact Bradley Lowery at (850) 232-3205 or BJL0005@auburn.edu.
A benefit account has been established at United Bank in Atmore for Mark Shipps, Jr. The account information is: Mark Shipps Jr. Benefit Account, account #151892711, P.O. Box 8, Atmore, AL 36504. Checks should be made out to “Mark Shipps Jr. Benefit Account”.
The Junior Class Facebook page (click here) also offers more information.
Pictured top and bottom: Mark Allen Shipps, Jr. was critically injured in this accident at about 3:30 a.m. on March 24 in Molino. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
