Featured Recipe: Pineapple Sweet and Sour Chicken
January 2, 2011
This weekend’s featured recipe from Janet Tharpe is a “Pineapple Sweet and Sour Chicken”, a simple dish with exotic flavors that will appeal to most any palette.
To print today’s “Just a Pinch” recipe column, you can click the image below to load a printable pdf with a recipe card.
Make A Resolution To Be More Wildlife Friendly
January 1, 2011
The tradition of the New Year’s Resolutions dates back to 153 B.C. Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was said to have two faces which allowed him to look back on past events and forward to the future.
The beginning of a new year is a great time to reflect on the issues of the past and resolve to do better in the upcoming year. The 2010 Gulf oil spill had a devastating impact on local wildlife. Florida is a state renowned for its diverse and unique ecosystems. But rapid development and environmental disasters, particularly in coastal areas, is continuing to destroy wildlife habitat. Resolve to be more wildlife-friendly in 2011 by following these easy tips from the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Program.
Provide food
Select plants with seeds, fruit, foliage, or flowers that butterflies, birds, and other wildlife like to eat. Berries, fleshy fruits, nuts, and acorns are all treats for many animals.
Supply water
Any water you provide will attract wildlife. You could have running water in the form of a natural feature, such as a pond, creek, or other body of fresh water, but a fountain or birdbath will also beckon wildlife. Empty and clean your birdbath every few days. Do not clean it with soap or bleach—just physically scrub all surfaces with a brush or scouring-type sponge. Change the water regularly to prevent mosquito breeding and bacterial contamination.
Leave snags
Leave snags, which are the trunks of dead trees, in place if they do not create a hazard. Many birds use snags for perching, nesting, and feeding. Snags are often removed from yards or land mistakenly thought of as no longer having value. Nothing could be farther from the truth. A tree’s full life cycle at this point, is far from over.
Manage pets
If you permit pets to harass or kill wildlife, you will only hinder any efforts you make toward attracting wildlife. This is especially true for cats allowed outdoors.
Reduce insecticide use
Each time you apply an insecticide to your landscape, you reduce insect populations, which form an important food source for birds. Some chemicals can also poison birds and other animals that feed on affected insects.
Reduce the amount of mowed lawn area
Unmowed areas can contain more plant species than mowed areas, providing more potential food sources and habitat for wildlife. Reduce the mowed area around your house, especially in low-traffic areas, such as corners of the yard.
Increase vertical layering
Plant a variety of plants in different sizes and heights to provide more cover and feeding opportunities for diverse species of wildlife.
By following the simple tips in this chapter, your Florida-Friendly lawn and garden can become a sanctuary for wildlife, as well as part of a migratory passage between one wild space and another. Animals need to move from place to place, just like people. They have trouble traveling in heavily urban and suburban landscapes, but you can help them by joining your Florida-Friendly yard with others in the neighborhood to create a “natural corridor”—a safe, traversable route between woodlands, wetlands, or other wild areas.
For more specific information, visit the University of Florida/IFAS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_landscaping_for_wildlife or call your local Extension Office.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.
Century Care Center Residents Ring In The New Year
January 1, 2011
The residents at Century Care Center rang in 2011 just a few hours early with a Friday afternoon celebration. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
2010’s Best Photos: October
December 31, 2010
All this week, we are looking back at some of our favorite and most interesting photos of 2010. Today, we are featuring photos from October.
(For January and February, click here.)
(For March and April, click here.)
(For May and June, click here.)
(For July and August, click here.)
(For September, click here.)
This was our favorite photo from the football season as this Baker Gator (#80) has a hard time figuring out which way was up as the Gators were defeated by the Chiefs.
Republican candidate Rick Scott campaigns in Molino just days before being elected Florida governor.
Escambia County Deputy Bobby Cook helps maintain a perimeter in the search for a suspect on York Road after shots were reportedly fired at a deputy.
The Tate High School Showband of the South marches past an “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” home in Pensacola.
Escambia County School Board member Gerald Boone uses his cell phone to photograph sparks from a Telsa coil on display during the grand opening of the Ernest Ward Middle School Electrical Academy.
The Century Town Council takes part in the “Purple Glove Dance” to support the American Cancer Society.
A Northview defender plows down a Jay Royal during Friday night football action.
First responders worked for about half an hour to free a man trapped in this Highway 97 crash in October.
Northview High School Dean Gary Mattes kisses a goat during a homecoming pep rally.
A Baker Gator goes down in a JV game against Northview.
Doris and Lawrence Cooper announced in October that they were closing their Cooper’s Grocery in Bratt.
Newly elected Century Town Council member Sandra McMurray Jackson gets a congratulatory hug from Mayor Freddie McCall.
Authorities believe this fire in an abandoned Molino home was arson.
Broccoli and cabbage — fifth grade students at Molino Park Elementary teamed up with the Pensacola Little Theatre to learn about healthy veggies.
2010’s Best Photos: September
December 30, 2010
All this week, we are looking back at some of our favorite and most interesting photos of 2010. Today, we are featuring photos from September.
(For January and February, click here.)
(For March and April, click here.)
(For May and June, click here.)
(For July and August, click here.)
These “wedding bales” greeted drivers along Highway 97 in Walnut Hill in September The bride and groom hay bales welcomed guests to a wedding reception at Cook’s Barn.
Above and below: An unoccupied wood home in Atmore during a controlled burn giving area fire departments a training opportunity.
Joseph Daniel Flowers, 56, was charged in connection with the robbery of Scott’s Pharmacy in Molino.
Dy’shun White (#14) gains yardage for the Northview Chiefs in September behind the blocking of Kevin Vaughan (#12).
Jaran Miles heads for an Ernest Ward Middle School touchdown.
Close parking: Firefighters watch as LifeFlight prepares to take off a few yards away.
Year In Review North Escambia’s Biggest Stories Of 2010: September
December 30, 2010
NorthEscambia.com is looking back at 2010 with our “Year in Review” series. Each day this week, we will review the biggest stories of 2010. Today, we take a look at the biggest stories of September.
(For January and February, click here.)
(For March and April, click here.)
(For May and June, click here.)
(For July and August, click here.)
SEPTEMBER
The Florida High School Athletic Association’s new Rural School Division moved a step closer to reality in September, with the group’s board of directors voting to continue the classification process.
Thieves hit the Century Branch Library, taking outdoor items and even digging up rose bushes.
Former local radio personality Walter John Bowen, 68, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually abusing a child under 12.
Breast cancer awareness was the real winner in Bratt as the Northview Chiefs hosted the Flomaton Hurricanes in Dig Pink high school volleyball.
Jarrett Parker of Molino won another kart racing Alabama Maxxis Series State Title in Talladega.
Bratt, Molino Park and Jim Allen elementary schools were among 16 in Escambia County that received the Five Star School Award from the Florida Department of Education.
The Northview Chiefs destroyed the Bozeman Bucks 48-14 in Bratt Friday night to finish September at 3-0.
Several lawmakers are raised a stink over a new law that requires septic tank inspections every five years in Florida.
ECUA voted to raise water and sewer rates eight percent each of the next three years, while residential garbage customers were hit with two percent rate increase each year during the period.
Hundreds of students gathered to pray at their schools in North Escambia during the annual See You at the Pole event.
A new Chinese restaurant for Century was announced.
The Town of Century approved a $3,337,231 for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
An State Attorney’s Office opinion said a Florida Highway Patrol officer was justified in the shooting death of a Cottage Hill man, Clifton Austin Salter, during a traffic stop in July.
David Johnson of Century was honored for 35 years of service to Escambia County EMS by the Escambia County Commission.
Charles “Randy” Oliver was approved as the new Escambia County administrator.
Joseph Daniel Flowers, 56, was charged in connection with the robbery of Scott’s Pharmacy in Molino. He allegedly wore underwear on his head during the robbery.
Someone was stealing gas from the Town of Century’s shop and then leaving it in a 55-gallon drum at the city park, apparently for anyone in the know to fill up for free. According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the free gas plot was discovered by Century Mayor Freddie McCall, who was hiding on nearby railroad tracks in an attempt to catch the thief red-handed.
A 39-year old Century woman, Jennifer Leigh Black, was arrested for allegedly throwing an open house party with about two dozen underage teens.
A decade of water woes ended for residents of Backwoods Road in Century as water flowed through a $1.58 million project to improve the Town of Century’s water system in the Backwoods Road, State Line Road and Highway 4A area.
The Town of Century approved the $137,386 purchase of nearly 1,000 new automated water meters to eliminate billing problems and lost revenue.
A grand opening was held in September for the new Dollar General store in Molino.
Ellis Jarel McArthur, now 19, of Bay Minette, Ala., will serve a minimum of 25 years of the 50 year sentence in state prison under the sentenced handed down by Judge Nickolas Geeker.
Dustin Ryan Burkett, a Century volunteer fireman was arrested and charged with sexually abusing an underage girl and with abandoning dogs rescued by the department. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Plans were announced for a group of new industries that could eventually bring up to 500 jobs to the old Alger-Sullivan Lumber complex in Century.
2010’s Best Photos: July, August
December 29, 2010
All this week, we are looking back at some of our favorite and most interesting photos of 2010. Today, we are featuring photos from July and August.
(For January and February, click here.)
(For March and April, click here.)
(For May and June, click here.)
Lightning strikes as thunderstorm rolls toward Molino on an August Sunday afternoon.
A Florida Highway Patrol Trooper looks at a wrecked motorcycle n Bratt as LifeFlight lifts off with the driver.
Michael Aaron Killam of McDavid is given a field sobriety test on a July Sunday morning along Highway 97 in Molino. Charges against Killam are still pending in the case.
A pickup truck crashed into a Highway 29 Tom Thumb, leaving the truck resting on the store’s case of propane tanks.
Summer band practice for the Northview Tribal Beat.
Coach Sid Wheatley looks on during the first day of practice for his Northview Chiefs in what would end as the best season in the history of the school.
An Escambia County Habitat for Humanity home was constructed in Nokomis was constructed by a host of volunteers.
Jimmy Buffet performs during a free concert in Gulf Shores to demonstrate support after the Gulf Oil Spill.
Four people died in, or as a result of their injuries from, a traffic crash at Highway 113 and Highway 31 in Flomaton.
LifeFlight lifts off from Highway 31 in Flomaton. One of the injured persons in the wreck passed away about two weeks later from her injuries.
There were no serious injuries in this crash on Highway 97 in Walnut Hill.
There were no
Mallory Ryan pitches for the Northwest Escambia All-Stars.
Year In Review North Escambia’s Biggest Stories Of 2010: July, August
December 29, 2010
NorthEscambia.com is looking back at 2010 with our “Year in Review” series. Each day this week, we will review the biggest stories of 2010. Today, we take a look at the biggest stories of July and August.
(For January and February, click here.)
(For March and April, click here.)
(For May and June, click here.)
JULY
Qualifying ended for three seats on the Century Town Council, with Gary Riley reelected with no opposition. Council member Sharon Scott did not run again for her seat.
Retired Northview High School, and former Century, coach Lorenzo Jones was hired as a teacher at Escambia County Middle School in Atmore.
Former Century resident Buck Showalter was named the new manager of the Baltimore Orioles.
Jay Hospital employees and affiliated physicians recognized C. David Smith, M.D., for 30 years of dedicated service.
Community leader Jack Moran of Century passed away in late July. He was 68.
The end of July was hot — with heat indexes at or just above 110 degrees.
Florida House District 1 candidate Ricky Perritt was arrested on drug trafficking charges by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Accusations were flying between two local candidates over a video that shows one stealing his opponent’s campaign signs. Republican State Congressional District 1 candidate Greg Brown, Jr.and his wife Jennifer were videotaped as they removed campaign signs belonging to opponent Doug Broxson
Rhianna Marie Jones, 30, of California, and Jerry Hover Tinsley, 30, of North Carolina, admitted in federal court that they robbed banks in Flomaton, East Brewton and Florala during a March crime spree.
The Northwest Escambia 11-12 year old softball team ended their season in Fort Myers as the Florida Little League Section 1 Champions.
Tropical Storm Bonnie fizzled south of Pensacola, bringing just a few scattered showers to the Panhandle.
Scott Joseph Thompson was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Cheryl Cain, the Cantonment woman whose body was found in a Pensacola dumpster in March, 2009.
Construction workers, teachers, bankers, business owners, high school students, ordinary people — over 100 people from all walks of life volunteered their time and skills to make Jennifer Dorriety’s dream of home ownership a reality as an Escambia County Habitat for Humanity Home was dedicated in Nokomis.
For the first time since April, BP stopped the flow of oil in the Gulf of Mexico in mid-July.
An officer-involved shooting in Pensacola claimed the life of Clifton Salter of Cottage Hill.
Northview High School Assistant Principal Michael Sherrill was promoted to assistant principal at Pine Forest High School. Sherri Mims, who was a reading lab teacher at Ernest Ward Middle School, was promoted to assistant principal at Ferry Pass Middle School.
Tens of thousands of people — including many from the North Escambia area — packed the beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama, for a free Jimmy Buffett concert as thousands watched on national television.
In July, Century Town Council member Henry Hawkins has voted against spending $600 so that a $1.1 million grant drainage project could move forward — the second time he had voted against spending a few hundred dollars on the project.
Phillip Arnold, 65, was charged in the murder of Angela Brown, 44, and her unborn child on South Chipper Road.
AUGUST
A Flomaton traffic crash claimed the life of four people — two instantly and two in the following days that died from their injuries.
Royce Ward of Walnut Hill passed away at 78. Ward was a longtime member of the Walnut Hill Ruritan Club and served as the group’s president when the club organized the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department in 1965.
Jay Mayor Kurvin Qualls won re-election by a single vote over challenger Ben Hudson. 72-71.
Sen. Greg Evers, R-Baker, defeated fellow Republican Mike Hill in the August Republican primary for Senate District 2. There was no Democratic candidate, but Evers would face write-in and Tea Party opponent in November.
Deborah Ray (pictured) was named the new assistant principal at Northview High School.
Former Escambia County Sheriff’s Office employee Cathy Lister, 58, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for stealing $1.3 million from the department.
Paul Edward Black, a former Century Correctional Institution sergeant, was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography.
The Escambia County School Board approved the daily used of drug dogs in the county’s public schools.
Leslie Gonzalez was hired as the new town clerk in Century.
The first day of school was a hot one at Northview High School after the air conditioning failed.
Molino’s new Dollar General store opened in August with over 12,000 square feet of general merchandise.
Donald Freeman, 49, was found dead next to Highway 29 in McDavid. Foul play was not suspected.
T.R. Miller High School Principal Donald Rotch was killed when his vehicle was hit head-on by a man fleeing Brewton Police in a high-speed chase.
2010’s Best Photos: May, June
December 28, 2010
All this week, we are looking back at some of our favorite and most interesting photos of 2010. Today, we are featuring photos from May and June.
(For January and February, click here.)
(For March and April, click here.)
June 23, 2010. It was the day that the World’s Whitest Beaches were no more. It was the day that the oil began to wash onto the shores of Pensacola Beach. It was the day the sands were stained black with oil; it was the day the tears of the locals stained the remaining sugar white sand.
A month after being found unresponsive and floating face down in a North Escambia pool, Maggie Scott, 3, was fully recovered.
Firefighters battle a barn fire near Bratt. The fire was believed to have been started by lightning.
A rare site: A passenger train travels through North Escambia during May as part of a railway group’s tour.
Northview and West Florida met in a Spring football game.
The Ernest Ward Middle School Drama Team reenacted the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima during Atmore’s Veterans Day Parade.
Brothers Victor and Austin Beck remember Billy G. Beck III during a memorial service on Pensacola Beach. Beck was struck by at least three vehicles while walking on Chemstrand Road.
Fishing boats sit idle at Joe Patti Seafood in Pensacola following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
A train caboose in Flomaton was moved from the town’s park to the Flomaton Area Railroad Museum.
The 36th annual Pen Wheels Fishing Rodeo was held in Walnut Hill, providing free fishing for disabled persons.
Joshua Herring, 23, of Pensacola was killed in this single vehicle accident on Pine Barren Road.
President Barack Obama defended his administration’s efforts in response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill during a visit to the Florida Panhandle in June.
Dozens of children took part in the Summer Reading Series at the Century Branch Library.
Over 4,000 people braved the sweltering heat to attend the second annual Blueberry Jamboree Saturday at the Barrineau Park Community Center.
Oil boom stretches into Pensacola Bay in June.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit agents question the occupants of a home on Highway 4A after serving a search warrant.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Wes Brown throws a lasso at a horse during the execution of a search warrant at the Highway 97 property.
130 members of the Northview High School Class of 2011 graduated in early June.
A K-9 team searches for a burglary suspect in Molino in early June.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division Investigators Rene Reguindin (left) and Heath Jackson (right) perform field tests on a suspected active meth lab found in Davisville.
Year In Review North Escambia’s Biggest Stories Of 2010: May, June
December 28, 2010
NorthEscambia.com is looking back at 2010 with our “Year in Review” series. Each day this week, we will review the biggest stories of 2010. Today, we take a look at the biggest stories of May and June.
(For January and February, click here.)
(For March and April, click here.)
MAY
A 48-year old McDavid woman died after being found floating face down in the Escambia River near McDavid.
Gas prices were up for Memorial Day travel.
A three-year old girl was found floating faced down in a pool in the Bay Springs community. She later made a full recovery.
A new Dollar General store was announced for Molino.
Tate High School’s Mock Trial Team was honored by the Escambia County Commission for winning state in the Florida High School Mock Trial Competition tournament and placing in the National High School Mock Trial Championship.
Longtime educator and Escambia County School Board member Peter R. (Pete) Gindl, Sr. of Barrineau Park passed away in mid-May.
An 11-year old boy faced a third degree felony charge of carrying a concealed weapon and a first degree misdemeanor charge of improperly exhibiting a firearm after he allegedly pulled an unloaded gun at Bradberry Park in Walnut Hill.
May brought a bit of disappointing news for movie fans in the area as Movie Gallery announced the closure of all of their stores, including Cantonment, Atmore and Flomaton.
Over 4,000 people applied for oil spill recover jobs during a hiring event, including hundreds that applied in Century.
Nearly 500 elementary school students took part in the annual Sunshine Math Competition held at Tate High School, including many from North Escambia.
Hundreds attended the annual Old Fashioned Day in Jay.
A Florida High School Athletic Association committee gave preliminary approval to creating a new division for for small, rural schools like Northview and Jay. Schools in the rural division would compete within their own division and have their own playoff series for boys and girls basketball, baseball, football, softball and girls volleyball.
The North Pensacola Relay for Life was held at Tate High School with over 1,000 people taking part.
JUNE
FCAT scores were released in June, with Northview, Tate, Ernest Ward and Ransom recording some of the highest scores in the county at some levels.
The Century Town Council held a public workshop to decide if a local man was operating a junkyard on his residential property and if what he claimed to do for a living was a business — all part of the process to determine if the council would vote to change the rezoning on his property to commercial.
Alex, the first tropical storm of the season, entered the Gulf of Mexico and later made landfall in Mexico.
June 23 — It was the day that the World’s Whitest Beaches were no more. It was the day that the oil began to wash onto the shores of Pensacola Beach. It was the day the sands were stained black with oil; it was the day the tears of the locals stained the remaining sugar white sand.
he Northview High School FFA’s Food For America program was named the best in Florida during the 82nd Florida FFA State Convention in Orlando.
The first health advisories for Escambia County’s beaches were issued June 23 due to the oil spill.
Escambia County deputies were called to a late night bash at the Century Community Center, four months after the Town Council said it would review its rental policy for the building.
Robert Grant Piehl was sentenced to 20 years in state prison after being found guilty of shooting into an elderly woman’s home in a dispute over $40 in fake crack cocaine.
Robin Brownie Floyd, 53, and Lynn Livingston Floyd, 43, both of Gilmore Road, Century, were both found guilty on seven of eight charges of confinement of animals without sufficient food or water.
The Barrineau Park 4-H Club was honored as the oldest continuing 4-H Club in Florida.
The International Paper plant in Cantonment was shut down for about two hours due to a fire in a powerhouse. There were no injuries.
Former Flomaton Police Chief Harold L. Stewart passed away in June from injuries he received in a May traffic accident in Century.
Over 4,000 people braved the sweltering heat to attend the second annual Blueberry Jamboree Saturday at the Barrineau Park Community Center.
There were 130 graduates in the Northview High School Class of 2010, while 75 graduated from Jay.
Former Century Town Council member Marie McMurray passed away. She was 84.