Molino ‘Day Of Hope’ Provides Free School Supplies, Groceries, Haircuts And More
August 4, 2019
Victory Assembly of God held their Day of Hope Saturday in Molino.
Students were able to receive free backpacks, school supplies, haircuts, food bags and an encouraging word during the annual community outreach.
“We had a really big day,” Victory Assembly Pastor Jeff McKee said. “The turnout was great early on.”
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Deidra’s Gift Donates School Supplies To Bratt Elementary
August 3, 2019
The group Dedria’s Gift donated book bags filled with school supplies Friday to Bratt Elementary School. The supplies were distributed in memory of Dedria Robinson, who was killed in 2005 in an automobile accident at age 11. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Graduate Keeps The Navy’s Newest, Most Advanced Helicopters Flying
July 30, 2019
A 2014 J.M. Tate High School graduate and Pensacola native is serving with a U.S. Navy helicopter squadron that flies the Navy’s newest and most technologically-advanced helicopter.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Joanna Osburn credits much of their success from lessons they learned growing up in Pensacola.
“I learned that I am never alone and to never give up,” said Osburn.
Osburn is an aviation maintenance administrationman with the “Airwolves” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 40, a Mayport, Florida based squadron that operates the Navy’s next generation submarine hunter and Anti-Surface Warfare helicopter, the MH-60R Seahawk. Each helicopter is nearly 65 feet long, may weigh up to 23,500 lbs. (max gross) and can travel over 120 miles per hour for nearly 320 miles on a tank of gas.
As an aviation maintenance administrationman, Osburn is responsible for clerical, administrative, and managerial duties for the squadron.
According to Navy officials, the MH-60R is the most capable multi-mission helicopter available in the world today. It is used for a variety of missions, including hunting and tracking enemy submarines, attacking enemy ships, search and rescue, drug interdiction, delivering supplies and supporting the Navy’s special operations forces.
It is replacing the Navy’s older helicopters because of its greater versatility and more advanced weapon systems.
Osburn is now a part of a long-standing tradition of serving in the Navy our nation needs.
“My brother served in the Air Force, my dad in the Navy, my uncle Army, and my other brother served in the Marines,” said Osburn. “It’s definitely a big part of my family.”
Osburn said they are proud to be part of a warfighting team that readily defends America at all times.
“Watching junior sailors develop into become great leaders is incredibly satisfying,” said Osburn.
Sailors’ jobs are highly varied within the squadron. Approximately 297 Navy men and women are assigned and keep all parts of the squadron running smoothly. This includes everything from maintaining helicopter airframes and engines, to processing paperwork, handling weapons and flying the aircraft.
Osburn is playing an important part in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon capital assets, Osburn and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes.
Serving in the Navy, Osburn is learning about being a more respectable leader, Sailor and person through handling numerous responsibilities.
“The Navy is a big family. They always have your back through thick and thin, no matter the situation,” said Osburn.
by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Amanda Rae Moreno
Summer Reading Club Wrap-up Parties This Week At The Library
July 28, 2019
The West Florida Library will hold Summer Reading Club wrap-up parties this week.
Parties will be held as follows:
• Tuesday, July 30, 11 a.m. – Southwest Branch(at Big Lagoon Park)
• Tuesday, July 30, 3 p.m. Tryon Branch Library
• Wednesday, July 31, 11 a.m. – Century Branch Library
• Wednesday, July 31, 3 p.m. – Pensacola Library
• Thursday, Aug. 1, 11 a.m. – Molino Branch Library
• Friday, Aug. 2, 11 a.m. – Tryon Branch Library
Children are invited to share the end of the program with games snacks and fun.
Pictured: The Mashed Potato Players at the Molino Branch Library last week. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Ag Teacher, FFA Sponsor Perry Byars Retires
July 27, 2019
A retirement celebration was held Friday at Northview High School for longtime agriculture teacher and FFA advisor Perry Byars.
Under Byar’s two decades of leadership, the Northview FFA program has received numerous state and national awards
Allie (Vidak) Eubanks had been named the school’s new agricultural teacher and FFA advisor. Eubanks is a 2011 Northview graduate, and Byars was her FFA advisor.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Weekend Gardening: These Caterpillars Could Be Devouring Your Azaleas Right Now
July 27, 2019
by Beth Bolles, Escambia County Extension, for NorthEscambia.com
Azalea caterpillars have made their presence known this summer and are devouring the foliage of one of our favorite evergreen plants.
The brown moths will lay large numbers of eggs on azaleas throughout the spring and then young emerging caterpillars feed in groups, eating entire leaves. As the caterpillars grow in size, they become more brightly colored with yellow bodies and black stripes. They also have bright red legs and a head. If you touch a mature caterpillar, it will often raise it’s head and ‘tail’ in response. These are not stinging caterpillars so that is only a defensive response.
The feeding damage of the caterpillars results in a very unattractive azalea. Some leaves with damage will also turn brown making the damage more noticeable. The good news is that even through plants look terrible, a relatively heathy azalea will grow new leaves during the season.
If you do have an infestation of azalea caterpillars, you may want to consider a treatment. Remember that it is easier to manage young caterpillar so if you have caterpillars that are already two inches in length, your chemical treatment may not be as successful.
One option for management is to physically remove the caterpillars if you only have a small number on your plants. If you choose to use an insecticide, choose an organic product like B.t (Bacillus thuringiensis) or spinosad. These are safe for many beneficial insects that are also helping in the management of the caterpillars. Both products will be available at our local nurseries.
Pictured: An azalea caterpillar on a bush in Bratt. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Waterfront Rescue Mission Celebrates 70 Years
July 27, 2019
The Waterfront Rescue Mission held a party for clients and guests Friday to celebrate their 70th anniversary.
Community leaders served lunch to the guests. Attendees enjoyed free haircuts, live music, face painting, lunch and more.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
AAA: Hands-free Devices Are Especially Distracting For Older Drivers
July 25, 2019
Hands-free devices are especially distracting for older drivers, according to AAA.
Now that texting while driving is illegal in Florida, drivers are now more likely than ever to utilize voice-to-text or other in-vehicle infotainment systems. However, new research from AAA shows that this technology still creates potentially dangerous distractions for all drivers, but the risk is highest among older adults.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety partnered with researchers from the University of Utah to test the visual and cognitive demand created by the infotainment systems in six 2018 vehicles. Study participants in two age groups (21-36 and 55-75) were required to use voice commands, touch screens and other interactive technologies to make a call, send a text message, tune the radio, or program navigation, all while driving.
During the study, drivers used voice-based and touch screen in-vehicle technology features. Both older and younger drivers were visually and mentally distracted for 17 to 40 seconds when completing tasks like programming navigation or sending a text message. The distraction was more significant among older drivers (ages 55-75), who removed their eyes and attention from the road for more than eight seconds longer than younger drivers (ages 21-36).
“Regardless of their age, drivers should be very cautious when using in-vehicle infotainment systems,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Drivers may be lulled into a false sense of security that since they’re not using their handheld device, they are a more focused driver. AAA warns that many of these systems are so complex or poorly designed that they divert the driver’s attention away from where it should be – the road.”
By 2030, more than one in five drivers on the road will be over the age of 65. With seniors becoming the fastest growing demographic in the U.S., finding ways to design technology to improve their comfort and safety is critical and may hold the key to enhancing the safe use of this technology for all drivers, AAA said.
Fourth Annual Barrineau Park Elementary Reunion Held (With Gallery)
July 21, 2019
The Fourth Annual Barrineau Park Elementary School Reunion was held Saturday at the Barrineau Park Community Center.
The reunion was for anyone that attended the school from its origin in 1938 until its closure in 2003. Attendees enjoyed lunch, live entertainment and plenty of fellowship.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com.
Weekend Gardening: July Tips
July 20, 2019
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.