Photo Gallery: Summer Fest At The Ole Mill Pond
June 16, 2012
Summer Fest at the Ole Mill Pond was held Friday afternoon at Century Care Center. Local vendors were on hand selling their wares and there was live entertainment and more.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Weekend Gardening: Tomato Pests
June 16, 2012
June is prime time for growing tomatoes here in Escambia County, but it’s also the best time to see a lot of pests in tomatoes that can totally ruin a crop. To help you figure out what’s “bugging” your tomatoes, here’s a quick rundown of some of the pests that you might see in your garden. Much of the information in this article was adapted from the University of Florida EDIS (Electronic Data Information Source) publication Insect Management for Tomatoes, Peppers, and Eggplant. Management techniques for the pests will be found in the full publication.
Click any photo to enlarge.
Silverleaf Whitefly
The adult silverleaf whitefly is small, approximately 1/16 of an inch in length, and has powdery white wings held tent-like while at rest over a yellow body. Whiteflies are usually found on the undersides of leaves. Eggs, which are yellow and football-shaped, are attached upright by a tiny stalk inserted into the lower leaf surface. A mobile first instar (growth stage), or crawler stage, hatches from the egg and settles on the leaf. It then develops through immobile second, third, and fourth instars which look like semi-transparent, flat, oval scales. The fourth instar or “pupa” is more yellow and more easily seen without the aid of a hand lens, and typically has very distinct eyespots, and is referred to as a “red-eyed nymph.”
As the plant grows, leaves bearing the maturing nymphs are found lower down on the plant, so older nymphs can be found by looking at older leaves. Whiteflies ingest sap from the plant vascular system (phloem) through stylets similar to those of aphids and, like aphids, process a relatively large volume of plant sap by excreting excess liquid in the form of a sugary substance called honeydew. The honeydew will result in sooty mold—a black, powdery looking substance that reduces photosynthesis in the leaves. Sometimes the nymphs will feed on the fruit and that will cause white tissue on the inside of the fruit walls.
Aphids
Aphids are soft-bodied, sucking insects that can rapidly colonize plants due to their short life cycle. Adults are delicate, pear- or spindle-shaped insects with a posterior pair of tubes (cornicles), which project upward and backward from the end of the abdomen and which are used for excreting a defensive fluid. In Florida, winged and wingless forms are all female and give birth to living young (nymphs). Nymphs are smaller but otherwise similar in appearance to wingless adults, which they become in 7 to 10 days.
Heavy aphid infestations may cause stunting and leaf distortion. Feeding on blossoms reduces fruit set. Sooty mold will grow on the honeydew that the aphids excrete. Aphids may also spread plant viruses.
Brown and Green Stink Bugs and Leaf-footed bugs
Like aphids and whiteflies, true bugs are sucking insects. True bugs can be recognized by their front wings, which are leathery close to the body but membrane-like at the tips. Nymphs resemble adults in shape but are often colored differently and do not have fully developed wings. Stink bugs are green or brown shield-shaped bugs 1/2 to 2/3 of an inch long. Eggs are barrel-shaped and found on the undersides of leaves in masses of 10 to 50.
Leaf-footed bugs are dark-colored true bugs with parallel sides. Eggs are metallic and ovate but somewhat flattened laterally and laid in clusters. Some leaf-footed bugs lay their eggs end-to-end in a single row or chain along a stem or leaf midrib. Nymphs are oblong in shape and red in color, especially on the abdomen.
Nymphs and adults of both stink bugs and leaf-footed bugs suck juices from green fruit leaving a puncture which later may become surrounded by a discolored zone due to invasion of secondary pathogens. Stink bug feeding punctures are often surrounded with a lightened, sometimes depressed, blotch beneath the fruit surface caused by the removal of cell contents and the enzymes injected by the bug. Leaf-footed punctures may cause fruit to become distorted as they enlarge
Tomato Hornworm
There are many caterpillars that can feed on tomatoes but the tomato hornworm can strip a plant of leaves in a few days. The adult moth is large with mottled brown forewings that are longer than the lighter brown hind wings. The sides of the abdomen have five yellow spots on the sides. The female moth will lay eggs on the upper and lower surfaces of leaves. The adult moths are nectar feeders on many flowers and may be seen in the early evening around gardens and flowers.
The emerging caterpillars will feed on leaves and go through several molts as they develop into large green caterpillars with a black ‘horn’ on the tip of the abdomen. Caterpillars are also identified by the white or yellow ‘V’ marks on the sides of the abdomen. When it is time to pupate, the caterpillars drop to the soil and make a cell for changing to the adult moth. The pupa is reddish brown and has a loop structure at the head that contains the mouthparts. There are normally two generations of tomato hornworm a year and as late summer arrives, the hornworm goes through a resting phase.
Other plants in the tomato family can be eaten by tomato hornworms but tomatoes are the favorite in our area. The caterpillars will eat entire leaves and initially work their down on the plant, eating leaves, blossoms, and even green fruit. Because they blend in with green foliage, a homeowner will often overlook the caterpillar despite its large size.
Hornworm does have natural enemies so be cautious before reaching for the insecticide. They can also be easily handpicked and destroyed after you find them.
If you would like further information, please contact the Escambia County Extension office, (850) 475-5230.
Flag Day: A Betsy Ross History Lesson
June 14, 2012
[VOA] It’s going to be a busy day at Betsy Ross’s house in Philadelphia on Thursday. She won’t be there, since she died in 1836, but hundreds of tourists will be going through her house.
You see, Thursday is Flag Day in the United States. The unofficial holiday commemorates the adoption of the stars-and-stripes design of the American flag by the Continental Congress 235 years ago, on June 14, 1777.
According to lore, the Ross House is the birthplace of the nation’s flag. That’s open to debate, but it’s a story that schoolbooks still tell.
Betsy Ross was a seamstress, busy upholstering furniture in Philadelphia, which was the focal point of the American revolution against British rule.
The Declaration of Independence by the colonists was signed there, and so was the new nation’s Constitution after independence was won.
Widowed when her husband, a member of the local militia, was killed in a gunpowder explosion, Betsy Ross often mended the clothes of the rebels’ leader and future U.S. president, George Washington.
According to what some say is history and others a stretch of what really happened, Washington asked Ross to design and sew the new nation’s flag.
The story was promoted by Ross’s grandson, who wrote that Betsy Ross had “made with her hands the first flag.”
She became a role model for girls – a shining example of women’s contributions to the nation’s history.
Most research indicates that Ross did sew the first flag.
She’s credited with substituting artful five-point white stars for six-pointed ones in the upper-left blue field.
But many other accounts indicate George Washington brought the design to Ross and simply asked her to stitch it together.
In a letter, Washington wrote: “We take the stars from Heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her. And the white stripes shall go down to posterity [as] representing liberty.”
That’s deeper thinking than a humble seamstress would have come up with, according to those who doubt that Betsy Ross created the first American flag from scratch.
Free 151st Army Band Concert On June 18
June 14, 2012
The 151st Army Band will perform a free concert next Monday, June 18 at Pensacola’s Community Maritime Park. The performance will begin at 6:00 p.m. at the park’s Hunter Amphitheater.
The amphitheater overlooks Pensacola Bay and can accommodate nearly 5,000 visitors. Lawn chairs and blankets are welcome, but coolers and glass containers are prohibited. Food and drink vendors will be available during the concert.
The 151st Army Band is based in Montgomery. A unit of the Alabama Army National Guard, the band consists of “citizen soldiers” who meet two days a month for rehearsals and performances. The band performs throughout the United States for military and civilian functions, and has traveled to Costa Rica and Columbia performing on United States Embassy Goodwill tours.
The concert marks the first performance at the park, after the weekend’s inclement weather rained out the planned Grand Opening celebration. The canceled performance by the Charlie Daniels Band will be rescheduled.
Pictured: The 151ast Army Band. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Zany Magic: Summer Reading Program Continues At Century Library
June 13, 2012
The Summer Reading Series for kids and teens continued Tuesday afternoon at the Century Branch Library.
During the program, the zany Dr. Dee and Daffodil the Clown turned to the audience for help as they performed magic acts to bring a special story to life.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The Summer Reading Series will continue on Tuesdays at noon at the Century Branch Library as follows:
June 19 — Storytelling with Pat Nease. She will share some witty, wiley and wicked tales.
June 26 — Cartooning with Mike Artell. The award-winning cartoonist and illustrator will present an exciting time of cool and creepy facts about a variety of subjects. Mike gets the audience excited about reading, writing, drawing and creative thinking.
July 3 — No program.
July 10 — Drums with Mark Seymour. Explore the world of drums, drum styles and sounds.
The Century Branch Library also offers a preschool story time each Tuesday in June at 10:30 a.m. for children birth to five-years old.
For more information, call the library at (850) 256-6217.
Pictured: Tuesday’s Summer Reading Series at the Century Branch Library. Submitted photos by August Whorff, Pat Rigel and Renee Coppenger for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
SciTech: NASA to Launch Black Hole Hunter Today
June 13, 2012
[VOA] The U.S. space agency is set to launch a telescope into space today to seek out and study black holes — those still-mysterious celestial bodies that scientists believe lie at the heart of every massive galaxy, including our own Milky Way.
Black holes have a gravitational pull so intense that not even light can escape from them. As gas, dust and stars are sucked in, the material accelerates and heats up, generating powerful X-ray light emissions.
Only a few decades ago, scientists thought black holes were rare. But their thinking has changed in the past 20 years, and now NASA is setting out to conduct a census of the black holes in the universe.
The U.S. space agency is launching a black hole hunter, a new telescope called NuSTAR, but formally known as Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array.
Paul Hertz is the director of NASA’s astrophysics division.
“Stars, nebulae and black holes emit X-rays of the type that we use in medical X-rays, and these cannot be detected from the surface of the Earth,” explained Hertz. “But the NuSTAR telescope will focus these X-rays onto its digital camera and send the pictures back to Earth for scientific analysis.”
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Current telescopes provide images that show a general glow from hundreds of massive black holes. NASA expects NuSTAR will be able to provide far better images of black holes and other high-energy events when it surveys the extra-galactic sky.
The images will be studied by people around the world, including NuSTAR’s principal investigator, Fiona Harrison.
“NuSTAR will open a whole new window on the universe, by being the very first telescope to focus on high-energy X-rays. As such, it will make images that are 10 times crisper and 100 times more sensitive than any telescope that is operated in this region of the spectrum,” Harrison said.
The NuSTAR telescope is about the size of a refrigerator, but it has a hidden tool. About a week after NuSTAR launches, it will deploy a 10-meter mast that will separate its mirrors from its detectors. That mast provides the distance required to focus the X-ray light into sharp images.
NASA scientists say that perhaps two out of every three black holes in the universe are hidden.
This telescope will be able to find these black holes behind their obscuring veils of dust and gas. It will also be able to tell how quickly a black hole is spinning, which will help scientists learn how black holes form.
“Like all of our NASA missions, we’re going to find unexpected things out there that will lead us to questions and answers that we aren’t even anticipating at this time,” predicted NASA’s Paul Hertz.
NASA says NuSTAR will start providing data to scientists about a month after its launch.
Reorganized Flomaton Lions Club Looking For New Members
June 12, 2012
The Flomaton Lions Club is being reorganized with the help of the Atmore Lions Club. The Flomaton club’s first meeting in over three years was held last week with several new members.
Judy Champion, Ruth Harrell, Goodie Odom, Scott Hammond and returning Lion Charles Bowles joined the club, according to organizers. The club came together to discuss community needs, including school uniforms for the upcoming year.
Hammond, Flomaton High principal, told the group that there is a need to provide school uniforms for children in need. The Lions will hold a fundraiser pancake supper on August 2.
Former Lions or community minded individuals interested in making a difference in the Flomaton area are invited to join the Flomaton Lions at their next meeting on June 19 from 6-7 p.m. at the Lions Flomaton Community Center.
Ernest Ward Seventh Grade Awards
June 12, 2012
The following seventh grade students received year-end awards at Ernest Ward Middle School.
Highest Academic Average at Ernest Ward Middle School
- Alyssa Borelli, presented by EWMS Honor Society
Highest Academic Average for Seventh Grade
- Alyssa Borelli, presented by EWMS Honor Society
Overall Most Outstanding Student
- Autumn Albritton
Overall Most Improved Student
- Jimi Brooks
A Honor Roll
- Alyssa Borelli
- Ian Schneider
- Mitchell Singleton
A/B Honor Roll
- Autumn Albritton
- Dustin Bethea
- Amy Branch
- Dillon Clary
- Austin Collier
- Peighton Dortch
- Denise Floyd
- Emily Heard
- Adrian King
- Kaleigh Linam
- Ean Lundy
- Quentin Sampson
- Brianna Smith
- Jada Tucker
- Chelsea Waters
- Alston Wiggins
- Elizabeth Wright
Golden Eagle Top Gun Award — Students who receive this award are recognized for maintaining grades of C or higher on report cards, having 10 or less absences, and receiving no referrals during the course of the school year.
Golden Eagle Top Gun Award
- Autumn Albritton
- Dustin Bethea
- Alyssa Borelli
- Amy Branch
- Kaylee Brown
- Dillon Clary
- Colby Dees
- Peighton Dortch
- Hunter Edwards
- Denise Floyd
- Jewel Garner
- Adrian King
- Kaleigh Linam
- Ean Lundy
- Brittany McLemore
- Audrienne Odom
- Quentin Sampson
- Ian Schneider
- Mitchell Singleton
- Brianna Smith
- Cody Smith
- Devin Stabler
- Jada Tucker
- Jacob Weaver
- Tylia White
- Alston Wiggins
- Hadley Woodfin
- Elizabeth Wright
Bell’s Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- Catherine Jernigan, Advanced Reading
- Chelsea Waters, Advanced Reading
- Dustin Crumbley, Reading
- Most Improved Students
- Trenton Martin, Advanced Reading
- Mallory Gibson, Advanced Reading
- James White, Reading
Cassevah’s Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- Brianna Smith, Geography
- Jada Tucker, Geography
- Alston Wiggins, Geography
- Mitchell Singleton, Geography
- Adrian King, Geography
- Most Improved Students
- Hunter Edwards, Geography
- Jimi Brooks, Geography
- Kyle Reaves, Geography
- Gaten Scott, Geography
- Hanna Clarke, Geography
Cassevah and Harris’ Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- Gregory Presley, Intensive Geography
- Deonte’ Martin, Intensive Geography
Chavers’ Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- Alyssa Borelli, Advanced Geography
- Keviana Brown, Critical Thinking
- Most Improved Students
- April Payne, Advanced Geography
- Gaten Scott, Critical Thinking
Ellis’ Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- Alyssa Borelli, Culinary Academy
- Jada Tucker, Culinary Academy
- Ian Schneider, Culinary Academy
- Autumn Albritton, Personal Development
- Jimi Brooks, Personal Development
- Taylor Kearley, Personal Development
Findley’s Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- De’Asia Fountain, Reading
- Brianna Smith, Intensive Reading
- Hunter Kite, Intensive Reading
- Most Improved Students
- Hanna Clarke, Reading
- Mallory Merchant, Intensive Reading
- Roquan Wiggins, Intensive Reading
Grant’ s Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- Tanner Guidry, Geography
- Most Improved Students
- Lindsey Gindl, Geography
Greenwell’ s Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- Jared Jeter, Physical Education
- Mallarie Rigby, Physical Education
- Adam Smith, Physical Education
- Tanner Guidry, Physical Education
- Kyle Reaves, Physical Education
- Brianna Smith, Physical Education
- Jacob Weaver, Team Sports
Hendrix and M. Johnson’ s Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- Ashley Davis, Reading
- Most Improved Students
- Tatyanna White, Reading
A. Johnson ’ s Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- Ian Schneider, Electrical Academy I
- Quentin Sampson, Electrical Academy I
- Alyssa Borelli, Electrical Academy I
- Brittanie McLemore, Science
Luker’ s Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- De’Asia Fountain, Science
- Alston Wiggins, Language Arts
- Tanner Guidry, Language Arts
- Most Improved Students
- Michela Hall, Science
- Sophia Meeks, Language Arts
- Brittney Faberman, Language Arts
Rutherford’ s Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- Jessica Stacey, Graphic Arts Academy
- Jada Tucker, Graphic Arts Academy
- Most Improved Students
- Connor Riley, Graphic Arts Academy
- Preston Milstead, Graphic Arts Academy
Salter’ s Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- Trey Holder, Physical Education
Shamblin’ s Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- Alyssa Borelli, Advanced Math
- Elizabeth Wright, Advanced Math
- Charlie Schachle, Math
- Dimonique Brown, Math
- Alston Wiggins, Math
- Makensie Colvin, Math
- Kristen Johnson, Math
- Brianna Smith, Math
- Ian Schneider, Advanced Math
- Mitchell Singleton, Advanced Math
Shamblin and Spence’ s Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- Taconius Stallworth, Intensive Math
- Hunter Terry, Intensive Math
Thomas’ Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- Zippy Harris, Intensive Science
- Most Improved Students
- Jimi Brooks, Intensive Science
Tucker’ s Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- Amy Branch, Chorus
- Jewel Garner, Chorus
- Adrian King, Band
- Kylie Brook, Band
Ward’ s Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- Elizabeth Wright, Drama
- Kaleigh Linam, Drama
White’ s Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- Katie Cmehil, Math
- Ashley Davis, Math
- Jimi Brooks, Math
Wilkins’ Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- Alexandra Burt, Language Arts
- De’Asia Fountain, Language Arts
- Peighton Dortch, Advanced Language Arts
- Rachael Irby, Advanced Language Arts
- Alyssa Borelli, Advanced Language Arts
- Most Improved Students
- Caleb Therrell, Advanced Language Arts
- Flenequa Mitchell, Language Arts
- Dylan Amerson, Language Arts
- Hunter Edwards, Language Arts
- Hunter Kite, Language Arts
Wilkins’ and Harris’ Awards
- Most Outstanding Student
- Deonte’ Martin
- Most Improved Student
- Kyle Reaves
Wilson’s Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- Mitchell Singleton, First Semester Agriculture
- Tabitha Chavers, Second Semester Agriculture
Womack’s Awards
- Most Outstanding Students
- Alyssa Borelli, Advanced Science
- Rachel Irby, Science
- Most Improved Students
- Tanner Guidry, Advanced Science
- Shyanne Snyder, Science
Students of the Month
- Kaleigh Linam, September
- Ashley Davis, October
- Desmone Knight, November
- Troy Stuckey, December
- Ian Schneider, January
- Elizabeth Wright, February
- Hunter Kite, March
- Mallory Gibson, April
- Mitchell Singleton, May
Take Stock in Children Scholarship Opportunity
- Alston Wiggins
Duke University Talent Search Awards
- Khari Codrington
- Ian Schneider
- Zachary Sheldon
- Hadley Woodfin
The Principal’s Award, presented by Nancy Gindl-Perry, is awarded to students who show overwhelming improvement in their behavior, attitude, or academic status over the course of the school year.
Principal’s Awards
- Javier Brown
- Josie Smith
IP Donates Lifesaving AED’s To Health And Hope Clinic
June 11, 2012
International Paper recently donated three automated external defibrillators (AED) to the non-profit Health and Hope Clinic. One of the AED units had already been installed in the Century location of the Health and Hope Clinic.
An AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the potentially life threatening heart rhythms and is able to treat them through defibrillation (shock), with the goal of restarting a healthy rhythm.
The Health and Hope Clinic quietly opened last October in the old Escambia County Health Department building at 501 Church Street in Century. It is the second location for the clinic, which was first established in Pensacola back in 2003 by the Pensacola Bay Baptist Association to meet the needs of uninsured and medically underserved in Escambia County. The clinic is entirely volunteer and donor supported.
Pictured top: The Health and Hope Clinic in Century. Pictured inset: A new AED installed inside the Century Health and Hope Clinic. Submitted and NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photos: Pensacola’s Wettest Weekend Ends On Bright Note
June 11, 2012
After one of the wettest weekends ever in the Pensacola area — with over 20 inches of rain in some areas, there was a bright ending in the skies early Sunday evening. At sunset, a full rainbow was visible across much of Escambia County.
Pictured top: Rainbow of Myrtle Grove, by Monica Nelson. Pictured left inset: Rainbow of Gulf Breeze Hospital, by Sheila Tucker. Pictured below: Rainbow over Pensacola Sunday evening, by Desere Downing. Reader submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
