The PB&J sandwich: A Classic On National Peanut Butter Day
January 24, 2018
The peanut butter and jelly sandwich is as about as American as apple pie. National Peanut Butter Day was Jan. 24.
The average American schoolchild will consume about 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by the time he or she graduates from high school, according to the Peanut Advisory Board, a nonprofit organization dedicated to research on the nutritional value of peanuts.
Libbie Johnson, agricultural agent for UF/IFAS Extension Escambia County and co-organizer of the annual Peanut Butter Challenge for the Florida Panhandle, explained the popularity of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
“Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches taste so darn good,” Johnson said. “Or maybe because they require no refrigeration and are easy to prepare. They have enough sweetness to satisfy a sweet tooth, but they’re filling.”
Nan Jensen, a family and consumer sciences agent with UF/IFAS Extension Pinellas County offers a more expansive explanation.
“It probably has to do with a combination of taste and nostalgia,” Jensen said. “The savory, gooey texture of peanut butter paired with sweet, sticky jelly served between two slices of your favorite bread make for a great flavor combination. Most of us grew up eating PB&J sandwiches — a lunch box staple — and the tradition has been passed down through the generations.”
But peanut butter’s value also lie in its nutrients, she said.
“While it is high in fat and calories, it is a healthier monounsaturated type, and you are getting some protein, magnesium, niacin, phosphorous and vitamin E for your calorie investment,” Jensen said.
Extension faculty suggest limiting intake to about 2 tablespoons – about 180 calories. Jensen offers additional advice to try to ensure people get nutrition without so much unhealthy trans fats and added sugar in their peanut butter: Buy peanut butter that is just ground peanuts with a hint of salt and one that doesn’t contain the partially hydrogenated fat and added sugars.
Consumers can do much more with peanut butter than make PB&J sandwiches. Jensen suggests some tasty, unique ways to use peanut butter:
- Put it in a smoothie.
- Make a sauce.
- Add it to soup.
- Bake with it.
- Use it as a dipper for fruit and veggies.
Bill Would Require ‘In God We Trust’ To Be Displayed At Schools
January 24, 2018
With supporters saying the motto is a “foundation” of the state and country, a House panel Tuesday approved a bill that would require the message “In God We Trust” to be displayed at all public schools.
“In God We Trust” is included in state law as Florida’s official motto.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Kimberly Daniels, D-Jacksonville, and Rep. Mel Ponder, R-Destin, would require school boards to adopt rules ensuring that the motto would be displayed in a “conspicuous place” in each school.
“There’s a saying that if the foundation is destroyed, what can we do?” Daniels said before the House PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee approved the bill. Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, has filed an identical bill, but it has not been heard in Senate committees.
Pictured: “In God We Trust” appears on the Florida state flag.
Video Catches Shootout At Escambia County Intersection
January 23, 2018
One man has been arrested and deputies are seeking a second suspect after two people opened fire at a busy intersection on Monday.
Dash cam video from a nearby vehicle shows a silver Lexus pull up to the intersection of W Street and Fairfield Drive about noon. A man, later identified as 27-year old Jonathan James Harris is seen leaning out the open driver’s window of a silver Lexus. He begins firing across a traffic lane at a gold Toyota driven by 31-year old Jeremy Olds.
The man identified as Olds jumps out of the Toyota and returns fire..
Olds has been located and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Deputies are still searching for Harris.
Authorities have estimated that 10-12 rounds were fired, including rounds that struck a nearby vehicle with two children inside.
Deputies said the shooting was likely drug related.
Anyone with information on Harris or the shooting is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Bobcat Loader Stolen From Molino Business Recovered Hidden In Wooded Area
January 23, 2018
A Bobcat stolen from a Molino store two weeks ago was recovered Monday in a wooded area less than five miles away.
The $30,000 Bobcat skid was stolen over the long New Year’s weekend from inside a warehouse at HH Feed and Seed on Highway 97. Employees discovered the break-in when they returned to work January 3.
Monday, the store received a call from a man who had found the Bobcat along a logging road on property near Brickton Road in Molino. The Bobcat had been wrapped in a tarp and covered with vegetation.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded, recovered the Bobcat and processed the crime scene.
The store owners are still offering reward for additional information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspect(s).
When the Bobcat was stolen, the thief apparently cut power to both buildings at HH Feed and Seed at about 1:38 a.m. Saturday, December 30 in an attempt to disable the surveillance system, and they destroyed cameras. The skid steer was then loaded onto a trailer and removed from the premises.
Items in the company’s warehouse were damaged during the theft.
Anyone with information on the burglary is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Pictured: The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigates after a stolen Bobcat was recovered in a wooded area in Molino on Monday. Pictured inset and first photo below: The Bobcat was concealed with a tarp and vegetation. The Bobcat is hidden in the left of the photo below. Pictured bottom photos: The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigated the theft on January 3. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wanted Florida Felon Arrested After Search Warrant, Manhunt In Flomaton
January 23, 2018
A wanted Florida felon was taken into custody after police executed a search warrant and a manhunt in Flomaton Monday night.
Anthony Williams, 51, was charged with possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) and possession of drug paraphernalia by the Flomaton Police Department. He was also being held on outstanding felony warrants out of Escambia County, FL.
According to Flomaton Police Chief Bryan Davis, Williams was not at home on Martin Luther King Boulevard when authorities went to pick him up on the outstanding Florida warrants. As police where executing a search warrant at his home, Williams reportedly drove by, saw police, got out of his vehicle and fled on foot.
He was tracked by a K-9 team from Fountain Correctional in Atmore, along with officers from the Flomaton Police Department, Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office and Escambia County (FL) Sheriff’s Office.
Williams is being held without bond in the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center in Brewton on the Flomaton charges and awaiting extradition back to Florida. Authorities have not said what charges he faces in Florida.
Barry Talks Roads And Bridges At Town Hall Meeting
January 23, 2018
Escambia County District 5 Commissioner held a “roads and bridges” town hall in Walnut Hill Monday evening, as residents expressed their problems with closed bridges, long detours, dirt roads and speeders.
There are 145 county maintained bridges in Escambia County, with 110 of them in Commissioner Steven Barry’s district. And eight of those are current under reconstruction, which has been a source of much grief for hundreds or even thousands of people in District 5.
The North Escambia area from Molino north to the Alabama line has been dotted with bridge closures over the past year or more. Some of the closures were planned projects funded by the state, while others were emergency closures due to an aging and failing infrastructure…most North Escambia bridges on county roads were constructed 50 or more years ago with concrete spans on wood pilings. Many of the detours are miles long, some require the use of slippery dirt roads.
Barry said the county has installed one per-fabricated steel bridge on Arthur Brown Road in Walnut Hill (read previous article) that will allow the bridge to reopen just two months after a rapid emergency closure by the state.
The steel bridge will last about 50 years as compared to 75 years for traditional concrete, Director of Public Works Joy Blackmon said,, but the entire bridge project will be done in two months with a cost of about $400,000 as opposed to $1 million for a concrete bridge.
“The technology is a good use of tax money that gets the residents back to their normal lives faster,” Barry said.
County officials have said they hope to use more of the bridges on future county funded bridge replacements.
Currently closed bridges in Escambia County are listed below, along with projected reopening date:
FDOT Projects
- Highway 99 At Pine Barren Creek — April 28
- Dortch Road at Beaver Dame Creek — February 9
- Highway 97A at Boggy Creek — February 2
- Highway 99A at Boggy Creek (at Walnut Hill Baptist) — March 3
- Highway 196 at Jacks Branch — June 16
Escambia County Projects
- Highway 99A – January 29 (near Pineville)
- Occie Phillips Road — April 3
- Nokomis Road – April 29
- Bratt Road – November 18
The Florida Department of Transportation has provided Escambia County with a bridge inspection schedule, which will allow the county to know in advance which bridges might be closed by the state due to a failed inspection.
FDOT bridge inspections are currently scheduled in January for:
- Tate Road at an unnamed branch
- River Annex Road at the Perdido River
- Highway 196 at Jacks Branch
- Crabtree Church Road at Alligator Creek
- Schaag Road at branch of Jacks Branch
- Schaag Road at Jacks Branch
- Rockaway Creek Road at Rocky Branch
Several residents also express concerns to Barry about speeding drivers.
“I want something to stop these people from speeding,” a resident of Pine Forest Road said. “Of 75 vehicles that passed my house, 73 were speeding. The other two were John Deere tractors.”
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Supreme Court Denies Appeal Of Escambia County Death Row Inmate, Nine Others
January 23, 2018
The Florida Supreme Court on Monday rejected appeals by 10 Death Row inmates, including a man scheduled to be executed Feb. 22 in the 1993 slaying of a University of West Florida student.
Just last week, Gov. Rick Scott signed the death warrant for Eric Scott Branch. He is scheduled to die Thursday, February 22 at 6 p.m for the brutal 1993 slaying of Susan Morris.
The Supreme Court’s release of 10 nearly identical rulings at the same time was a somewhat-unusual move. But each of the cases involved inmates challenging their death sentences because juries did not unanimously recommend execution.
The appeals were rooted in a 2016 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in an Escamiba County case known as Hurst v. Florida and a subsequent Florida Supreme Court decision. The 2016 U.S. Supreme Court ruling found Florida’s death-penalty sentencing system was unconstitutional because it gave too much authority to judges, instead of juries. The subsequent Florida Supreme Court ruling said juries must unanimously agree on critical findings before judges can impose death sentences and must unanimously recommend the death penalty.
But the Florida Supreme Court made the new sentencing requirements apply to cases since 2002. That is when the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling known as Ring v. Arizona that was a premise for striking down Florida’s death-penalty sentencing system in 2016.
In each of the cases Monday, the Death Row inmates had been sentenced to death before the Ring decision and argued that the jury-unanimity requirements should also apply to their cases.
by The News Service of Florida with contribution by NorthEscambia.com
Tate Cheerleaders Take Regionals, Advance To State Finals
January 23, 2018
The Tate High Varsity Cheerleaders took regionals last weekend and advance to the state finals with a former Aggie cheerleader as coach.
They placed first in their their division in the Region 1 FHSAA Cheeer Competition near Jacksonville. The first place finish earns them a direct bid to the state finals February 4 at the University of Florida.
The squad is coach by first-year coach and Tate graduate Morgan White, who spent four years as an Aggie cheerleader.
“I’m so proud of the work these athletes have shown this year. We’ve had many injuries and hurdles they’ve had to endure, and their resiliency and love for their school and community continue to push these athletes forward. I feel incredibly blessed to be back at Tate High School and part of this journey with them,” White said.
Photos for North Escambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Mayor Upset Garbage Provider Failed To Collect Trash For Week
January 23, 2018
Century Mayor Henry Hawkins is demanding answers after residential trash was not picked up last week in the town.
The town contracts residential waste collection to Republic Services, with the town billing local residents. Regular pick up day is Wednesday of each week.
However, Republic failed to collect trash last Wednesday due to an ice accumulation that basically paralyzed the area. Hawkins said he understand that, but “it was sunny and the roads were open Thursday, Friday, even Saturday” and the trash was still not collected.
Hawkins said the company has had no communication with the town, as is required under their contract if a collection day is missed.
Now, the mayor told the town council Monday night that he expects a refund from Republic Services that can be passed along to individual customers.
Hawkins said he the trash should be collected this Wednesday.
Pictured: Century Mayor Henry Hawkins discusses trash pick up during Monday night’s meeting of the Century Town Council. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
January Gas Prices The Most Expensive In Four Years
January 23, 2018
The price of gas is off to its most expensive start to the year since 2014.
Florida gas prices increased 9 cents during the past week. The state average of $2.54 is 18 cents more than a month ago, and 19 cents more than this time last year. The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded in Escambia County is $2.50, up from $2.33 a week ago and $2.32 one year ago. Pensacola, The Villages and Jacksonville at $2.50 are the least expensive in the state.
“It has been anything but a normal January for prices at the pump,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Normally, demand slips and supplies build. However, this story so far this year has been a rally in oil prices.
“Oil prices strung together three weeks of significant gains, raising the cost of producing gasoline,” Jenkins continued. “As a result, gas prices for the month of January have been the most expensive in four years. Fortunately, prices at the pump plateaued late last week, after the momentum for oil stalled out. While gas prices will continue to be steered by the price of oil, they will soon face additional pressure from refinery maintenance season. During the next few months, refineries will reduce output as they conduct maintenance on their equipment and switch to summer-blend gasoline. This usually leads to tighter supplies and forces gas prices higher. However, there is still lingering hope that U.S. oil production will ramp-up sooner than later, which would boost inventories and push energy prices lower.”