Tate Graduate Savage Completes Military Basic Training
July 8, 2017
U.S. Air Force Airman Phillis K. Savage graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.
The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training also earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.
Savage is the daughter of Sheila and Phillip Savage of Pensacola, sister of Patrick Savage of Pensacola, and Michael G. Jackson of Rockaway, N.Y.
She is a 2016 graduate of Tate High School in Cantonment.
Work Begins Monday On Temporary Bridge On Arthur Brown Road
July 8, 2017
Beginning next week, work crews will start clearing trees and shrubs in preparation to construct a temporary road and bridge on Arthur Brown Road near the Walnut Hill Baptist Church. A new bridge over Boggy Creek will then be constructed, with 11-foot travel lanes, six-foot shoulders and a solid concrete barrier railing. The bridge replacement project is estimated to take eight months, weather permitting. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Looking To Grow Hydrangeas In The Sun?
July 8, 2017
Looking to grow hydrangeas in the sun? The “Limelight” hydrangea is a beautiful specimen that grows well locally in the sun, according to the Escambia County Extension Service. For more information, contact Escambia County Extension in Cantonment at (850) 475-5230.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Southern Pine Beetle Assistance Application Period Is Now Open
July 8, 2017
The Southern Pine Beetle Assistance and Prevention Program will accept applications from non-industrial, private forest landowners through July 31.
The southern pine beetle (SPB) is one of the most economically devastating forest pests of the southeast, with periodic outbreaks leading to deaths of millions of pine trees. In 2016, 222 SPB infestations were reported in Florida, killing trees on over 1,100 acres. Those numbers are small compared to the last major outbreaks that occurred in Florida from 1999 to 2002, which resulted in an estimated $59 million in timber losses.
The program, supported through a grant by the United States Forest Service, provides incentive payments for landowners who conduct a first pulpwood thinning and offers partial cost reimbursement for activities such as prescribed burning, mechanical underbrush treatments, and the planting of longleaf or slash pine rather than the loblolly pine, the beetle’s preferred species.
Since it was first offered in 2005, the program has supported these practices on more than 167,000 acres and helped thousands of landowners. The program is limited to 44 northern Florida counties, the known range of the southern pine beetle. Qualified landowners can apply for up to two different practices per year and funding requests may not exceed $10,000. All qualifying applications received during the submission period will be evaluated and ranked for approval.
To obtain an application or to learn more about the Southern Pine Beetle Assistance and Prevention Program, visit FreshFromFlorida.com/SouthernPineBeetle/Prevention.
Wahoos Win Second Straight Over Biloxi
July 8, 2017
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos added third baseman Nick Senzel and first baseman Gavin LaValley to its rosters to start the second half of the Southern League season.
All they’ve done since coming up from High-A Daytona Tortugas is deliver clutch hits for the Blue Wahoos, including each smashing solo shots in a 3-1 victory Friday over the Biloxi Shuckers at MGM Park. The victory captured the series for Pensacola, 3-1, with the fifth game set for 6:35 p.m. Saturday.
Senzel’s line drive over the left field wall was his second for Pensacola in 15 games. It gave Pensacola a, 2-1, lead in the sixth inning. The Cincinnati Reds first round pick in 2016 and top-rated prospect has now hit in nine straight games, including 10 of his last 11.
LaValley’s deep fly ball to left center field in the ninth inning was his third for Pensacola and the 18th this year. Ranked the No. 26 Reds prospect, he has hit in seven of his last 10 games.
Meanwhile, four Pensacola pitchers combined to work nine innings and allowed one run to Biloxi on six hits, one walk and 10 strikeouts. The Blue Wahoos bullpen combined to throw 6.2 scoreless innings.
Blue Wahoos right-handed starter Austin Ross pitched the first 2.1 innings and allowed the single run by the Shuckers before coming out of the game for Blue Wahoos reliever Robert Stock.
The 25-year-old Stock tossed 3.1 scoreless innings, gave up one hit and struck out four. Geoff Broussard relieved him with 2.1 scoreless innings, one hit and a strikeout. Closing out the game with his third save for Pensacola was Carlos Gonzalez who walked one and struck out two in one inning of relief.
On the mound for Biloxi was the Milwaukee Brewers No. 19 ranked prospect, righty Freddy Peralta. Peralta, who was starting his third game in Double-A, threw six innings, allowing two runs on five hits, a walk and he struck out eight. He is now 1-1 with a 3.68 ERA.
Biloxi’s only run of the game came when second baseman Wendell Rijo doubled in first baseman Dustin DeMuth in the second inning.
Pensacola is now 8-7 and a half game behind the South Division leader the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, whose game was postponed Friday because of bad weather. Pensacola is 48-37 overall.
Escambia Man Killed In Motorcycle Crash
July 7, 2017
An Escambia County man was killed in a single vehicle traffic accident Thursday night.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 25-year old Keith Smith was eastbound on Marcus Pointe Boulevard near Enterprise Lane about 9 p.m. when he failed to properly negotiate a curve. His Suzuki motorcycle struck a concrete curb before continuing into the median and hitting a concrete utility pole.
Smith was wearing a helmet, according to the FHP.
Fire Heavily Damages Century Home
July 7, 2017
Fire heavily damaged a home in Century Thursday night.
Neighbors reported seeing flames from the roof of the home in the 800 block of Freedom Road just before 8 p.m. Heavy smoke was showing when the first firefighters arrived on scene moments later.
The 2,200 square foot wood-frame home suffered extensive fire damage in the attic, with smoke and water damage throughout. It was not immediately known if someone was at home when the fire broke out.
There were no reported injuries. Firefighters were forced to battle not only the fire, but the heat and humidity took as that took a toll on their abilities.
The Century, McDavid and Walnut Hill stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, the Jay Fire Department, the Flomaton Fire Department, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the blaze.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Former LSU Band Director Named Director Of Tate’s Showband Of The South
July 7, 2017
Roy King has been named the new band director of the Tate High School Showband of the South. King served for 18-years at Louisiana State University, most recently as director of LSU’s Tiger Marching Band.
King has also worked as a high school band director in Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana and, most recently at Pine Forest High School in Pensacola.
King is a member of the Music Educators National Conference, Percussive Arts Society, National Band Association, College Band Directors National Association, and Phi Beta Mu. He holds honorary memberships in Kappa Kappa Psi and Phi Mu Alpha fraternities. King received the Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music in Wind Conducting degrees from LSU.
Multiple Arrests Made In Escambia Sheriff’s Office Prostitution Sting
July 7, 2017
Sixteen people have been charged in a prostitution sting by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The ECSO first rounded up seven “Johns” during phase one of the sting, followed the second phase of the sting that led to the arrest of nine women.
The men that were arrested face sex offense charges, while the women have been charged with prostitution. The following were arrested:
- Frederick Denard Barnett, 36
- Brian Joseph Bass, 47
- Matthew Wade Bryant, 34
- Nakilia Monica Monique Burrell, 19
- Donna Fain Bush, 52
- Patricia Kennedy Dickinson, 52
- Holly Nicole Ferrer, 32
- John Robert Gazoo, 61
- Robert Gene Hendrickson, 50
- Marya Priscilla Howard, 39
- Ashley Alene Lucas, 41
- Marlequin Antrice Moody, 29
- Ramon Alan Sampson, 36
- Mary Helen Sullivan, 29
- David Matthew Thomas, 42
- Keisha Shandale Ward, 31
A warrant for Susan Melissa McNabb, 39, is outstanding on a prostitution charge.
Join The ‘Air Potato Patrol’ To Battle Invasive Plant
July 7, 2017
In Florida, air potato is a state-wide problem, but the battle against the invasive plant starts in greenbelts and back yards, according to scientists with the University of Florida and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Experts are calling on the public to join the Air Potato Patrol, a citizen science project that trains residents to identify and report air potato vines in Florida and the Southeast.
“If someone has air potato vines on their property, we want to get status updates on these plants — for example, are they growing and expanding or are they dying back?” said William Lester, a horticulture agent with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension.
“We also want to know if people see air potato leaf beetles on the vines. That’s because the beetle eats only this plant, and we want to know how many are out there seasonally, and how successfully they’ve been able to control the vine,” he said.
Air potato is a vining plant named for potato-like tubers called bulbils. The plant grows aggressively and can quickly overtake and kill other vegetation. The plant is currently found in 60 of the 67 counties in Florida, as well as in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas.
Air potato leaf beetles, which are native to parts of Africa and Asia, eat only air potato leaves and can decrease the density of air potato in an area by 25 to 70 percent, according to a UF/IFAS Extension publication. From 2012 to 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released air potato leaf beetles at more than 2,000 locations in Florida.
About a year ago, Lester started getting calls from locals concerned that they weren’t seeing as many air potato beetles as they used to. Lester suspected that winter weather had hit the beetles harder than usual, leading to the decline in numbers.
Those calls showed that everyday people were a valuable source of intelligence in the ground fight against air potato.
In response, Lester contacted Chris Kerr, who leads the air potato beetle rearing program at the FDACS Division of Plant Industry facility in Gainesville As the two discussed how they could get the public more involved in air potato control, the Air Potato Patrol was born.
Lester and Kerr collaborated on the videos and training materials that teach citizen scientists how to identify air potato and report on plant growth and beetle activity. Videos and more information on how to participate are available at airpotatobeetle.com.
“Anyone who wants to learn more about controlling this invasive plant, and has access to air potato on their property or a friends’, is welcomed to participate,” Lester said. “The data collected will be used to help better understand the timing and seasonal distribution for both air potato plants and beetles.”
Residents with air potato vines on their properties can request beetles online.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
