A Colorful Thanksgiving: Molino Library Coloring Contest
November 26, 2015
The Molino Branch Library held a Thanksgiving Coloring Contest for children ages 11 and under. The winner of the 4-6 age bracket was Kierstyn, seen here with her colorful Thanksgiving turkey and prizes. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cook Carefully This Thanksgiving to Prevent Kitchen Fires
November 26, 2015
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is alerting consumers that the threat of fires in the kitchen triples on Thanksgiving Day. From 2009 through 2011, there was an average of about 1,300 cooking fires on Thanksgiving Day. This is more than three times the average daily rate from 2009 through 2011 of about 400 cooking fires a day.
“As fire safety experts have said for years, ‘Stand by your pan!’” said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. “If you are frying, grilling or broiling food, stay in the kitchen. Not following this advice can be a recipe for disaster on Thanksgiving and throughout the year.” When it comes to fires in the home, cooking fires are number one. They accounted for nearly 150,000 fires (more than 40 percent of all annual unintentional residential fires) each year from 2009 through 2011. Unattended cooking is the top cause of cooking fires. Cooking fires also caused the most home fire-related injuries, with an estimated annual average of nearly 27 percent, or 3,450 injuries each year.
Overall, CPSC estimates an average of 362,300 unintentional residential fires, 2,260 deaths, 12,820 injuries and nearly $7 billion in property damage attended by the fire service occurring each year between 2009 and 2011.
To stay safe in the kitchen, avoid wearing loose-fitting clothing with long sleeves near ranges or ovens, watch children closely so they don’t come into contact with cooking food or hot stovetops, turn pan handles toward the back of the stove to prevent kids and others from spilling a pan’s scalding contents onto themselves.
In the event of a fire, call 911. Cover a pan with a lid to smother the flames. Never pour water or flour on a fire. That can make it worse. Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen.
“Turkey fryer fires can be explosive and result in serious burns,” said Glenn Gaines, Deputy U.S. Fire Administrator for the United States Fire Administration (USFA). “Only use a turkey fryer outside and away from your home. Never use it in a garage or on a porch. Don’t overfill the oil or leave the turkey fryer unattended.”
Since 2003, there have been more than 125 turkey fryer-related fires, burns, explosions, smoke inhalations, or laceration incidents reported to CPSC staff. There were 55 injuries among these incidents, but none were fatal. For the incidents reporting a dollar value for the property loss, the total loss reported was around $6 million. Additional incidents involving turkey fryers may have occurred that were not reported to CPSC.
Consumers should also protect themselves by installing smoke alarms in their homes. “Roughly three out of five home fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms,” said Jim Shannon, President of the National Fire Protection Association. “Smoke alarms save lives. Having a working smoke alarm cuts the chances of dying in a fire in half.”
Change the batteries in smoke alarms at least once every year and test the alarms every month to make sure they are working.
To provide a better warning of a fire and more escape time, install more than one alarm and interconnect all smoke alarms in the home. Interconnected alarms speak to one another, so if there is a fire in one part of the house, the interconnected alarms sound throughout the house and alert consumers to the fire more quickly.
For the best protection, install alarms on every level of the home, outside sleeping areas and inside each bedroom, and use both ionization and photoelectric alarms. Alarms that are powered by house wiring should have a battery backup.
Smoke alarms provide the warning, but every family should have a fire escape plan as well. Practice the escape plan with everyone in the house so they can get out quickly. The escape plan should include two ways out of each room (as practical) and a family meeting place that is outside where everyone can meet if there is a fire in the home.
n Fires
Multiple Injuries In Firetruck, SUV Crash In McDavid
November 25, 2015
Three people were injured in a collision between a fire engine and a SUV early Tuesday evening in McDavid.
The engine, with lights and sirens activated, departed the McDavid Station of Escambia Fire Rescue at 5:14 p.m. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 62-year old Gordon Janksy of Pensacola failed to stop his 2012 Chevrolet Traverse for the firetruck, driven by 32-year old Mark Carter of Century. Both vehicles came to rest in the parking lot of a convenience store across the road from the fire station.
Carter was transported by ambulance with a non-life threatening injury to West Florida Hospital where he was expected to be released. A second member of the fire department, 19-year old Jared Carnley of McDavid, was a passenger on the fire truck and was not injured.
A total of six individuals were in the SUV. Driver Gordon Janksy was not injured in the crash. His passenger, 61-year old Linda Jansky of Pensacola, was airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola in serious condition after being extricated from the vehicle. An adult male, whose name was not released, was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital by ambulance. An addtional adult female and two children in the SUV were not injured.
Gordon Jansky was cited for violation of right of way to an emergency vehicle, according to the FHP.
The fire engine was responding emergency to a reported structure fire in Molino. The fire turned out to be from a microwave oven that caused smoke in the Shifko Road home; that fire was handled by other Escambia Fire Rescue units on scene.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Farm-City Thanksgiving Meals Distributed To 700 Families
November 25, 2015
As part of Farm-City week, 700 families in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties received full Thanksgiving meals Tuesday — much of it locally grown — thanks to the efforts of local farms, food banks and hundreds of FFA and 4-H students. Students from Tate High School’s FFA chapter and local 4-H clubs helped with the Escambia County distribution for 300 families at the Waterfront Rescue Mission.
The 400 pre-qualified families in Santa Rosa County and 300 in Escambia County received turkeys, collard and turnip greens, sweet potatoes, cornmeal, peanut butter and more. The sweet potatoes were donated by local farmers and sorted by FFA students from a half dozen schools, and students also picked the collards from field Monday at the University of Florida Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences West Florida Research and Education Center. [Click here for photos and a story from Monday's harvest.]
Farm to City Week is a national effort with the goal to bring about a better understanding between rural and urban people by increasing their knowledge and appreciation for agriculture.
The locally grown produce was harvested at the University of Florida, West Florida Research and Education Center by participating Ag students from Northview High School, Tate High School, Jay High School, Central School, Beulah Academy, West Florida High and Ernest Ward Middle School.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Holiday Closings, Trash Schedules
November 25, 2015
The following will be closed in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
- Escambia County Schools (Wed-Fri)
- Santa Rosa County Schools (Wed-Fri)
- Escambia (Fla. & Ala.) and Santa Rosa county offices (Thur-Fri)
- Century, Jay, Milton, Pensacola, Atmore, Flomaton city offices (Thur-Fri)
- Perdido Landfill (Thurs, landfill open Fri)
- Santa Rosa Landfill (Thurs, landfill open Fri)
- U.S. Post Office — retail windows closed, no mail delivery or collection (Thur)
- Florida state offices (Thur-Fri)
- Federal offices (Thur-Fri)
- No bus service from ECAT on Thursday, regular service Friday
- West Florida Public Libraries, including Century and Molino branches(Thur-Fri)
ECUA Garbage Escambia County:
All residential sanitation, recycling, and yard trash collections for ECUA customers that would normally be made on Thursday, Nov. 26, or Friday, Nov. 27 will be made one day later, on Friday, Nov. 27 or Saturday, Nov. 28, respectively.
All commercial sanitation collections for ECUA customers that would normally be made on Thursday, Nov. 26 will be made one day earlier, on Wednesday, Nov. 25. There are no changes to the schedule for commercial services scheduled on Friday, Nov. 28, or Saturday, November 29.
ECUA Customers, North Santa Rosa County:
There will be no garbage or yard trash collection on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26. Garbage and yard trash will be collected on the next normally scheduled collection day for that route (Monday). Recycling collection scheduled for Thursday, November 26, will be collected on Saturday, November 28, 2015.
There are NO CHANGES to Tuesday and Friday collections, which are unaffected by the holiday schedule change.
Holiday Cooking Can Be Bad For ECUA Sewers And Home Plumbing
November 25, 2015
The Thanksgiving holiday means special times with family, friends, lots of delicious food and the potential for sanitary sewage overflows (SSOs). No matter how the meal is prepared, it will certainly generate fats, oils and grease, or FOG, Which can be damaging to the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority sewer system and your household plumbing.
Keep your plumbing and the sewer system free from blockages and overflows by properly disposing of FOG this holiday season. Many homeowners may be surprised to learn that pouring the fatty remains of culinary delights down the kitchen drain can result in costly and unpleasant SSOs. Besides the mess, untreated sewage can cause health hazards and threaten the environment. Overflows can also require expensive cleanup.
Cooks should avoid depositing other oil-based foods down the drain and garbage disposal. No-nos include fatty substances such as lards or shortening, butter or margarine, food scraps, dairy products, batter and icing, salad dressings and sauces. For more information on ways to keep your kitchen clean and green, visit www.ecua.fl.gov.
Conscientious cooks should:
- Throw food scraps in the trash
- Use a paper towel to wipe away residue from serving dishes and plates
- Rinse these items over a sink strainer to catch and dispose of any remaining food particles
Any grease left-over from holiday cooking should be poured into a heat-safe can, place it in the freezer to cool and harden, and toss the can out with regular garbage. If you’re planning to deep-fry a turkey, put the used fryer oil back in its original container or use an ECUA Cooking Oil Disposal Container. Drop it off at an ECUA Disposal Station to be recycled into biodiesel fuel. ECUA has several conveniently placed stations throughout the community:
Clean & Green
3303 North Davis Highway
Baskerville Donovan Engineering
449 West Main Street
ECUA at Ellyson Industrial Park
9255 Sturdevant Street
ECUA Sanitation Department
3050 Godwin Lane
ECUA Bayou Marcus Water Reclamation Facility
3050 Fayal Drive
Pensacola Beach on Via de Luna Drive
Between Pensacola Beach Elementary School and Our Lady of Assumption Catholic Church
NAS Pensacola (Military and Base Personnel ONLY)
Andrew Jackson Court
Fort Santa Maria de Galve Hase Road
Slemmer Avenue
Murray Street and Billingsley Street
Corry Field Housing at NAS Corry Station
Escambia County Sheriff’s Sub Station Serving Perdido Key & Grand Lagoon
12950 Gulf Beach Highway
For additional information visit the ECUA website www.ecua.fl.gov or call ECUA Customer Service (850) 476-0480.
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas In Century
November 25, 2015
A work crew from the Town of Century and work release prisoners from the Century Correctional Institution were hard at work Tuesday erecting Christmas decorations in the Nadine McCaw Park on North Century Boulevard. While the decorations will be lit prior to the event, an official tree lighting ceremony will be held in the park at 6 p.m. December 3. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate’s Branden Fryman Signs With Samford University
November 25, 2015
Tate High School senior Branden Fryman signed a letter of intent Tuesday to play baseball for Samford University in Birmingham. Fryman hit .400 last year as a junior. The Aggies shortstop is the son of Travis Fryman who spent 12 years in the majors with the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Indians, and he was named an all-star five times. Photos courtesy Tate Baseball for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Turkey Time Cooking Tips
November 25, 2015
It’s Thanksgiving, time for family and friends to gather and give thanks. And time for cooks to ponder the correct way to prepare their turkey.
Today, we are taking a look at the proper way to cook your turkey with tips from Dorothy Lee, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent for the Escambia County Extension Office.
Clean
Begin every meal preparation with clean hands, and wash hands frequently to prevent any cross contamination. As a rule, hands that have come in contact with raw meat or poultry should be washed for twenty seconds in hot, soapy water.
Separate
Raw meat and poultry products may contain harmful bacteria, so make certain that the juices from those products do not come in contact with food that will be eaten without cooking, like the salad. Also, never place cooked food on an unwashed plate that previously held raw meat or poultry.
Cook
Use of food thermometer should be a standard operating procedure in your kitchen and, when used correctly, will ensure that your turkey is cooked to perfection. To be safe, the temperature of a whole turkey should reach 180°F between the breast and the innermost part of the thigh.
If you stuff your turkey, the center of the stuffing must reach 165°F. If the stuffing has not reached 165°F, then continue cooking the turkey until it does. Let the turkey stand twenty minutes after removal from the oven before carving.
Chill
This is another important step because food-borne bacteria can grow while food sits unrefrigerated. Refrigerate or freeze perishable leftovers within two hours of cooking. To prepare your leftovers, remove any remaining stuffing from the cavity and cut turkey into small pieces. Slice the breast meat. Wings and legs may be left whole. Refrigerate stuffing and turkey separately in shallow containers.
Use or freeze leftover turkey and stuffing within three to four days, gravy within one to two days. Reheat thoroughly to a temperature of 165°F, or until hot and steaming.
For more information, call the Escambia County Extension office, (850) 475-5230.
Brothers Arrested For Weekend Motel Murder
November 24, 2015
Two suspects have been arrested in connection with a weekend murder in Escambia County.
Aaron Lee Durning, 34, and Daniel Lee Durning, 28 have been arrested in Marion County, FL. The brothers are charged in connection with the murder of 57-year old Lisa Barberi.
Barberi’s body was discovered about 11 a.m. Sunday morning by an employee of he Quality Inn on New Warrington Road. An investigation determined that Barberi was strangled to death, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The Durning brothers will be returned to Escambia County to face charges of first degree premeditated murder.
Further details on the case have not been released.