Showers And Thunderstorms Likely Today And Sunday
June 27, 2015
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Saturday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. West wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. North wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Light west wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90.
Wednesday Night: A 10 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75.
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93.
Aggies Tie Navarre, Beat Catholic In Milton Tourney
June 27, 2015
In summer baseball Friday, the Tate High School Aggie A Team tied Navarre 7-7 in game one of the Milton Panther Tournament. In game two, the Tate Aggies beat Catholic 15-6.
Weekend Gardening: Tomato Pests
June 27, 2015
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.
Mississippi Beats The Wahoos
June 27, 2015
After giving up six runs in 4.1 innings in his last start against the Mobile BayBears, Pensacola righty Daniel Wright gave up just three hits and one earned run in seven innings of work against the Mississippi Braves Friday.
But the one run was all the Braves needed in a, 1-0, victory at Trustmark Park over Pensacola and Wright, who dropped to 3-6 on the season.
Wright struck out eight and his ERA dropped to 5.47. In the last three starts, Wright had given up 14 earned runs in 16.1 innings for a 7.83 ERA.
Mississippi got two of those hits in the sixth inning, which led to the Braves game-winning run. Catcher Braeden Schlehuber singled to left field and then ended up scoring on left fielder Matt Lipka’s single, which deflected off of Pensacola third baseman Seth Mejias-Brean’s glove to shortstop Zach Vincej.
Mississippi third baseman Rio Ruiz got the other hit off of Wright in the game.
One bright spot in the month of June has been Cincinnati Reds No. 2 prospect Jesse Winker, who is hitting .315 in June. He’s clubbed two homers and driven in eight runs.
On Friday, Winker went 2-3 with two walks to raise his season average to .257. Thursday against Mississippi, he went 2-5 with a homer and two RBIs.
Pensacola catcher Kyle Skipworth also got off to a fast start, coming off the disabled list and playing in his first game since May 27. He went 2-4 with a double Friday.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: No So Lazy Days Of Summer
June 27, 2015
After the merciful end of the special session and the months-long process of legislating, it looked like this week would be the beginning of the normal quiet days of summer in Tallahassee. Sporadic news might break out, like the almost-daily rain storms that drench the city most afternoons, but it would be more a slow drizzle than a downpour.
Not quite.
On the first week without lawmakers in town or about to return for quite some time, the Capitol and its denizens managed to stay busy. Gov. Rick Scott took to the state budget like the villain in a slasher film, slicing almost half a billion dollars from the spending plan and setting off waves of anger in the state Senate. In two cases that could have had far-reaching ramifications in Florida, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld same-sex marriage and a key provision in Obamacare. Even the lawyers handling matters closer to home had plenty to do, dealing with everything from hospital funding to land-buying programs.
The summer will eventually take hold, and the capital city will almost certainly return to its midyear slumber. But the relief would wait for another week, at least.
FLORIDA CHAINSAW MASSACRE
Scott’s willingness to use his veto pen has waxed and waned over his years as governor. In 2011, his first year in office, he boasted of striking $615 million from the spending plan, but that was inflated by getting rid of $305 million of largely imaginary spending that would be supported by selling state lands — a scheme that even backers didn’t believe would produced anywhere close to the promised funds.
Last year, facing re-election and needing lawmakers’ support for his priorities, Scott had a particularly light touch, trimming just $68.9 million from a roughly $77 billion budget.
This year was more like 2011, and then some. The governor slashed away with gusto, removing 450 lines totaling almost $461.4 million from the spending plan for the budget that begins next month. Everything from pay increases for state firefighters to the orange and grapefruit juice tourists can pick up at visitors centers were cut. The once $78.7 billion budget shrunk to $78.2 billion.
“I went through the budget looking at every project saying, ‘What’s a statewide priority? Can I get a good return on investment? Has it gone through a state process?’” Scott told reporters.
Regardless of that official explanation, others saw an unstated game of hardball playing out. Almost every one of Scott’s legislative priorities were reduced in size during both the regular session that ended in May and the special session that ran through most of June, and the governor was sidelined on some of the other major debates.
A plan to increase hospital spending to offset a loss in federal funds — a fix Scott opposed — was put in the budget and written in a way that made it virtually impossible for the governor to veto. And a Medicaid expansion alternative that Scott fiercely opposed passed the Senate despite the governor’s threat to use his veto against supporters. The plan eventually died in the House.
“He promised that he would punish the constituents of those legislators who disagreed with him, and he kept his promise,” said Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville.
Not everyone was critical. House Appropriations Chairman Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, applauded Scott for looking out for taxpayers and trying to impose some accountability in the budget process.
“In the totality of it, I think he did a great job of recognizing we’re not dealing with Monopoly money,” Corcoran said.
Others were left wistfully recalling the 2014-vintage Scott.
“What a difference a year makes,” said Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee, R-Brandon. “I wish I could’ve been the appropriations chair in an election year.”
FROM ‘SCOTUSCARE’ TO ‘UNIQUE FULFILLMENT’
Like many other states, Florida was keeping an eye on the U.S. Supreme Court this week as justices rolled out some of the most important decisions of their soon-to-end 2014-15 term. Two in particular could have shaken things up — a ruling on insurance premium subsidies in the Affordable Care Act, and a decision on whether same-sex marriage was a right guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
In both cases, the decision went the way of no change. But that meant more in one case than in the other.
In a 6-3 ruling issued Thursday, the court upheld the tax credits at the heart of the Affordable Care Act’s federal exchange, preserving health insurance for more than 1 million Floridians but providing no larger solutions to the national or statewide divisions on the law.
In a case that hinged on what Congress meant by making tax credits for insurance available to people using “an exchange established by the state,” a majority of justices found that credits could be given to people who purchase coverage through an exchange — like Florida’s — set up by the federal government because the state doesn’t operate one.
Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts said other parts of the law made it clear that federal exchanges were supposed to function largely like marketplaces run by states.
“But state and federal exchanges would differ in a fundamental way if tax credits were available only on state exchanges — one type of exchange would help make insurance more affordable by providing billions of dollars to the states’ citizens; the other type of exchange would not,” Roberts wrote.
He was joined by Justices Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
In a sharply-worded dissent, Justice Antonin Scalia accused the court of twisting provisions of the law to preserve the Affordable Care Act. Scalia also dissented in a 2012 case that upheld the constitutionality of the act.
“Today’s opinion changes the usual rules of statutory interpretation for the sake of the Affordable Care Act. That, alas, is not a novelty…We should start calling this law SCOTUScare,” Scalia wrote in an opinion joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.
Another sharp clash came in the court’s consideration of same-sex marriage. In that case, decided 5-4, the court found that gay couples could not be denied the right to marry. The ruling removed lingering doubts surrounding a Florida case in which a federal judge struck down the state’s voter-approved ban on gay unions.
“No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice and family,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote. “In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were.”
In both cases, those on the losing side vowed to fight on. Florida Family Policy Council President John Stemberger, the force behind the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, said the battle is far from over.
“Regardless of how it appears, today’s decision is not the final word on marriage. The U.S. Supreme Court has been wrong before, as in the case of Dredd Scott when the court attempted to declare that black people were not persons. The court was also wrong in Roe vs. Wade when it effectively declared that unborn children were not persons. Once again, the court is wrong today in its attempt to force all 50 states and all U.S. citizens to legally declare that marriage is something other than the union of one man and one woman,” Stemberger said in a statement.
NEW LIP STICKS, AND OTHER COURT FIGHTS
As Scott was cutting away at the state budget, the fight that had almost derailed it was coming to an end. After months of wrangling about the issue, a top federal official Tuesday outlined a deal to continue Florida’s Low Income Pool health-funding program for two years.
Federal official Vikki Wachino sent a letter to state Medicaid director Justin Senior that said an agreement “in principle” has been reached about the size of the program and how money will be divvied up among hospitals and other health providers.
Many of the details reflect preliminary information released last month and used by lawmakers in drawing up a state budget that signed by Scott. Those details include $1 billion in so-called LIP funding for the fiscal year that starts July 1 and a drop in funding to $608 million for the fiscal year that starts in July 2016.
The Low Income Pool, which has totaled $2.2 billion during the current fiscal year, sends additional money to hospitals and other providers to help cover the costs of treating uninsured and poor patients. The program had been scheduled to expire June 30, touching off political and legal battles.
The “great victory” prompted Scott to drop a lawsuit over the LIP funding. But another budget-related court fight loomed.
Supporters of a voter-approved constitutional amendment on land conservation funding filed a lawsuit Monday claiming state lawmakers misappropriated more than $300 million of the money voters wanted for environmental land management and acquisition.
Also, supporters of the ballot initiative want a court to declare exactly what lawmakers can and can’t do with the Amendment 1 money.
The lawsuit, filed in Leon County circuit court, contends that in using the money for expenses such as staff operations and salaries, the Legislature “defied the constitutional mandate” in spending less than half of the money for the purposes intended by voters.
Gardiner, who said in a statement that he was limiting his comments until he could further review the lawsuit, supported the Legislature’s Amendment 1 spending plan.
“The budget the Senate unanimously passed on Friday not only meets, but by every measure exceeds the requirements of Amendment 1, including the use of general revenue to add to ‘doc stamp’ funds set aside by the amendment to further fund important environmental initiatives clearly spelled out in the ballot language,” Gardiner said in a statement.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Gov. Rick Scott signed the state budget, but only after vetoing $461.4 million in local projects and other spending.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Do we want to celebrate and sanction a symbol on public property that reminds us of hatred, slavery and division? Do we want to pass down a feeling of complacency with the status quo on this issue to my children and your children? I love the South and know we are better than this.”—Daniel Uhlfelder, a Walton County lawyer lobbying for the removal of a Confederate flag flying in front of the courthouse in DeFuniak Springs. The flag has come under fire across the nation in recent weeks after a man suspected of harboring white supremacist views allegedly killed nine black church-goers in South Carolina.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Correction: Man Charged With Animal Abuse In Connection With Horse Seized In Molino
June 26, 2015
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was originally published on June 25, 2015, with the defendant’s name listed as Daniel Barrett Francis, the name being used for the defendant by law enforcement, prosecutors and the court system. However, the State Attorney’s Office has informed us that an error was made in the legal system, and the defendant’s name is actually Daniel Franklin Barrett, Jr.
An arrest has been made in connection with an abandoned horse seized from a Molino property earlier this year.
Daniel Franklin Barrett, Jr., 38, is facing one count of animal cruelty. He was released from jail on a $500 bond.
Escambia County Animal Control and Panhandle Equine Rescue seized the horse from the 6000 block of Cedartown Road last February. According to a report provided by the State Attorney’s Office, the horse was being kept at a home under construction with insufficient food and water available on a daily basis. The report states that there was a water trough available to the horse, but it was full of about six inches of water that was not potable and contained algae and remnants of rotten hay.
There was also no shelter available for the horse, the report states.
Pictured: A rescued horse later named “Smarty” seized last February from Cedartown Road in Molino. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
$25,000 Century Business Challenge Winners Named
June 26, 2015
The winners of the $25,000 Century Business Challenge were named Thursday afternoon at the Century Business Center. But in the end, it appears the contest may foster more winners by sparking a spirit of entrepreneurship and friendship in Century.
Judges decided to split the $25,000 prize — with $20,000 going to East Hill Academy to be used toward a special needs school in Century and $5,000 to the Abundant Life Children of Hope Center childcare center.
In addition to the operating funds from the Studer Institute, the winners will be offered space inside the Century Business Center at $1 per year, with the possibility of an extension of that rate for two more years based on the group’s performance.
“These kids need to have a school in Century that is theirs, that is part of their community, Barbara Barber of East Hill Academy, and the soon-to-be Century Academy said. “This was a real win for the special needs children in the local area.”
East Hill Academy operates schools for children with learning disabilities in Pensacola and Milton. As a private non-profit organization providing educational services to about 135 children (grades 1-12) with Autism and other related disorders, the school seeks to help students succeed when otherwise their learning disabilities make it impractical to place them in a regular school setting.
Barber said the new Century Academy should open in the fall of 2016, prepared to serve about 20 students with two classrooms. Plans call for the addition of at least one new classroom per year. Negotiations are underway to locate the Century Academy in a portion of the former Carver/Century K-8 School.
While Century Academy will be a private pay school, Barber said any child with an “IEP” (Individualized Education Program) at their current school would be eligible for a scholarship that would cover tuition and fees. There are currently 368 students with an IEP in school in the Century and Walnut Hill areas that would eligible for the Century Academy, she said.
“I’m excited,” Heather Smith, director of the Abundant Life Children of Hope daycare center said. “We were honored and grateful to be awarded part of the prize.”
While the project was in in the running for the Century Business Challenge, the daycare was already up and running as of June 1 at the Abundant Life Assembly of God Church with space for 29 children six weeks old to Pre-K…allowing their mothers, or fathers, the chance to go to work or school.
Smith said she had long seen the need for a daycare in Century, and the business challenge competition caused the church to look seriously at the plan.
Shortly after the winners were announced Thursday afternoon, representatives of the new Century Academy and the daycare were already discussing how they could partner to benefit one another.
It’s those sparks and ideas that have Century Mayor Freddie McCall ready to move full steam ahead with business development in Century.
“This is a great day for Century,” McCall said. “We are sending a message that Century is ready for business. We are ready to showcase our facilities and the business center as an incubator. We are ready to utilize the buildings and put people to work.”
Three other business ideas made it all the way through the competition to Thursday’s announcement: Wayne Key of Permedico, LLC, is creating medical software to record personal health history and make it more presentable to doctors and emergency rooms. Kevin and Judi Hogan, with TaraTiki Enterprises, have developed a unique golf accessory, and Holly Driver wanted to open the Holly L. Driver School of Music in Century.
Not winning the competition may not be as setback for the additional business ideas.
“We now have a patent on our product,” Kevin Hogan said. “We are going to move ahead; we’ve even placed our first order for the product.”
Hogan’s TaraTiki Enterprises will produce a self-dispensing golf ball holder ready to attach to any golf bag.
He said the company would have used the Century Business Center prize and location to establish a distribution center for the golf product. Even without the prize, Kevin Hogan said he’s still eyeing a Century location, and local employees, for his shipping and handling services.
The Century Business Challenge was part of an economic development partnership of the Haas Center, the Town of Century and the Studer Institute. The Studer Institute provided the $25,000 prize money.
There were 10 applicants, with five actually submitting business plans. The Small Business Development Center at the University of West Florida worked with the five applicants over the last several months to develop their business plans.
Pictured top: Representative of the future Century Academy discuss the Century Business Challenge prize with judge Mollye Barrows of the Studer Institute. Pictured inset: Barbara Barber of East Hill and Century academies reacts to winning $20,000 in the business competition. Pictured bottom: Representatives of Abundant Life Children of Hope daycare center and Century Mayor Freddie McCall (background). NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Man Wins Half Million Dollar Lottery Prize
June 26, 2015
An Escambia County man won a half million dollars in a lottery scratch-off game, the Florida Lottery announced.
Frederick Raby, 67, claimed the $500,000 top prize in the Gold Rush game at Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee. Raby purchased his winning ticket at the Publix at West Nine Mile Road and Pine Forest Road.
Escambia County Reorganizes: New Assistant Administrator, Some Department Directors Ousted
June 26, 2015
A new assistant county administrator is on the way in and some department heads are on the way out under a new organizational chart approved Thursday night by the Escambia County Commission.
Retiring Pensacola Police Chief Chip Simmons will come on board after his retirement in August as an assistant county administrator. He will be responsible for overseeing community public safety relations and coordination, firefighters both paid and volunteers, jail construction and public safety coordination and employee relations. Corrections Director Michael Tidwell, Public Safety Director Mike Weaver, Facilities Management Director David Wheeler and Building Services Director Don Mayo and their departments will report to Simmons.
Assistant County Administrator Amy Lovoy will oversee the Pensacola Bay Center, the county budget, contract management, property sales, purchasing and risk management. Library Services Director Todd Humble, Information and Technology Director Shawn Fletcher, Waste Services Director Pat Johnson and Natural Resources Management Director Keith Wilkins and their departments will report to Lovoy.
Two longtime county department directors will be gone. Marilyn Wesley, director of Community Affairs, and David Musselwhite, information and technology director, will no longer work for the county.
Two other prominent county employees, public information officers Kathleen Dough-Castro and Bill Pearson, are leaving the county by choice, not as a result of the reorganization.
The new Escambia County organization chart looks like this, with changes and additions circled (click to enlarge):
The old Escambia County organization chart looks like this (click to enlarge):
Driver Refuses Medical Treatment After Highway 29 Rollover Accident
June 26, 2015
There were no injuries in a single vehicle rollover accident in Highway 29 just north of Nine Mile Road Thursday evening. After being extricated by the Ensley and Brent stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, the driver refused to be transported to the hospital. The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. NorthEscamba.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.