Developer Plans New Dollar General For Cantonment
September 1, 2014
Plans are currently in the works for a new Dollar General store in Cantonment.
Teramore Development, LLC, of Thomasville, GA, is planning the 9,288 square foot store on a 2.28 acre lot on the northeast corner of the Highway 29 and Neal Road intersection. The lot has been home to various thrift stores for several years.
According plans filed with Escambia County, the new store would not have any vehicular access directly to Highway 29; all driveways would connect to Neal Road. Plans call for the lot to contain 31 parking spaces.
The plans have been presented to the Escambia County Development Review Committee during a pre-application meeting and will be presented for final approval on September 3. The DRC has not made any ruling or recommendations on the store.
The development company previously submitted an initial development review application for a store to be located about one mile away on a 1.03 acre lot at Highway 29 and Woodland Street; however, no additional applications or permits have been pursued for that location.
GED Classes Offered Beginning This Week In Molino
September 1, 2014
GED classes will resume Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at the Molino Community Center. Classes will be on Monday and Thursday evenings in Room 124.
New students can take the TABE (Test of Adult Basic Education) on for free on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Molino Community Center for students age 18 and over. A photo identification is required for the test. Students under 18 need to get a special waiver obtainable only at the George Stone Technical Center (call 941-6200).
Students may also register online by clicking here.
For more information, call George Stone at (850) 941-6200.
Scott To Pitch New Round Of Tax Cuts As Tag Fees Drop
September 1, 2014
A rollback in vehicle-registration fees, the key part of a $500 million package of tax and fee cuts approved this spring, kicks in Monday as Gov. Rick Scott starts to campaign for a new round of tax cuts.
The election-year reduction in vehicle-registration fees (SB 156), one of two new laws going into effect Monday, is expected to save motorists $17 to $25 a year depending on the size of the vehicles.
The other new law (SB 242) is intended to keep people from stealing the identities of children. The Keeping I.D. Safe (KIDS) Act, backed by Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, would allow parents or guardians to open a file in their child’s name with a major consumer credit bureau and then immediately put a freeze on the account.
However, the reduction in vehicle-registration fees will be the law highlighted over the next two weeks as Scott goes out on his latest campaign tour, this time hop-scotching the state with a pledge to cut $1 billion in taxes over the next two years.
At each stop, Scott will maintain support for a number of sales-tax shopping holidays, along with touting plans to cut the communications-services tax imposed on cable and phone services, eliminate a manufacturing sales tax, phase out both the corporate income tax and a sales tax on commercial leases and enact a constitutional amendment that would prevent residential property taxes from being increased when home values don’t go up.
Little information was immediately available Friday about how each cut could impact the state budget or local government revenues. The planned tax-cut tour follows similar campaign runs in which Scott has pledged to maintain or increase funding for transportation, the environment and schools.
During the tour, scheduled to touch down in 28 cities, Scott will also play up that the vehicle-registration fees were raised as part of a 2009 law signed by Democratic gubernatorial challenger Charlie Crist, then the Republican governor.
Crist’s campaign sent out a release seeking to re-label Scott’s campaign stops as the “empty promises tax tour.”
Scott considered the vehicle-registration fee reduction one of his “critical” priorities during the spring legislative session.
The cut to vehicle-registration fees is expected to trim state revenue by $309.1 million during the current 2014-15 fiscal year and $394.6 million in later years, when the cuts will be in effect for a full 12 months.
The vehicle fee change was included as part of the wide-ranging, $500 million “patchwork of awesomeness” tax package, so named by one of its chief architects, House Finance & Tax Chairman Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne. Among the items in the package were sales-tax holidays, a reduction in the insurance premium tax on bail-bond premiums, and the permanent elimination of sales taxes on college meal plans, therapeutic pet foods, child car seats and bicycle helmets for kids.
The Sept. 1 effective date for the vehicle registration-fee rollback was set to ensure the change could be implemented smoothly, said Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles spokesman John Lucas.
“With the amount of work that’s required to reduce fees and enter it into our system for more than 14 million vehicles that are affected by this fee reduction, it took some time,” Lucas said. “So, we thought September 1 would be a good target date to start from.”
Scott has made cutting taxes and fees a major focus of his administration and his re-election campaign.
The Republican first pledged to eliminate the state’s corporate income tax when he ran in 2010, along with calling for a $1.4 billion property-tax cut as part of a sweeping economic plan he said would not reduce school funding.
Efforts to cut taxes on commercial leases and the communications-services tax have stalled in the Legislature in recent years.
And Scott in 2013 requested a permanent tax cut for manufacturing machinery. Instead he had to wait until the final week of the legislative session before getting lawmakers to include a three-year temporary cut as part of a larger economic-incentives package.
During the campaign, he has repeatedly hammered Crist on tax issues. Increasing vehicle-registration fees was among a number of tax and fee measures that the Republican-dominated Legislature approved in 2009 as the state grappled with a budget shortfall that stemmed from the economic recession.
Other increases in 2009 included a hike in late-payment fees on driver’s license renewals, from $1 to $15. Also, the cost of an original driver’s license went from $27 to $48, first-time registrations of cars went from $100 to $225, and cigarette taxes were increased by $1 a pack.
As part of the upcoming tour, Scott will call for “eliminating more of Charlie Crist’s tax and fee increases,” including the hike on first-time car registrations, according to information released Friday by his campaign.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Wahoos Win Close Contest 2-1 Over Birmingham Barons
September 1, 2014
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (28-41, 59-80) defeated the Birmingham Barons (31-38, 60-79) 2-1 on Sunday afternoon at Regions Field. The Blue Wahoos pitched spectacularly well, allowing just one run and striking out 12 batters in total.
The story of the game was RHP Robert Stephenson’s stellar outing for the Blue Wahoos. Stephenson pitched 7.0 innings of one-run ball against Birmingham, notching his seventh win of the season. The righty struck out nine batters in the contest, two off his season-high of 11. Stephenson struck out five batters swinging and four were caught looking. He retired the 11 of the final 12 batters he faced from the fourth through the seventh inning. Stephenson’s 140 strikeouts lead the Southern League and are a Blue Wahoos team record.
The Barons got a run off of Stephenson in the bottom of the first to take a quick 1-0 lead. Rangel Ravelo scored Tim Anderson on a sacrifice fly to deep center field, but the Barons would strand a runner on third base to end the inning.
The Wahoos took the lead from the Barons in the top of the fourth inning. Kyle Waldrop launched his eighth home run of the year to the right field bleachers to tie the contest at one. In the following at-bat, Travis Mattair hit a ground rule double into the Wahoos bullpen. Mattair moved over on a ground out and scored on a wild pitch with two outs in the inning.
The Wahoos took that same 2-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning and the Barons first two batters of the inning reached base against RHP Shane Dyer. Joey DeMichele put down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position with just one out in the inning. Chris Curley came off the bench to pinch-hit and laced the first pitch he saw right at Seth Mejias-Brean who snagged the ball out of the air for out number two. Dyer coaxed a ground ball down the third base line and Mejias-Brean fired a bullet to Mattair at first base to end the game. It was Dyer’s franchise leading 21st save of the season, which is also good for second in the Southern League.
RHP Terance Marin pitched incredibly well for the Barons in his second Double-A start of the season, but still took the loss. Marin struck out nine batters over 7.2 innings and he allowed two runs on eight hits.
The Blue Wahoos final game of the season begins at 12:30 p.m. at Regions. RHP Michael Lorenzen (4-6, 3.13) will make his final start of the season for the Wahoos. RHP Myles Jaye (4-12, 5.54) is scheduled to start for the Barons.
by Tommy Thrall
Semper Fi Charity Run Is Saturday
September 1, 2014
The Marine Corps Aviation Association announced the date for the 31st annual Semper Fi Charity Run/Walk. The Semper Fi run will be held on Naval Air Station Pensacola. The Race will start near Radford Gymnasium and feature a scenic route throughout the Naval Base. The race is a USATF sanctioned event. Post race events including food, drink, and music, will be held on base at the finish line.
The Semper Fi Charity Run race participants may register online or with a mail-in form. Both forms are available at www.semperficharityrun.org/registration.html. Registration rates are $30 per runner until September 6th. Prices go up to $35 on race day.
The Semper Fi Charity Run began in 1983 with the goal of helping the families of the 241 American service members killed in the bombing attack on the Marine barracks in Beirut. Today, the purpose of the race is to give back to the Pensacola community. All proceeds will benefit the local outreach programs: New Horizons of Northwest Florida, Escambia Westgate School, The Miracle League of Pensacola, Gulf Coast Kids House, and the Boys and Girls Club of the Emerald Coast.
In 2013, Marine Corps Aviation Association was able to raise over $35,000 for the local charities.
Labor Day Gas Prices Down Slightly This Year
August 31, 2014
Gas prices on Labor Day weekend were at their lowest in a couple of years, and AAA says that will translate to more people on the highways.
Escambia County’s average gas price on Saturday was $3.37 for a gallon of regular unleaded —less than the year-ago price of $3.43 per gallon.
AAA Travel projects 34.7 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the Labor Day holiday weekend, the highest volume for the holiday since 2008 and a 1.3 percent increase over 2013.
Nearly 86 percent of travelers (29.7 million) will celebrate the holiday with a final road trip before summer comes to an unofficial close. The Labor Day holiday travel period is defined as Thursday, August 28 to Monday, September 1.
Historically, when Labor Day weekend begins in August, Americans have shown a higher tendency to travel.
Flood Survivors: Group To Access Needs At Cantonment Interviews
August 31, 2014
Volunteer interviewers will meet with flood survivors to help individuals connect with resources and gain a clear picture of what it will take to recover.
BRACE and the Escambia County Long-Term Recovery Group have requested the services of a national disaster recovery group to determine who in the community will not be able to rebuild and recover without assistance.
A team of World Renew volunteers will conduct one-on-one interviews with flood survivors at Allen Memorial United Methodist Church at 200 Pace Parkway in Cantonment from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m on Wednesday, September 3; Friday, September 5; Monday, September 8; Wednesday, September 10; and Friday, September 12. An appointment is not necessary.
The process will help to prioritize individual and family needs and connect survivors with organizations offering long-term support. Several voluntary organizations have committed to sending volunteer reconstruction teams to the community to assist survivors in their recovery once the needs can be defined and prioritized. Those volunteer organizations will be assisting survivors with unmet disaster caused needs with reconstruction.
Interview questions are straightforward and should not require residents to supply any paperwork, although if flood survivors do have a FEMA number, they are asked to bring that with them to the center.
For more information contact the Escambia County Long-Term Recovery Group, at (850) 292-8024 or email brace@bereadyalliance.org.
Cotton Transition Assistance Program Enrollment Underway
August 31, 2014
Farmers can enroll in the Cotton Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) beginning through October 7.
The program, created by the 2014 Farm Bill, provides interim payments to cotton producers during the 2014 crop year until the Stacked Income Protection Plan, a new insurance product also created by the legislation, is available. Details on the plan will be released by mid-August.
CTAP applications approved before Oct. 1, are subject to Congressionally mandated automatic reductions of 7.2 percent for the 2014 crop year. Applications approved after October 1 will be reduced the required 7.3 percent for the 2015 crop year. The Budget Control Act of 2011 requires USDA to implement these reductions to program payments.
For more information about CTAP, visit a local FSA office or go online to www.fsa.usda.gov.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Sunny Days: Growing Sunflowers
August 31, 2014
by the Santa Rosa Extension Service
Sunflowers not only make the garden beautiful but can also be used to bring the beauty of outdoors inside.
It may be towards the end of summer, but you can still plant sunflowers and enjoy them during the fall. In north Florida, try to complete sunflower planting by the third week in August. Depending on the variety, sunflowers will bloom about 55 to 75 days after planting – 60 days is a good average. Some sunflowers are sensitive to day length and may yield shorter plants and earlier bloom when planted in late summer. This corresponds to the reduction in daylight hours as summer progresses toward autumn.
To begin, choose cultivars that fit your landscape. There are now more sunflowers than just the seed bearing giants that many gardeners are familiar with. Just take a look at the gardening catalogs.
Sunflowers can be broadly divided into two types: those grown for production of edible seeds and those grown as ornamentals and cut flowers. Most gardeners will be interested in the ornamental sunflowers, also known as Helianthus annuus.
Sunflowers come in heights ranging from less than one foot to ten feet and also come in a wide range of flower colors. While brilliant yellow will always be popular, you can also choose from creamy white, bronze, mahogany, rusty red, burgundy and orange. Some types produce flowers with more than one color. The center disk of the sunflower also adds to the display and goes through color changes as the flower matures and seeds form.
Sunbright, Sunrich Lemon, Sunrich Orange, Soraya and Moulin Rouge are some that are recommended for Florida.
For best bouquet results, choose cultivars that are pollen-less to prevent pollen from shedding onto a tablecloth or other flowers in an arrangement.
If you want to grow sunflowers for the delicious, nutritious seeds, make sure you choose varieties bred for seed production, such as Mammoth Russian – also known as Mammoth, Russian Giant and Gray Stripe. These tall-growing sunflowers produce a single enormous flower at the top of the plant. To grow a really big seed head, apply general-purpose fertilizer when the flower head begins to appear. Just be sure to place them so that you can stake them if necessary.
Sunflowers are true to their name, they need to be grown in full sun. Prepare a sunflower bed as you would for planting most vegetables. They tolerate heat and dry conditions and almost any soil type. The pH preference is 6.5 to 7.5 and the addition of composted organic matter is beneficial.
Plant seeds about one-quarter inch deep directly into a prepared garden bed. It’s common to plant sunflowers into landscape beds, and many gardeners include a row of sunflowers in spring and fall vegetable gardens. After sowing the seeds, water the bed well and thesun water it as needed to keep the soil moist – even lightly every day if the weather is dry.
Sunflowers should be harvested in early morning before 10:00 a.m. It is best to cut the stems and place them in warm water right away for best results.
The versatility and variety of today’s sunflowers offer something for almost every garden and gardener. If you haven’t tried this plant lately, give it another look.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.
Escambia 4-H Horse Club Donates To Manna Food Pantries
August 31, 2014
Members of the Escambia County 4-H Horse Club was concerned by the spring floods that devastated the Manna Food Pantries. In order to help, the group collected 121 pounds of food for Manna Food Pantries. The club plans to help Manna again in the future. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.