Nativity Scene On Display At Florida Capitol
December 4, 2013
For the first time in modern Florida history, a nativity scene depicting the birth of Jesus Christ will be on display in the state Capitol throughout December. Religious leaders and schoolchildren prayed and sang Christmas carols at the unveiling on the first floor of the Capitol rotunda Tuesday.
Event organizer Pam Olsen, president of the Florida Prayer Network, said the display does not reflect a state-sponsored religion, since it was funded with private money. She also noted a Jewish menorah about 20 feet away.
“Freedom doesn’t mean just freedom for me as a Christian, or freedom for Jewish people as Jews, or any other groups,” Olsen said. “It’s freedom for all. Isn’t that what’s awesome about America?”
But Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, said no religious symbols, including a menorah, should be displayed in government buildings.
“And I’m not sure the people who manage the state Capitol fully appreciate the door that they have opened,” he said. “They’re not going to be able to say ‘no’ to the group that they don’t favor and ‘yes’ to today’s group that they obviously do favor.”
Olsen said a nativity scene is also on display in the Illinois Capitol this year, and that her group hopes to expand to more capitals next Christmas season.
by The News Service of Florida
Pictured top: A Christian nativity scene is displayed in the first floor rotunda of the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee. Photo by Tom Urban, NSF, for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Culinary Creations By, And For Families
December 4, 2013
Encouraging kids to get creative in the kitchen is a fun way to make great memories, meals and moments together.
Last year’s top entries ranged from a sweet and spicy sandwich to satisfying snacks and dreamy desserts. Inspire your family with these delicious recipes.
The most recent champ, 9-year-old Jacob C., impressed the judges with his savory Mexican-inspired sandwich using chocolate flavored hazelnut spread.
Magnificent Mole Chicken Torta
Makes: 1 Sandwich
Sauce:
Crisco(r) Original No-Stick Cooking spray
2 tablespoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons Jif(r) Chocolate Flavored Hazelnut Spread
1/3 cup condensed tomato soup
Juice of half a lime (about 2 tablespoons)
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried cilantro
1/4 cup chopped green chili peppers
Sandwich:
3/4 cup pulled rotisserie chicken, heated
1 bolillo roll, sliced lengthwise
1 slice Monterey Jack cheese, halved
3 avocado slices
1/2 cup thinly sliced lettuce
1/8 cup chopped tomato
Dollop of sour cream (optional)
1. SPRAY small sauce pot generously with no-stick cooking spray; sauté minced onion and garlic over medium-high heat until tender.
2. STIR in spread, tomato soup, lime juice, cumin, cilantro and green chili peppers. Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. REMOVE sauce from heat. Toss half the sauce with pulled chicken; place mixture on bottom half of roll.
4. TOP with cheese slices and place sandwich open-faced under toaster oven or broiler for 2 to 3 minutes until cheese melts. Remove sandwich from oven, and place sliced avocado on top of melted cheese.
5. ADD lettuce, tomatoes, dollop of sour cream (optional) and top half of roll. Use remaining sauce as extra or to make another sandwich.
Peanut Butter Pear-ot
Makes: 2 Sandwiches
2 tablespoons Jif Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
1 pear, shredded
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 celery stalk, sliced thin
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 whole wheat flatbread wraps
2 tablespoons Jif Chocolate Flavored Hazelnut Spread
1 teaspoon chopped dry roasted peanuts
1. MIX peanut butter, pear, carrot, celery and dried cranberries in medium bowl.
2. DIVIDE mixture between two flatbread wraps. Wrap snugly. Cut each wrap in half.
3. SPREAD hazelnut spread on cut halves of wraps, and sprinkle on chopped peanuts.
4. PREPARE to delight your taste buds. Don’t forget to share with a friend.
Apple Fries Peanut Butter Surprise
Makes: 1 Sandwich
1 8-inch flour tortilla
3 tablespoons Jif Creamy Peanut Butter, divided
1 tablespoon granola (small chunks)
1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips
1 large apple
1. LAY tortilla flat on plate. Spread 2 tablespoons peanut butter in 4-inch circle in top center of tortilla (start about 2 inches down from top).
2. SPRINKLE 1 tablespoon of granola and 1 tablespoon of mini chocolate chips on top of peanut butter. Lightly press in.
3. CUT one apple to look like French fries. Lay apple fries vertically on top of the peanut butter circle. Place all apple fries on top of peanut butter; stack if necessary.
4. SPREAD remaining 1 tablespoon peanut butter to line edges of entire bottom half of tortilla.
5. FOLD up bottom half of tortilla to cover half of apple fries. Take right side of tortilla and fold in. Take left side and fold in as well, overlapping the right side. Dab some peanut butter to “glue” sides together.
6. TO EAT: Pull out apple fries one by one, and/or eat like a sandwich.
Bananas Foster PB & B
Makes: 1 Sandwich
4 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Bananas
2 thick slices of bread
2 tablespoons Jif Creamy Peanut Butter
Crispy cooked bacon
1. MELT butter in pan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Peel and slice bananas in half, then slice again lengthwise. Once it begins to bubble, put in slices of banana and cook until bananas are warm, about 2 to 3 minutes.
2. TOAST bread. Spread 1 tablespoon peanut butter (or more, if desired) on each piece of toast.
3. PLACE bacon slices on one side of toast.
4. GENTLY place warm banana slices on top of other piece of toast.
5. CLOSE sandwich and slice in half.
Banutter Cream Sandwiches
Makes: 4 Sandwiches
2 ripe bananas
4 tablespoons Jif Creamy Peanut Butter
1 teaspoon honey
8 chocolate graham crackers
1. PEEL 2 ripe bananas and cut into 1-inch slices. Freeze bananas for at least 1 hour, then remove from freezer and put into blender.
2. ADD 4 rounded tablespoons of peanut butter, 1 teaspoon of honey, and blend well.
3. SPOON mixture onto graham cracker and place another graham cracker on top (should make 4 sandwiches).
4. PUT sandwiches in freezer until mixture is frozen solid.
Flomaton Police Identify Two Theft Suspects
December 4, 2013
The Flomaton Police Department has identified two suspects in a vehicle burglary at a local gas station.
After surveillance photos were posted by NorthEscambia.com, two suspects were identified — 25-year old Clarence Kemp and 25-year old Montrelle William Fisher, both of Atmore. Officers were able to interview both suspects and obtain felony warrants for their arrests. Both were charged with burglary of a vehicle, second degree theft of property and fraudulent use of a credit card.
Fisher turned himself into the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton, but authorities are still looking for Kemp. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call their local law enforcement agency.
The victim reported that her billfold was stolen from her vehicle at a local gas station on November 6. The suspects were driving what was believed to be a newer model Dodge Charger that was yellow or light orange in color with chrome wheels, sunroof and a prominent black stripe on the sides.
Navy Training Helicopter Makes Emergency Landing In Walnut Hill
December 3, 2013
A Navy training helicopter from Whiting Field made an emergency landing Tuesday afternoon in Walnut Hill.
A warning light in the aircraft prompted the pilot to make a controlled landing about 3 p.m. in a field at the corner of Highway 97 and Arthur Brown Road, directly across the intersection from Ernest Ward Middle School. There were no injuries to the three people on the helicopter.
A witness said the helicopter made what appeared to be an ordinary, controlled approach and landing in the field.
A truck and trailer from Whiting Field was dispatched to retrieve the aircraft and the personnel.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Back To The Barnyard: Century Starts Over With New Animal Ordinance
December 3, 2013
After weeks of back and forth discussion on a barnyard animal ban, the Century Town Council started over with a new ordinance Monday night.
The ordinance will make it illegal to keep a horse, mule, donkey, goat, sheep, or cow within the town limits except in areas that are zoned agricultural or rural residential. Hogs are already prohibited in all areas of the town.
One horse will be allowed for every two acres, one donkey per acre and one goat per one-half acre. The animals and their pens must be 200 feet or greater from a dwelling or property line.
Anyone with horses, donkey or goats (but not mules, sheep or cows) in an area not zoned agricultural or rural residential within the town limits, must register theirl animals at the Century Town Hall within 60 days of the adoption of ordinance.
Anyone with nonconforming animals must apply for and be granted a variance from the town council within six months or get rid of their animals.
The council held a first reading of the new ordinance Monday night. They also voted to schedule a special meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday, December 23 for public comment and for a final council vote.
The new ordinance shortens the time noncomplying residents have to request a variance or remove their animals from 18 to six months. The council also removed a previous discussed requirement that any barnyard animals approved under a variance be implanted with a tracking microchip.
Pictured: (L-R) Century Mayor Freddie McCall and council members Gary Riley, Ann Brooks, Sandra McMurray Jackson and Jacke Johnston at Monday night’s meeting of the Century Town Council. Council members Annie Savage was absent. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
McDavid Man Charged With Attacking His Mother
December 3, 2013
A McDavid man is facing several felony charges after allegedly threatening to kill his mother over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Haden Brock Howard, 19, was booked into the Escambia County Jail on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, felony battery by strangulation, aggravated battery using a deadly weapon and battery. He was released from the Escambia County Jail Sunday afternoon on a $3,500 bond.
The 42-year old victim told deputies that Howard, her son, had taken her vehicle without permission. She was able to locate it alongside Highway 97. As she was driving home, the victim said Howard suddenly sat up from the backseat, became enraged and put a knife against her right temple and was saying he was going to kill her, according to an arrest report.
The victim pulled off the road in the 7200 block of Highway 97 in Walnut Hill. She told deputies that Howard dropped the knife, then attempted to strangle her before grabbing some sort of handsaw. She escaped the car, with Howard attempting to run over her, an arrest report states, before crashing through a fence and speeding off on Highway 97.
Deputies made contact with Howard by phone and he said he had no idea what was going on and that he had not seen his mother in two or three days. Deputies convinced Howard to exit his grandparents’ home on Green Village Road, at which time he was taken into custody. He continued to insist that he had not had any contact with his mother.
The victim’s car was located in the grandparents’ backyard, with what appeared to be a bloody fixed blade knife inside, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report.
$300 Million In Transportation Projects Announced
December 3, 2013
Over $300 million in transportation projects were announced Monday by the Florida Department of Transportation, including several significant projects in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
In Escambia County, newly announced projects include:
- Funding for the design of increased capacity for SR 10 (US 90A) 9 Mile Bridge from SR 8 (I-10) to SR 297 Pine Forest Road.
- Funding for the resurfacing of SR 295 Navy Blvd from East of New Warrington to SR 10A (US 90).
- Funding for the resurfacing of SR 742 Creighton Road from East SR 291 Davis Highway to SR 10A (US 90) Scenic.
In Santa Rosa County, the funding includes:
- Funding for the construction of SR 30/10 US 98/90 corridor management improvement projects.
The $300 million includes additional projects in Bay, Holmes, Jackson, Okaloosa, Walton and Washington counties.
The projects will be officially unveiled Tuesday during a public hearing in Chipley.
“Growth and development in Northwest Florida depend on an infrastructure that can attract and support more economic activity that creates more jobs,” Senate President Don Gaetz said. “Over the next five years, the State of Florida will invest more than $3 billion in our region’s ports, bridges, roadways and railways. Many of these items have been priorities of local communities for years. This level of commitment is rocket fuel for Northwest Florida’s economy.”
Stolen Four-Wheeler Dropped Off At Police Department
December 3, 2013
The Flomaton Police Department has recovered a stolen four-wheeler and returned it to its owners.
On Friday, NorthEscambia.com ran a photo and short story about the stolen Yamaha, resulting in several tips to police that it was in the Century area. On Monday, the Flomaton Police Department and the Escambia County (FL) Sheriff’s Office conducted interviews in their search, according to Flomaton Police Chief Brian Davis.
Davis later received a phone call Monday that the four-wheeler would be returned to the Flomaton Police Department, and it was dropped off about 15 minutes later.
So far, there are have been no arrests as his department’s investigation continues. He declined to release to the name of the party that returned the four-wheeler to the police department.
The four-wheeler had been reported stolen from Titi Street in Flomaton during the early morning hours last Wednesday.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
House Speaker Weighs Gambling Constitutional Amendment
December 3, 2013
House Speaker Will Weatherford is developing a new plan that could provide cover for Republican House members reluctant to expand gambling as the Legislature takes up the thorny issue during the upcoming session.
Weatherford wants to put a constitutional amendment on the 2014 ballot that would let voters decide if they should weigh in on future expansion of gambling.
The proposal, still being developed, would set in stone any changes lawmakers agree to during the 2014 session and require statewide approval of any future gambling expansion. Like other constitutional amendments, the proposal would require 60 percent approval by voters to pass.
Weatherford said it’s part of the “holistic look at gaming” the Legislature is undertaking that includes a swath of issues from casino-style resorts to blackjack at South Florida tracks to getting rid of greyhound racing altogether.
“I have become over the years very concerned with the drip, drip, drip expansion of gaming that’s taken place in the state of Florida. I am certainly warming up to the idea of having a constitutional amendment that would require all future expansion to go before the voters. I’m very, very intrigued by that concept,” Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, told The News Service of Florida on Monday.
Weatherford’s proposal would be linked in theory to a comprehensive gambling bill that could include a rewrite of the state’s gambling laws and regulations, the creation of a gambling commission and, possibly, a kitchen-sink of elements sought after by existing race tracks and frontons as well as destination resorts coveted by out-of-state casino operators. Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes, is leading a group of conservative Republicans backing the idea of the constitutional amendment. House Select Committee on Gaming Chairman Rob Schenck, R-Spring Hill, is Weatherford’s chief negotiator on the sweeping gambling legislation.
“Everything is on the table,” Weatherford said. “I’ve always been anti-expansion and continue to believe that unfettered expansion of gaming in Florida is bad for the state and bad for the citizens. However, we’ve been having expansion under our noses for the last decade or two. And it’s been uncoordinated. It’s been unstructured. The Legislature hasn’t had its hands on the wheel. We have an opportunity to do that this year.”
The possibility that 2014 could be the last opportunity for the Legislature to sign off on gambling changes without a statewide referendum intensifies the gambling industry’s push to have myriad issues resolved during the upcoming session.
“There’s no question that if everyone believed any future expansion after the 2014 session required a statewide vote, all the gaming interests would do whatever they could to try to include anything they could in the comprehensive legislation,” said lobbyist Nick Iarossi, who represents Las Vegas Sands, one of the casino operators pushing lawmakers to approve at least one convention-style hotel and casino in Broward or Miami-Dade counties.
An overhaul of the state’s patchwork quilt of gambling laws would likely rein in regulators at the Division of Business and Professional Regulation who have approved a variety of controversial practices such as barrel racing.
The bill may also include an effort to buy back or revoke dormant licenses and stop pari-mutuels from using licenses at one facility to operate card games or other activities somewhere else. And it could include lower tax rates for the pari-mutuels in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
“What I believe is a very smart way to go is to fix the problems that are now existing in the gaming laws, consolidate them, streamline them, expand where it makes sense for both Florida’s brand and Florida’s economy, contract them where markets have gone away and it doesn’t make sense,” said lobbyist Brian Ballard, who represents Palm Beach Kennel Club, which is hoping to get slot machines, as well as Resorts World Miami, LLC, the Malaysian casino giant pushing for a destination resort in downtown Miami. “In other words, let’s fix it now, let’s pull up the ladder and say that’s it, we’re done. We’ve reformed the system. Now the people will decide whether there’s going to be an expansion or contraction of gaming. I think that makes absolute sense.”
But enshrining the new laws so quickly into the constitution could be problematic.
For example, the gambling package is also expected to address problems with a new law banning Internet cafés now being challenged in court by senior arcade operators.
“You’re going to reform 100 years of pretty poorly-written law. And then on top of that you’re going to say this is it and any changes require a constitutional amendment so we better be right. There won’t be a tweak in the statute to fix things down the road. It’s a great theory. It makes a lot of sense in theory. I worry about some unintended results. We just have to make sure whatever passes this year is done well,” Ballard said.
Senate Gaming Committee Chairman Garrett Richter said he has heard of Weatherford’s constitutional amendment but not spoken with his House counterpart about it yet.
“One of the things that became clear in the public hearings is that the voters want a referendum. So the distinction becomes whether it’s a statewide referendum or a local referendum. I’m not prepared to say where I would have a preference or not. But what did come through is that communities want to have a referendum ahead of an expansion of gaming in their communities,” Richter, R-Naples, said.
The constitutional amendment should remain separate from the overall gambling package, Richter said.
“I don’t think that initiative should draw the attention away from or to the objective to come up with something responsible for the state of Florida in the gaming arena,” he said. “Really what we’ve got to do now is determine what kind of meat we want to put on the bones. Whether it simply clarifies existing statutes or expands gaming or creates a gaming commission…remains to be seen. But I think the next step …is to begin to develop that legislation and then have people take a stance either for or against.”
by The News Service of Florida
Bill Would Slice Local Regulation Of Knives
December 3, 2013
A Republican senator filed a bill Monday that would bar state and local government agencies from regulating pocketknives, hunting and fishing knives and other types of knives. The bill (SB 458), filed by Sen. Thad Altman, R-Viera, would give only the Legislature the authority to regulate such knives — a concept known as “preemption.”
The state has a similar preemption law dealing with firearms.
“It is the intent of the Legislature to occupy the field of regulation of knives, common pocketknives, and weapons,” the bill says. “It is the further intent of the Legislature to provide uniformity of laws by prohibiting state agencies and political subdivisions from enacting rules or ordinances on the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, and use of knives and weapons.”
by The News Service of Florida