Escambia Legislative Delegation Meets On Thursday
January 6, 2013
The Escambia County Legislative Delegation will hold a public hearing on Thursday, January 10.
The delegation — consisting of Sen. Greg Evers, Rep. Clay Ingram and Rep. Clay Ford – will hear public comments on local proposals for the 2013 regular Legislative session.
Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for the 6-8 p.m. meeting on Thursday, January 10 at the Jean and Paul Amos Performance Studio on the Pensacola State College campus at 1000 College Boulevard.
For 10th Year, Weight Watchers To Meet At Aldersgate UMC
January 6, 2013
Now in its 10th year, the Molino Weight Watchers class will meet again this year at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Molino. Weight Watchers is a program which provides a healthy method to loose and maintain your goal weight.
The first class is Monday, January 7. Classes are held on Mondays, with weigh-in from 6 until 6:30 p.m. and the class is from 6:30 until 7 p.m.
For more information, contact class leader Sandra Greenwell at (850) 587-2489.
Tate Baseball Booster Club To Meet
January 6, 2013
The Tate High School Aggie Baseball Booster Club will meet this week.
The meeting will be held Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Fryman Gym on campus. Everyone interested in Aggie baseball is welcome to attend.
Featured Recipe: The Ultimate Game Day Chili Warm Up
January 6, 2013
Bold, flavorful chili is the ultimate game day grub, offering hearty portions to feed a hungry crowd and personalized toppings to suit every palate. For a delicious twist to your go-to, wow guests with a hearty, versatile pork-based chili with layers of savory flavor.
Smoky ingredients are all the rage, with fire-roasted tomatoes, bacon and chipotle peppers on the rise in restaurant menus across the country. Give this delicious trend the home-cooked treatment with Smoky Pork, Bacon and White Bean Chili, a simple recipe that takes only 20 minutes to prepare and can be conveniently made in the slow cooker.
With this versatile recipe, it’s easy to add a personal touch. Make your hearty chili even more smolderingly smoky by adding finely chopped chipotle chiles (from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce) along with the onion. Or, to amp up the heat, add a dash of cayenne pepper powder along with the chili powder.
To round out the meal on game day – or any day – serve with warm corn tortillas or corn bread and a refreshing side salad with radishes and cilantro. Prepare a topping bar with sour cream, roasted tomato salsa, sliced avocadoes, scallions and shredded Jack cheese.
Smoky Pork, Bacon and White Bean Chili
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Makes: 6 servings
8 ounces bacon, thick-cut, (5 or 6 slices), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 1/2 pounds pork loin roast, cut into 3/4-inch dice
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 14 1/2-ounce cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water
2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, (white kidney) or other white beans, drained
Salt
1/2 cup sour cream, (optional)
2 scallions, thinly sliced (optional)
In large saucepan or small stockpot over medium heat, cook bacon, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
Add onion to bacon fat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, add pork, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in chili powder and paprika. Stir in tomatoes (with juices) and water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until pork is tender, 35 to 45 minutes.
Stir in beans and about 2/3 of bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 10 minutes. Add salt to taste.
Free Trees: Seedlings To Be Given Away In Walnut Hill
January 5, 2013
In celebration of Florida’s Arbor Day, Escambia County, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Science (UF/IFAS) Extension and the Florida Forestry Service (FFS) will be giving away 4,000 seedling trees at two locations, including Walnut Hill.
Species include crabapple, mayhaw, cherrybark Oak, river birch, wax myrtle and bald cypress. Participants will receive two tree seedlings of their choice.
The first event will be held on Monday, January 14, at the Walnut Hill Community Center (Ruritan Building) at 7850 Highway 97 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
The second event will be held on Friday, January 18, in conjunction with the grand opening of the Southwest Greenway at the Jones Swamp Preserve Trail entrance at 198 Patton Drive, near the intersection of Brigadier and Patton Drive, in Warrington, also from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Extension agents and master gardeners will be available at both locations to advise participants on tree types and tree placement in the landscape.
Cantonment Man Facing Drug Charges
January 5, 2013
A Cantonment man is facing multiple drug charges.
Billy David Clakley, 24, was charged with possession of marijuana less than 20 grams, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a scheduled narcotic without a prescription, possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting an officer without violence. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $6,500 bond.
An Escambia County deputy reported being on patrol in the 400 block of Lakeview Avenue where a small party was being held. The deputy reported that as he approached, Clakley jumped into a Toyota parked close to the road and began to yell obscenities.
Inside the vehicle with Clakley, the deputies found a bag of marijuana and Clonazepam pills, a scheduled narcotic. In Clakley’s pockets, deputies found a bag of marijuana, digital scales with heavy marijuana residue and bags like those used commonly used to package the drug, according to an arrest report.
When Clakley was placed under arrest by deputies, he pulled in an effort to get away. “Clakley continued to be uncooperative and had to be assisted to my patrol vehicle,” an arresting deputy wrote in his report.
Escaped Escambia Prisoner Back Behind Bars
January 5, 2013
A prisoner that escaped from Escambia County’s work release program in December is back behind bars.
Charles Bernard Debose, 48, escaped on foot December 28 as authorities were attempting to handcuff him and escort him in the Escambia County Work Release Facility at 1211 West Fairfield Drive. Deputies were unable to locate him after a lengthy manhunt.
Debose had been arrested for larceny and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to jail records. He is now facing an additional charge of escape and is being held without bond.
2012 Was Warmest On Record Locally
January 5, 2013
Last year was the warmest on record in Pensacola, according to data released Friday by the National Weather Service.
The average temperature for 2012 in Pensacola was 70.7 degrees, which broke the record for the warmest year on record previously set in 1974 of 70.0 degrees. 2012 was 2.8 degrees above the normal temperature of 67.9 degrees.
The total rainfall in Pensacola for 2012 was 66.63 inches, which was just the 47th wettest on record. This was 1.36 inches above the normal annual rainfall of 65.27 inches. The wettest year on record occurred in 1953 when 92.37 inches was record.
Records date back to 1850 and normals are based upon the 1981 to 2010 period, according to the National Weather Service.
Weekend Gardening: What To Do With Those Holiday Plants
January 5, 2013
People often give and receive decorative plants during the holiday season. Many of these plants can last long past the holidays, but only if you care for them properly.
Use the following tips to keep Christmas cactus, poinsettia, amaryllis, kalanchoe, and cyclamen healthy and vibrant long after the holidays are over.
Light & Water Conditions
Keep your holiday plants in bright, indirect light, such as a sunny window. You can also put plants under incandescent or fluorescent lamps if a room is too dim.
Keep the room temperature cool. The ideal temperature ranges are 65º to 75ºF during the day and 50º to 60ºF at night.
Make sure the plants are watered enough to stay evenly moist, but do not overwater. Even Christmas cactuses need to be regularly watered since they are not true cactuses.
Flowering
Most plants are already flowering when you give or receive them. Eventually the flowers will fade and you should remove them.
You can prepare some plants for next season’s flowering. Remember that plants like poinsettia and Christmas cactus need to be kept away from artificial light at night to stimulate flowering, usually beginning around October.
Amaryllis
Since amaryllis is a bulb, it easily flowers if you force the bulb. After the last flower fades, remove the bloom stalk, but let the leaves continue to grow. Keep amaryllis under bright light and fertilize it regularly.
In late summer, the leaves will die and the bulb will go into a resting stage. Reduce the amount of water it receives and store the bulb in a cool, dry place for two to three months.
Begin watering again and the bulb should reflower in four to six weeks.
Poinsettia
Poinsettias are hard for home gardeners to force to reflower.
When the poinsettia begins to drop its leaves, this signals the start of its resting stage. At this time, only water the poinsettia often enough to keep the stems and roots from drying out.
In April, prune the stems to six inches high, resume a regular watering and fertilization schedule, and place it where it will receive bright light that is not direct.
Planting
Most holiday plants are cold-sensitive, so only people in the southern part of Florida can consider planting their holiday plants outdoors without too much worry. Residents in northern parts of Florida can try growing their plant outdoors, but will most likely need to pay attention to weather reports and have some way of protecting plants from the cold.
Select the plants that have remained healthy and lush, and plant them after the chance of frost is past.
Poinsettias
Plant your poinsettia in a sunny spot that will not receive artificial light at night. The soil should be well drained.
Cut off fading bracts, leaving four to six inches of stem on the branches. Mulch around the plant, and keep it well watered during establishment.
Fertilize monthly from May to September.
Prune regularly during the growing season to keep the poinsettia from looking “leggy.” Stop pruning in September and flower buds will form in October.
If the plant was damaged by cold, cut it back to 12 to 18 inches of the ground or to living tissue in the spring after the chance of frost is passed.
Tate High Softball Team Honored For Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
January 5, 2013
For the third consecutive year, the Tate High School softball team placed first in the school category for the 2012 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk.
The team, lead by head coach Melinda Wyatt, was recognized at the annual MSABC closing ceremony. The Tate softball team raised $4,674 for the cause and was also recognized as the top Bronze Strider team for raising the most in the $2500-$5000 category. Second place went to the West Florida High School softball team and third place to Washington High School football team.
Pictured: Tate High School softball team coach Melinda Wyatt, senior Amy Waters and senior Heather Thomason. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.