Longtime Century Senior Advocate Retires
March 18, 2012
An longtime advocate for seniors in the Century area recently retired.
Arthetta Spencer retired from the Council on Aging of West Florida after 15 years of service. Spencer was the site manager at the Council’s Century Senior Center, which serves as one of the Council’s numerous congregate meal sites located throughout Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. The Congregate Meal Program provides seniors with noontime meals and an opportunity for fellowship and recreational and educational activities.
Spencer, who turned 80 this year, was instrumental in working with the City of Century to obtain property in the Industrial Park, which enabled the Council to build a senior center in Century. She arranged fundraisers that benefited both the center and the seniors who participated in center programs and activities.
Through her many years of living, working and volunteering in the Century area, Arthetta was uniquely familiar the needs of the people and seniors in the community. She worked to get a large number of voters registered to vote in local, state and federal elections. She helped people sign up for GED classes, and worked to recruit and motivate residents to clean up the community through the Clean Up Century Organization.
Pictured top: Council on Aging Director of Community Services Margaret Jerauld (left), retiree Arthetta Spencer and Council President/CEO John B. Clark. Submitted photo for NorthEsambia.com, click to enlarge.
Baseball: Northview, Tate, Flomaton, Escambia Academy
March 18, 2012
T.R Miller 9 — Northview 2
T.R. Miller 13 – Northview 2
T.R. Miller took two from the Northview Chiefs during a Saturday doubleheader in Bratt. Miller won the first game 9-2 and the second game 13-2.
Northview will host Freeport Tuesday afternoon, with the JV playing at 4:00 at the varsity taking field at 6:00. On Thursday, the Chiefs will hit the road for Central High School in Santa Rosa County.
Tate 5 — Glenwood (Ala.) 4
The Tate Aggies improved to 9-0 Saturday with a 5-4 win over Gleenwood (Ala.) High School. Next up for the Aggies is The Acentria/Aggie Classic this Monday through Thursday.
Flomaton 10 – J.U. Blacksher 0
Flomaton 12 — J.U. Blacksher 7
The Flomaton Hurricanes took two from J.U. Blacksher of Uriah on Friday in a baseball double header.
Zack Watson threw his second consecutive no-hitter Friday night. It only took the Hurricanes 5 innings to take down their area rivals the J.U. Blacksher Bulldogs 10-0. Jacob Newton had an outstanding night at the plate going 3-3 with HR, 2 doubles, and 4 RBIs. The Hurricanes improve their record to 10-3. Trevor Harris took the lose for the Bulldogs and Zack Watson was the winning pitcher and improves his record to 4-1.
Flomaton Batting- Andrew Cash 2-3 1B, 2B, RBI, 2 runs, 1 SB
James Dean 1-4 1B, 2RBI, 1 run
Hunter Bonds 2-3 2 1B, RBI, 1 run, 2 SB
Joseph Parker 1-2 1B, 1 run
Jacob Newton 3-3 HR, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 3 runs
Tyler Dove 2-3 2 1B, RBI
Trey Weeks 1-3 1B, RBI
Cody Nolan 1 run
Flomaton Pitching-Zack Watson 5IP, 7K, 1W, O hits allowed, CG
Flomaton beats J.U. Blacksher 12-7 in game two of the double header The Hurricanes had to fight back after going down 4-0 in the 3 inning. The Hurricanes showed heart by bouncing back and beating them 12 to 7. Tyler Harris got the win for the Hurricanes and got his first win of the year. Bryan James took the loss for the Bulldogs. The Hurricanes improved their record to 11-3 and are on a 10 game winning streak. Flomaton’s next game is Friday at Cottage Hill starting at 4 then at 6.
Flomaton Batting-Andrew Cash 1-2 1B, 3 RBI, 2 runs, SB
James Dean 1-3 1B, 2 runs, SB
Jacob Newton 1-3 3B, 3RBI, 1 run,
Tristan McAnally 1-2 1B, 1 run
Tyler Dove 1-3 2B, 1 run
Tyler Harris 1-2 1B, RBI, SB
Zack Watson 1 run
Flomaton Pitching-Joseph Parker 3IP, 4K,1W, 3ER, 2 hits allowed, ND
Tyler Harris 2IP, 2K, 0W, 1ER, 2 hits allowed, WP
James Dean 2IP, 5K, 2W, 2ER, 2 hits allowed, SV
South Choctaw 7 — Escambia Academy 5 (JV)
Escambia Academy 7 — South Choctaw 1
In varsity action, Escambia Academy defeated South Choctaw 7-1 on Friday. In junior varsity play, South Choctaw defeated the Escambia Academy Cougars 5-1.
Pictured top and top inset: Action as T.R. Miller faced Northview in Bratt Saturday. Pictured bottom at left: Escambia Academy versus Southern Choctaw. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Report: Florida’s Economy Faces Slow Recovery
March 18, 2012
Pointing to factors such as unemployment and relatively flat population growth, a new state report cautions that it will take time for Florida’s economy to bounce back.
“The job market will take a long time to recover — about 780,200 jobs have been lost since the most recent peak,” said the report, posted online this week by the Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research. “Rehiring, while necessary, will not be enough.”
The report indicates Florida trails much of the country in economic growth, personal-income growth and unemployment. It also says population growth — a major driver of the Florida economy — will average 0.85 percent between 2011 and 2014.
The report describes sales of existing homes as “sputtering” and says prices of those homes are flat.
“Florida (economic) growth rates are slowly returning to more typical levels,” the report said. “But drags are more persistent than past events, and it will take several years to climb completely out of the hole left by the recession.”
By The News Service Florida
No Foul Play: Body Found At Cantonment Winn Dixie
March 18, 2012
A body was found in a vehicle at the Cantonment Winn Dixie about 4:30 Saturday afternoon. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office says the death was not the result of foul play.
Further details will not be released.
Poarch Man Sentenced To Federal Prison For Touching Young Boy
March 17, 2012
A federal judge sentenced a Poarch man to 18 months in federal prison for sexually molesting a young boy on the Poarch Creek Indian Reservation.
Dustin O. Raybon, 26, will also be required to register as a sex offender and will be supervised by the U.S. Probation office for the rest of his life. He is also forbidden to have unsupervised contact with children.
Raybon went to trial in November 2011 on charges of aggravated sexual abuse against three young relatives on the reservation. But during the trial, two of the young boys provided inconsistant testimony or had trouble remembering alleged events. The trial abruptly ended with a plea agreement between Raybon and the U.S. Attorney’s Office on a lesser charge.
Under that plea agreement, Raybon admitted to touching a 3-year old boy in 2003. During the trial a 13-year old also testified that Raybon touched him when he was 5 or 6 and an 8-year old claimed Raybon performed a sex act on him in April 2011.
The prosecution and the defense had both recommended that Raybon receive one year in prison for touching the 3-year old. Instead, U.S. District Judge Kristi DuBose sentenced him to 18 months, citing the seriousness of the crime. He will receive credit for nine months previous spent in the Mobile Metro Jail.
If he had not taken the plea agreement and had been convicted on all charges, Raybon could have received 30 years in prison.
3% State Employee Pension Headed To Supreme Court
March 17, 2012
A circuit judge’s ruling invalidating the state’s 3-percent employee pension contribution requirement will be decided by the Florida Supreme Court, an appellate court ruled Friday, passing the issue straight up to the state’s highest court.
In a short memo, the First District Court of Appeal said it would not rule on a decision made last week by Tallahassee Circuit Judge Jackie Fulford that invalidated a state law passed last year that requires employees to pay 3 percent of their salaries toward their retirement plans.
Saying the issue was of great public importance, the appellate court urged the Florida Supreme Court to step in now instead of waiting for the inevitable appeal after a ruling at the DCA level.
Friday’s announcement drew quick praise from the Florida Education Association, which sued over the pension contribution requirements.
“We’re pleased that this case will move more quickly toward its final resolution,” said FEA President Andy Ford. “This could help hundreds of thousands of middle-class Florida families who have seen their incomes tumble while the governor and legislative leaders handed out tax giveaways to corporations.”
Last week, Fulford barred the state from requiring employees hired before July 1, 2011, to contribute 3 percent of their income to their retirement plans. Her ruling also struck down a portion of the law that would reduce the cost-of-living increase for those employees.
Opponents of the law said they expect the state to continue withholding the 3 percent until the Florida Supreme Court rules on the issue.
The provisions struck down by Fulford’s decision were expected to save the state $861 million a year — money that would eventually have to be paid back if the appeal fails. It would cost counties around $600 million a year to have the changes reversed, likely leading to service cuts at the local level, according to local governments.
Gov. Rick Scott and the lawmakers who pushed the provisions in last year’s session said the changes were needed to bring public workers’ pension plans in line with the private sector and help patch a multibillion-dollar hole in the state budget. But Fulford said that was not a good enough reason to ignore a law that essentially casts the pension plan as a contract between the state and its workers.
“The Court cannot set aside its constitutional obligations because a budget crisis exists in the State of Florida,” Fulford wrote. She added that ruling for the state “would mean that a contract with our state government has no meaning, and that the citizens of our state can place no trust in the work of our Legislature.”
Scott told reporters last week that Fulford’s ruling “doesn’t make any sense” and said she had overstepped her bounds.
“This is writing the laws of the land,” Scott said. “That is wrong. And I’m very comfortable this will be held to be constitutional.”
By The News Service of Florida
Error Free: Northview Lady Chiefs Beat Freeport
March 17, 2012
A 100-mile road trip paid off for the Northview Lady Chiefs Friday with two big wins over the Freeport Bulldogs.
Northview 11 — Freeport 0
The Northview Lady Chiefs beat the Freeport Bulldogs 11-0 in girl’s softball action Friday. The Lady Chiefs were error-free in their big district win.
After an 11-day spring break, the NHS Lady Chiefs will be back in action on March 27 across the river at the Jay Royals. The junior varsity will play at 4:00 with varsity to follow at 6:00.
Northview 7 — Freeport 4 (JV)
In junior varsity softball action, the Northview Lady Chiefs beat Freeport 7-4.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Weekend Gardening: Choosing Heirloom Or Hybrid Tomatoes
March 17, 2012
Tomatoes are a favorite of backyard gardeners. Fresh-grown tomatoes are packed with flavor and nutrition. Due to their popularity, many different types of tomatoes have been developed and selected over time. Choosing the best type for your individual growing situation will increase your chance of enjoying a mouth-watering tomato sandwich on a hot summer day.
Heirloom vegetables are back in vogue. A tomato must meet three criteria to be considered an heirloom variety. The variety must grow “true to type” from seed saved from each fruit, the seed must have been available for more than 50 years and the variety must have a history or folklore of its own. Heirloom vegetables are also called open-pollinated or non-hybrid.
Heirloom tomatoes are known for their full flavor and excellent taste. Gardeners who start their plants from seeds have always had many choices available to them. This year, I was surprised to see some heirloom seedlings in stores including ‘Cherokee Purple.’ This is an heirloom from Tennessee rumored to have come from Cherokee gardeners. Its rich flavor is said to be similar to the much-celebrated Brandywine.
While heirlooms offer better flavor, they do have a downside. Their biggest weakness is that they are not generally disease resistant and therefore more susceptible to devastating and sometimes fatal diseases. Heirloom varieties also experience more fruit defects such as cracking and catfacing.
To overcome the potential disease pitfall of heirloom varieties, many gardeners are now grafting their tomato seedlings. In the case of heirloom tomatoes, grafting involves connecting the shoot of the heirloom variety to the roots of a disease-resistant rootstock. The cut pieces are held together by a grafting clip until the tissues grow together (pictured left).
To learn more about heirloom tomatoes and grafting, read the UF/IFAS publication entitled, “Growing Heirloom Tomato Varieties in Southwest Florida.” It’s available online at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs174 or by calling your local Extension Office.
Hybrid tomatoes are those that have been breed and selected for their disease resistance and productivity. They are the first-generation cross between two “pure” parental lines.
The simplest way to define an F-1 hybrid is to take an example. Let’s say a plant breeder observes a particularly good growth-habit in a plant, but with poor flower color, and in another plant of the same type they see good color but poor habit. The best plant of each type is taken and self-pollinated (in isolation) each year and, each year, the seed is re-sown. Eventually, every time the seed is sown the same identical plants will appear. This is known as a ‘pure line.’
If the breeder then takes the pure line of each of the two plants they originally selected and cross pollinates the two by hand the result is known as an F-1 hybrid. Plants are grown from seed produced and the result of this cross pollination should have a good habit and good color.
The vigor of hybridization can increase yields, improve pest resistance and impart other desirable characteristics. Some have credited crop hybridization as a prime reason for our country’s ability to feed larger populations with fewer farmers.
A down side of hybridization is that if you collect and save the seed from a hybrid variety, its offspring will show a loss of that hybrid vigor – it will start to revert back to its inbred parents. If you want the vigorous capacity that comes with hybrid varieties; don’t save the seed for replanting. You will have to buy new seed each year.
To learn about tomato varieties recommended for Florida gardens, read the UF/IFAS publication entitled “Tomatoes in the Florida Garden.” It’s available online at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh028 or by calling your local Extension Office.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.
HS Baseball: Tate Aggies Just Keep On Winning
March 17, 2012
The wins just keep on coming for Coach Greg Blackmon and his Tate High School Aggies. The Aggies beat Gulf Shores 4-1 Friday night to improve to 8-0 on the season.
David Moorehead was 2-3 at the plate for the Aggies with an RBI and a run; Maverick Champion was 1-2 with an RBI and a run. On the mound, Cody Palmer allowed one run, walked one and had two strikeouts, while J.T. Granat pitched two, striking out four allowing one hit.
In varsity baseball action, the Tate Aggies will host Glenwood (Ala.) High School at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Photo Gallery: Travis Tritt At Beulahfest
March 17, 2012
Friday night, Grammy Award winning country singer Travis Tritt was the the headliner at Beulahfest, entertaining thousands with songs like his number one hit “Help Me Hold On.”
For a photo gallery from Friday night, click here.
The festival Friday and Saturday featured not only great music, but plenty of fun, rides, and of course those delicious sausages. Beulahfest attracts thousands each year, with proceeds benefiting the Beulah Volunteer Fire Department and other local charities.
Pictured: Grammy Award winning country star Travis Tritt performs Friday night at Beulahfest. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
