Fire Destroys Cantonment Home (Photo Gallery)
February 25, 2012
Investigators are working to determine the cause of a fire that destroyed a home in Cantonment Friday night.
The abandoned home in the 2800 block of Sherrilane Drive off County Road 97 was involved in fire when the first firefighters arrived on scene about 9:30 p.m. Friday. No one had lived in the home for some time; it was boarded up.
For a photo gallery from the scene, click here.
The Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire that destroyed the 1800 square foot partially bricked wood frame home.
The Cantonment, Molino, Beulah, Bellview and Ferry Pass stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the blaze, along with Escambia EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Pictured above and below: Fire destroyed this home on Sherrilane Drive in Cantonment Friday night. Pictured inset: A volunteer firefighter from Cantonment takes a break from the battle against the blaze. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Escambia Deputy Arrested
February 25, 2012
An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant was arrested Friday afternoon.
Roger Grice was charged with two misdemeanors by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Grice was charged with two different misdemeanor counts of fraud. FDLE has not released details on the arrest.
The Escambia Sheriff’s Office said the charges do not involved Sheriff’s Office property and the alleged offenses did not occur while he was acting in a law enforcement capacity.
He has been moved to an administrative position pending the outcome of the case.
Grice has been with the department more than 20 years.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Family Of Five Homeless After Tree Falls Into Mobile Home
February 25, 2012
A Cantonment family of five was left homeless Friday afternoon when a tree crashed through their mobile home.
High winds associated with a passing cold front sent the tree into the mobile home on Andalusia Road, just north of Muscogee Road. There were no injuries; no one was at home at the time.
The American Red Cross is providing temporary assistance to the family of two adults and three children — ages 6, 8 and 15.
Escambia Man Facing 20 Years For Drive By Shooting
February 25, 2012
Two Escambia County men were convicted by an Escambia County jury Friday in connection with a drive-by shooting that took place November 2, 2011.
Tarrence Dwayne Webb and co-defendant Brandon James Sims were convicted of the shooting at the Fast Link on Cerny Road. The jury found that Webb was the shooter and Sims was the driver.
Webb was convicted of three counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, one count of aggravated assault with a firearm, and one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle. Sims was convicted of three counts of aggravated battery with a firearm and one count of aggravated assault with a firearm.
Subsequent to the jury’s verdict of guilty, Judge Terry Terrell granted the defense’s motion for judgment of acquittal Sims.
Judge Terry Terrell scheduled sentencing for Tarrence Webb on March 26. Webb is facing a minimum of 20 years state prison under 10-20-life.
Tate Varsity, JV Beat Escambia
February 25, 2012
The Tate High varsity and junior varsity teams both beat Escambia High Friday.
Tate 8 Escambia 2 (Varsity)
Tate’s varsity baseball team beat the Escambia Gators Friday night 8-2 to improve their record to 3-0, 2-0 in the district.
Cody Palmer, pitching in relief of Gabe Gunter, pitch four and third strong innings giving up four hits while not allowing a run. Palmer had three strike outs.
Offensively, Austin Quina (1-2, 2 RBI’s), Andrew Mack (2-2, 2B RBI) and Tyler Curtis (1-2, 2B RBI) lead the way as the Aggies scored eight runs on 7 hits.
Tate’s varsity team is off next week but will be back in action on Tuesday, March 6 as they play host to Pine Forest in another district matchup.
Tate 15 Escambia 0 (JV)
The junior varsity Tate Aggies improved to 4-2 on the season with a big 15-0 shutout of the Escambia Gators Friday afternoon. The JV team’s next game will be March 6 when they travel to West Florida to take on the Jaguars.
Man Gets 20 Years For Robbery Outside Walmart
February 25, 2012
An Escambia County man was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday for robbing two women outside a Pensacola Walmart.
Karl Junior Hill pleaded guilty to two counts of armed robbery with a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Hill approached two women in broad daylight outside Walmart on Creighton Road in July 2011. He pulled a handgun, forced two women to the ground and robbed them of their purses and cell phones.
Hill was apprehended after a brief foot pursuit by police. When he was arrested, Hill still had the property from the two women. Police were unsuccessful in recovering the firearm.
Weekend Gardening: Early Flowering Trees Are Ushering In Spring
February 25, 2012
Warmer temperatures have raised the spirits of gardeners in Northwest Florida. Although we know from experience that we still have a good chance of another cold snap or two, nicer weather is always a welcomed foray into spring.
Warmer weather also means that some trees and shrubs burst into bloom producing flowers that brighten otherwise drab winter landscapes. Several members of the rose family are currently in bloom in Northwest Florida and sure to grab your attention.
Flowering Quince
During Colonial times a quince tree was a rarity in the gardens of wealthy Americans, but was found in nearly every middle class garden. The fruit—always cooked—was an important source of pectin for food preservation, and a fragrant addition to jams, juices, pies, and candies. However, by the early twentieth century quince production declined as the value of apples and pears increased. Its popularity has plummeted and it is now a rarity in contemporary landscapes.
Quince has been cultivated in the Middle East for centuries, and may have even been the fruit of temptation in the story of the Garden of Eden. The ancient Biblical name for quince translates as “Golden Apple.” In ancient Mesopotamia, now Iraq, cultivation of quince predates the cultivation of apples.
This small, thorny, deciduous tree is one of the first to bloom in late winter. It is a member of the rose family and explodes with typical rose-type flowers in February each year. The single, white flowers are 1½ to 2 inches across and grow on current season growth.
The fruit is a fragrant, many-seeded pome about three inches in diameter. The fruit’s shape ranges from round to pear-like and the flesh is yellow. Several references refer to it as “hard and rather unpalatable.”
If you would rather not deal with the fruit, non-fruiting cultivars exist. Since most quince cultivars are not well-adapted to Florida because of their high chilling requirement, choose your cultivar carefully.
Apples
Another pome-type fruit that embellishes our landscapes in late winter is the apple tree. Along with the quince, it too is a member of the rose family. It is older in cultivation than the rose and is sometimes referred to as the prince of the rose family.
Relatively few cultivars of apples (Malus domestica L.) can be grown successfully in Florida.
Most apples have a high chilling requirement. Chilling requirement is defined as the number of hours less than or equal to 45 degrees F during the winter. Apple cultivars suitable for North Florida have a chilling requirement of less than 600 hours.
Only a few cultivars meet Florida’s low-chill requirement. Recommended cultivars include ‘Anna’, ‘Dorsett Golden’ and ‘TropicSweet’. ‘Anna’ and ‘Dorsett Golden’ originated in Israel and the Bahamas, respectively. ‘TropicSweet’ is a patented cultivar from the University of Florida. These cultivars each have a chilling requirement of 250 to 300 hours.
For more information on low-chill apples, review the University of Florida/IFAS online publication at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg368.
Flowering Cherry
While we may not be able to produce beautiful, delicious cherries in Northwest Florida, we can enjoy a few ornamental, flowering cherry trees.
One species that does well in Northwest Florida is Prunus campanulata or the Taiwan cherry. The Taiwan cherry grows to 20 to 25 feet and spreads nearly as wide as it matures. Single, drooping rose-type flowers appear in late winter and will last for about ten days.
For other recommendations on flowering trees to add to your landscape, contact your local Extension Office.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County. The use of trade names, if used in this article, is solely for the purpose of providing specific information. It is not a guarantee, warranty, or endorsement of the product name(s) and does not signify that they are approved to the exclusion of others.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.
‘Golden Cow Dung Award’ Presented To Kenneth Hicks
February 25, 2012
Ernest Ward Middle School history teacher Kenneth Hicks received the fourth annual “Golden Cow Dung Award” from members of the Ernest Ward FFA. The award presented Friday afternoon featured a large piece of cow dung, painted a golden color.
(Cow dung, in case you did not know, is what you are probably thinking it is. It’s that natural byproduct that cows drop in the field. The award is 100 percent real dung spray painted a golden color. The golden piece presented Friday is actually the first award piece created three years ago.)
Hicks received the award from the school’s FFA members as a “thank you” for supporting FFA. The same Golden Cow Dung Award was presented last year to teacher’s assistant Lindsey Kelley, the previous year to Family & Consumer Science teacher Kathy Ellis and three years ago to Principal Nancy Perry.
More than half a million members around the nation participated in National FFA Week activities at the local and state levels this week.
Pictured: Ernest Ward Middle School FFA Golden Cow Dung Award presentation to teacher Kenneth Hicks Friday morning. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Smoke Reported At Ernest Ward In Two Buildings; Students Evacuated
February 24, 2012
Multiple stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to Ernest Ward Middle School today as smoke was reported in both the gym and administrative buildings.
Firefighters determined that one phase of the three phase power feed from Escambia River Electric Cooperative had failed. The exact cause of the smoke was not determined. Firefighters remained on scene for over an hour, using a thermal imaging camera to check for hot spots in both buildings and waiting for EREC to restore the power. A light smokey haze could be seen inside at times.
Students were evacuated from the gym, administrative and agricultural buildings during the incident and moved into the main building of the complex.
There was no damage reported and no injuries.
The Walnut Hill and McDavid Stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the call.
Pictured above and below: Fire units on scene at Ernest Ward Middle School Friday morning. Pictured inset: A firefighter uses a thermal imaging camera to check for hot spots in the administrative building at Ernest Ward Friday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
One Injured In Hwy 97 Crash
February 24, 2012
One person was injured in a single vehicle crash Friday morning on Highway 97 north of Molino.
The driver of a pickup control lost control about 5 a.m., ran off the road and overturned near White Ash Road. The male was transported to a Pensacola hospital by ambulance with non-life threatening injuries.
Further details have not been released by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded to the crash.