Weekend In Photos
October 10, 2011
Here’s a look back at over 425 photos from the weekend on NorthEscambia.com. Click a photo to read the story and see the corresponding photo gallery.
NorthEscambia.com photos.
Hundreds Of Local Students Take Virtual Trip To Russia
October 9, 2011
Hundreds of local students have been given a passport to Russia, thanks to the Global Corner Learning Center.
This past week, students at Bratt Elementary School had the opportunity to take a virtual trip to Russia — learning about the language, arts, culture, geography and more of a unique land half a world away.
Each year, The Global Corner teachers take students from their classroom virtually to another country. Through The Global Corner, local students have “visited” Japan, Spain, Egypt, Brazil, in addition to this year’s trip to Russia.
The Global Corner was conceived by its director, Lee Hansen, as part of her vision for the Pensacola area to become a player in the global economy and to have Northwest
Florida become an international business hub and the Center of Excellence for International Learning by 2025.
Last week, The Global Corner announced a partnership with Target in recognition of its efforts in providing its Passport to Russia program to local elementary students. The grant monies will be used to support the cost of bringing the program to thousands of area students this school year.
“This is our fifth year of bringing the world to local elementary school students. We provide hands-on activities that help children understand the language, geography, culture, arts, heritage, and literature of countries around the world,” Hansen said. “We’re thrilled to partner with Target to help create a future workforce that understands the world around it.”
Bratt Elementary’s virtual trip to Russia ended last week. Other North Escambia area students will participate in the program later this school year — including home school students on October 25, Byrneville Elementary School on October 26 and 27, Jim Allen Elementary students January 9-12, 2012, and Molino Park in March, 2012.
Pictured top: The Global Corner’s Kitt Lough teaches Russian music and dance to students at Bratt Elementary School Friday morning. Pictured inset: Lisa Crowdus teaches Russian culture at Bratt Elementary. Pictured below: The Global Corner’s Erika Twitchell teaches Bratt students about Russia geography. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Results And Photos: Second Chief Challenge 5K Run/Walk
October 9, 2011
About 120 runners and walkers took part in the second annual Chief Challenge 5K Saturday morning at Northview High School.
The overall fastest male was Northview sophomore Isaac McGahan (19:43) and the fastest overall female runner was Northview junior Georgia Goetter (23:46).
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the event with over 150 photos, click here.
“My goal is to hook the first time walkers and runners into the great thrill of crossing the finish line. Most likely, their first race won’t be their last,” said Natalie Nall, event organizer. “My mother started five years ago and now at 71 she’s addicted to 5K runs. I feel exercise is her greatest motivator in beating breast cancer and positive outlook in life. It’s never to late or too soon to start exercising.”
The event was sponsored by Atmore Family Medicine, NorthEscambia.com and Pepsi. For a letter to the editor with more acknowledgements and information, click here.
Top 3 in Categories -Kindergarten – Grand Master 55 years and up
Kindergarten Female
1st Jae Heaton
4th Grade Male
1st Keaton Brown
5th Grade Female
1st Alison Rice, Rebekah Amerson, 2nd Delaney Reynolds
5th Grade Male
1st Patton Goetter
6th Grade Male
1st Logan Calloway, 2nd Dawson Brown
7th Grade Female
1st Victoria Amerson, 2nd Mallory Gibson
7th Grade Male
1st Adrian King, 2nd Zachary Sheldon
8th Grade Female
1st Natalie Goetter, 2nd Bethany Reynolds, 3rd Moriah McGahan
8th Grade Male
1st Gavin Coon, 2nd Zack Calloway, 3rd Cody Nellums
9th Grade Female
1st Lakelyn Parker, 2nd Hannah Gibson, 3rd Annie Bobo
9th Grade Male
1st Eathan Coon, 2nd Austin Cuningham
10th Grade Female
1st Zacarra Davis, 2nd Danielle Steadham, 3rd Madalyn Coon
10th Grade Male
1st Isaac McGahan, 2nd Dakota Goins, 3rd Sidney Amerson
11th Grade Female
1st Georgia Goetter, 2nd Whitney Arrington, 3rd Ashley Joiner
11th Grade Male
1st Jack Floyd, 2nd Trey Johnson, 3rd Aaron Rausch
12th Grade Female
1st Charleigh Mcpherson
12th Grade Male
1st Joseph Baldwin, 2nd Jacob Baldwin, 3rd Daniel Nellums
Adult Female
1st Irina Dmitrieve, 2nd Lacey Lee, 3rd Cheryl Bosley
Adult Male
1st Josh Scott, Matt Arnold, 2nd Eric Johnson, 3rd Casey Hare
Master Female
1st Anna Rockman, 2nd Michelle Peebles, 3rd Edwna Fillmore
Master Male
1st Alan Ash, 2nd Greg McGahan, 3rd Jon Yoder
Grand Master Female
1st Debra Parker, 2nd Lois Zuber
Grand Master Male
1st Bert Rice, 2nd Billy Parker
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the event with over 150 photos, click here.
Pictured top: Nearly 120 runners and walkers being the second annual Chief Challenge 5K Saturday morning at Northview High School. Pictured inset: Overall winner Isaac McGahan of Molino. Pictured below: McGahan (right) and overall female winner Georgia Goetter received hand painted chairs for their win. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Florida Facing $1.2-$2.3 Billion Budget Deficit
October 9, 2011
Florida lawmakers will face a general revenue budget deficit of $1.2 billion to $2.3 billion for the upcoming fiscal year, House Appropriations Committee members heard last week as the chamber readies for the 2012 session.
If the deficit is dealt with entirely with budget cuts, the state’s general revenue budget would decrease by 5.1 percent to 10 percent next year, committee staff director JoAnne Leznoff told committee members in a briefing.
The projections do not assume how lawmakers would make up the deficit. In years past, they have dealt with budget deficits with a combination of budget cuts, the use of non-recurring revenue and trust fund sweeps.
Longtime Jay Mayor Passes Away
October 9, 2011
A longtime mayor of Jay has passed away. Jeroel D. “J.D.” Bray passed away after an extended illness. He was 91.
After serving in the Army, working for Escambia River Electric Cooperative and the Santa Rosa County Road Department, Bray decided to enter politics. He was elected to the Jay City Council in 1954 and served two years. He was then elected mayor and held the office for 44 years.
During Bray’s term, many of Jay’s roads were paved, a sewer system was installed, a new city hall and community center were constructed and two parks were acquired. One of those parks, the Bray-Hendricks Park, is named is his honor.
Bray is survived by Theda Bray, his wife of 59 years and three children.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, October 11 at the Jay Funeral Home with burial to follow at Jay Cemetery. Visitation will be held Monday from 6-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
For Jeroel D. “J.D.” Bray’s complete obituary, click here.
Eden Lane Brush Fire Reported
October 9, 2011
The Cantonment Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Florida Division of Forestry responded to a brush fire about noon Saturday near Eden Lane and Virecent Road in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com photo by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: Northview, Jay High School Bands Perform
October 9, 2011
For a photo gallery of the Northview and Jay high school bands as they performed Friday night in Jay, click here.
Pictured above: The Northview High School Tribal Beat band performs. Pictured below: The Jay High School band performs a variety of “Car Tunes” Friday night. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Fall Gardening: Time To Tackle The Chaos And Prepare For Winter
October 9, 2011
Towards the end of the growing season, many landscapes are overgrown and untidy. Allowing plants to tower over others can mean the demise of the smaller plant. It’s time to tackle the chaos and prepare for winter.
First and foremost, take a good look at your landscape. If a plant has outgrown its allotted space, perhaps it was the wrong plant in the wrong place. Avoid these types of problems by becoming familiar with a plant before you plant it. While you can try to control the size of the plant to fit its space, it will never be a happy, stress-free plant.
Information on the mature size of a plant and their site requirements can be found in several Extension publications. The Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ (FFL) “Guide to Plant Selection and Landscape Design” is intended for homeowners who want to take the next step and design their own Florida-Friendly landscapes. Included in this book is information on landscape design strategies, a landscape planning worksheet, and the FFL plant list containing many of the UF/IFAS recommended Florida-Friendly plants for each region of the state. It’s available online by clicking here.
Even in a well-planned landscape, though, the gardener’s controlling influence is important. The most useful methods for dealing with especially enthusiastic plants are removing, pruning, supporting or creating barriers to prevent unwanted spreading.
Removing and replacing
Autumn is an excellent time to establish shrubs and trees. Consider removing oversized plants and replacing them with carefully chosen ones that will happily fit within your defined boundaries. Plants that are installed late in the year will develop strong roots systems before hot weather arrives next spring.
Pruning
When it comes to pruning, it’s good to remember that it’s better to prune lightly occasionally as needed, than to allow a plant to get way overgrown and then cut it back severely. A few prudent snips here and there will help keep more vigorous plants from overwhelming their less vigorous neighbors.
Emphasis must be placed on the word “light.” It’s important to remember that late summer pruning may stimulate an additional flush of shoot growth on species which flush several times each year. These shoots could be damaged by an early frost.
Supporting
Another technique to improve the look of an overgrown landscape is staking. Staking or otherwise supporting plants keeps them from leaning or falling over onto others. It helps the tall plant look better, and obviously benefits the plants that would otherwise be covered. The stake should be tall enough to do the job but not be too obvious.
Stakes may simply be placed in such a way that the plant is supported by leaning up against it. On the other hand, it may be necessary to tie the plant to the stake. Typically, twine or plastic ties are used for this purpose. Make sure you tie the lower and upper parts of the plant to the stake to provide proper support.
Other techniques for support include tying twine in a loop all the way around a plant, using a wire cage – this is best done early in the growing season to allow the plant to grow into it – tying a plant to a sturdier, nearby plant or using one of the commercially available support systems.
Barriers
Many perennials and tropical plants spread by underground structures called rhizomes. If growth shows up outside the area you’ve allotted for that plant, promptly dig out the unwanted growth and replant it somewhere else.
Barriers extending at least one foot down into the ground around aggressive spreaders can sometimes help keep them under control. Digging, dividing and replanting clumps of aggressive spreaders annually is another good way to make sure they stay put.
Overgrown shrubs can cause a house to lose its curb appeal. Proper, regular control measures should be employed to keep a landscape looking its best.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.
Planned Century Industry Boss Jailed In Alabama For Financial Crimes, Fraud
October 8, 2011
James Leonard Craft — the man behind up to 500 jobs announced last year that never materialized in Century — was extradited Friday to Alabama to face multiple financial and fraud charges.
The indictment against Craft was unsealed as he was booked into the Etowah County Jail in Gadsden, Alabama, on charges stemming from an Alabama Securities Commission investigation. Craft, according to Etowah County Jail Records, is charged with two counts of being an unregistered agent, two counts of selling unregistered securities, four counts of misrepresentation, scheme to defraud, first degree theft and a charge of second degree theft. His bond amount was not immediately available.
The 71-year old Craft was arrested without incident September 23 and booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail where he was held as a fugitive from justice until being picked up Friday by Alabama authorities.
At last report, Craft was the manager of Century Lumber and Land, a company that held a ribbon cutting back in October 2010 for a group of new businesses that planned to locate in Century’s vacant Alger Sullivan Lumber Company property and bring up to 500 jobs to the struggling town. According to Workforce Escarosa, over 3,000 people had applied for those jobs as of earlier this year.
In a public order in late 2010, the Alabama Securities Commission ordered Century Lumber and Land, LLC and James Craft to cease and desist from offering or selling financial securities, within or from the state of Alabama after an alleged attempt to solicit an investment without a license for a wood products business.
Further details about the circumstances surrounding the charges against Craft are expected to be released Tuesday — Monday is the Columbus Day holiday with Alabama state and Etowah County offices closed.
Pictured top: The October 22, 2010, ribbon cutting for Century Lumber and Land. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
West Florida Beats Gulf Breeze
October 8, 2011
The West Florida Jaguars defeated the Gulf Breeze Dolphins 38-35 Friday night. With the win, the Jag improved to 6-0, the best record ever in the history of West Florida High School.
In the first quarter, West Florida scored a 4-yard run from Jalen Jones and Antawn Carter returned an interception 31-yards for a touchdown. The Jaguars rounded out the second half with a 59-yard pass from Kayle Faxlanger to Jonathon Harris for a touchdown.
Faxlanger hit Ty Peasant with a 62-yard touchdown pass in the third and Lawerence Lee with a 59-yard pass in the fourth.