Molino, Century On The Tonight Show With Jay Leno Thanks To “Genius” Criminal
July 8, 2011
Both Century and Molino were mentioned on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Thursday night, thanks to a “genius” criminal.
During Leno’s “Police Blotter” segment in which funny newspaper stories about criminals are featured, Leno presented a September 2004 newspaper story about a police chase that ended in Nokomis.
“Another genius…tree cutter faces several charges after leading deputies on chase…a Pensacola tree cutter led deputies…10 mile chase from Molino to near Century…told deputies he was trying to smoke all $500 worth of his crack cocaine before he got pulled over,” Leno said, paraphrasing the article.
“That’s very clever, you want to smoke as much crack…” Leno joked.
(The video is at the bottom of this page. After an advertisement, fast foward to about 2:23 to see the Molino/Century story.)
NorthEscambia.com obtained the September 29, 2004, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office incident report, and here’s what the report states happened:
John Wesley Montgomery, then 32, was arrested following a chase. After receiving a call on reckless vehicle, Deputy Michael Mandell located Montgomery northbound on Highway 97 and noticed that he would lean across his vehicle and disappear below the dash. The deputy activated his blue lights, but Montgomery would not stop and continued north on Highway 97.
“Montgomery’s vehicle began swerving and he made agitated arm waving motions and even appeared to be smoking a crack pipe,” the deputy wrote in his report.
Several other deputies joined in the chase and the Sheriff’s Office helicopter was called. Montgomery eventually crashed through a fence in the 7700 block of Nokomis Road and fled on foot. Montgomery — who was employed as a tree cutter — was arrested as he tried to climb a tree in a field.
Montgomery told deputies, according to the Sheriff’s Office report, that “he was driving crazy in the north area when he noticed some white guy in truck behind him. He became paranoid because he thought the vehicle was following him.”
“He stated at the time he tried to smoke the rest of his cocaine,” the report states.
In 2008, Montgomery was found guilty of fleeing and eluding law enforcement and aggravated assault on an officer and sentenced as a habitual offender to a mandatory three years in state prison. He is now in federal prison on unrelated charges.
Images courtesy NBC and The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.
Beauty Of Tomatoes: Enjoy Them Now, Preserve Extras For Later
July 8, 2011
The beauty of tomatoes this time of year is that they are red, and juicy, and that there are so many of them. If you grow your own, you probably think you have more than you can ever use. If you buy them at the local farmer’s market, you have an endless variety to choose from.
No matter how many tomatoes you have this summer, there are many different ways to use them. Summer’s tomatoes are delightful right off the backyard grill, or tossed with vinegar, oil and basil, or stirred into a primavera over pasta, or simply sliced and served cold.
You may want to consider preserving some of the summer’s bounty. Tomatoes retain many of their best qualities when preserved for use when the garden is just a memory.
Whether you freeze, can, or dehydrate tomatoes, your success will depend on the quality and freshness of the vegetable. It is best to process tomatoes as soon as possible after harvesting. Always discard underripe or too-mature tomatoes.
Dried tomatoes are delicious when rehydrated and added to pasta dishes, salads, or stirfry. They can be stored in any food-safe container that protects them from air and moisture. Home canning jars make excellent storage containers because they can be kept tightly closed, and they provide the added convenience of a see-through container. Dried tomatoes don’t have to be refrigerated if they are properly contained. Sun-dried tomatoes can add distinctive flavors to dishes.
Frozen tomatoes retain their flavor, but lose some of their texture in the freezing process. They are an excellent choice to use for sauces or in stews and casseroles. Wash, core, and cut tomatoes, then cook them until soft. Cool, package, and freeze for later use. Canning tomatoes is one of the best ways to preserve their flavor and nutritional value. Select tomato varieties with thick flesh and fewer seeds. Use only quality tomatoes with no cracks, fungus growths, bruises or decayed spots.
The canning process requires several steps. Washed tomatoes are first scalded, then cored, peeled and left whole, or cut into pieces. They are then boiled in just enough water to cover tomatoes, five to ten minutes. Pack into heated jars, adding citrus acid and seal with a vacuum cap. The canned tomatoes must then be processed in a boiling-water canner or pressure canner. This destroys micro-organisms that can spoil the tomatoes.
Citric acid is added to tomato recipes developed for safe processing in a boiling water canner. The citric acid is added to ensure the proper ph level for processing.
Many home canners “put up” barbecue sauce, salsa, spaghetti sauce, and tangy ketchup, to name just a few preservable foods using tomatoes.
Today, there are more than 500 varieties of tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables from all over the world available in the United States. Each one offers its own distinctive flavor, texture, and nutritional value. With all these options, preserving the fresh fruits and vegetables of summer is easy, and best of all, it captures the essence of the season for months to come.
Selecting, Preparing, and Canning Tomatoes
Select only disease-free, preferably vineripened, firm fruit for canning. Caution: Do not can tomatoes from dead or frostkilled vines. Green tomatoes are more acidic than ripened fruit and can be canned safely with any of the following recommendations.
Acidification: To ensure safe acidity in whole, crushed, or juiced tomatoes, add two tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or ½ teaspoon of citric acid per quart of tomatoes. For pints, use one tablespoon bottled lemon juice or ¼ teaspoon citric acid. Acid can be added directly to the jars before filling with product. Add sugar to offset acid taste, if desired. Four tablespoons of a 5% acidity vinegar per quart may be used instead of lemon juice or citric acid. However, vinegar may cause undesirable flavor changes.
Recommendation: Use of a pressure canner will result in higher quality and more nutritious canned tomato products. If your pressure canner cannot be operated above 15 PSI, select a process time at a lower pressure.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Wash and stem ripened tomatoes. Slice horizontally, about ¼-inch thick. Salt on both sides and let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse. Lay on foil-covered baking sheets. Cover lightly with cheesecloth. Place in sun for several hours, turning occasionally until desired dryness is achieved. Store in jars in a cool pantry.
Intensely flavorful, dried tomatoes add snap to salads and breads. Also can be moistened to make sandwiches.
Freezing Tomatoes
Select firm, ripe tomatoes with deep red color.
Raw
Wash and dip in boiling water for 30 seconds to loosen skins. Core and peel. Freeze whole or in pieces. Pack into containers, leaving 1-inch headspace. Seal and freeze. Use only for cooking or seasoning since tomatoes will not be solid when thawed.
Juice
Wash, sort and trim firm, vine-ripened tomatoes. Cut in quarters or eights. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes. Press through a sieve. If desired, season with 1 teaspoon salt to each quart of juice. Pour into containers, leaving headspace according to Table 1 (bottom of page). Seal and freeze.
Stewed
Remove stem ends, peel and quarter ripe tomatoes. Cover and cook until tender (10 to 20 minutes). Place pan containing tomatoes in cold water to cool. Pack into containers, leaving headspace according to Table 1 (bottom of page). Seal and freeze.
Table 1. Headspace to allow between packed food and closure.
For more information contact Dorothy C. Lee, Escambia County Extension Agent, dclee@ufl.edu , or (850) 475-5230.
Escambia County Retailers Asked To Stop Selling Flavored Tobacco Products
July 8, 2011
Retailers in Escambia County are being asked to voluntarily stop the sale and marketing of flavored tobacco products.
The Escambia County Commission recently adopted an ordinance asking for the removal of flavored tobacco products from store shelves at the urging of Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT), the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program of the Escambia County Health Department, and the Healthy Environments are Tobacco-Free (HEAT) Partnership.
“Tobacco companies use youth-oriented, colorful and stylish packaging to exploit adolescents’ attraction to candy-flavored tobacco with names such as “mandarin mint”, “winter warm toffee”, and twista chill”. The United States Surgeon General asserts that adolescent experimentation with smoking can be directly attributed to tobacco advertising and promotional activities,”" according to a news release from the Escambia County Health Department.
“We have spent countless hours educating students and the general public about the deceptive and deadly nature of these products,” said Vanessa Phillips, tobacco prevention coordinator for the Escambia County Health Department. “By passing this resolution, the County Commissioners are making a major statement showing that they care about protecting the health and future of Escambia County youth.”
Last year, a Florida Youth Tobacco survey was conducted to obtain a representative sample of middle school and high school students’ access to tobacco, their tobacco-related beliefs, attitudes and behaviors, and their exposures to pro-tobacco and anti-tobacco influences. The results indicated that the estimated number of students using tobacco were 3,752, with 871 of those being middle school students.
Phillips said that the SWAT youth received 450 signatures of support from concerned registered voters in Escambia County who also wanted a ban on the sale and advertising of flavored tobacco products.
“The Students Working Against Tobacco made a very impressive presentation to the Board of County Commissioners. As a result, we were happy to support them with this resolution,” said Kevin White, Chairman of the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners.
Flavored tobacco products are defined as loose tobacco including snuff flour, plug and twist tobacco, fine cuts, chewing tobacco, snus, smoking and snuffing tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco products and blunt wraps.
Former Councilman Henry Hawkins Running For Century Mayor
July 8, 2011
Former Century councilman Henry Hawkins has announced that he’s running for mayor.
Hawkins prefiled Thursday with the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections. He was first elected to the town council in 2006. He ran again in 2010, but was defeated 174-144 by political newcomer Jacke Johnston in during a 2010 runoff.
“I want to make a change for the good in Century,” Hawkins said. “There’s an old saying that if you want to make a change, it has to begin with you. I want to be the one to make that change.”
Incumbent Mayor Freddie McCall prefiled Wednesday to run again in the October election.
Pictured: Henry Hawkins at a July 2010 Century Town Council meeting. NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Escambia Hires New Animal Services Chief
July 8, 2011
Escambia County’s Animal Services has a new division manager, Delfi Messinger, County Administrator Randy Oliver announced Thursday.
Messinger’s background includes director of Animal Programs at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens from 2005 to 2010 and general curator at the Lee Richardson Zoo in Garden City, Kansas, from 2001 to 2005.
She wrote a book, Grains of Golden Sand, about the bonobo, a rare African ape. She served as the manager of the Animal Department at the National Biological Institute in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), Africa, from 1987 to 1998 and was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zaire from 1984 to 1987.
She graduated in 1980 with the highest honors at Texas State University at San Marcos, Texas, with a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture. She was a recipient for the “Presidential Upper Level Scholarship.”
Lottery Ticket Sales Up; State Education Contributions Too
July 8, 2011
Lottery ticket sales in Florida topped $4 billion in the fiscal year that ended June 30, giving the Lottery its best sales year since 2007-2008, Lottery Secretary Cynthia O’Connell said.
The sales, which increased 2.8 percent over the year before, will put about $1.1 billion in the state’s Educational Enhancement Trust Fund, up about $12 million from the previous year.
One area where people bought a lot of Lottery tickets was the Panhandle – hard hit by last year’s oil spill. O’Connell, however, said the increase was related new games that were designed to boost ticket sales. Ticket sales had dropped during the recession.
The agency has set a goal of $4.2 billion in sales for the coming fiscal year, and is aiming for a $1.25 billion contribution to the education trust fund.
Competition Over Caylee’s Law Bills Begins
July 7, 2011
(Updated 3:30 p.m.) Orlando resident Casey Anthony was found not guilty of murdering her two-year-old daughter Caylee on Tuesday, a controversial verdict that set off a national debate.
By Thursday, two Florida lawmakers had quickly filed a bill called “Caylee’s Law” which would upgrade from a misdemeanor to a felony a failure to report a child missing or a child’s death within a certain time frame. Under current law, failing to report a missing person is a misdemeanor.
The bill (HB 37), sponsored by Rep. Jose Felix Diaz, R-Miami, came a day after a different lawmaker, Rep. Bill Hager, R-Boca Raton, had issued a press release saying he plans to file his own bill called Caylee’s Law.
Hager’s bill would also make it a felony not to timely report a missing child, but it has not been officially filed. Hager did not return a call Thursday seeking comment on whether he still planned to file his bill.
Lawmakers are clamoring to file “Caylee’s Law” bills in response to the highly publicized murder trial, and address perceived flaws in the Casey Anthony case, which garnered international attention.
Two-year-old Caylee was reported missing in July 2008 and her body was found in December. Anthony did not report her daughter missing for 31 days, one of the suspicious pieces of evidence used against her.
Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, co-sponsor of “Caylee’s Law,” said he joined forces with Diaz after receiving numerous emails from constituents pleading with him to change state law.
“For her to be able to go out and party for 31 days and mislead law enforcement, that seems wrong,” Plakon said. “This bill says it should be illegal for a caretaker to do such a thing.”
Plakon said while the bill wouldn’t impact Anthony, it does create stiffer penalties for any similar situation that may arise in the future. “Had a law like this been in place, she would have a felony right now,” Plakon said.
The three-page bill makes it a felony for a parent or other caregiver to not report a child under the age of 12 as missing after a 48-hour period. It also makes it a felony to not report a child’s death or “location of a child’s corpse” to police within two hours of the death.
There is not yet a Senate sponsor to the bill, but Sen. Greg Evers, R-Baker, said he wants to hold a hearing on the issue. Evers, chairman of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, has asked Senate President Mike Haridopolos if he can spend his first committee meeting in September on considering a response to the Casey Anthony case.
“While I respect the judicial process and the burden of proof that exists in such cases, I join my fellow Floridians in voicing concern about any inconsistencies or inadequacies in the law that could potentially lead to future issues such as this,” Evers said in a letter sent to Haridopolos on Thursday.
Though Florida is ground zero for “Caylee’s Law” bills, a national movement has also sprung up in response to the not guilty verdict. An online petition calling for a federal law that would make it a felony not to timely report a missing child has drawn over 400,000 signatures and over 9,000 people have joined a “Caylee’s Law” Facebook group.
It is not unusual for well-publicized child deaths to spark legislative reforms. In 2005, Florida also attracted national attention over the kidnapping and disappearance of nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford. In response to her death, the Florida Legislature passed a bill in 2005 that required more stringent tracking of sex offenders.
By Lilly Rockwell
The News Service of Florida
Century Mayor Freddie McCall Running Again
July 7, 2011
Century Mayor Freddie McCall announced Wednesday that he’s running for mayor again.
“We’ve just come so far in four years, and there’s work to be completed,” McCall said. “There are lots of things in the works. I just feel like we are on the brink of good things happening and getting some industry in Century.”
Wednesday morning, McCall became the first candidate to prefile for the Century mayor’s job. McCall was elected to the Century Town Council in 2004 before being elected as mayor in 2007.
The general election in Century is in October.
No Arrests, Reward Money Increased In Cow Strangulation Case
July 7, 2011
Reward money as been increased to $2,850 for an arrest and conviction in the Memorial Day strangulation of a pregnant cow in Enon.
The Humane Society of the United States is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the cow’s death. The Junior Humane Society/United Humanitarians is now offering an additional $350 reward.
The owner of the pet Jersey cow found the animal dead in a pasture just behind his house on Highway 97-A Memorial Day morning as he checked on his animals. Thin twine — often called grass string – had been tied several times around the cow’s neck and had apparently strangled the animal as it was dragged through the pasture. The cow was found on its side, with its head upside down and its horns pushed several inches into the dirt.
Authorities suspect the death could have results from a prank gone wrong since school was about to end and the cow’s owner is a school bus driver.
“Viciously killing a pregnant cow for an apparent prank is an inexcusably cruel crime and anyone who would do that can be capable of hurting people, too,” said Jennifer Hobgood, Florida state director for The Humane Society of the United States. “We hope our reward helps bring justice in this horrible case.”
For more photos, click here. (Warning: Some readers may find the photos disturbing.)
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Frank Way at (850) 256-6196.
Pictured: An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office crime scene investigator photographs a pregnant cow that was apparently strangled to death in Enon. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photo, click to enlarge.
Kevin White Prefiles To Run Again in 2012
July 7, 2011
Two-term incumbent Kevin White of Molino has announced that he is running again for his Escambia County District 5 Commission seat.
“There are a lot of projects that I want to see to completion,” White said. “And I want to continue to reduce the budget, which has been reduced over $100 million since I first took office.”
White, a Republican, was first elected to the seat in 2004 and re-elected in 2008. He pre-filed his qualification papers for the commission seat on Wednesday.
Three other candidates have also prefiled for the job. They are Republicans Sam Archer and Jim Taylor of Cantonment and Dennis Wiggins of Century, who is running with no party affiliation.