Turkey Time: Cooking Safety
November 24, 2010
It’s Thanksgiving, time for family and friends to gather and give thanks. And time for cooks to ponder the correct way to prepare their turkey.
Today, we are taking a look at the proper way to cook your turkey with tips from Dorthy Lee, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent for the Escambia County Extension Office.
Clean
Begin every meal preparation with clean hands, and wash hands frequently to prevent any cross contamination. As a rule, hands that have come in contact with raw meat or poultry should be washed for twenty seconds in hot, soapy water.
Separate
Raw meat and poultry products may contain harmful bacteria, so make certain that the juices from those products do not come in contact with food that will be eaten without cooking, like the salad. Also, never place cooked food on an unwashed plate that previously held raw meat or poultry.
Cook
Use of food thermometer should be a standard operating procedure in your kitchen and, when used correctly, will ensure that your turkey is cooked to perfection. To be safe, the
temperature of a whole turkey should reach 180°F between the breast and the innermost part of the thigh.
If you stuff your turkey, the center of the stuffing must reach 165°F. If the stuffing has not reached 165°F, then continue cooking the turkey until it does. Let the turkey stand twenty minutes after removal from the oven before carving.
Chill
This is another important step because food-borne bacteria can grow while food sits unrefrigerated. Refrigerate or freeze perishable leftovers within two hours of cooking. To prepare your leftovers, remove any remaining stuffing from the cavity and cut turkey into small pieces. Slice the breast meat. Wings and legs may be left whole. Refrigerate stuffing and turkey separately in shallow containers.
Use or freeze leftover turkey and stuffing within three to four days, gravy within one to two days. Reheat thoroughly to a temperature of 165°F, or until hot and steaming.
For more information, call the Escambia County Extension office, (850) 475-5230.
Man Officially Named Murder Suspect
November 23, 2010
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has named Aaron Cornelius Mitchell, 20, as a suspect in a Friday night homicide of Prentiss Mitchell. A warrant charging Mitchell with felony murder has been issued, according to Deputy Chris Welborn, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office.
Mitchell is wanted in connection with the shooting death of Prentiss Mitchell, 20, about 9:20 Friday night at The Moorings apartments in the 8000 block of Old Spanish Trail Road, near East Olive Road and Scenic Highway. The two men are not related.
Prentiss Mitchell was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds in the parking lot of the apartment complex when deputies arrived at the apartment complex.
A 1998 Honda registered to Aaron Mitchell was found at an address near West Brainerd street and North S Street about 4 p.m. Monday. Investigators said the exterior of the car appeared to have bullet holes, but they did not release any further information.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Aaron Mitchell is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Pictured: Aaron Cornelius Mitchell.
Embattled Flomaton Police Chief Back On The Force — As A Patrolman
November 23, 2010
A week after Flomaton’s mayor called for the town’s police chief to be fired, he has returned to work in a lower position.
“He will back at work as a patrolman,” Mayor Dewey Bondurant said Monday afternoon about former chief Katarius Jenkins, who was scheduled to report to work at 7:00 this morning.
Last Tuesday, Bondurant said Jenkins quit and then asked his town council to fire him, but none of the council members would make such a motion.
Jenkins said Mayor Dewey Bondurant (pictured ) fired him on Friday, November 12, but the mayor said he did not.
“Our police chief quit,” the mayor said during a special council meeting November 16. “He said that I fired him, but I didn’t. But since he didn’t come to work Monday, I assume he’s fired now.”
“For the record, I didn’t quit,” Jenkins told the council last week. “It was an issue about an employee that the mayor wanted me to fire. He said the guy didn’t do anything wrong, but if I couldn’t handle it, he would. So I felt that if the guy didn’t do anything wrong, why fire him.” Jenkins, who was out of the town Friday during his conversation with the mayor about the employee, said he asked the mayor it to “handle it”.
Jenkins (pictured) referred NorthEsambia.com’s request for comment to Andalusia (Ala.) attorney Allen G. Woodward. Woodward represented Jenkins on behalf of the Southern States Police Benevolent Association.
“It’s always good when reasonable people can come to a reasonable solution whether or not they may have a problem,” Woodward said of Jenkins’ agreement with the town of Flomaton. “I don’t think anybody is in disagreement that the primary concern here is the well being of people of Flomaton.”
The Flomaton Town Council was scheduled to hold an employment hearing for Jenkins Monday night, but that hearing was canceled after the agreement was reached between Jenkins and the town.
Bondurant said he has a candidate in mind for police chief that must first be approved by the town council.
Pictured top: Flomaton Police Chief Katarius Jenkins addresses the Flomaton Town Council Tuesday night. Pictured top inset: Flomaton Mayor Dewey Bondurant. Pictured middle inset: Jenkins listens as the council discusses his future with the town. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century Talks Trash, Approves New Allied Waste Contract
November 23, 2010
The Century Town Council talked trash Monday — renewing a contract with Allied Waste that will not raise residential garbage rates for the next three years.
Century’s 700 residential customers will continue to pay $15.04 per month for trash collection. Allied will continue to pick up household waste on Wednesday, but Allied will no longer collect yard waste and items like discarded furniture. The Town of Century will collect those items on the first and third Tuesday of each month.
The town will save $3.58 per customer per month by self-collecting yard waste, or about $30,000 per year.
Under the new three year deal, which goes into effect December 1, Century will also receive a $400 per month — $4,800 per year — discount on dumpsters at city facilities, and trash at the town hall will be collected at no charge.
The bottom line for residential customers, according to Mayor Freddie McCall, is that service will remain the same for Century’s residential household waste customers.
In addition, most of Century’s 35 business trash customers will see a five percent decrease in their monthly bills, according to Seren Ainsworth, municipal services manager for Allied Waste.
“Have we seriously thought about having our own (trash pickup) before we go elsewhere?” asked Sandra McMurray Jackson, who will take her seat on the Century council in January.
“We can’t pick it up for what they (Alllied Waste) contract it for,” McCall responded. The mayor said it would be impossible for the town to get into the household waste business for less money that is paid Allied Waste. McCall also said he had spoken to the Emerald Coast Utility Authority (ECUA), which provides residential waste service in most of Escambia County. “They couldn’t touch the rate,” he said.
Century’s three-year renewal of their Allied Waste contract was approved 2-1 at a special meeting Monday. Councilman Henry Hawkins voted against the contract renewal, while council members Ann Brooks and Nadine McCaw were absent.
Walmart Rape Suspect Enters Guilty Plea
November 23, 2010
A Pensacola man pleaded guilty Monday in connection with a New Year’s Day rape of a young Pensacola woman abducted from a Walmart parking lot on Highway 29 in Pensacola.
Willard Ray Crowder, 48, enter a plea of guilty as charged to sexual battery with a deadly weapon or force and kidnapping.
About 10:30 on January 1, 2010, Crowder abducted an 18-year old female from the Walmart parking lot. The woman told deputies that she was having car trouble in the parking lot when the man put a knife to her throat and forced her into the back of a van. She was driven a short distance before her attacker raped her. She was driven back to Walmart and dropped off, told that she would be killed if she reported the attack to authorities.
Crowder’s DNA was obtained from the victim, according to State Attorney Bill Eddins.
Crowder faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced by Judge Nickolas Geeker on January 26, 2011.
Prison Time For North Escambia Sex Offender With Ice Cream Truck
November 23, 2010
A North Escambia man was sentenced to 15 years in prison Monday after pleading no contest to 20 counts of possession of child pornography, including images of child molestation.
Martin Lyle Christianson, 58, will also be required to register as a sex offender once he is released from prison, according to the sentence handed down by Circuit Court Judge Terry Terrell.
Christianson was named the most wanted man in Florida back in May after he fled his Crowndale Court home in Cottage Hill in a used ice cream truck later found abandoned in Mobile. He was captured a few days later in Louisiana by U.S. Marshals.
Ernest Ward FFA Sells Over Three Tons Of Sweet Potatoes
November 23, 2010
Members of the Ernest Ward Middle School FFA sold over three tons of sweet potatoes as a fund raiser. The 20-pound bags of Baldwin County sweet potatoes were delivered to the students on Monday to deliver to their supporters.
Funds from the Ernest Ward Middle School’s annual sweet potato sale are used to support group activities during the year.
Pictured above: The top seller sold 46 bags of potatoes, nearly a half ton. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Turkey Time: Extension Service Offers Thawing Tips
November 23, 2010
It’’s Thanksgiving, time for family and friends to gather and give thanks. And time for cooks to ponder the correct way to prepare their turkey.
Today, we are taking a look how to make sure your turkey is properly thawed with tips from Dorthy Lee, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent for the Escambia County Extension Office. Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at the proper way to cook your turkey.
Following four simple food-handling practices—clean, separate, cook, chill—will ensure a delicious and safe meal.
Frozen turkeys should be thawed—at a safe temperature— prior to cooking. There are three safe ways to thaw a turkey — in the refrigerator at 40°F or less; in cold water; and in the microwave.
Frozen Turkeys
Allow 1 pound of turkey per person.
Keep frozen until you’re ready to thaw it.
Turkeys kept frozen in the freezer should be cooked within one year for best quality.
Thawing Your Turkey
In the Refrigerator (40°F or below)
Keep the turkey in its original wrapper. Place it on a tray or in a pan to catch any juices that may leak. A thawed turkey can remain in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. If necessary, a turkey that has been properly thawed in the refrigerator may be refrozen. When thawing in the refrigerator, allow 24 hours thawing time for every 5 pounds of turkey.
4 to 12 pounds = 1 to 3 days
12 to 16 pounds = 3 to 4 days
16 to 20 pounds = 4 to 5 days
20 to 24 pounds = 5 to 6 days
In Cold Water
When thawing in cold water, allow 30 minutes per pound and change the water every 30 minutes until the turkey is thawed. Wrap your turkey securely, making sure the water is not able to leak through the wrapping. Submerge your wrapped turkey in cold tap water. Change the water every 30 minutes. Cook the turkey immediately after it is thawed. Do not refreeze. Allow approximately 30 minutes per pound.
4 to 12 pounds = 2 to 6 hours
12 to 16 pounds = 6 to 8 hours
16 to 20 pounds = 8 to 10 hours
20 to 24 pounds = 10 to 12 hours
In the Microwave
When thawing in the microwave, follow the manufacturer’s instructions, and plan to cook the turkey immediately after thawing because some areas of the turkey may become warm and begin to cook during microwave thawing.
For more information, call the Escambia County Extension office, (850) 475-5230.
Alert Jail Employee Catches Attempted Robbery Suspect
November 23, 2010
An off-duty Escambia County Sheriff’s Office employee assigned to the jail came to the aid of a robbery victim over the weekend and held the suspect until deputies arrived to take him to the jail.
The jail employee, Ronnie Whiddon, was walking into the Tom Thumb at 4805 Mobile Highway around 6:30 Saturday morning when he witnessed an altercation between a taxi cab driver and his passenger. Whiddon immediately recognized it was a robbery attempt and came to the aid of Darrel Vincent, 46, of Pensacola, who was driving the taxi. The passenger and suspect was later identified as Melvin Tyrone Dixon, 44, of Pensacola.
Dixon (pictured) had called Yellow Cab and was picked up by Vincent near Fairfield Drive and South Dakota Drive. When Dixon entered the taxi he pulled a knife on Vincent and demanded money and Vincent’s ATM card, according to the Sheriff’s Office. When Vincent told Dixon that he didn’t have cash on him, Dixon ordered him to drive to Regions Bank.
Vincent told deputies that as he passed the Tom Thumb he noticed a group of people standing in the parking lot. Vincent quickly turned into the lot where he was able to unarm Dixon and throw the knife out the window of the taxi. Whiddon hurriedly went to the aid of Vincent and held Dixon until patrol deputies arrived.
Dixon was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping-false imprisonment and robbery. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail and was being held on a $25,000 bond.
Another Copper Theft Discovered At A Molino Communications Tower
November 22, 2010
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a copper theft was discovered Monday morning at a Molino communications tower, the second such theft in about two months.
Just before 10:30 a.m., technicians discovered hundreds of dollars in copper grounding wire missing from the privately owned communications tower adjacent to the Molino Ballpark on Crabtree Church Road. The wiring was part of the tower’s electrical grounding system.
There were no reports that any of the services on the tower were disrupted. At least one cellular telephone company serves the Molino area from the tower, but technicians were unable to provide further details.
On October 11, copper wiring valued at over $3,000 was reported stolen from a county-owned communications tower behind the Escambia County Health Department on Highway 29. (Read more…)
Anyone with information on the thefts is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Pictured top: A copper theft is under investigation at a Molino communications tower. Pictured inset: A sign on the fence surrounding the facility warns that video surveillance is in use. Pictured below: An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office crime scene technician searches for clues at the base of the tower. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
