Area Nears Drought Conditions
September 19, 2010
The North Escambia area is unusually dry, while over 45 percent of Alabama and 10 percent of Florida is officially in a drought. According to the National Weather Service in Mobile, this has been the driest September to date on record with just a trace of rain reported across most of the area.
The U.S. Drought Monitor map published this week shows northern Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in Florida and Escambia County in Alabama as being “abnormally dry”, but not yet experiencing drought conditions.
As the soil continues to parch under the September sun, forecasters are calling for more abnormally hot temperatures and no real chance of rain during the next week.
The U.S. Drought Monitor is published by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln using a variety of climatic data.
Pictured: This map from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows the extent of drought conditions across Alabama and Northwest Florida, click to enlarge.
Escambia Honors David Johnson For 35 Years Of EMS Service
September 19, 2010
David Johnson of Century was honored for 35 years of service to Escambia County EMS at Thursday night’s meeting of the Escambia County Commission.
Johnson joined the county as a paramedic on October 1, 1975. He will retire effective September 30.
“Mr. Johnson has responded to thousands of calls for assistance in all kinds of environments and weather conditions, employing the mental and physical attributes required to accomplish many of the life saving techniques necessary to serve the injured and critically ill,” the proclamation presented to Johnson by the county states. “David B. Johnson has faithfully served the county and his community with the utmost care and compassion for those in need.”
Pictured: Paramedic David Johnson was honored Thursday by the Escambia County Commission for 35 years dedicated service to Escambia County EMS. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Looks For Mystery Wastewater
September 19, 2010
An influx of stormwater into the Town of Century’s water treatment is causing problems for the town, and plans are being created to alleviate the problem.
The town’s wastewater treatment system is capable of treating 650,ooo gallons per day, but it is only permitted for 425,000 gallons per day.
“We are right at the borderline now,” Century Mayor Freddie McCall said. “We are treating too much water, and we can’t find it.”
McCall and the town’s engineer, Dale Long, believe that tens of thousands of gallons of water is being treated that leaks in to the system — from rainwater or even from streams. When the town replaced a culvert on Elm Street, a two-foot break in the sewer line was found near a creek crossing, allowing groundwater in.
The town will pay Fabre Engineering up to $7,000 to prepare contract documents to put qualified contractors “on call” to repair system problems as needed. That, according to Long, will save repair delays for the bidding process since the repair process will be pre-bid.
“If you have a problem you will have somebody on call,” Long said. “They are giving us basically line item prices for specific tasks.”
The town also plans to hire a firm to use video cameras to inspect the inside of the wastewater system.
Job Fair Planned
September 19, 2010
The Expand Your Opportunities Job Fair 2010 will be held this week at Victory Assembly of God in Molino.
The community job fair will provide participants the opportunity to meet with area employers who are actively looking for talented individuals to fill their current openings. There will also be free critique classes to find out how your resume and job applications skills compare.
The job fair will take place Thursday, September 23 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Victory Assembly of God on Highway 29. Admission is free, and the event is open to the public. Click here for more information for job seekers.
Employers interesting in attending the event should click here for a registration form.
Escambia Road Closures, Nine Mile Road Public Meeting
September 19, 2010
Escambia County road and bridge projects will cause traffic delays beginning Monday, and a meeting has been scheduled about the widening of a portion of Nine Mile Road.
10 Mile and Chemstrand Road
On Monday, September 20, intersection improvements will begin at 10 Mile and Chemstrand Road. There will be traffic delays due to intermittent lane closures. The process is expected to last until January.
Johnson Avenue
Beginning at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 21 until 6 a.m. on Wednesday, September 22, Johnson Avenue will be closed to through traffic between University Parkway and Davis Highway for road construction. Motorists are urged to use alternate routes.
Nine Mile Road Public Meeting
On Thursday, September 30, there will be a public meeting to discuss the widening of Nine Mile Road between Pine Forest Road and Highway 29 at Plainview Baptist Church, 1101 West Nine Mile Road beginning at 5:30 p.m. This is a joint project of Escambia County and the Florida Department of Transportation.
Featured Recipe: Crunchy Smokey Pork Chops
September 19, 2010
This weekend’s featured recipe from Janet Tharpe is Crunchy Smokey Pork Chops. Intense flavors and crispy, crunchy outside combine for one memorable bite after another.
To print today’s “Just a Pinch” recipe column, you can click the image below to load a printable pdf with a recipe card.
Gardening: Late Summer Leaf Spots
September 19, 2010
As the hot weather abates just a bit, gardeners find themselves back in the landscape only to find an outbreak of spots on their plants. Hot, humid and rainy weather are perfect conditions for the development of fungal diseases.
One of the most common leaf spot diseases seen in the landscape during late summer is Cercospora leaf spot. While it affects many different landscape plants, it is most commonly seen on hydrangeas. It affects smooth, panicle, oakleaf and bigleaf types of hydrangea. However, this year, there have been numerous occurrences on crape myrtles.
Symptoms
On bigleaf hydrangea, the spots are small, circular and have a purplish halo surrounding them. The centers of these spots eventually turns tan to light gray in color. In contrast, the leaf spots on oakleaf hydrangea appear angular in shape and are dark brown in color. Leaves that are severely affected often become a yellow-green color.
Initial symptoms on crape myrtles are the appearance of dark brown spots that develop first on the lower leaves and progress upward in the canopy from mid-summer through fall. Infected leaves develop a yellowish to orangey-red coloration because of the production of a toxin by the pathogen. These leaves then fall prematurely, particularly in highly susceptible varieties.
Numerous infectious spores are produced in the center of each fungal spot. These spores can be spread by wind, splashing water and can hitch a ride on pruning tools. Frequent late summer rain showers will not only greatly increase the rate of disease spread, but also intensify the level of leaf spotting and defoliation. Extended periods of drought will usually suppress disease development and spread.
Although this disease can be visually alarming, it is generally an aesthetic problem for homeowners because the disease rarely kills the plant. However, if this disease is severe, it can reduce the overall plant vigor by repeated defoliation.
Control strategies
There are some fungicides available to help manage Cercospora leaf spot, but for the homeowner, disease management with fungicides is often not warranted because symptoms usually occur so late in the season. This does not mean, however, that you should ignore the problem. Once this disease is found in a planting, yearly outbreaks are likely to occur.
The fungus easily survives on fallen leaves. Sanitation is perhaps the most important tool in disease management. Be sure to remove and destroy these leaves to help prevent future infections and disease outbreaks.
Another important cultural practice includes surface watering. Because moisture on the leaves allow disease spores to germinate, avoid getting the leaves wet with overhead irrigation. Also be sure to apply enough nitrogen to maintain a moderate growth rate. It is also helpful if your plants are not crowded. Good air circulation permits the leaves to dry quickly after a rain, which helps prevent leaf spot diseases.
However, the use of fungicides may be justified for high-value landscape plantings that develop severe cases of the disease each year. Products containing chlorothalonil, myclobutanil or thiophanate-methyl are recommended. For effective control of Cercospora leaf spot with a fungicide, begin applications when spotting of the leaves is first seen and continue applying that treatment as needed. Be sure to follow label directions!
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.
Fire Leaves Two Homeless
September 18, 2010
Two adults are homeless after a fire Saturday night at an Old Chemstrand Road mobile home park.
The single wide home was reported to be fully involved when the first firefighters arrived about 9:00 at the Pinecrest Mobile Home Park. There were no injuries reported.
The American Red Cross was called to assist the victims with temporary shelter. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The Cantonment, Molino, Beulah, Ensley and Bellview stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the blaze, along with Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Pictured top: This photo submitted by Ashley Cutaio shows a mobile home blaze on Chemstrand Road Saturday night. Pictured below: These photos show the aftermath of the fire. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Escambia Hires New Administrator
September 18, 2010
Charles “Randy” Oliver has been approved as the new Escambia County administrator.
The Escambia County Commissioner voted unanimously Friday to hire Oliver, who said he will be able to start work by November 1. His maximum salary will be $145,000.
Oliver most recently (2008-March 2010) served as city manager in Surprise, Arizona, a city of 118,000 citizens, 850 employees and an annual budget of $300 million. According to The Arizona Republic newspaper, he was fired on the spot on a 4-3 vote by the Surprise Town Council without giving any real reason. The four council members that voted to terminate Oliver issued the following statement:
When former City Manager Oliver was hired, his skills and personality aligned with the needs of the City at that time. Over the last two years, Surprise has undergone many dramatic changes and felt the economic downturn that has impacted communities nationwide. As the City has gone through these growing pains, the focus and direction of the City has changed as well. Mr. Oliver has provided adequate service during much of this time period, but our City needs to move in a different direction.
From 2003 to 2008, Oliver was city manager in Peoria, Illinois, a town of 120,000 residents, 850 employees and budget of $250 million. He resigned at a press conference without the Peoria mayor or city council, according to The Peoria Chronicle:
When asked why he’s leaving, he responded by saying, “I have other things I want to do.” When asked “what other things,” he said “consulting.” Later in the conference he elaborated, saying that he used to do consulting work and enjoyed it, but it required him to travel a lot. Since he had young children at the time, all the traveling wasn’t so good. Now that his kids are grown, his wife can travel with him when he does consulting work.
Oliver was the city manager in Greenville, South Carolina from 1999 to 2003 before resigning.
From 1996 to 1999 he worked to consolidate the City of Augusta, Georgia, and Richmond County. He resigned to accept the job in Greenville, South Carolina, “after years of bickering” according to The Augusta Chronicle.
Oliver served as assistant county manager and assistant for special projects in Polk County, Florida, from 1991 to 1996. He was fired from that position, according to The Augusta Chronicle:
“I was never asked to resign,” he said. “I was terminated from a technical point of view from Lee County…Frankly, probably, the majority of the board – I’m sure the majority of the board in Lee county – would like to have me back,” he said.
Ribbon Cutting For Century Lumber, New Jobs Delayed
September 18, 2010
It will be at least another four weeks before Century Lumber and Land, LLC cuts the ribbon on the old Alger-Sullivan building in Century and official announces new jobs.
The ribbon cutting had been tentatively set for September 18, but now that date has been delayed until October 16.
Century Lumber and Land, LLC plans to join Railmark Holdings and Milton Timber to announce a total of five ventures slated for Century.
The companies will, over a course of time, be in the business of:
- treating railroad crossties
- dry kiln treating domestic lumber for the building industry
- building and selling lumber kilns
- repairing freight railcars, railroad track and maintenance
- processing and marketing Paulownia trees as biomass fuel and wood products
Century Lumber and Land unofficially announced the ventures at a September 2 meeting of the Century Chamber of Commerce. Century Lumber and Land Manager Jim Craft (pictured) said at that meeting that the operations would eventually employee 300 to 500 people within a 36 to 42 month period.
For more information, read the story about the announcement from September 3 — click here.
Pictured: Century Lumber and Land Manager Jim Craft. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.