It’s Easy To Recycle Your Wrapping Paper, Boxes In North Escambia
December 25, 2009
You can “go green” with those piles of Christmas wrapping paper and boxes by recycling them at one of several drop-off locations around North Escambia or in your weekly ECUA pickup.
Christmas wrapping paper, along with other household paper, plastics, steel and aluminum can be recycled at the drop-off collection containers or can be placed in your recycling container on your normal ECUA pickup day.
In North Escambia, those containers are located at the Century Courthouse, the Oak Grove Citizen’s Convenience Center on North Highway 99, and behind the Molino Volunteer Fire Department.
To learn more about recycling in Escambia County visit www.escambiarecycles.com.
Merry Christmas! The Story Of The Greatest Gift Of All
December 25, 2009
It’s the greatest story we have ever reported here on NorthEscambia.com, and it is the greatest story that we will ever report. It’s a story that happened over 2,000 years ago today, but it is also a story that impacts each of our lives each and every day here in North Escambia.
Our lead story today is one that was first delivered by an angelic choir. It was the news that changed the world…a Savior had been born in a little town called Bethlehem. It was a humble scene. A little baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
It was the world’s first ever Christmas gift on that very first Christmas morning, the gift of a Savior so that we might all have eternal life.
It’s good news for all of us on this Christmas. Good news that Emmanuel, the Lord Jesus, was born. It’s story that was reported by Luke in the New Testament. It’s reprinted below for you to read, and for you to share the Good News with someone you care about this Christmas.
From our NorthEscambia.com family to you and yours, Merry Christmas!
- And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
- (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
- And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
- And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
- To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
- And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
- And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
- And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
- And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
- And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
- For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
- And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
- And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
- Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
- And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
- And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
- And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
- And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
- But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
- And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Rescued From River Flood Waters: Logjam’s New Home For Christmas
December 25, 2009
Rescued from the flood waters of the Escambia River, a little dog dubbed Logjam has a new home, and a new name, for Christmas.
Our Christmas tale of Logjam begins with Carl Godwin, Jr. About a month ago, Carl, Jr. heard his parents, Carl and Sylvia Godwin of Century, talking about the little dog down by the river at Fischer Landing, just up the Escambia River from the Highway 4 Bridge.
“He has such a big heart where animals are concerned,” Sylvia said of her son, explaining that his passion for animals led him to build a small tepee type house for the little dog to have some shelter from the winter’s cold and rain.
“We tried our best to get her so we could make sure she was taken care of, but could never get her to come to us,” Sylvia said. The little dog spent her days down by the river, returning to the handmade tepee house for food that the Godwins and others would leave.
All seemed well for the little dog in our story — until December’s flash floods. Her house was high and dry from the flood waters, up on the roadway that was once the approach to the old Highway 4 bridge. But the story of our little canine took a drastic turn thanks to nature’s fury.
The night of December 14, it rained. And rained, and rained. The river was rising quickly.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conversation Commission Officers Steve Hoomes and Gary Ridaught were patrolling near the Escambia River at Fisher Landing in Century. The officers heard barking from the river and investigated. They located the source of the barking under the Highway 4 Bridge where a large number of logs had created a log jam. A small dog had somehow become stranded on the logs piled against the bridge pilings.
With the recent rains, the river was extremely swollen and the current was swift. There was no way the dog could swim the distance to shore. The officers sought the assistance of a citizen who arrived at the boat ramp with a small boat. They maneuvered the boat to the log jam and “rescued the very wet, but grateful dog”. The dog was taken to the Escambia County Animal Shelter, where shelter employees named her “Logjam”.
But Logjam was not destined to spend her Christmas in the doggie pound, thanks to the Christmas wish of Heather Hodges of west Pensacola. Heather’s Christmas wish was — you guessed it — a dog.
Gina Hodges said her husband Bob and son Bobby went to the Escambia County Humane Society on Saturday, December 19, looking for that perfect Christmas pooch.
“They immediately fell for Logjam,” Gina said. “The workers told them her story and they were hooked! We picked her up the next day after she had been spayed and she fit so well with our other dog and family.”
“Of course I didn’t like the name ‘Logjam’ – too much of a name for such a tiny creature, so we changed it to Lulu,” Gina said.
The Hodges family knew the story of Logjam — now called Lulu — and they discovered she was a little famous after a December 21 story on NorthEscambia.com. That’s where our tale, already full of coincidences, become a little more, well, coincidental.
“When I shared the story from the website with my husband, he knew both (Fish and Wildlife) officers involved from when he was a Reserve Game Officer many years ago!” Gina said. “Such a small world.”
“My heart breaks to think of the trials she’s endured in her short life (they say she’s about one), but I’m so glad we found each other,” Gina said.
Like all good Christmas stories, this one has a happy ending on this Christmas, as Lulu enjoyed her first Christmas morning with her new family — high and dry, a long way from the unpredictable waters — and the log jams — of the Escambia River.
Pictured top: Lulu — the dog briefly known as Logjam after being rescued from the flooded Escambia River — at her new home with Snickers. Pictured top inset: The tepee like house that Carl Godwin, Jr. built for the Lulu when she lived near Fischer Landing in Century. Pictured middle inset: A log jam against the Highway 4 bridge over the Escambia River. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Christmas Recipes: Rice Krispie Treats, Oatmeal Cookies, Hot Chocolate
December 25, 2009
We are continuing our Christmas recipe series today with some family time favorites.
Today’s recipes include Traditional Oatmeal Cookies and Rice Krispie Treats — perfect recipes for the family to make together. And what would Christmas be without Hot Chocolate? Our quick and easy recipe can easily be increased to make enough for everyone, plus it’s easy to include some extra cocoa powder for a deeper, darker treat.
To submit your recipes to share with our readers, email them to news@northescambia.com.
Traditional Oatmeal Cookies
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
- 3 cups of Quaker Oats (Quick)
- 1 cup raisins (optional)
Preheat oven to 350° F. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla extract; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Slowly stir in oats. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto an ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute on sheet, remove to wire rack.
Rice Krispie Treats
- 1/4 cup butter
1 (10 oz., about 40) pkg. regular marshmallows or 3 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal
In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows and continue to stir until the marshmallows have completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in the Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal coating them well with the melted marshmallow mixture. Using a buttered or silicone spatula, press the mixture evenly into a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan which has been buttered or sprayed with non-stick spray or lined with wax paper. Cut into squares when the mixture cools. Makes 24 squares.
MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS:
Microwave butter with marshmallows on high setting for 2 minutes in a microwave safe mixing bowl. Stir together when melted. Microwave again on high for 1 additional minute. Stir in cereal, mixing until well coated. Press into pan as above.
Hot Chocolate
- 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. water
1 c. milk
a bit of vanilla, if desired
Combine cocoa, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Heat it on low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the paste from sticking to the pan. After about 1 to 2 minutes, add milk and vanilla. Mix it all together until it reaches your preferred temperature.
Escambia Robbery Suspect Tased After High Speed Chase Into Alabama
December 25, 2009
A high speed chase from Escambia County ended in Baldwin County, Alabama, with a robbery suspect being tased, damaged sheriff’s office vehicles and flattened tires on several the vehicles of several private citizens.
Jennifer Nicole McCullough, 35, of Country Ostrich Drive, Pensacola is being held in the Baldwin County Jail, charged with resisting arrest, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and three counts of reckless endangerment.
The incident began hours before when a woman matching McCullough’s description demanded money from an employee at Repeats Consignment shop on Nine Mile Road near Highway 29. The suspect acted as if she had a gun in her pocket, according to deputies, but the employee refused to give her any money.
A woman matching her description failed to pay for gasoline at a Tom Thumb convenience store at the intersection of Scenic Highway and North Davis Highway Wednesday night. Deputies spotted McCullough near Davis Highway and gave chase on Highway 90 into Santa Rosa County. She turned around near Woodbine Road near Pace and returned to Escambia County where she got onto I-10.
Deputies from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Department and a K-9 officer from the Pensacola Police Department chased McCullough west on I-10 through Pensacola and into Baldwin County, Alabama, reportedly reaching speeds over 90 mph. Most Escambia County deputies dropped out of the chase before crossing in Alabama, but several deputies and the PPD K-9 officer continued across the state line. In Alabama, deputies from the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Loxley Police Department joined in the efforts to stop McCullough.
Baldwin County authorities deployed spike strips across I-10 near the 48 mile marker, about four miles east of Loxley. The front tires on McCullough’s car were flattened by the spike strips. Authorities said the rope used to remove the spike strips from the highway was damaged, and tires were flattened on vehicles belonging to several other private citizens.
Even with her tires flattened, McCullough continued her attempt to elude authorities, driving on the vehicle’s rims about five miles to the 43 mile marker west of Loxley. According to Baldwin County authorities, deputies were forced to tase McCullough in order to take her into custody just after 11 p.m.
Once she is extradited back to Florida, Escambia authorities are expected to charge McCullough with felony fleeing and eluding, aggravated assault by motor vehicle, robbery and petty theft, according to Baldwin officials.
Court records in Escambia County show that warrants were issued for McCullough earlier Wednesday for failure to appear in court on charges of leaving the scene of accident and resisting arrest with violence.
Christmas Eve Fire Damages Trailer
December 25, 2009
A Christmas Eve fire added the ninth red bulb in the Escambia County Fire-Rescue “Keep the Wreath Green” holiday fire safety campaign.
At 5:50 p.m. Thursday, a fire was reported in the 7700 block of North Palafox Street. When firefighters arrived on scene, they found a fire in the kitchen of a mobile home. The fire, declared under control at 6:10 p.m. caused moderate damage to the kitchen and smoke damage throughout the rest of the home.
While there were two smoke alarms in the home, neither was functional. There was no one home at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was determined to have been from a pan of grease that was left unattended on the stove. Firefighters from Ensley, Brent, Ferry Pass, Bellview and Osceola responded to the scene.
Escambia County Fire-Rescue and the City of Pensacola Fire Department will continue the “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign throughout the holiday season. This year, the fifth year of the campaign, five-foot wreaths will be on display at 22 different locations throughout the holiday season. These sites are the Old Escambia County Courthouse on Palafox Place, the Public Safety Building on W Street, all 18 primary county fire stations, and two fire stations within the City of Pensacola. Every time firefighters respond to a residential fire, a green light bulb will be replaced with a red one to remind citizens of the dangers posed by holiday decorations.
All nine red bulbs lit so far have been for fires south of Nine Mile Road. No serious residential fires have been reported in North Escambia this December.
Escambia County Fire Rescue offers the following a few safety tips involving cooking:
- The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking.
- Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
- If you are simmering, baking, roasting, or boiling food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you’re cooking.
- Stay alert! To prevent cooking fires, you have to be alert. You won’t be if you are sleepy, have been drinking alcohol, or have taken medicine that makes you drowsy.
- Keep anything that can catch fire – potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging, towels, or curtains – away from your stovetop.
- Keep the stovetop, burners, and oven clean.
- Keep pets off cooking surfaces and nearby countertops to prevent them from knocking things onto the burner.
- Wear short, close-fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking. Loose clothing can dangle onto stove burners and catch fire if it comes into contact with a gas flame or electric burner.
NorthEscambia.com Tracks Santa’s Trip
December 24, 2009
On Christmas Eve, NorthEscambia.com teamed up with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to track the progress of Santa Claus around the world.
The map below shows Santa’s trip around the world as provided by NORAD.
Click the Santa on the map for a photo or video. Click any video symbol to watch a video from that location, or click any present for a photo or video.
For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s Christmas Eve flight.
The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement for children to call Santa misprinted the telephone number. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief’s operations “hotline.” The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.
In 1958, the governments of Canada and the United States created a bi-national air defense command for North America called the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD, which then took on the tradition of tracking Santa.
Since that time, NORAD men, women, family and friends have selflessly volunteered their time to personally respond to Christmas Eve phone calls and emails from children. In addition, we now track Santa using the internet. Last year, millions of people who wanted to know Santa’s whereabouts visited the NORAD Tracks Santa website.
For more, visit www.noradsanta.org
Tate Band Makes Appearance On National TV
December 24, 2009
The Tate High School’s Show Band of the South appeared on national television this morning on ABC.
The Tate Band was the only high school band in the country invited to perform in the annual parade that aired earlier this morning on WEAR.
The 155 members of the Tate Band traveled to Orlando the first weekend of December for the parade that was filmed December 6 in Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park for the Christmas morning showing. The band was also invited to participate in opening scenes for the parade.
The band performed a medley of Christmas favorites, including “Holly Jolly Christmas,” “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” and “Jingle Bells.”
Several of the band members and parents had the opportunity to be “extras” in the audience as the Jonas Brothers performed.
Each year, Disney invites bands to apply for the chance to appear in the nationally televised parade. Tate Band Director Joe Hooten submitted an application back in January based upon the band’s 37 years of superior rates, their 2008 appearance in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland as well as video footage and pictures from local events.
Pictured top: The Tate High School Show Band of the South performs in the Disney Christmas Parade on December 6. The parade will air on national television Christmas morning. Pictured inset: Tate band member Nick Kelly (gray shirt) reaches toward Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Did Consolidation Committee Members Violate Sunshine Law?
December 24, 2009
A Pensacola blog is reporting that emails between members of the Escambia County Consolidation Study Commission may have violated Florida’s Sunshine Law.
ProgressivePensacola.com, a blog that typically focuses on Pensacola city issues, reports “The emails, between Commission members Ken Bell, Janet Lander, and Ed Fleming — all members of an ECCSC committee charged with drafting a charter for a consolidated city-county government — show extensive discussion of consolidation issues which have yet to be voted on by either the draft committee or the full commission.”
The blog’s owner, Dereck Cosson continues “It’s unlikely that the three members of the drafting subcommittee could argue ignorance — all three are lawyers”. In several of the emails, the three discuss the need to wait for a public meeting to continue their partial discussions.
An email from Bell to Lander and Fleming even discusses if Century should be included in the consolidation proposal. “Do we want to recommend that the consolidated government include the Town of Century?” Bell wrote on December 15.
The blog reports that in a December 5 email, Bell emailed a copy of the draft charter document to Fleming and Lander, noting “that he’d made ‘corrections’ and ‘notes’ in order to ‘assist in the deliberations at our next Draft Committee meeting.’ Justice Bell then went on to list several issues he planned to raise at the meeting.”
To read the ProgressivePensacola.com article, click here.
Pictured: Consolidation Committee members (L-R) Janet Lander, Ed Fleming and Ken Bell.
Christmas Recipes: Apples, Sweet Potatoes And A Quick Breakfast Brunch
December 24, 2009
We are continuing our Christmas recipe series today with a couple of desserts and a quick breakfast.
Today’s recipes feature an Apple Caramel Pudding and a Sweet Tater Cheesecake. We also have a Farmer’s Omelet Casserole that’s easy to cook and would provide a hearty Christmas morning breakfast or brunch for everyone.
To submit your recipes to share with our readers, email them to news@northescambia.com.
Farmer’s Omelet Casserole
by Terri Brown
- 3 cups frozen cubed hash brown potatoes
- 1 cup chopped green pepper, divided
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 18 large eggs, beaten
- 2 1/3 cups chopped cooked ham
- 1 1/4 cups chopped tomato, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (coarse grind is best)
- 1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Cook potato, 3/4 cup green pepper and onion in oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, stirring constantly, 8 min. or until tender. Cool potatoes if preparing the night before. Combine potato mixture, eggs, ham, 1 cup tomato, salt and black pepper in a large bowl; stir well. Pour mixture into a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered at 325 for 40 minutes or until golden. Top with remaining 1/4 cup green pepper and 1/4 cup tomato. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake 5 more minutes until cheese melts.
Apple Caramel Pudding
by Janet Smith
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups chopped peeled apples
Combine first five ingredients; then add apples and milk. Blend thoroughly and pour into 8″ square pan.
Combine:
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3/4 cup boiling water
Mix sugar, boiling water and butter and pour over the batter already in pan. Bake
at 375 degree oven for 45 minutes. Seeve warm with ice cream or whipped cream. Very simple but rich dessert. Serves 4 to 6
Sweet Tater Cheesecake
- 4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 cup whipping cream (cool whip will work if no cream handy)
- 1 1/2 cups sweet potatoes, mashed (NOT CANNED)
.
Graham Cracker-Pecan Crust
- 2 cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
- Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 425°.
Crust:
Combine crust ingredients thoroughly; press into a 10-inch springform pan.
Beat cream cheese, sugar, and eggs until smooth; beat in flour, cinnamon, and ginger. Beat cream and well-mashed sweet potatoes in on medium speed of a hand held mixer just until well-combined. Pour the batter into the prepared crust. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes; lower heat to 275° and bake 1 hour longer. Turn heat off and leave in the oven to cool for several hours, or cool on a wire rack. Serve with sweetened whipped cream or caramel sauce.