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It is another HOT day in the Florida Panhandle. High 90’s with very little breeze. Do you know the difference between heat stroke and heat exhaustion and what to do if you or someone you know experiences symptoms? During extremely hot and humid weather, your body’s ability to cool itself is challenged. When the body heats too rapidly to cool itself properly, or when too much fluid or salt is lost through dehydration or sweating, body temperature rises and you or someone you care about may experience a heat-related illness. It is important to know the symptoms of excessive heat exposure and the appropriate responses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides a list of warning signs and symptoms of heat illness, and recommended first aid steps. Some of these steps are listed below.

In Case of Heat Exhaustion:
Go to a cooler, air-conditioned place                                                                                                                                                                              Drink water if fully conscious
 Take a cool shower or use a cold compress

In Case of Heat Stroke:
 CALL 9-1-1
 Take immediate action to aid the person until help can arrive.

Did you know sea turtles have a season they are most active? May 1st to October 31st is the most active season for sea turtles. When you go to the beach please remember to leave only footprints, knock over your sandcastles, fill in any holes, and if you go at night no flashlights. Any time you see a sea turtle you should know they should never be touched.

A few interesting facts about sea turtles:
~They do not retract into their shell
~Green sea turtles are named for the color of their fat layer
~Female sea turtles return to the same beach to lay eggs using magnetic “clues”
~Baby green sea turtles are carnivores and transition to eating seaweed as they grow older
~The actual lifespan of green sea turtles is unknown
~The sex of turtles is determined by the temperature of sand, cooler the sand the more males

The oldest known sea turtle fossils date back about 150 million years, making them some of the oldest creatures on Earth. Just for some context, dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago. Green sea turtles can stay underwater for up to five hours, but their feeding dives usually only last five minutes or less. Sea turtles have glands that help to empty excess salt from their eyes, making it appear as though they’re crying, but not to worry, they’re just doing some spring cleaning. Have you ever seen a sea turtle?

 

Most counties in the panhandle have issued a burn ban. Please check with your individual county before you burn again. Jackson, Gulf, Bay, and Washington county have published the burn ban. Effective immediately all outdoor burning of yard trash, household paper products, bonfires, campfires, warming fires, outdoor fire places, chimneys, and cooking fires is prohibited unless: 1) authorized by the Florida Forest Service; 2) for cooking of food exclusively within a contained gas or charcoal grill.  The setting of fires to any grass, brush or forest covered land, unless authorized by the Florida Forest Service, shall constitute a violation of the law. Be safe!

 

 

There may be nothing about it that says “magic” or “witchcraft,” but a newly discovered snake species has still been named after a character from the Harry Potter series.

Scientists in India decided to call the green pit viper “Trimeresurus Salazar.” The name is an ode to Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft, which is where Potter and his pals mastered their wizardry skills. Slytherin is known, among other things, for his ability to talk to snakes.

The scientists’ findings have been published in the journal “Zoosystematics and Evolution.”

Callaway voters re-elected Pamn Henderson as mayor last Tuesday. Henderson has been the Mayor of Callaway since 2017, and serves on several boards within the county. This was the first time she ran against other candidates for the position, running against Carl Sauls and Chip Singleton.
Mayor Henderson was appointed three years ago when the former mayor stepped down. Henderson then officially won the seat in April 2018 after running unopposed. Henderson won the election on Tuesday with over half the votes.

During her two-year term, she served as the city’s leader during Hurricane Michael. Henderson says she’s still working to help the city recover from the storm including clearing debris, securing roughly $12 million in grant money for several projects, and bringing more housing to the area. Within the next couple of years they are going to have 2,100 new housing units: homes, townhomes and apartments. In her new term, she and the city will take on a new challenge: preventing the spread of COVID-19.

It is not to late to take the Census. It’s quick and easy. The 2020 Census questionnaire will take about 10 minutes to complete. It’s safe, secure, and confidential. Your information and privacy are protected. Your response helps to direct billions of dollars in federal funds to local communities for schools, roads, and other public services. Results from the 2020 Census will be used to determine the number of seats each state has in Congress and your political representation at all levels of government. You are required by law to respond to the 2020 Census. The goal of the census is to count every person living in the United States, once, only once and in the right place. Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution mandates that this population and housing count occur every 10 years. Census data guide how more than $675 billion of federal funding is distributed to states and communities each year. The 2020 Census questionnaire should be completed by the person who owns or rents the living quarters or any other person who is at least 15 years of age with knowledge of the household.

You should have received a census form(or several) in the mail. On that is your personal id number for the address which you lived in on April 1, 2020. You can fill out the paper form or click on this link to do it online.

https://my2020census.gov/

Laundry is a fact of life, and in addition to your effort, it requires resources to get all those clothes clean and dry. In electricity alone—to say nothing of water—Americans used 10 billion kilowatt-hours washing laundry at home last year, and 60 billion kilowatt-hours drying it. Did you know around 10% of a home’s total electricity use goes to washing and drying clothes? Over the past two decades, increasingly tough federal regulations have required manufacturers to make washers that use significantly less energy and water. Improvements in efficiency include increasing the tub’s spin speed to extract more water from laundry, which in turn cuts the time required by the dryer. Heat-pump dryers are the most energy-efficient option. A heat-pump dryer extracts heat from a room’s air and uses it to heat the air in the dryer. A conventional electric dryer relies on a heating element. Some dryers use both technologies and are known as hybrids. Energy Star says heat-pump dryers use 20 to 60 percent less energy than conventional dryers. But heat-pump dryers are expensive—and slow!

Here are some ways to help reduce your electricity when washing and drying laundry.

Washing Machines: ~ Opt for cold water when you can ~ Increase the spin speed ~ Use high efficiency (HE) detergent ~ Avoid the sanitary cycle Dryers: ~ Clean the lint screen ~ Clean the dryer duct regularly ~ Try line-drying ~ Use the automatic cycle instead of timed drying ~ Dry similar items together.

The National Corn Growers Association represents nearly 40,000 members, 50 affiliated state corn grower and checkoff organizations, and over 300,000 corn farmers who contribute to state checkoff programs.The National Corn Yield Contest began in 1965 with 20 entries from 3 states. At that time, the highest overall yield was 218.9 bushels per acre, while the national yield average was in the mid-60 bushel-per-acre range. The 2019 crop-year winners were recognized February 28th at the 2020 Commodity Classic, the premier convention and trade show of the U.S. corn, soybean, sorghum, wheat and equipment industries, held this year in San Antonio.

Christopher Dietrich of Graceville placed first in the state for his category in the recent National Corn Yield Contest based on 2019 yields. Farmers are encouraged through the contest to utilize new, efficient production techniques. The 2019 contest participation included 7,454 entries from 46 states.

Congrats Christopher Dietrich!