Red object near horizon and color-flickering star in northeast sky

[Cladson]

I live in a pretty well lighted neighborhood.Lately the entire neighborhoods power has been going out. It makes it completely black outside.I saw a red star or something very low to the horizon northeast in the sky?anyone know what that may be?I also saw a star that was flickering all sorts of colors. Ex Blue green and a redish tint?I viewed it with my telescope but that didn't help

 

[LURCH]

For identification of the red object, it would be very helpfull if you tell what time it was when you saw it (snd where you are). It could have been Mars (if you live in the south).

 

[Cladson]

Yes i live in the pan handle of flordia.It was west in the sky and close tot the horizon around 8:30-9:00p.m. To bad I didn't have my telescope with me.Also later that night the power went off again around 11:30-12:15 and I went outside it was completely pitch black and looking directly up, straight through the middle of the sky was a bright bluish band cloud looking thing with a lot of stars in it.Is this part of the milkyway?

 

[russ_watters]

At 9:00, in the wsw, Venus is 10 degrees above the horizon and Jupiter is slightly above and to the left of it. Venus is ~4x brighter than Jupiter.