Cable Cut Cause Phone Outage In Walnut Hill, Molino; Cellular Out Too
August 7, 2008
Several thousand Frontier Communications in the Walnut Hill and Molino telephone exchanges were without phone service for over an hour Wednesday afternoon following a cable cut in Davisville. An unknown number of cellular phone users in the area were also unable to make calls for a short period of time due to the cable cut.
The outage stemmed from a fiber optic cable cut near Highway 4 and Highway 97 in Davisville. The cable was being moved as part of a highway construction project and was accidentally cut, according to Karen Miller, a public relations specialist for Frontier Communications.
The telephone service in both the 327 and 587 exchanges went down about 12:40 Wednesday afternoon for 4,600 customers. Frontierustomers the exchanges could only call other Frontier customers within their local exchange. They were unable to call Atmore or Pensacola numbers. (Atmore numbers are local to the 327 exchange, and Pensacola numbers are local for both 327 and 587.) It was also not possible for customers in the area to reach long distance or toll free numbers. Emergency 911 service was also not available during the outage.
Customers calling the exchange were reporting fast busy signals and calls that did not complete.
DSL and other dialup internet connections also went down about 12:40, but DSL was once again available as of 1:50 p.m.
Problems were also reported making calls on Alltel wireless phones in the area.
Andrew Moreau, vice president of corporate communications for Alltel, told NorthEscambia.com that the cable cut did cause an outage for Alltel customers in the area. While the cable was a Frontier cable, Alltel uses Frontier to carry some calls from their towers in North Escambia to the telephone network.
Manhunt In Christian Home For Burglary Suspect Turns Up Empty
August 7, 2008
Escambia County deputies spent a couple of hours searching for a burglary suspect in the Christian Home community Wednesday evening after a woman came home to discover someone in her house.
A resident on Camp Road reported a juvenile male running out of her home as she arrived at her property in the 3200 block of Camp Road about 6:15 Wednesday night.
Deputies on the ground, along with the Sheriff’s helicopter and a K-9 team from Century Correctional Institute, searched an area around Camp Road and Pine Barren Road for almost two hours before calling off the search just before 8 p.m. The area is near the Christian Home Freewill Baptist Church on Pine Barren Road.
The suspect was described as a teenage white male dressed in a dark, possibly black shirt and khaki shorts.
Anyone with information on the suspect should call the Escambia Sheriff’s Department at 436-9630 or call 911 in the event of an emergency.
Click here for more NorthEscambia.com photos from the manhunt Wednesday evening.
Pictured above and below: Deputies and a K-9 unit from the Century Correction Institute search for a burglary suspect Wednesday evening along Pine Barren Road near Camp Road. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Major Phone Outage Reported In 327, 587 Exchanges; Service Restored
August 6, 2008
(Updated 2:40 p.m.) A major telephone outage was reported this afternoon in the Walnut Hill, Davisville, Bratt, Molino and other communities in the 327 and 587 telephone exchanges.
The outage stemmed from a fiber optic cable cut along Highway 4 in Davisville. The cable was being moved as part of a highway construction project and was accidently cut, according to Karen Miller, a public relations specialist for Frontier Communications.
The telephone service went down about 12:40 Wednesday afternoon. Customers the exchanges could only call other Fronter customers within their local exchange. They were unable to call Atmore or Pensacola numbers, which are also local to the exchange. It was also not possible for customers in the area to reach long distance or toll free numbers. Emergency 911 service was also not available.
Customers calling the exchange were reporting fast busy signals and calls that did not complete.
DSL and other dialup internet connections also went down about 12:40, but DSL was once again available as of 1:50 p.m.
Problems were also reported making calls on Alltel wireless phones, perhaps due to an overload of a local tower as people attempted to make calls on their wireless phones.
More details will be posted when they become available.
Fire Destroys Cottage Hill Trailer
August 6, 2008
Several North Escambia fire departments responded to a trailer fire early Wednesday morning near Cottage Hill.
The fire, which was reported about 1:20 a.m., destroyed the mobile home near Stacey Road and Highway 95A.
The exact cause of the fire is under investigation. The State Fire Marshal was called to the scene just after 3:00 a.m.
The Cantonment Volunteer Fire Department, Molino Volunteer Fire Department and Ensley Volunteer Fire Department responded. In addition, the Beulah Volunteer Fire Department was alerted to standby status.
First Dolly Imagination Library Books Arriving In North Escambia Mailboxes
August 6, 2008
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library arrived in North Escambia back in late June, with plans to provide a free book every month for every child under five years old.
Now, just over a month later, the books are set to start arriving the mailboxes of about 300 children around Escambia County. Roughly half, about 150 of them, are in the area in and around Century, according to Diane Hutcherson, executive director of the Early Learning Coalition of Escambia County. The coalition administers the program locally.
In 1996, Dolly launched a new effort to benefit the children of her home county in east Tennessee. Dolly wanted to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families. She wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create. And she wanted to insure that every child would have books, regardless of their family’s income.
She decided to mail a brand new, age appropriate book each month to every child under five in Sevier County, Tennesee. With the arrival of every child’s first book, the classic The Little Engine That Could, every child could now experience the joy of finding their very own book in their mailbox. These moments continue each month until the child turns five,and in their very last month in the program they receive Look Out Kindergarten Here I Come.
Now children under in Century and the surrounding North Escambia area can signup for the same program under the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. They will receive a new age appropriate book each month until they turn five…all at absolutely no cost. And, there are no income requirements for the program.
“Parents will not pay a dime for the program,” said Larry Kenny, special projects director for the Early Learning Coalition. “They will not be added to any kind of mailing list; their information is kept private and used only to mail the books free of charge to their homes.”
The coalition recently purchased the 12 books that would typically be sent to a two year old participating the program. “It was $225 for us to buy the books locally at retail,” Hutcherson said. “And any parent can get these books mailed to their home for their child for free.”
Century area parents were able to enroll their children in the program for the first time during a celebration the the Campfire USA Child Development Center back on June 28.
Parents can continue to enroll their children in the free program during regular business hours at Campfire USA on Industrial Boulevard, at the Century Pharmacy on Mayo Street, at New Life Baptist Church and at the Century Branch Library.
Funding for the program in the Century area is provided by the Teaspoon Foundation and Century Pharmacy.
“It’s exciting to me how well this has gone,” Jack Moran of Century pharmacy said. “This is going to go a long way toward improving school grades.”
Hutcherson said the group is looking for more funding to allow more children to receive the books. Right now, the program has been rolled out only in Century and at a few Pensacola locations due to limited funding. The cost per child, she said, is about $30 per year. For more information, contact the Early Learning Coalition of Escambia County at 595-5400.
Pictured above: Jared Bevan, 4, enjoys reading one of the books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at Campfire USA in Century on June 28. Pictured below: Some of the books from the program. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Your Mail: Sample Ballots Are Arriving
August 6, 2008
Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David H. Stafford announced Tuesday that a sample ballot for the August 26, 2008, Primary Election is being mailed this week to all Escambia County voters eligible to vote in the election.
The sample ballot includes an image of the ballot, the voter’s polling location, instructions on marking the ballot, and information on early voting, absentee voting, and voting at the polls on Election Day. A sample ballot is also available at www.EscambiaVotes.com.
In 34 of the 90 precincts in Escambia County, voters registered as No Party Affiliation (NPA) or in a minor party will have no races or contests to vote on. Only voters registered as Democrat or Republican will receive a ballot. NPA and 3rd party voters in these precincts will receive a letter of explanation rather than a sample ballot. Every registered voter in District 5 (North Escambia) should receive a sample ballot in the mail this week.
Escambia County voters have three choices as to how to cast their ballot:
BY MAIL: Voters may vote by mail via an absentee ballot by contacting the Elections Office by mail, phone (850-595-3900), e-mail (absentee@escambiavotes.com), fax (850-595-3914), or using the online form at www.EscambiaVotes.com. Absentee requests must include the voter’s date of birth and address, and must be received no later than Wednesday, August 20th. Voted ballots must be received in the Elections Office by seven p.m. on Election Day.
EARLY VOTING: Beginning Monday, August 11th, voters may cast their ballot early at any one of four area locations: Elections Office, 213 Palafox Place, 2nd Floor; Elections Office
Cantonment Annex, 292 Muscogee Road; Tryon Branch Library, 5740 North 9th Avenue; Southwest Branch Library, 12248 Gulf Beach Highway. Early voting dates and times are as follows:
• Monday, August 11 through Friday, August 15: 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
• Saturday, August 16: 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
• Sunday, August 17: 11:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
• Monday, August 18 through Saturday, August 23: 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
AT YOUR PRECINCT: The third option for voters is to cast their ballot at their precinct from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.
For a sample Democratic District 5 ballot, click here.
For a sample Republican District 5 ballot, click here.
For a sample nonpartisan District 5 ballot, click here.
State Intends To Deny Farm Bureau Insurance Rate Increase
August 6, 2008
The state plans to deny a recent double digit rate increase for Florida’s third largest property insurer.
Florida Farm Bureau asked the state for a rate increase that averaged about 28 percent. But Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty announced Tuesday that the Office of Insurance Regulation has issued a Notice of Intent to deny that increase.
Some Farm Bureau policyholders could have seen an increase of as much as 96 percent in Dade County.
“The Notice of Intent is based on a thorough review of the information provided by Farm Bureau in its recent rate filing and the testimony it provided at the July 30 public hearing,” said Deputy Commissioner Belinda Miller. “Farm Bureau failed to provide necessary support for the rate increase it requested.”
Farm Bureau now has 21 days, if they choose, to petition the Office for an administrative hearing. In the meantime, the company cannot implement the proposed rate increases. The 24.9 percent rate reduction that became effective in June 2007 remains in effect.
The decision to deny the rate increase followed a public hearing in which a panel of representatives from the Office questioned various aspects of the rate filing.
Farm Bureau, which has over 100,000 property policy holders in the state, said in needed the rate increase to be able to pay claims in the event of a major hurricane hitting their insured in the state.
The state’s second largest property insurer, State Farm, has asked for a 47 percent rate increase. A public hearing on that request will be held on August 12. State farm insures about one million Florida homes.
Want To Learn About The Escambia Sheriff’s Office? Attend Free Academy
August 6, 2008
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Department will hold a Citizen’s Law Enforcement Academy beginning next week, and North Escambia residents are encouraged to apply.
“We’d love to have you there,” coordinator Rhonda Ray from the Escambia Sheriff’s Department told the Century Town Council.
The 10 week academy will introduce attendees to various aspects of the sheriff’s department and its daily operations. People that attend the academy will learn about the patrol, detention, traffic, DUI enforcement, swat, air operations, investigations, crime scene, K-9, narcotics and other divisions of the county’s law enforcement branch. Students will also have a chance to tour the jail and dispatch center.
The academy will be held on Tuesdays from six until nine p.m. beginning August 12. There is no cost, and meals are included.
If you are interested in attending the academy, you can download an application by clicking here.
Pictured above: Rhonda Ray from the Escambia Sheriff’s Department explains the Citizen’s Law Enforcement Academy to the Century Town Council. NorthEscambia.com photo.
Church Looking For 100 Years Of History
August 6, 2008
A North Escambia church will celebrate 100 years in October, and they would like your help now to locate items related to church history.
The First Baptist Church of Bratt will celebrate its 100th anniversary in October. If you have any information on the history of the church or photos of past events at the church, please contact Howard Hanks at 327-6278.
Could North Escambia Become Part Of The City Of Pensacola?
August 5, 2008
The entire North Escambia county area, including the Town of Century, would join the rest of Escambia County and the City of Pensacola under one unified government if a new political organization gets its way. The new combined government would form the fourth largest city in Florida.
“What the unified government model does is take those and put them into one government,” Jason Crawford, co-chair of the group Escambia All For One, said of the existing governments of Escambia County, Century and Pensacola. “We are talking about creating a new government that represents the people of Escambia County.”
The group publicly unveiled its plan for the first time Monday night at a meeting of the Century Town Council. The All For One Plan would possibly do away with the town’s mayor, council and even the town itself.
“Would the municipality of Century still exist?” Council President Anne Brooks asked.
“There’s opportunity to look at how to do that,” Crawford (pictured left) responded. But, he pointed out, attempts to keep smaller cities within larger consolidations have failed in other locations around the country.
“Tonight we came to you not with answers, but with questions,” he said. “Would it be smart for the city of Century to be part of a consolidated government?”
The consolidated Escambia County or City of Pensacola government would benefit the citizens in the county with reduced costs from the consolidation of services and the reduction of service duplication. That, Crawford said, would reduce taxes.
And being the fourth largest city in Florida would have other benefits as well, according to All For One.
“It’s going to impact economic development,” Crawford said. “One thing we need to do is improve our voice. It (the consolidated government) is your voice to Tallahassee and the state. It’s your voice to Washington, D.C.”
Crawford said the 90 members of Escambia All For One are not “the downtown crowd”, and they are not a “chamber of commerce” group.
He invited the Town of Century to become involved in the group, perhaps appointing a committee and hold town hall meetings to discuss the process. The council will attempt to hold a workshop with representatives of Escambia All For One in the future.
The Escambia All For One “Vision 2020″ reads as follows:
We the citizens of Escambia County respectfully petition the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners, the city councils of the City of Pensacola and the City of Century, the Escambia County School Board, the elected constitutional officers of Escambia County, and any and all special districts and authorities to hear our plan and respond to our call for unified local government that is fair and just for all, efficient in the use of public resources, accountable and responsive to the general citizenry without regard to race, gender, creed, national origin, or social station.
Furthermore, we do humbly beseech you to establish a local government that is unified in mission, vision and values. We the people do not desire multiple masters located in the same geographic area, duplicating services and competing for the same precious resources.
To wit:
- We pray this new government will be a modern model of accountability and efficiency.
- This government should be dedicated to the elimination of poverty and committed to shielding citizens from the harsh realities of inadequate housing, homelessness, inadequate health care and hunger.
- We long for a strong government that is a solitary, unified voice in pursuit of jobs, economic opportunity and prosperity for all people.
- This government should be the lead supporter for the recruitment of new business and industry.
- This government should be the primary representative to business and industry re-locators, economic developers and the resident political powers in Washington and Tallahassee.
- This government should build upon the long-standing relationships that exist between the local community and the military.
- This government should provide quality public health and safety services, including fire prevention and suppression, law enforcement, sewage disposal and treatment, trash collection and clean potable water.
- This government should be the prime coordinator of community planning, including transportation, recreation and emergency planning.
- This government should respect natural assets, the waterfront, beaches, bays, bayous and rivers of the region.