Last Day Of Alabama Sales Tax Holiday
August 3, 2008
A three day sales tax holiday wraps up today in Alabama, but the savings won’t be as great in Escambia County, Alabama, as many other Alabama counties. And it will be even less in Atmore.
The sales tax holiday, which runs through tonight at midnight, exempts many back to school purchases like school supplies and clothing. The state’s holiday removes 4 percent in sales tax from exempt goods. But it does not remove county and city tax, unless that local county or city has agreed to participate.
Unlike most Alabama counties, Escambia County did not approved the tax holiday. A total of 55 of Alabama’s 67 counties are participating.
Atmore did not choose to participate in the sales tax holiday. A total of 189 cities in Alabama are participating.
The towns of Flomaton, Brewton and East Brewton will give their shoppers a break from city tax this weekend on exempt back to school purchases.
In general, the following items are exempt during the Alabama sales tax holiday this weekend:
- Clothing that is priced at $100 or less
- School supplies priced at $50 or less
- Books priced at $30 or less
- Textbooks priced at $30 or less
- Computers and computer equipment priced at $750 or less
For a more complete, click here for a pdf from the Alabama Department of Revenue.
ECUA District 5: Incumbent’s Money 10 To 1 Over Challenger
August 2, 2008
The race for the District 5 seat on the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority is has one candidate’s finances leading his challenger 10 to 1, but it is still an interesting race.
It is Barry Tweedie’s third attempt for the seat on the utilities board. He first ran for the position in 2000 when incumbent Larry Walker ran for the Escambia County Commission. He lost to Robert Tegenkamp.
In 2004, Tweedie ran again against Tegenkamp, but both men lost to Walker.
Now, in 2008, Tegenkamp is in the race for Pete Gindl’s District 5 place on the Escambia County School Board.Tweedie is once again facing Walker for the seat on the board that governs, as the name implies, utilities in Escambia County. South of 10 Mile Road, ECUA provides trash service. They also provide water and sewer service for those residents as well.
In North Escambia, ECUA is reponsible for the trash franchise with Allied Waste, a franchise agreement that expires in 2010…in the middle of the term for whichever man wins. Walker has tried several times during his tenure to give Allied the boot and end the franchise early.
Through July 18, the last required reporting period, Walker had raised $10,505. Tweedie’s total came in at just $1,100. Of that $1,100, $1,000 was a loan from Tweedie himself. The other $100 was a single campaign donation from one supporter.
It is worth noting that Walker did contribute to his own campaign as well, but it was just $520. The rest of his contributions have been from 50 supporters in amounts ranging from just $20 to the legal maximum of $500.
On July 18, Walker had a balance of $6,383.58 in his campaign account. He had spent $4,121.42 on his campaign, mostly for miscellanous promotional materials like signs, coffee mugs, and t-shirts.
Tweedie had spent $353 on his campaign as of July 18, giving him a $747 balance. His money went toward signs, printed handouts, and a ballfield banner.
Walker, who has served a total of four terms on the ECUA, will face Tweedie on primary election day, August 26.
Book Signing Held
August 2, 2008
A book signing was held Friday for the The Flomaton Centennial Scrapbook at the Escambia County Bank.
“It’s what its name implies: a scrapbook mixture of topics presented in pictures, text and old newspaper clippings,” said author Jerry Simmons.
Compiled by Simmons, the book has a history of Flomaton’s first 100 years and 346 plus pages with pictures. “But it’s not a history book,” he said. “It’s not a picture book.”
The book also contains information and pictures from South Flomaton on the Florida side. South Flomaton became Century in 1980.
“It depicts Flomaton as a tiny little settlement which grew because of the railroad. Due to the nature of its people and the people of the surrounding area it has lasted these 100 hundred years even though the importance of the railroad to its existence has diminished,” Simmons said.
The book can be purchased for $40 at the Escambia County Bank in Flomaton.
It can also be purchased through the Escambia County Historical Society with a portion of the sales price going toward the society’s scholarship fund. To order, call Simmons at (251) 765-2629 or (251)867-7332. Or, stop by the Thomas E. McMillan Museum at Jefferson Davis Community College in Brewton on Tuesdays or Thursdays from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.
PDF samples of the book may be found at http://www.escohis.org/flcent/flc_ent_preview.html
Pictured above: Members of the Centennial Book Committee at the Escambia County Bank Friday were (standing, L-R) Lunette Weaver Ptomey, Dot Weaver Ptomey, Beverly Simpson and Jerry Fisher. Seated is Jerry Simmons. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge. Pictured below: The Big “R” Drive-In located in South Flomaton (present day Century) in 1962.. It later became Garrett’s Drive-In, pictured bottom in 1970. Today, it is the Sandwich Deli in Century. Pictures from the Flomaton Centennial Scrapbook.
Reward Now Offered For Info On Jail Escapees
August 2, 2008
It’s been a week since two men escaped from the Santa Rosa County Jail. They are still on the run, and Crimestoppers is now offering cash for information that leads to their capture.
Santa Rosa Crimestoppers is offering a $2,500 reward for information that leads to the arrest of either man.
The first escapee is Ricky Dale Spears, 43. He was in the county jail on charges that included kidnapping and aggravated battery. The second is David Chappell Dixon, 20, whois was awaiting trial on armed robbery, aggravated battery and escape charges.
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Department launch a massive search last weekend after the two were discovered missing. Authorities say they escaped due to a design flaw in the jail that had a 12 inch by 12 inch opening that the two crawled through to the roof.
Anyone with information on the two can call Crimestoppers at (850) 437-STOP.
Pictured above: Santa Rosa Jail escapees David Dixon (left) and Ricky Spears. Submitted photos.
Minor Injuries In Gravel Truck, Van Accident
August 1, 2008
A wreck involving a van and gravel truck in Century left one person with minor injuries Friday morning.
The accident happened about 11:30 on North Century Boulevard just north of East Highway 4, in front of the Panhandle Restaurant.
One person in the van was treated for minor injuries.
The front of the tractor trailer rig struck the driver’s front corner of the van. The van remained across the northbound lanes of Highway 29, slowing traffic for about a half an hour. The truck driver pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant.
It was raining at the time of the accident; however, it was not immediately clear if the rain contributed to the cause of the accident.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Century Volunteer Fire Department, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department, Escambia County EMS and the FHP all responded to the accident.
Pictured above: NorthEscambia.com was there as the first fire truck arrived on scene. Pictured below (scroll down): Emergency personnel check the driver and passenger of the van. Picture bottom: The front of the truck that struck the van. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Lots Of Area People Have Money Waiting For Them; Local Governments Too
August 1, 2008
You may have money waiting for you and not even know it. Hundreds of North Escambia residents do, as do most area governments.
The Florida Department of Financial Services holds unclaimed accounts valued at more than $1 billion, mostly from dormant accounts in financial institutions, insurance and utility companies, securities and trust holdings. Unclaimed Property also includes tangible property such as jewelry, coins, currency, stamps, historical items and other miscellaneous articles from safe deposit boxes. But most of the time, it is good old American cash (well, really checks).
In spending just a few minutes searching the site, it is easy to see that hundreds of North Escambia residents are owed money. Money that they can claim simply by asking for it.
For some random examples, there are 40 people in the Century zip code with a last name beginning with “S’ that have money for the asking. Names like Smith, Stewart, and Stallworth. There are 13 people with last names that being with “M” in the Molino zip code with unclaimed money…people with last names like Miller, Milstead and Morgan. In the McDavid zip code, 21 people with last names that start with “B” have unclaimed funds. There are last names like Blanton, Burkett and Burgess on the list.
How do you find out if you have unclaimed money waiting for you in Florida? It’s a free and simple process. Visit www.fltreasurehunt.org and search for your name. Then you fill out a few simple forms to claim your money. The whole process is free; there are no fees involved.
If you are an Alabama resident, or believe you might have unclaimed property in Alabama, you can visit the Alabama State Treasurer’s website.
NorthEscambia.com also discovered that many local governments have funds owed to them that they have not claimed. The Town of Century, Escambia County, the Escambia Sheriff’s Department, the Walnut Hill and Century volunteer fire departments and even the Byrneville Community Center all have unclaimed property.
Here’s a partial list of government entities around the area with unclaimed property being held by the State of Florida:
- Town of Century, cash from Axa Saaxa Financial, Inc.
- Town of Century, cash in lieu of fraction share from Axa Saaxa Financial, Inc.
- Town of Century, unexchanged stock of successor from Axa Saaxa Financial, Inc.
- Town of Century, other certificates of stock from Axa Saaxa Financial, Inc.
- Escambia County, check from Ford Motor Credit Co.
- Escambia County, refund from American Family Life Assurance Co.
- Escambia County, miscellaneous checks from Ford Motor Credit Co.
- Escambia Sheriff’s Department, accounts payable from Hilton Hotels
- Escambia County Clerk, cashier’s check from Bank of New Orleans
- Escambia County Clerk, multiple expense checks from American General Finance
- Escambia County Tax Collector, accounts payable from ADT Security
- Escambia County, official checks from Regions Bank
- Escambia County Jail, refunds from Dept. Of Attorney General
- Escambia County, vendor checks from International City/County Mgmt. Association
- Escambia County One Stop, vendor check from T-Mobile
- Escambia County Road Bonds, bearer bond interest from State Board of Administration
- Escambia County Schools, amount due under policy from comptroller
- Escambia County Schools, multiple refunds from West Florida Regional Medical Center
- Escambia County Schools, accounts payable from Sacred Heart Hospital
- Escambia County Sheriff, warrants (checks) from the judicial administration
- Escambia County Sheriff, accounts payable from AT&T Wireless
- Escambia County Tax Collector, vendor checks from Wayne Dalton
- Escambia County Tax Collector, vendor checks from Ford Motor Credit
- Escambia County Tax Collector, accounts payable from Illinois Tools Works
- Escambia County Tax Collector, official checks from Barnett Bank
- Escambia County Tax Collector, cashier’s check from Whitney Bank of New Orleans
- Escambia County Tax Collector, vendor check from Escambia County Clerk of Court
- Escambia County Tax Collector, official checks from Suntrust Mortgage
- Escambia County Tax Collector, official checks from Cellco Partnership
- Escambia County Tax Collector, checks written off from Riechold Chemical
- Escambia County Tax Collector, cashier’s checks from Beach Community Bank
- Escambia County Utilities Authority, vendor checks from National Fire Protection
- Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department, refund from Continental Insurance
- Century Volunteer Fire Department, credit checks from Insurance Co. of North America
- Byrneville Community Center, checks from Escambia County Clerk of Circuit Court
Barrineau Park Music Night Is Tonight, Great Family Fun
August 1, 2008
Two groups will take to the stage for a night of family fun tonight at the Barrineau Park Community Center.
The first group to perform will be the Chestang Family Band (pictured above) from McIntosh, Alabama, playing gospel and bluegrass. With Elroy on the guitar, Tabitha on the bass and Spanky playing everything else, they will inspire everyone, especially when little Autumn comes on stage and belts out a tune or two, according the event organizers.
The second group will be “Down Home” from Robertsdale, Alabama. They play a variety of bluegrass, gospel and country tunes with excellent harmony and instrumentals. They were recently featured as the house band at the Atmore Fiddlers Convention.
Music Night at Barrineau Park is a family friendly event free and open to the public. Alcohol is not allowed, and there is no smoking in or near the building. The event is held in the building’s auditorium, which features a stage, soft chairs and a great sound system. Snacks and drinks will be available from the snack bar. The event begins at 7 p.m. tonight and will continue until after 9 p.m.
Pictured above: The Chestang Family Band will be one of two bands performing tonight at the Barrineau Park Community Center. Submitted photo.
Old Fashioned Political Rally Tonight In District 5
August 1, 2008
There will be an old fashioned political rally tonight at Tate High School.
Countywide, statewide and District 5 candidates will be on hand. The event begins at 5:30. At 6:00, candidates will speak for five minutes each.
Concessions will be available.
The event is sponsored by the Tate Band Boosters. All proceeds benefit the Tate High Showband of the South.