Supervisor of Elections Releases New Web Site
February 3, 2010
Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David H. Stafford has released an updated and expanded version of EscambiaVotes.com, the popular web site first launched in 2005 to expand the reach of the Elections Office by featuring a wide array of services and information online.
The redesigned and enhanced site builds on the success of the original by providing even more information to the public, while increasing functionality and ease of navigation. For example, the election results tool features new graphics and incorporates additional information, including precinct-by-precinct results for all elections since 2006. The home page includes the latest voter registration statistics in an easy-to-read format, while the navigation of the new site is much simpler and intuitive. And with the new online filing requirements enacted by the County Commission and City Council at the request of the Elections Office, campaign finance information will be available to the public in real time.
In conjunction with the rollout of the new site, the Escambia County Elections Office is entering the world of “social media” with launch of a fan page on Facebook, a Twitter account, and a YouTube page where video content will be posted. Links to each of these can be found on the homepage of EscambiaVotes.com. An RSS feed is also available for those interested in receiving new information as soon as it is posted, and Google Maps are incorporated to pinpoint the location of the Elections Office, early voting sites, and polling places.
“As I said five years ago when we launched our first site, the Internet is the primary source of information and news for a large and growing segment of America, particularly younger generations whose participation in elections lags far behind older voters,‟” said Stafford. “We now know that the Internethas expanded far beyond what many thought possible, and we have a responsibility to the public to keep pace.”
Click here to visit EscambiaVotes.com
18-Wheeler Versus Pickup Crash On Highway 29
February 3, 2010
There were no injuries in a Tuesday night crash between a semi-truck and a pickup on Highway 29 just north of Barrineau Park Road.
The Florida Highway Patrol says Leslie D. Arnette, 56, of Cantonment was northbound in the inside lane of Highway 29 about 7 p.m. when he attempted to turn his Ford F350 pickup and a trailer across the outside lane of traffic and into a driveway. When Arnette turned across the outside lane, his truck was struck on the passenger side by an unloaded 18-wheel log truck driven by Mark T. Lukker, 52, of Century.
Neither driver was injured.
The accident slowed northbound traffic for a couple of hours.
The Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the call. The accident is still under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Pictured top and inset: There were no injuries in this 18-wheeler versus pickup crash Tuesday night in Molino. Pictured below: The view from inside the pickup. Pictured bottom: The pickup truck after the 18-wheeler was removed. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Stove Fire Reported In Century
February 2, 2010
Fire units from across the area responded to a reported stove fire in Century about 9 p.m. Tuesday.
The caller reported smoke and flames from their stove in the 100 block of West Highway 4. There was no major damage and no injuries reported.
The Century, Flomaton, and McDavid fire departments responded to the call.
Cantonment Church Helping Haiti One Bucket At A Time
February 2, 2010
A Cantonment church is spearheading a countywide project that will provide hope to the families of Haiti, one white 5-gallon bucket of food at a time.
It’s called “Buckets of Hope”, a program of the Florida Baptist Convention’s Florida Disaster Relief program. The concept is simple — fill a clean 5-gallon bucket with beans, rice, sugar, flour, cooking oil and other essentials. It’s enough to feed a family of four for about a week, plus they have the bucket to reuse to haul water, store food items or even move rubble in the earthquake stricken land.
For less than $30, the bucket and food items can be purchased, according to Drayton Smith, associate pastor at the First Baptist Church of Cantonment.
“This is something anyone can do and know they are helping a family in Haiti,” Smith said. He hopes that other churches, schools, business and community groups will become involved in the bucket program.
You don’t have to be a Christian to be involved in this,” said Ronnie Gilmore, a First Baptist Church member. “You just have to have a caring heart.”
Florida Baptists are committed to helping Haiti in both the short and long term, Smith said, with help provided in over 800 locations across the country.
As Region 1 chaplain coordinator for Florida Disaster Relief, Smith learned of the program at a training session recently in Orlando. When he learned of the Buckets of Hope program, he knew he was ready to become involved.
“The Bible tells us to do that and help others,” he said. “We have a passion for the world, and we love people. We just want to share the love.”
The filled Buckets of Hope must be returned to the First Baptist Church of Cantonment by March 15. They are also being collected at Gilmore Services at 31 East Fairfield Drive in Pensacola.
Smith said financial donations, or donations of any of the bucket items, can also be given in lieu of a full bucket. He said 100 percent of material and financial donations go straight to Haiti; none of the money is use for administration or other fees. Florida Disaster Relief does ask that persons donating buckets also donate $10, if possible, to offset the cost of shipping the bucket to Haiti.
Every bucket must be exactly alike with a specific list of items inside. Detailed instructions must be followed exactly to ensure that every bucket quickly passes through customs and into the hands of the Haitian people.
For a complete list of food items and instructions on how to pack the bucket, click here (pdf).
Pictured top: First Baptist Church of Cantonment Associate Pastor Drayton Smith explains the Buckets of Hope program Tuesday morning. Pictured inset: Church members Barbara Reynolds explains how to pack a Bucket of Hope. Pictured below: The bucket and food items can be purchased for less than $30. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Man Charged With Cutting Outside Davisville Bar
February 2, 2010
An Atmore man has been charged with a weekend cutting outside of a Davisville bar.
Joshua Wayne Stuckey, 33 of Highway 31, Atmore was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after the incident about 12:30 Sunday morning outside of the Grey Goose on Highway 97 just south of the Alabama state line.
Escambia County (Fla.) deputies were dispatched at 12:48 Sunday morning to Atmore Community Hospital in reference to a stabbing. The victim, a 34-year old male, told deputies that he and his wife decided to go to the Grey Goose after leaving the casino. Inside the bar, the victim saw his ex-girlfriend and her husband, Joshua Wayne Stuckey, and he told deputies he spoke to her.
After going outside the bar with friends, the victim said Stuckey came up behind him and cut him in the lower abdomen with a 6-inch long knife. The two got into a short fight, according to the arrest report. Then the victim’s wife drove him to the Atmore hospital for treatment. According the ESCO report on the incident, the victim suffered a 9-centimeter long and 4-centimeter deep cut to his abdomen, but there were no injuries to his major organs.
Stuckey met with Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy James Gilman at the Century precinct, where he said the victim had poked his wife with a finger while inside the bar. When he left the bar, Stuckey said the victim came up behind him and hit him in the head. Stuckey said he then hit the victim with his fist and kicked him in the stomach with his boot. But he said that at no point did he pull a knife. Stuckey’s wife corroborated his story.
While at the sheriff’s precinct, Stuckey admitted that he had a pocket knife, which Deputy Gilman described as being about 6-inches long. Gilman also observed what appeared to be dried blood on Stuckey’s pants. Gilman wrote in his report that Stuckey had no obvious injuries from being punched as he reported.
Stuckey was arrested and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and booked into the Escambia Count Jail. He was released on $10,000 bond.
Century Seeks To Repave Every Street
February 2, 2010
The Town of Century has decided to look for a way to pave all of the town’s 6.7 miles of streets, including a possible arrangement with Escambia County.
During January, the Century council decided that each member would submit a list of roads and bridges that they believe need attention. That list will be combined with a list already maintained by the mayor to create a master list of bad roads, and when dollars become available for road and bridge projects, the council will refer to their master priority list to begin work.
But now the council has decided to determine what it would cost to resurface ever street in town.
“There’s not going to be enough money in Tallahassee to do them all,” Century Mayor Freddie McCall said. But once there is a bottom line estimate, the council will know what funds they will need to seek.
The council authorized the mayor to determine if the town council could pay Escambia County to pave the town’s streets, a possibility that McCall said Joy Blackmon, the county’s engineer, thought work.
In the meantime, the council will complete their priority list of roads to pave first if funds are limited.
Some potential priority streets mentioned at Monday night’s meeting of the Century Town Council were: Hecker, Academy, Front, Jefferson Street, Jefferson Circle, Zion, Blackmon, Freedom, Maplewood and Woods.
Tell State Rep. Murzin What You Think
February 2, 2010
Rep. Dave Murzin has released his 2010 Citizen’s Interest Survey. Every year since being elected, Murzin has used a Citizens’ Survey as a tool to receive feedback from constituents about various issues that may come before the Legislature during the legislative session.
“Each year, I look forward to hearing from my constituents via this survey. I take the survey results seriously, and I keep the feedback in mind as I conduct legislative business both at home and in Tallahassee,” he said.
“You do not have to live in my district to fill out the survey. The more feedback from area residents I get, the better I can represent them in Tallahassee. I would encourage all of your readers to participate,” Murzin told NorthEscambia.com.
An electronic version of the survey is available at www.flhouse.us/Districts/D002 All concerned citizens are encouraged to participate in the online survey. Results will be posted on the survey website.
Surveys should be completed by February 28.
Library Supporters Want You To Sign Petition For Molino Library By Today
February 2, 2010
Supporters of a new library in Molino have gathered several pages of petition signatures, and they are asking Molino and Cantonment area residents to sign the petition by today.
Petitions in support of the library are available through today at Scott’s Pharmacy and Fran’s Diner in Molino, and Sharon’s Diner and Grandview Florist in Cantonment.
Last year, Escambia County purchased the old Molino School on Highway 95A for $400,000 for a library, community center and perhaps a museum. The county has budgeted funds toward the renovations, but additional funding from the state is needed to complete the library.
In 2007, the county applied for a $500,000 state library construction grant. That 2007 application was ranked number two for funding among 23 applicants; but, the Florida Legislature did not fund any applicants. The county has already committed $510,408 in matching local option sales tax funds toward the $1,010,408 total library cost. The same application was again re-submitted in 2008 and ranked number three, but due to funding constraints, the Legislature did not fund any projects. The county has submitted the grant request a third time.
“This $500,000 is vitally important for the construction of the library and the furnishings inside,” Gene Fischer, director of the West Florida Library wrote in an email sent to library supporters. Fisher asked in the email that supporters contact members of the legislative delegation and encourage them to approve the funding this year.
Escambia County currently does not have a library between the Tryon Library, located on Langley Avenue a short distance from Sacred Heart Hospital, and the Century Branch Library — a distance of about 40 miles. Fischer said that library supporters have tried for 12 years to locate a library in the middle portion of the county.
“This is an opportunity to fulfill that need,” he wrote. “Please let the legislators know that this construction is not only to support formal and informal education, but it is also an economic stimulus to the ailing state construction industry.”
The grant, if awarded by the legislature, would require the county to use the facility as a library in Molino for a minimum of 20 years.
Man Says Someone Shot At His House, Truck; Deputies Say He Made It Up
February 2, 2010
A Cantonment man that told a local television station that someone had been shooting at his home has been arrested after deputies say he made it all up.
John Horace Bryant, 33, told WEAR 3 in a report aired Saturday that someone had shot at his Sundance Lane home or his truck on at least eight different occasions in the past couple of months. In the televised report, Bryant even showed the reporter the bullet holes in his truck.
But now Bryant is behind bars because deputies think he made it all up in an attempt to frame someone else.
Bryant is being held in the Escambia County jail without bond, charged with aggravated stalking and obstruction of justice.
Aiken Named Escambia Chief Deputy
February 2, 2010
Larry Aiken has been named the new chief deputy for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Aiken has 32-years of law enforcement background, 28 of which have been at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Most recently he served as Commander of Administration under Sheriff David Morgan.
Previously he served as captain, assistant officer in charge of the Patrol Division. He has also been officer in charge of the Ensley Precinct, officer in charge of Special Operations and officer in charge of Special Investigations and assistant officer in charge of the Narcotics Unit. He also served as OIC of Internal Affairs and worked in Patrol as a shift lieutenant, K9 officer and patrol officer.
As chief deputy, Aiken is in charge of the daily operations of the department as second in command under Sheriff Morgan.
Aiken replaces Bill Chavers who was reassigned to the officer in charge of Traffic, DUI and Neighborhood Task Force. Chavers had been promoted from a patrol division lieutenant to chief deputy after Morgan took office in January 2009.
Pictured above: New Escambia Chief Deputy Larry Aiken at work Monday afternoon. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.