MLK Holiday Closures
January 17, 2011
The following will be closed today:
- Century, Jay, Pensacola, Atmore, Flomaton and Brewon offices.
- Escambia and Santa Rosa county offices in Florida; Escambia County, Alabama offices.
- Florida state offices.
- Escambia and Santa Rosa county schools in Florida; Escambia County, Alabama schools.
- The West Florida Library System and the Santa Rosa County Library System.
- University of West Florida, Pensacola State College.
- ECAT will not offer any bus service.
- ECUA offices.
- U.S. Postal Service retail windows closed, no mail delivery except Express Mail.
Trash Collection
No change for ECUA customers.
Area To Honor Dr. King
January 17, 2011
Parades and special events will honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. across the area today.
Century:
The Century-Flomaton Improvement Association will honor Dr. King with a motorcade in Century Monday morning. The parade will line up at the old Carver School on Pond Street at 8:30 a.m. The motorcade will roll at 9:00 and will end at the Ag Building on West Highway 4 by about 10:00. A program and celebration will follow in the Ag Building at 10:00 with a special speaker.
Flomaton:
The Flomaton Martin Luther King walk will take place at 9 a.m. on Martin Luther King Drive. A program will follow at Damascus Baptist Church with special speaker Mona Simmon.
Atmore:
Parade line up 9 a.m. begins 10 a.m. at Houston Avery Park, follows Martin Luther King Avenue, to Carver Avenue, Ashley Street, Main Street, McRae Street and ending at Escambia County High School. A program will follow in the high school’s Hodnette Auditorium. Keynote speaker will be ECHS principal Zickeyous Byrd. Free bag lunches will be served.
Pensacola:
Parade, 11 a.m., downtown. An “After Parade Gathering” will be held from 2-5 p.m. at the DeVilliers Cultural Heritage Museum located at 500 W. Belmont Street with music, art and food.
Pictured top and bottom: Residents gathered in Century last year to remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Carrigan Graduates Basic Training
January 17, 2011
Air Force Airman Christopher K. Carrigan graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.
The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force. Carrigan earned distinction as an honor graduate.
He is the son of Curt and Linda Carrigan of Azel Scott Lane, Jay, Fla. Carrigan graduated in 2010 from Jay High School.
Recycle Your Christmas Tree
January 17, 2011
It’s not too late to recycle your Christmas tree if it’s still around.
ECUA will pick up its customers’ Christmas trees curbside as part of the regular yard waste collection service. The use of drop-off sites has been discontinued this year due to waning demand over the last few years.
Customers are asked to remove all tinsel and decorations from their trees and to ensure that trees, or portions of the trees are no more than six feet in length. Trees can be placed at the curb with other yard trash, and should not be placed in the green garbage containers.
For more information, please call ECUA Customer Service at (850) 476-0480
Man Drives Wrong Car Home From Store; Owner Believed It Was Stolen
January 16, 2011
When a man thought his car was stolen was from a Bratt store Saturday, it was no laughing matter. But in the end, everyone, including the man that had taken the car, had a few laughs.
About noon Saturday, a North Escambia resident reported that his Chevrolet Impala had been stolen from the Bratt Crossroads store at Highway 4 and Highway 99. He told Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies that he had left the keys in the vehicle when he went inside the business. When he came out, his car was gone.
Deputies that arrived to investigate noticed that there was a vehicle in the parking lot of the small store but no customers inside. They ran the tag number on the champagne-colored station wagon and found that it belonged to a man who lived nearby in Bratt. The Sheriff’s Office dispatcher called the man to see if he knew the whereabouts of his vehicle.
The man’s wife looked out the window of her residence and told the dispatcher, “Oh Lord, he’s driven the wrong car home.”
The elderly man returned the Impala to its rightful owner at the store. He told deputies that he was colorblind and did not notice that he had gotten into the wrong vehicle. He did tell deputies that he thought it was odd that someone had put his seat all the way back.
Following His Calling: Dentist Helps Those In Need
January 16, 2011
Dr. T.J. Morris is engaged in the work he loves at his dental clinic in Atmore, a full-time practice made possible largely by tuition loan repayment assistance from the National Health Service Corps.
Morris (his full name is Terry Jack Morris, Jr., but he goes by T.J. to avoid confusion with his father) has treated both adults and children at the clinic since the spring of 2010. “I fell in love with the people and the community here,” said Morris. “It has been a blessing from God to be able to serve these people, do what I love, and be compensated for it.”
Morris is one of the few Medicaid providers in the tri-county area. He sees patients from neighboring counties, which is a big help to those who cannot afford to pay for dental care. Payments are charged on a sliding scale based on income, but no patient is turned away. Patients have shown their appreciation by offering him squash, fudge and homemade cakes.
“This is what God has called me to do,” he said. “I have never enjoyed working like this before.”
Atmore is located in a dental health shortage area, which is defined as an area where there are not enough dentists to serve the needs of patients in a particular geographic region.
After the death of Dr. Thomas Rice and the closure of another dental practice in Brewton, there was a definite need for dental services in Atmore and surrounding areas. Dr. Morris learned about the opening through a dentist in Mobile.
With special permission granted by the Alabama Board of Dental Examiners, Morris was able to purchase the established practice from the estate of the late Dr. Rice. He said this would not have been possible without federal financial support because he had a sizable student loan debt. Without the repayment assistance, he would not have qualified for additional loans.
For almost 40 years the National Health Service Corps has helped thousands of healthcare professionals practice in communities where they are most needed because of the financial assistance provided through student loan repayments and scholarships. Thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, an additional $300 million was allocated to assist more professionals repay student loans.
Pictured: Dr. T.J. Morris provides dental care to a young patient at his Atmore office. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Poarch Creek Indians To Open Florida Poker, Horse Racing Facility
January 16, 2011
The Poarch Creek Indians are expanding their gambling enterprises in Florida, announcing a new poker gaming center and horse track in Gretna, Florida.
Creek Entertainment’s Gretna will bring an estimated 400 jobs to the small town of 1,700 about eight miles south of the Florida-Georgia border. The 100 acre facility is expected to have a $2.5 million economic impact in Gadsden County initially. After a hotel and retail facilities are added during the second year, the facility is expected to have a $6 to $7 million impact according to Gretna officials.
The facility, to be located just off I-10, is expected to open in winter of 2011.
The facility is not the first Poarch Creek Indian gaming location in Florida — the tribe currently offers poker at the Pensacola Greyhound Park.
Scott: No Offshore Drilling Off Florida’s Coast Until It’s Safe
January 16, 2011
The two men may have different takes on offshore oil drilling, but former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham and Gov. Rick Scott agreed that no drilling should occur until adequate safeguards are in place to prevent a repeat of the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
“Neither of us wants any drilling until we are very comfortable that it is safe,” Scott told reporters after the meeting. “We can’t’ afford the environmental damage or the economic damage for our state.”
Graham met with Scott to discuss the findings of a federal commission set up to find out what went wrong with the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig. Graham, co-chairman of the National Oil Spill Commission, was in Tallahassee as part of a national swing to publicize findings of the report that found untested drilling materials, lax government oversight and rig worker error combined to cause the tragic spill.
Scott has said he supports offshore drilling if proper safeguards can be guaranteed. During his campaign for governor, Scott said he agreed with a moratorium on drilling put in place after the spill by President Barack Obama.
But later in December, Scott was critical of a broader decision by the administration to ban most drilling in the eastern Gulf for seven years.
“I think the further away they are from the coast ,the more protection the coast will have,” Graham said.
Pictured: Gov. Rick Scott, center, and former U.S. Senator Bob Graham, left, speak to reporters after meeting to discuss the findings of the National Oil Spill Commission, co-chaired by Graham. Photo by Mike Peltier for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Rain Moves Into Forecast
January 16, 2011
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: A 20 percent chance of rain after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
- M.L.King Day: A 40 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61. East wind around 5 mph becoming south.
- Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. South wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 67. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. North wind around 5 mph.
- Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
- Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
- Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 62. East wind around 5 mph.
- Thursday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north.
- Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 52.
- Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 32.
- Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 55.
- Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 27.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 57.
More Residents Turn To Lifeline Reduced Rate Phone Service
January 16, 2011
More and more low income Floridians are taking advantage of a program that offers a reduced rate for basic telephone service.
The Florida Public Service Commission’s (PSC) annual report on Lifeline Assistance and Link-Up Florida shows enrollment continues to rise. Customers benefiting from the telephone discount programs increased by 3.8 percent from July 2009 through June 2010, reaching 642,129 participants.
Florida continues to be the largest net contributor to the federal Universal Service Fund (USF) supporting the programs, according to the PSC report Number of Customers Subscribing to Lifeline Service and the Effectiveness of Procedures to Promote Participation, which was sent to the Governor and Legislature this week.
All telecommunications service providers and certain other providers must contribute to the USF based on a percentage of their interstate and international end-user telecommunications revenues. Companies may pass these costs on to their customers. Service providers include wireline phone companies, wireless phone companies, paging service companies, and certain Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers. In 2008, Florida paid $482 million into the USF and received only $178 million back.
“I’m pleased that many consumers needing assistance continue to benefit from the Lifeline programs, but my goal is to make sure Florida receives an equitable share of benefits from the funds we’re contributing,” said PSC Chairman Art Graham.
Initiated by the PSC and Florida’s Department of Children and Families, the automatic enrollment process is the primary reason for the increase in Lifeline participation, according to the report. Other factors contributing to enrollment increase were the PSC’s Lifeline Awareness Week on September 13-19, 2010, and community outreach.
The federal Lifeline Assistance program offers customers who participate in certain public assistance programs a basic telephone service discount of at least $13.50 per month, or $162 per year. Link-Up Florida provides a 50 percent reduction in the telephone service installation charge, up to a maximum of $30, for qualifying households that do not currently have telephone service. Both landline and wireless providers offer the Lifeline program.
Applying for Lifeline is easy. Florida residents can call their local phone company, the PSC at 1-800-342-3552, or the Office of Public Counsel at 1-800-540-7039 for assistance. Information is also available at www.floridapsc.com and www.floridaopc.gov/lifeline.cfm.