Photos: Fire Destroys Pickup Truck In Century
May 3, 2013
Fire destroyed a GMC pickup on Lodge Drive in Century this afternoon. The blaze was reported just after 2 p.m. and was quickly extinguished by Escambia County Fire Rescue Engine 519. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino Woman Rear-Ends School Bus In Cantonment
May 3, 2013
A Molino woman was cited by the Florida Highway Patrol after rear-ending a school bus Friday morning on Highway 29.
The FHP said 39-year old Audra Mae Parker was southbound on Highway 29 near Muscogee Road about 7:45 a.m. when she rear-ended the bus that was stopped at railroad tracks that cross Highway 29. There was no visible damage to the bus driven by 41-year old Patricia Darlene Johnson of Molino, while Parker’s Toyota Corolla suffered about $500 in damage.
There were 14 Tate High School students on the bus at the time of the crash, none of which were injured.
Parker was cited by the FHP for careless driving.
Escambia County Government Back In Business After Power Failure
May 3, 2013
The Escambia County Ernie Lee Magaha Governmental Building and other downtown Escambia County governmental offices have reopened. The offices were without power for hours earlier today following a vehicle accident at Baylen and Intendencia streets.
The Magaha building houses the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners, County Administration, Escambia County Property Appraiser and portions of the Clerk of Courts and Comptroller office.
The outages also impacted operations at the Janet Holley Tax Collector office and the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office.
All employees are instructed to report to their supervisors for further instruction.
One Injured In Jacks Branch Road Curve Accident
May 3, 2013
One person was injured in a two-vehicle collision Fridaymorning on Jacks Branch Road in Cantonment.
The accident happened just after 7:00 in a sharp curve on Jacks Branch Road between the two ends of Green Tree Circle, just west of Muscogee Road. A
The Florida Highway Patrol said 45-year old Johnny Whitehurst of Cantonment was northbound on Jacks Branch Road when he drifted over the center line in the curve and side-swiped a southbound Buick driven by 53-year old Brenda Ricketts of Pensacola.
Ricketts was transported to West Florida Hospital with minor injuries. Her passenger, 22-year old Bontrice Warren of Pensacola, was not injured. Whitehurst, also not injured, was cited for failing to drive in a single lane.
The Cantonment Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash.
Pictured: One person was injured in this two vehicle crash on Jacks Branch Road in Cantonment Friday morning. Reader submitted photo by Stacey Cain, click to enlarge.
Century Couple Charged With Exploiting Elderly Woman
May 3, 2013
A Century husband and wife have been charged with financially exploiting an elderly woman.
Lashonda Marsha Johnson, 41, and Eric Russell Johnson 43, both of Jefferson Avenue, Century, were charged with felony exploitation of an elderly person. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Lashonda Johnson worked for Granny Nannies as a certified nursing assistant for the victim at the time of the alleged crime in 2011.
After the Johnsons were denied a loan in December 2011 to purchase a 2011 Buick Lacrosse, Eric Johnson returned to Pen Air Federal Credit Union with his wife’s elderly client and used the elderly woman’s good credit to obtain a $28,583 loan as a co-signer, deputies said. The elderly woman, according to an arrest report, lacked the physical and mental capacity to consent to the loan.
In March 2013, the elderly woman’s son discovered the loan and contact sheriff’s investigators. According to an arrest report, Eric Johnson returned to Pen Air in April 2012 to refinance the vehicle only in his name. The vehicle was later returned to the credit union after Eric Johnson filed bankruptcy.
After their arrests this week, both Johnsons were released from the Escambia County Jail on $5,000 bond each.
Northview High’s Presentation Of ‘Grease’ Is Sold Out
May 3, 2013
Northview High School’s presentation of the musical Grease tonight in the school theatre is sold out. There will be no tickets available at the door.
The “school version” of Grease removes all profanity and lewd behavior and is appropriate for audiences of all ages. This abridged version retains the fun-loving spirit and immortal songs that make Grease a favorite among rock and roll fans of all ages.
Lawmakers Approve Texting While Driving Ban, Awaiting Scott’s Signature
May 3, 2013
Texting while driving will be illegal in Florida if Gov. Rick Scott signs legislation sent to him by the Senate on Thursday after a years-long effort to join most other states in outlawing it.
The Senate voted 39-1 in favor of a bill (SB 52) that makes it illegal to read or type texts or emails while actually driving, though it would remain legal to do it while stopped, such as at a red light.
Scott hasn’t said whether he’ll sign the bill.
Under the measure as passed, only drivers who are pulled over for something else, such as careless driving or speeding, and then are determined to have been texting while driving, could be cited. And in most cases, police and prosecutors won’t be able to seek the driver’s cell phone records to prove it. Under an amendment added to the bill this week by the House, records could only be sought if there were an injury or death in a crash.
That provision weakened the bill, but the measure’s Senate sponsor said the fight to get a texting ban has been long and so it was better to go along with that than not pass the bill – and she said the measure still could reduce the dangerous practice, particularly among kids.
“This bill is still a good bill, it still will allow parents today to say to their kids ‘Don’t text, it’s against the law,’” said Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, who has pushed for the ban unsuccessfully for years.
On the second-to-last day of the legislative session, there was a risk that stripping the House provision on cell phone records and sending it back to the House would keep the bill from passing.
If Scott were to approve, Florida would become one of the last states to have any kind of restriction on texting while driving.
The measure has an exception for use of a GPS device, or for reporting criminal behavior. The bill also allows talk-to-text technology to be used, as long as the driver isn’t typing or reading the message. In addition to texting, the bill includes reading or writing emails, or other messages.
By The News Service of Florida
$58 Million In Projects Proposed, Including $20 Million Fish Hatchery
May 3, 2013
Trustees for the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment have proposed $58 million in restoration projects along the state’s oil spill-affected Gulf coast — including a $20 million fish hatchery in Pensacola and $14 million in other projects in the county.
Originally presented to the City Council in June 2011, the Florida Gulf Coast Marine Fisheries Hatchery and Enhancement Center is slated to include a state-of-the-art saltwater fish hatchery, an integrated coastal habitat plant production facility, and a venue for public outreach and education on marine resources conservation. The Council voted unanimously to authorize Mayor Hayward to negotiate a lease for the proposed hatchery at the Bruce Beach site, located south of Main Street west of the Community Maritime Park.
“This is a huge win for Pensacola,” said Mayor Hayward. “This hatchery will be a tremendous asset for our community and our region. Over the past two years, I’ve been fighting every day to make sure Pensacola gets the funding and the resources we deserve. I want to thank Governor Rick Scott for his continued leadership and advocacy for our state and for Northwest Florida.”
The projects would be paid out of a $100 million pot of money from BP from an April 2011 agreement that is overseen by the trustees. Florida has already approved and begun work on seven projects, including several boat ramps, dune restoration, and shorebird and sea turtle habitat restoration.
In the Escambia and Santa Rosa county areas, the projects also include:
- Florida Gulf Coast Marine Fisheries Hatchery/ Enhancement Center, Escambia County. Approximately $20 million
- Florida Artificial Reef Creation and Restoration, Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, and Bay counties. Approximately $11.4 million
- Pensacola Bay Living Shoreline, Escambia County. Approximately $11 million
- Florida Oyster Reef Restoration Escambia, Santa Rosa, Bay and Franklin counties. Approximately $5.4 million
- Scallop Enhancement for Increased Recreational Fishing Opportunity in the Florida Panhandle, Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf, and Franklin counties. Approximately $3 million
- Big Lagoon State Park Boat Ramp Improvement, Escambia County. Approximately $1.5 million
- Bob Sikes Pier Restoration, Escambia County. Approximately $1 million
- Perdido Key Boardwalk Improvements, Escambia County. Approximately $600,000
- Perdido Key Dune Restoration, Escambia County. Approximately $600,000
“These early restoration projects will help revitalize our precious coastal ecology and restore our area’s natural resources after the damage of the BP oil spill,” said Rep Clay Ingram. “I am also hopeful that these plans will help ease the economic losses suffered by so many members of our community who depend on the environment for business and recreation.”
“We’re committed to restoring the environment and economy that families have relied upon in the Gulf for generations,” said Gov. Rick Scott. “These $58 million in Florida projects represent a critical step forward in recovering from the natural resource and recreational losses that resulted from the BP oil spill.”
National Day Of Prayer Observed In Century, Atmore
May 3, 2013
From iPads and iPhones, to the tattered and torn pages of cherished family Bibles, participants in a National Day of Prayer event in Atmore read the entire Bible aloud in just 30 minutes Thursday evening.
In Atmore, the threat of rain from the heavens pushed about 300 National Day of Prayer participants from a local park into the gym at Escambia County High School. Community, business and spiritual leaders led those gathered in prayer before the annual Bible reading.
In Century, community leaders gathered in prayer, asking for God’s favor on their town, surrounding communities and the nation.
For more photos from the Atmore National Day of Prayer events, click here.
Pictured top: Rev. Ted Bridges of the Walnut Hill Baptist Church, on his knees, reading from his Bible during a National Day of Prayer event Thursday evening in Atmore. Pictured inset: Dr. Johnathon Yoder of Atmore reads aloud from his Bible. Pictured below: Luanne Henderson and Lonnie Wilson at the Atmore Bible reading event. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
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Four Kids Found In Home With Meth Lab
May 3, 2013
Authorities say they found four children living in a home where they discovered an active meth lab.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office found the working meth lab inside a home in the 8500 block of Acapulco Camino. Inside the home with four children, deputies reported finding numerous materials commonly used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
The children – ages 1, 9, 11 and 13 — were turned over to other family members for care, and a hazardous materials team was called to clean up hydrochloric acid and other chemicals.
Melissa Rae Anderson, 37; Richard Melcolm Anderson, 53; Hershel Keith Cranford, 31; Shelly M. Cranford, 27; and Camron Lechelle Hummel, 34, were each charged with manufacturing methamphetamine with a child present, two counts of producing methamphetamine, possession of narcotics equipment, and two counts of possession of a chemical with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine.
They were booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $86,000 each. All five remained in the Escambia County Jail early Friday morning.