Henry Rufus Joiner
January 5, 2015
Mr. Henry Rufus Joiner, 66, passed away on Friday, January 2, 2015, in Stockton, Alabama.
Mr. Joiner was a native of Rabun, Alabama and a resident of the Rabun and Stockton area for most of his life. His mother, Myrtle Hudson; father, C.B. Joiner and brother, Elzie Joiner precede him in death.
Survivors include his wife of 40 years, Debra Sue Joiner of Stockton; one daughter, Debbie (Michael) White of Pine Grove, AL; one son, Elzie Joiner of Stockton; four grandchildren, Cameron White, Dalton Rufus White, Henry Lee Hadley and Shawna Delaine Huggins; one great-grandchild, John Huggins; three nieces, Traci (Elton Brooks) of Perdido, Conny (Tony Williamson) of Cantonment and Amanda (Kevin Boyington) of White House Fork, AL; and numerous great-nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be Tuesday, January 6, 2015, at 2 p.m. at the Dean Holiness Church with Sis. Helen Stewart officiating.
Burial will follow at the Dean Cemetery.
Visitation will be Monday, January 5, 2015, from 6 p.m. until service time at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, January 6, 2014, at the Dean Holiness Church.
Pallbearers will be Elzie Joiner, BW Milstead, Josh Vinson, Bert Joiner, Henry Hadley and Elton Brooks.
Honorary pallbearers will be Heath Jaye, Larry Jaye and Tony Merle Milstead.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
Senior Dining Program Offers Hope
January 4, 2015
The Council on Aging of West Florida’s senior dining site program offers more than a hot meal — it gives seniors an incentive to get up every day, according to Joyce Raney, manager of the Chumuckla senior dining site.
“Many of the participants can’t drive, and live alone,” Raney says. “The senior dining site program offers them fellowship and an opportunity to see their neighbors. They appreciate that they have this to come to every day.”
The senior dining site program is a neighborhood-based program offering nutritious meals, activities and socialization for seniors age 60 and older. Council on Aging operates nearly 20 dining sites in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties including sites in Cantonment, Century, Jay and Chumuckla.
Hours for each site vary, but most are open from 9 a.m. until noon, Monday through Friday. A donation of $2 or more per person is recommended, but it is not mandatory. Donations are returned to the senior dining site program to support the provision of meals and activities at the sites.
Each month, a calendar of the meals and activities is provided at each site. Meals are prepared fresh daily and typically include an entrée, two sides, fresh fruit and milk. Meals meet one-third of the minimum daily nutritional requirements for an adult, complying with the Florida Department of Elder Affairs Guidelines, and are approved by a certified dietician.
Seniors also engage in fun and mentally-stimulating activities at the sites. Common daily activities include puzzles, word games, field trips, guest speakers and bingo.
Deborah Williams, the Century site manager, says participants are dealing with difficult situations like sickness and the death of loved ones.
“Some are not ready to go home when it’s time to go,” Williams says. “Being around others brings them comfort.”
Individuals interested in participating in the senior dining site program or getting loved ones involved, should call Council on Aging of West Florida at (850) 432-1475 or visit
www.coawfla.org for more information.
Pictured top: Cantonment senior dining site participants enjoy lunch. Pictured top inset: A little entertainment at the Cantonment senior dining site. Pictured inset: Lura Thomas receives a donation at the Cantonment site. Pictured below: Participants at the Chumuckla site. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Boutwell To Become Century’s Newest Council Member
January 4, 2015
The newest member of the Century Town Council will be sworn in Monday night.
Benjamin Boutwell was elected without opposition to the Seat 3 position on the council after first-time member Jacke Johnston, a teacher at Byrneville Elementary School, did not seek reelection.
As of Monday, only one candidate had qualified to run for one of three Century Town Council seats up for election this year. Benjamin D. Boutwell filed Monday for the Century Town Council Seat 3 position currently held by incumbent Jacke Johnston. Boutwell is retired Air Force and a 1981 Century High School graduate that moved back to Century nearly three years ago after retiring from the Air Force. He is a civil service employee at Eglin Air Force Base.
Also Monday night, the council will organize for the upcoming year by electing a council president and vice president.
The Century Town Council will meet at 7:00 Monday night at the Century Town Hall.
Pictured: Benjamin Boutwell will take his seat as the newest member of the Century Town Council Monday night. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Residents Invited To Storm Water Advisory Workshop
January 4, 2015
Escambia County and the City of Pensacola will hold a joint Storm Water Advisory Team (SWAT) meeting beginning at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, January 6, at the Pensacola Bay Center, 201 East Gregory Street. Members of the public are invited to attend and participate in this interactive workshop.
The SWAT Team meeting will begin with an overview presentation from engineering firms working to address storm water recovery and flood mitigation issues. These presentations will be followed by a discussion on the Pensacola Bay Basin report which includes the Aragon, Delano and Longhollow neighborhoods. The workshop will conclude with small group sessions where interested residents will be encouraged to provide comment on potential alternatives that may developed to provide solutions to future flooding concerns.
All Florida Highway Construction Projects Remain Suspended
January 4, 2015
The Florida Department of Transportation District Three office has suspended highway construction projects on major roadways across Northwest Florida. There will be no work on state roads requiring lane restrictions through Monday, January 5. All major roads will be open to normal traffic.
Although no construction closures are scheduled over the holiday weekend, existing state highway work zones will remain in effect. Motorists are reminded to use caution while traveling through work zones around barricades and equipment.
FDOT is encouraging drivers to allow extra travel time and to use extra caution in existing work zones along state highways. Drivers are urged to make sure they buckle up, along with their passengers. FDOT and other safety agencies also ask drivers to obey speed limits, get adequate rest before traveling, avoid distractions and never drink and drive.
Drivers also are urged to be prepared for unscheduled highway closures due to accidents, disabled vehicles or other events. Motorists should be alert to changing weather conditions while traveling.
2014 In Photos: September
January 4, 2015
We are looking back at the top events of 2014 in photos. Today, we are featuring photos from September.
A Walnut Hill woman returned home, two days after being bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake.
September was peanut harvest time in Escambia County…with enough peanuts harvested for 212 million peanut butter sandwiches.
Puppies in K-9 tracking training at Century Correctional Institution.
Northview High School’s NJROTC Annual Inspection was held at the school, with cadets undergoing face to face scrutiny with a retired Navy commander.
Hundreds of students gathered to pray at their schools in across the area during the annual See You at the Pole event.
About two months after repairs were completed to a collapsed shoulder on Highway 97 in Walnut Hill, the heavily traveled state roadway once again crumbled into a deep gully.
The Tate Aggies bounced bag for a 33-32 overtime win over Pine Forest.
Daisy Robinson, an Escambia County School District bus driver, received statewide recognition at the Florida capitol ifor saving a young boy found wandering along in the middle of Kingsfield Road.
The Tate High School Showband of the South was busy with fundraisers for a trip to Philadelphia’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
The Town of Century approved a budget for the next fiscal year that was up $2.2 million.
Firefighters practiced their skills in a training scenario in which a car rear-ended a school bus.
The Century Chamber of Commerce as named the Camp Fire Century Youth Learning Center as the winner of the September Community Pride Award.
The 1A Northview Chiefs practice for a road game against the Class 6A Choctaw Indians.
Prisoners worship in the chapel of the Century Correctional Institution.
Volleyball season was underway in September.
Ransom Middle School staff members responded to the ice bucket challenger for ALS.
The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension program celebrated 100 years.
NorthEscambia.com photos.
2014 In Photos: October
January 4, 2015
We are looking back at the top events of 2014 in photos. Today, we are featuring photos from October.
Northview High School officially dedicated its stadium as the Tommy Weaver Memorial Stadium in honor of the late Tommy Weaver, a beloved teacher and coach.
A fire destroyed an Atmore business and threatened an entire city block.
Hundreds of students from Bratt Elementary School took a virtual trip to Kenya, thanks to the Global Corner Learning Center.
The tradition of excellence continued for the Tate High School Showband at the Florida Bandmasters Association Music Performance Assessment at Ft. Walton Beach High School, receiving straight Superior ratings in all categories for the 44th consecutive year.
The Automation and Production Technology Academy at Northview High School is being used as a model for similar academies at middle and high schools across the region.
The Florida Chamber Foundation honored the Town of Century for their commitment to regional economic development.
Geometry students at Northview High School completed a really sweet project — scaling ordinary candy packages into supersized replicas.
IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area, a local women’s philanthropy group, awarded 10 grants worth $102,500 each to community groups.
Work continued on a $1.8 million project to replace the Fannie Road Bridge outside Century.
The 1A Northview Chiefs battled to a 35-28 win over the 4A Walton Braves of Defuniak Springs.
An October tradition – the annual Allen Memorial United Methodist Church Men’s Pumpkin Patch was open on Highway 29 in Cantonment.
Northview took on Baker in volleyball action.
Kamryn Brock was name the 2014 Northview High School Homecoming Queen.
The annual Northview High School Homecoming Parade rolled through Bratt.
Community Helpers Day was held at Molino Park Elementary School.
The Ernest Ward Eagles defeated the Excel Panthers 44-20.
A Jay couple was found dead in murder-suicide.
The Tate Aggies beat Washington.
Over 1,230 volunteers from nearly 100 companies were hard at work across Escambia County as part of the United Way’s annual Day of Caring on 54 projects at nonprofit agencies and 30 schools, including painting a gazebo at Bratt Elementary School.
The Community Action Program celebrated the opening of their newest Head Start location in the Molino Community Complex on Highway 95A.
Hundreds attended the annual Molino Park Elementary School Fall Carnival.
The Cantonment Cowboys celebrated homecoming.
Tate High School presented “Saturday the 14th” — a parody of the “Friday the 13th movies”.
The Northview High School FFA chapter was awarded one of the highest national honors presented by the National FFA in Louisville, KY.
There were no injuries when a train slammed into a vehicle in Bogia.
NorthEscambia.com photos.
A Shooting, Stolen Police Cruiser, And High Speed Chase
January 4, 2015
A man that was allegedly responsible for a shooting and stealing both a police cruiser and a SUV was taken into custody after a crash in front of an Escambia County Walmart.
Authorities said 29-year old Michael Mularchuk was involved in a reported shooting complaint on Colbert Street. His vehicle was later spotted near a dumpster in the 1800 block of North Palafox Street. Officers responded to the area and took the suspect into custody after a foot pursuit, handcuffed him and put him into the back of a Pensacola Police cruiser.
As officers were gathering information, Mularchuk managed to escape from the handcuffs, get into the front of the cruiser and flee the scene. He then went to a friend’s house in the 1900 block of West Intendencia Street and stole their GMC Envoy. He fled once again from law enforcement personnel on Gulf Beach Highway but lost control of the vehicle and struck a couple of power poles near Patton Drive and Navy Boulevard.
He was surrounded and taken down by a K-9 in the parking lot of Navy Boulevard Walmart.
Mularchuk was hospitalized after the incident. Once released, he’s facing a variety of charges, including including aggravated assault, vehicle theft, home invasion, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and escape.
Annual Look Ahead: What To Expect In Florida In 2015
January 4, 2015
With Gov. Rick Scott set to be sworn in for his second term and legislative committee meetings beginning next week, the topics that will dominate discussion in the Capitol in the coming year are already starting to shape up. Here are 10 stories that could generate major headlines — or at least dominate the Tallahassee chatter — in 2015.
— WILL SCOTT GET HIS WAY?: A key question for Scott is how focused Republican legislators will be in helping deliver on his promises without the threat of Democrat Charlie Crist to focus their attention. Scott promised during his 2014 re-election campaign against Crist to slash taxes by $1 billion over the next two years and to spend the state’s budget surplus on a variety of other measures, but the Legislature still has to go along with him while advancing its own priorities. So far, House and Senate leaders are saying all the right things — but the true test will come after the legislative session begins in March.
— NEW PRESIDING OFFICERS: Every two years, the top posts in the House and Senate typically change hands — and that brings a new personal dynamic that plays heavily into which bills pass and which ones fail. The notoriously fractious relationship between former House Speaker Dean Cannon and former Senate President Mike Haridopolos in the 2011 and 2012 sessions prompted their successors, former Speaker Will Weatherford and former President Don Gaetz, to be at least publicly friendly over the past two years. But new House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, a Merritt Island Republican who wasn’t even tapped for the office until after the 2012 elections, is just becoming known to the Capitol crowds. How he and Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, interact could decide whether the next two sessions are successful or a struggle.
— NEGRON-LATVALA BATTLE CONTINUES: In one of the longest-running soap operas in Tallahassee, there’s still no definitive word on the outcome of a leadership fight between Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, and Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater. The two are vying to become Senate president after the 2016 elections. Even with the failure of former Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff’s comeback bid in November — a blow for Latvala’s chances — it doesn’t look likely that either man will back down until a vote is called, whenever that might be. Meanwhile, the proxy skirmishes between Negron and Latvala will provide entertainment, if nothing else, for denizens of the Capitol.
— REDISTRICTING APPEAL: The Florida Supreme Court will get its first chance to consider the state’s congressional districts when it hears oral arguments March 4 in an ongoing legal challenge to the map. Voting rights groups argue that lawmakers violated a constitutional ban on political gerrymandering in drawing district boundaries. Leon County Circuit Judge Terry Lewis in 2014 ordered some relatively minor tweaks to a congressional map the Legislature approved in 2012, but his decision has been appealed by the voting-rights groups who want a broader overhaul of the plan.
— VOUCHER LEGAL BATTLE: Lawyers for the Florida Education Association, the state and a group of parents who benefit from the state’s de facto school-voucher program will return to court Feb. 9 for the next showdown in a high-stakes fight over the program’s future. The FEA and other groups filed a lawsuit in August claiming that the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program is unconstitutional. The program, which could raise as much as $357.8 million this year, provides tax credits to companies that donate money to nonprofit entities that pay for children to go to private schools. The parents have since intervened in the case on the side of the state. A judge is scheduled to hear the state’s motion to dismiss the case in February. If it moves forward, the litigation could lead to the most important school-choice decision since a 2006 ruling from the Florida Supreme Court that held the state’s Opportunity Scholarship Program unconstitutional. That program was a purer version of a voucher system, using public money directly to fund private education for some students.
— MEDICAID EXPANSION: The odds that the joint federal-state health program for low-income Floridians will be expanded to cover more state residents are still relatively small. But some business groups are starting a new push to get some sort of plan approved, and Gardiner hasn’t ruled it out. In a meeting with reporters, Gardiner described as “intriguing” a proposal that would accept billions of dollars available under the federal Affordable Care Act and provide coverage through private insurers. A similar plan failed to pass the House in 2013, but Crisafulli said he might consider expanding health care coverage via the private sector.
— BUSH (AND MAYBE RUBIO) RUN FOR PREZ: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s declaration that he would “actively explore” a run for the presidency made it appear to be a near-certainty that the Republican, whose presence still looms large in state politics, will seek the GOP nomination for 2016. But the state could have a second favorite son enter the race if U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio decides he also wants to take a shot at the White House. Either way, the nation’s largest swing state could play an even more outsized role this year in choosing the next president.
— TIME FOR A DEAL ON GAMBLING?: The prospect of new state legislation on gambling has become a game of its own the last few years, with insiders placing odds in December and January only to watch things go bust in March and April. But few things focus legislators like a deadline, and there’s a looming one this year: A portion of a 2009 agreement giving the Seminole Tribe exclusive rights to conduct card games at seven of its facilities dries up in July unless lawmakers and Scott renew the deal. A sweeping gambling proposal crumbled last year when proponents of allowing at least one mega-casino in South Florida put the bill on ice because they lacked the votes for Senate passage. And Gardiner, an anti-gambling legislator who frequently says he would scrap the state Lottery if he could, said recently that he doesn’t care if the table games disappear and the state loses the Seminoles’ cash. Florida stands to lose about $116 million a year if the portion of the compact giving the Seminoles exclusive rights to table games such as blackjack expires, according to an estimate from state economists.
— HIGH POINT FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA: Approaching the one-year anniversary of when the Legislature approved a bill that would allow a limited form of medical marijuana, there’s still no final regulation from the state that would allow sales of pharmacological pot to go forward. And a Department of Health Official told an audience in Orlando this week that the rule will require the Legislature’s blessing because costs associated with the new law are growing. Florida law requires the Legislature to ratify rules that cost in excess of $1 million over five years. Office of Compassionate Use Director Patricia Nelson said she anticipates that the combined costs for businesses to operate the cannabis industry and for the state to regulate it would exceed $1 million over five years, triggering ratification. Doctors on Jan. 1 were supposed to begin ordering strains of cannabis that are low in euphoria-inducing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, and high in cannabadiol, or CBD, for patients who suffer from severe spasms or cancer. Meanwhile, supporters of broader medical marijuana — who failed to get the 60 percent approval required for a constitutional amendment in November — have promised to try again, either through the Legislature or at the ballot box.
— WATER AND LAND MONEY: Much of the budget-related buzz around the Capitol since the November elections has focused on Amendment 1, also known as the “Florida Water and Land Legacy” constitutional amendment, which was approved by voters in the November elections. The measure requires the state to dedicate a portion of real-estate tax revenue — by some estimates $10 billion over 20 years — to land and water projects. Gardiner supports using a 5-year plan, similar to one that the state uses to fund transportation projects, but Crisafulli has seemed ambivalent toward the idea. Whatever the vehicle, lawmakers will now face a new constraint when crafting a spending plan.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
A New Year, A Higher Rate For Gulf Power Customers
January 3, 2015
Gulf Power customers will see an increase on their bill this month to cover fuel coats associated with electrical generation. The Florida Public Service Commission allows expenses such as power plant fuel to be passed along to consumers, but they are not allowed to earn a profit on fuel charges.
A Gulf Power residential customer who uses 1,000 kilowatt hours a month will pay $139.29, up from $132, according to the PSC.
Fuel costs are a major component of each customer’s monthly bill. The industry commonly uses 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity for residential customers as a benchmark, though many customers use more power than that each month.
Customers of two other major Florida utilities – Florida Power & Light and Tampa Electric – will see very minor decreases on their bills beginning this month.