Sheriff’s Office Conducts ‘Clean Sweep’ In Molino
November 18, 2016
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office conducted an “Operation Clean Sweep” event Thursday in Molino.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the focus of “Operation Clean Sweep” is to work with neighborhood watch groups, residents, churches and business owners to control and prevent the damaging effects of crime. The Operation Task Force works closely with Escambia County Animal Control, environmental law enforcement, the military, Escambia County Roads and Bridges and neighborhood watch groups to clean up neighborhoods and educate citizens on preventive measures that could be implemented to minimize crime.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bratt Elementary Wins $1,000 Wellness Challenge For Second Year
November 18, 2016
For the second consecutive year, Bratt Elementary School has been named the winner of Escambia Superintendent Malcolm Thomas’ Choose Wellness Challenge. The school was presented a $1,000 prize at Tuesday’s meeting of the Escambia County School Board.
The challenge was to see which school or major department could achieve the highest level of participation in the challenge by the end of the school year. Participants completed four steps to promote health and wellness, potentially reducing the district’s health care and lost work time costs.
Thomas said he expected the winner to come from a school that was located near the district’s health and wellness center. But he was wrong…again.
“This year’s winner, for the second straight year, is a school that is located the furtherest away,” Thomas said, “which makes it quite evident that mileage and inconvenience is not a factor when it comes to choosing wellness.
The $1,000 prize is expected to be used in some manner to promote wellness among the school’s staff. All of the funds were from private donations; no taxpayer dollars were used.
Ferry Pass Elementary School received a $500 prize as winner of the “Improvement Challenge”.
Deputies Searching For ‘Armed And Dangerous’ Drug Dealer
November 18, 2016
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is searching for 43-year old Jeffrey Mason Baisch. He is wanted for trafficking large amounts of methamphetamine into Escambia County and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to investigators.
The Sheriff’s Office said he should be considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached. Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Baisch is asked to call 911 or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9630.
Amtrak Service Could Return; Senator Wants Your Opinion
November 18, 2016
Amtrak passenger rail service restoration could be possible in the future for the Gulf Coast.
The Gulf Coast Rail Service Working Group was established by the FAST Act in December 2015 to evaluate the restoration of rail passenger service between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Orlando, Florida. The previously-existing passenger rail service was stopped prior to Hurricane Katrina. Damage to the route has been repaired and freight service was restored, but the passenger rail service has not been restored.
The group evaluating the possible restoration of passenger rail service includes members from the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak, CSX, Southern Rail Commission, West Florida Regional Planning Council, and other stakeholders along the Gulf Coast. The group has been convening to discuss details for the possible restoration, including funding and prioritization of actions to be taken should the restoration be approved. The result of these meetings will be a full report submitted by the group to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and the committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives.
The Gulf Coast Rail Service Working Group encourages community input regarding the project. Senator Bill Nelson is a ranking member of the Senate Committee that will review the final report provided by the Gulf Coast Rail Service Working Group. Community members are asked to send an email stating their position on the project to one of the following contacts at Senator Bill Nelson’s office by the end of the year:
Devon Barnhart – Devon_Barnhart@commerce.senate.gov
Mary Louise Hester - marylouise_hester@billnelson.senate.gov
Pictured top and inset: An Amtrak inspection train rolls in Atmore in February 2016. Pictured below: The train arrives in Pensacola. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Very, Very Slight Chance Of Overnight Rain, Turning Colder
November 18, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers after 3am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 53. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest after midnight.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 65. North wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 35. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 61. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 30. North wind around 5 mph.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 67. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the morning.
Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 37. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 71. East wind around 5 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 49. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 75.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53.
Thanksgiving Day: Sunny, with a high near 71.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 69.
ECUA Elects Board Officers
November 18, 2016
The ECUA Organizational Board Meeting for 2016-2017 was held Thursday. Officers were unanimously elected among the Board members to fill the positions of chairman and vice-chairman of the Board.
Lois Benson, District 2, was re-elected to serve as board chairman, and Dale Perkins, District 4, was re-elected to the vice-chairmanship.
Also unanimously re-elected to the following positions were:
- Vicki Campbell, District 1, to the chairmanship of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee and Larry N. Walker, District 5, to serve as the vice-chairman.
- Deborah Benn, Chuck Kimball, Catherine Booker, Josh Womack, Michael Steltenkamp, Randy Ponson, and Louise Ritz, were unanimously appointed to serve as members of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee.
Operation Christmas Child Collection Week At First Baptist Bratt
November 18, 2016
Volunteers have been busy this week at the First Baptist Church of Bratt during “National Collection Week” for Operation Christmas Child. For the 23rd year, the simple, gift-filled shoe boxes will bring Christmas joy and evangelistic materials to children in over 130 countries across the world.
National Collection Week for OCC is November 14-21. The First Baptist Church of Bratt is the official OCC Relay Center for the north end of Escambia County, FL.
Pastor Tim Hawsey, Relay Center coordinator, said the shoe boxes are distributed by trained local pastors and volunteers around the world…right where the children live. The children that receive the box are invited to participate in a twelve step bible study called The Greatest Journey translated into their native language and taught by local people the children know.
Collection hours at the First Baptist Church of Bratt will be:
- Friday, Nov. 18: 8 a.m. – noon, 4-6 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 19: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 20: 9 a.m. – noon, 4-7 p.m.
- Monday, Nov. 21: 8 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Operation Christmas Child boxes should be packed in a specific manner. For more information, call Hawsey at the First Baptist Church of Bratt at (850) 327-6529, visit www.samaritanspurse.org/occ, or call (800) 353-5949. Resources are available for churches that wish to participate.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Scott Heads To NY, Meets With Trump
November 18, 2016
Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who led a political committee that raised $20 million to help Republican Donald Trump’s campaign, traveled to New York City on Thursday to congratulate the president-elect on his victory last week and to offer help “to reinvent the federal government.”
Scott tweeted two pictures of himself and Trump, who were both smiling broadly, taken at Trump Tower.
“Great seeing my friend @realDonaldTrump today,” Scott tweeted. Later in an interview on Fox News, Scott reaffirmed that he wants to remain as Florida’s governor, although there has been speculation he could join the Trump administration, possibly as the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“I’m not interested,” Scott told Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto. “I’m interested in doing whatever I can to help him rewrite Obamacare, redesign the government and help him work with the 33 Republican governors who have great ideas to help him be successful. If he’s successful, Florida will be successful.”
Asked to react to the possibility of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who had been a harsh critic of the president-elect, becoming Trump’s secretary of state, Scott said: “It’s the Trump administration. It’s always going to be the Trump administration. It’s going to be what his beliefs are. All this talk about different positions and things like that, it’s still the Trump administration.” Scott told Cavuto “that you should surround yourself with people who believe in what you’re doing and are going to do everything they can to support you.” But Scott recalled his election in 2010, when most of the Republican establishment did not support him, and said “I had to forget some of the things that people said” as he created his first administration as governor. Scott expressed confidence that Trump would be successful in establishing a leadership team. “Donald Trump is going to find the best people. He’s going to make sure they do their job. He’s going to hold everybody accountable.” Scott, who like Trump was a business executive before winning his first political office, said Trump “has specific goals to get things done.” In addition to repealing Obamacare, Scott said: “We have to get rid of a lot of parts of government that doesn’t work. So much of federal government, there is no return on investment and Donald Trump is going to focus on that.”
by The News Service of Florida
Fall Gulf Coast Small Farms Field Day Held
November 18, 2016
UF/IFAS Extension hosted the Fall Gulf Coast Small Farms Field Day on Thursday at the West Florida Research and Education Center in Jay.
Topics covered during the day included:
- Using Protected Agriculture and Hydroponics to Meet Demand for High Value Specialty Crops - Bob Hochmuth
- FDACS Best Management Practices for Vegetable Producer - David Cambron, FDACS
- BMPs: Nutrient Management, Water Protection & IPM
- High Tunnel Trials: Kale, Swiss Chard & Carrots
- Marketing to Niche Markets
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Green “Frank” Nims
November 18, 2016
Green Franklin Nims, of Cantonment, Fl, age 82, passed away on November 16, 2016. He was born on July 12, 1934, in Poarch, Alabama to the late Walter Greenberry and Tura Hall Nims.
Frank proudly served 2 years in the United States Navy and 10 years in the Navy Reserves. He retired from Monsanto after 31 years of service. Frank was an avid Alabama Football fan and he enjoyed working in his yard. What he cherished most was watching his grandchildren participate in various sporting events.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Tura Nims; brother, Albert Nims; sister, Betty Sue Watson; and his grandson, Kenneth Brian Malone.
Frank is survived by his wife of 61 years, Miley Booker Nims; sister Elaine Nims McAuther; daughter, Phyllis (Kenneth) Malone; son, Craig (Janice) Nims; daughter, Debra (Ralph) Story; granddaughters, Shawn (Lee) White, Misti Nims, and Kasey (John) Saenz; grandsons, Eric (Meredith) Nims, and Rodney Story; great-grandchildren, Dusty Boutwell, Trey Boutwell, Jake White, Austin Nims, Brianna White, Hannah Story, and Ava Saenz.
Pall Bearers will be Eric Nims, Rodney Story, Dusty Boutwell, Trey Boutwell, Jake White, Austin Nims, John Saenz and Lee White.
Visitation will be Saturday, November 19, 2016, beginning at 1:00 p.m. with the funeral service at 2:00 p.m. at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North with Reverend Ricky Skaggs officiating. Interment will follow at Spruell Cemetery.