South Alabama Burglary Ring Busted; Nine Jailed

January 26, 2017

The Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office has busted a burglary ring targeting homes and hunting camps.

Multiple burglaries were reported in the Foshee and Wildfork Road areas. As a result of the search warrant served on Appleton Road, stolen items from the residences and camp houses were recovered and the following were arrested:

  • Jonathan Daniel Jackson two counts of burglary II, two counts of theft of property I
  • Aaron Chadwick burglary III, theft of property I,  receiving stolen property III
  • Amber Piland two counts of receiving stolen property, possession of marijuana I,  possession of drug paraphernalia. Released on $20,000 bond
  • Timothy Dillon Anthony two counts of receiving stolen property I, possession of marijuana I, possession of drug paraphernalia.

Deputies continued the investigation which led to a search warrant being served at 5753 Foshee Road and 4445 Wildfork Road on Tuesday. As a result of the search warrant, stolen property was recovered and the following were arrested:

  • Joseph Christopher Davis III two counts of burglary III, possession of marijuana II, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance,  two counts of theft of property II
  • Tiffany Nicole Carnes possession of marijuana II, possession of drug paraphernalia
  • Enoch Simmons possession of marijuana II, possession of drug paraphernalia

The following were also taken into custody and charged:

  • William Nelson Davis two counts of possession of a controlled substance, one count of possession of drug paraphernalia;
  • Jamie Leanne Janzen possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana II, possession of drug paraphernalia.

Pictured: Top Row (L-R): Jonathan Danile Jackson, Aaron Chadwick, Amber Piland. Second Row: Timothy Dillon Anthony, Joseph Christopher Davis III, Tiffany Nicole Carnes. Third row: Enoch Simmons, William Nelson Davis, Jamie Leanne Janzen. NorthEscambia.com graphic.

Robert Emmons

January 26, 2017

Mr. Robert “Bobby” Emmons, 72, passed away on Wednesday, January 25, 2017, in Little River, Alabama.

Mr. Emmons was a native of Rabun, AL and a resident of Little River, AL for the past 50 years. He was a veteran of the Korean War. He was an employee with the Baldwin County Landfill and the Alabama State Docks. He was a member of the Guy’s Chapel Methodist Church and attended the Mineola Baptist Church. He is preceded in death by his son, Dennis Charles Emmons; parents, Robert and Mary Helen Emmons; and a brother, Dennis Von Emmons.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Ruth Emmons of Little River, AL; one daughter, Carol Ann Emmons Brown of Rabun, AL; three sisters, Joyce Roberson of Nokomis, AL, Gwen McGraw of Bay Minette, AL and Judy Thames of Bay Minette, AL; two grandchildren, Troy Lee Emmons and Joshua Lee Brown; and a number of nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be Friday, January 27, 2017, from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.

Funeral services will be Saturday, January 28, 2017, at 10 a.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Rev. Henry Wilson officiating.

Burial will follow at Phillips Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be Brad Brooks, Rodney Brooks, James Johnson, Tom Thomas, Greg Phillips and Jerrimie Bryars.

Honorary pallbearers will be Turner Brooks and Bill Phillips.

Thanks to all for their gestures of kindness toward the family.

Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes, LLC, is in charge of all arrangements.

Lucia Magariet Smith

January 26, 2017

Lucia Margariet Smith, 92, of Molino, FL passed away Tuesday, January 24, 2017, at her home surrounded by her loving family. She was a lifelong member of Molino, FL and was a member of Victory Assembly of God Church. Ms. Smith was a very hard working, loving wife and mother. She was a wonderful grandmother to numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her loving parents, Charlie and Nora Denham; her loving husband, Elluard J. Smith; sisters, Betty Denham and Marie Caro; brothers, Bill Denham and Gail Denham; granddaughters, Tammy Smith and Samantha Nowlin; and her great-grandson, Daniel Smith.

She is survived by her sons, Melvin (Sharon) Smith, Charles Smith, Willie (Kay) Smith, Roger Smith and Paul Smith; daughters, Wanda (Robert) Cushing, Deborah (Cleve) Cushing and Hazel (Steve) Wilson; adoptive daughter, Leona (Donnie) Gafford; and stepdaughter, Helen Jolley.

Pallbearers will be Matt Smith, Michael Smith, Luman Wilson, Don Edmonson, Donnie Gafford and David Denham, Jr.

Honorary pallbearers will be Cleve Cushing and Steve Wilson.

Visitation will be Friday, January 27, 2017, beginning at 11:00 a.m. at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North with funeral services to follow at 12:00 p.m. with Reverend Ken Johnson will be officiating.

Interment will follow at Pilgrims Rest Cemetery in Molino, FL.

Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is entrusted with the arrangements.

IP Explosion: Goal Is To Reopen Mill, Get Employees Back To Work

January 25, 2017

The International Paper mill in Cantonment sat idle Tuesday afternoon, an unfamiliar sight to locals with no steam rising from the plant. There is no production underway, with most of its hundreds of employees not at work. But Mill Manager Bretton Dejong said Tuesday that the company plans to put employees back to work as soon as possible.

“The company is committed to reestablishing operations at this facility,” Dejong said. “Exactly how long that will take is yet to be determined. We have staff coming from all over the company…experts that can help us step through this process safely and get our folks back to work where they need to be.”

“Our immediate goal is to get folks back to work, recognizing  the work may be a little different than where they were before we started this incident,” he said. “We have a lot of needs as you can imagine tying to get the facility back into some semblance of cleanup, remediation on site, following up with the processes we need to put in place to reestablish safe operation.”

“With the expertise of our team members here, we couldn’t hire anyone better to help us do that. they know the place,” the mill manager continued. “They are going to be the ones to help us get our feet back under us.”

Dejong did not provide any timetable for bringing employees back to work or returning the mill to operation.

International Paper has set up a hotline for residents. Individuals with questions or concerns pertaining to Sunday night’s incident can contact the information hotline at (850) 968-4208. The number is available 24 hours a day until further notice.

Pictured top: The International Paper mill in Cantonment sits idle Tuesday afternoon, following a Sunday night explosion (below). NorthEcambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Rain Tonight, Colder Tomorrow

January 25, 2017

Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:

Tonight: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 49. South wind around 10 mph becoming northwest after midnight.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 62. Northwest wind around 10 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 33. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 55. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 31. Northwest wind around 5 mph.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 56. West wind 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. West wind around 5 mph.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 58. West wind 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 36. Northwest wind around 5 mph.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 55.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 36.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66.

Molino Boy Scouts Learn About First Responders

January 25, 2017

Boy Scout Troop 430 of Molino visited the Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue Tuesday night to learn what it is like to be a first responder. They also learned about fire trucks and scene safety. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Candidate Field Set For Century Special Election

January 25, 2017

The candidates are set for a special election in the Town of Century.

Qualified Candidates Council Seat 2:

  • Luis Gomez, Jr.
  • Kevin Stead

Qualified Candidate Council Seat 3:

  • Benjamin D. Boutwell

Based on the number of candidates who have qualified, there will only be one election on February 28.  Since there is only one candidate in the Council Seat 3 contest, the ballot will only have the Council Seat 2 race on the ballot.

Registration book closing for the February 28 election will be on January 30.  New voter registration applications need to be postmarked or submitted to a voter registration agency by close of business on January 30.

Anyone who wishes to request a vote-by-mail ballot should visit EscambiaVotes.com and click “Vote by Mail”, or contact the Supervisor of Elections Office at 595-3900.  The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot for the election is 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 22. To track your vote-by-mail ballot, visit EscambiaVotes.com and click “Track My Ballot.”

Lawmakers Push For Fracking Ban In Florida

January 25, 2017

Trying to end a debate about the possibility of fracking in Florida, a bipartisan group of lawmakers Tuesday backed a proposed ban on the controversial method of drilling for oil and natural gas.

“This bill is concise and straightforward: It bans fracking of all types in Florida,” said Sen. Dana Young, a Tampa Republican who filed the proposal (SB 442) on Tuesday.

The bill, which will be considered during the legislative session that starts March 7, comes after heavy debate during the 2016 session about a measure that would have created a regulatory framework for fracking in the state. The House passed the measure, which died in the Senate amid widespread opposition from environmentalists who argued it could open the door to fracking.

Young appeared at a news conference Tuesday with a coalition of Republican and Democratic lawmakers, including Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, and House Minority Leader Janet Cruz, D-Tampa. The group did not include top House Republican leaders.

Florida Petroleum Council Executive Director David Mica released a statement that said the proposed ban is out of step with consumers who see benefits from domestic energy production.

“The United States is the leading producer of oil, natural gas and refined product in the world, and the decades-old technique of hydraulic fracturing has led to lower energy costs for consumers and improvements in the environment,” Mica said in the statement. “Sen. Dana Young’s proposed ban could undermine the benefits that Florida families and consumers are seeing today.”

Oil and natural-gas drilling has taken place in parts of Northwest Florida and Southwest Florida for decades. But the possibility that drilling could involve fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, has spurred the legislative debate — similar to debates in other parts of the country where the method has become commonly used.

The method, in part, involves injecting water, sand and chemicals underground to create fractures in rock formations, allowing natural gas and oil to be released. While supporters say fracking increases production and holds down energy costs, opponents argue it threatens water supplies and can cause environmental damage.

During the news conference Tuesday, Young pointed to limestone formations in Florida and said fracking in the state “makes no sense.”

“Sometimes technology gets ahead of Mother Nature in a bad way,” said Sen. Gary Farmer, a Fort Lauderdale Democrat who also took part in the news conference. “I think this is an example.”

Fracking became a key issue is some legislative campaigns last year, including in Young’s race for a Hillsborough County Senate seat and in Sen. Keith Perry’s race in a North Florida district. Perry, R-Gainesville, is co-introducing Young’s proposed ban. Both served in the House last year and voted for the regulatory bill.

Young and Latvala, who helped kill the 2016 bill, said lawmakers had differences of opinion about the potential effects of last year’s measure. But the lawmakers at Tuesday’s news conference said they want to end the debate about fracking with an outright ban.

“What we do today is not for us, but for the next generation,” Perry said. “This kind of legislation that’s protecting the natural environment that we all enjoy, and need to save for future generations, should be one of our top priorities as we go forward in this session.”

But Mica said Florida shouldn’t “move backwards when the gains of energy security are important for Florida families.”

“The technology has been proven safe, and Florida is realizing the economic and environmental benefits of its use,” he said.

by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida

Northview Football Players Read To Byrneville Elementary Students

January 25, 2017

Several senior Northview High School football players read to students at Byrneville Elementary School on Tuesday for National Literacy week. Players reading to students were Luke Ward (#1), Devin Stabler (#11), Dustin Bethea (#52), Alston Wiggins (#54), Hunter Cofield (#55) and Dillon Clary (#60).

For more photos, click here.

Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Ransom Middle Teacher Imhof Honored By Gov. Rick Scott

January 25, 2017

Escambia County Teacher of the Year Kristi Imhof was one of eight educators honored Tuesday with Governor Rick Scott’s Shine Award during a meeting of the Florida Cabinet in Tallahassee.

The Shine Award is presented to teachers and administrators in Florida who make significant contributions to the field of education.

Scott said, “I am proud to present these eight educators with the Governor’s Shine Award today. These outstanding teachers go above and beyond to educate students in our state. I applaud these educators for their dedication to helping our students learn and ensure they are prepared for higher education and careers.”

Imhof is a seventh grade language arts teacher at Ransom Middle School.

Pictured: Ransom Middle School teacher Kristi Imhof (fourth from right) was one of eight educators honored Tuesday by Gov. Rick Scott. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

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