A Very Special Mardi Gras Parade (With Photo Gallery)
February 18, 2017
A very special Mardi Gras parade was held Friday morning for the special needs students of Escambia Westgate School.
With plenty of beads, Moon Pies, stuffed animals and smiles, the parade rolled through the school parking lot for students that might not otherwise be able to attend a regular Mardi Gras parade.
Courtesy Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Late Rally Costs Lady Chiefs Against Escambia Gators
February 18, 2017
The Northview Lady Chiefs dropped a heartbreaker 6-3 in eight innings to the Escambia Gators Friday night in Bratt.
Northview was in control of the game for the first six innings only giving up one run until the Gators mounted a comeback with a two-run seventh inning to tie the game at three each. The Gators went on to score three more in the eighth with the Chiefs unable to answer.
Tori Herrington took the loss allowing six runs on eight hits with eight strikeouts and two walks.
Batting for the Lady Chiefs:
Jamia Newton 2-4, run, 2 singles
Tori Herrington 1-3, triple, RBI, walk
Peighton Dortch 1-3, run, triple, walk
Valen Shelly 0-4, RBI
Aubree Love 0-3, run, walk
Kendall Enfinger 0-4
Teriana Redmond 0-4
Lydia Smith 0-3
Alana Brown 0-3
Northview’s varsity will host Catholic Tuesday, February 21 at 5 p.m.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Health Advisory Issued, Fire Continues At Rolling Hills Landfill
February 18, 2017
The Florida Department of Health in Escambia County(FDOH-Escambia) is issuing an air quality health advisory in response to associated smoke from fire at Rolling Hills Construction and Demolition Landfill.
Air quality monitoring has been performed by the Escambia County Natural Resources Management Department near the facility at 6990 Rolling Hills Road, Pensacola, FL. The monitoring has revealed elevated levels of small particulate matter in the air likely associated with smoke from the fire.Nearby residents are advised to protect against smoke exposure.
Smoke is a respiratory irritant that can cause scratchy throat or irritated eyes and nose.
According to the CDC, breathing in smoke can have immediate health effects, including coughing, difficulty breathing, scratchy throat, irritated eyes and nose, shortness of breath, and rapid heartbeat. Persons experiencing respiratory symptoms, including those with severe or chronic respiratory conditions like asthma or chronic lung disease, should consult their doctor for treatment and stay inside their homes. While inside, residents should close windows, run their cooling or heating system, and change the system’s air filter as needed. If symptoms persist while inside an air conditioned home, residents may choose to leave the area until their symptoms are tolerable.
Escambia County has mobilized work crews from Waste Services, Public Safety and the Road Department to address the ongoing fire at the Rolling Hills Landfill, located at 6990 Rolling Hills Road. The county successfully worked through issues with the property owner, South Palafox Properties, and at approximately 12:30 Friday afternoon entered the landfill. South Palafox Properties agreed that it was unable to provide the necessary resources to extinguish the fire and will be invoiced for the mobilization of county resources.
Three firefighting brush trucks along with bulldozers and dump trucks are working to first bring down the smoke and then use dirt to smother the fire. Crews will be on scene daily until sunset until the fire is extinguished.
The fire is in a large mound of land clearing debris located in the southeast area of the property designated for land clearing debris disposal. The fire is not in the C&D area of the landfill currently being remediated by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Since revoking Rolling Hills Landfill’s permit in 2014, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection was able to get court approval to close the landfill. Working with state contractors, surveyors and landfill closure experts, FDEP developed a comprehensive closure design based on current site conditions, and the contractor began work in the fall of 2016. A vast majority of the onsite work has been completed. However, weather has caused some delays, and the project is expected to be completed at the end of this month.
Dense Fog Advisory For Tonight
February 18, 2017
There is a dense fog advisory for tonight. Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Patchy dense fog after 9pm. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 52. Calm wind.
Sunday: Areas of dense fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph.
Washington’s Birthday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. East wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Tuesday: A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 73. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Tuesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 58. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. East wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 57. East wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 59.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 76.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 52.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 68.
Vehicle Struck By Train In Atmore
February 17, 2017
Two people reportedly ran for their lives just before a train struck their vehicle early Friday morning in Atmore.
The crash happened about 1:45 a.m. at the Trammell Street crossing just off Nashville Avenue. Reports indicated the driver had turned off the roadway and attempted to drive down the railroad tracks where his vehicle became stuck before being hit by the westbound CSX freight train The vehicle apparently became airborne and became lodged against a crossing arm signal pole.
Both the driver and his passenger escaped the vehicle before the crash. There were no injuries.
The driver was seen being placed into the back of an Atmore Police Department vehicle. It was not immediately known what charges, if any, he might face in connection with the crash.
Further details have not yet been released as the accident investigation continues. The Atmore Fire Department also responded to the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Embattled Doctor Wins Auction For Former Century Hospital Building
February 17, 2017
The Century doctor that battled the state to operate out of the town’s former hospital has now purchased the building at auction.
Dr. Christian Bachman’s Mayo Street Medical, Inc. was the sole bidder on the facility Thursday, according to Jason Mahon, public information specialist for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, owners of the former hospital. Bachman bid $21,000 for the 1.69 acre property and 24,000 square foot building at 7600 Mayo Street, well above the $13,500 minimum bid.
The DEP served Mayo Street Medical a cease and desist order keeping the public out of the building and effectively closing the medical office in February 2016. Since that time, Bachman has continued to make house calls to see his patients.
“I believe this ordeal finally has a happy ending,” Bachman told NorthEscambia.com Thursday evening as he was driving between house calls. He expects to repair code violations and make tornado repairs to the building quickly, with hopes that his medical practice will be open again within about six months. He also expects to re-open his research laboratory, which was heavily damaged a year ago in Century’s EF-3 tornado.
Now that he will own the building, Bachman also said he’s considered making space available in the facility for other businesses, hopefully creating additional jobs.
Bachman’s 50 Year Lease
In a letter dated August 26, 2015, Century Health Care Access (CHCA) and Dr. Bachman, president of CHCA and physician for Mayo Street Medical, were ordered to vacate the facility by September 30, 2015, by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
The eviction date passed, with Bachman and his medical practice receiving much media attention that began with a NorthEscambia.com story. As a result, Bachman said, DEP shifted their position, which at first seemed like a positive breakthrough. But with time, he said he realized it appeared the DEP simply changed their strategy to making “impossible demands”.
The Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office also demanded changes that the doctor said were impracticable to impossible. Demands included repairs to large areas of ceilings that were patched by DEP or their contractors in the 1990’s to install a new fire sprinkler system. He said it was not possible to obtain the permits for the work in a short time period, much less make the costly repairs.
Bachman refused to budge, continuing to operate his medical practice, seeing patients regardless of their ability to pay and even making house calls.
On Friday afternoon, February 12, 2016, law enforcement officers served Bachman a cease and desist order that demanded that no member of the public be allowed inside the building due to fire code violations.
A Stormy End
Bachman said the cease and desist order from the State Fire Marshal’s Office was served on him about 3:45 to 4:00 on that Friday afternoon, with a 72-hour provision to comply. Almost exactly to the minute 72 hours later, the most powerful tornado to hit Escambia County in 45 years roared through Century with winds over 150 mph, and wiped out numerous homes in Century around Bachman’s office. The hospital building suffered damage, but the structure survived intact.
Bachman told NorthEscambia.com at the time that he found great irony in the fact that the building was deemed unsafe, but it was the very place many Century residents ran to for shelter during and after the EF-3 tornado.
When Gov. Rick Scott toured the tornado damage in Century in late Feburary 2016, it presented Bachman with a sudden and unexpected opportunity to discuss his battles with state government face to face with the state’s top elected official.
As Scott walked along Mayo and Church streets, toward the old Century Hospital, he had been briefed on the facility and Bachman’s plight. As Scott and his entourage continued to walk down Church Street, just outside the boarded-up windows of Bachman’s research lab, Bachman grabbed the chance to plead his case and hand over a support petition.
At the time Bachman was served the cease and desist order by DEP, he was the only doctor in Century. A pediatrician has since located in Century.
Pictured above and below: The former Century Hospital on Mayo Street as seen Wednesday, January 25. Pictured above inset: Dr. Christian Bachman pleads his case with Gov. Rick Scott on the street outside the former Century Hospital.
Increasing Clouds, Rain Overnight Into Saturday Morning
February 17, 2017
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Friday: Increasing clouds, with a high near 69. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the morning.
Friday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 52. South wind around 5 mph becoming east after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Saturday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before noon, then a chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 71. East wind around 5 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 75. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 52. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Washington’s Birthday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 75.
Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58.
Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 72.
Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56.
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 74.
Molino Drive-By Shooting Suspects Arrested
February 17, 2017
Two people have been arrested in connection with a drive-by shooting January 29 near Molino.
Daquan Damian Jones and Javoris Knight, both 18, were taken into custody Thursday.
Jones was booked into the Escambia County Jail without bond on outstanding felony failure to appear warrants, fire a weapon into a dwelling and criminal mischief with property damage. Knight was charged with aggravated assault with intent to a commit a felony and was being held with bond set at $63,500.
The Sheriff’s Office said the drive-by shooting occurred on Cedartown Road. There was no one injured or hit by gunfire in the incident.
Pictured top: Daquan Damian Jones (left) and Javoris Knight. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Woman Indicted For Stabbing Death Of Son
February 17, 2017
An Escambia County grand jury has indicted an Escambia County woman for the murder of her son.
Janel Charlene Francis was indicted for first degree premeditated murder in the stabbing death of 18-year old Devan Francis and attempted premeditated murder with a weapon for the stabbing of her 24-year old daughter, Gabrielle Torrence.
Francis allegedly stabbed her children at her home in the Heritage Oaks Mobile Park.
Francis will be arraigned February 23.
No Serious Injuries In ‘Power’ Crash
February 17, 2017
There were no serious injuries in a single vehicle crash Thursday afternoon in the area of Highway 29 and Power Boulevard. A properly restrained child was unharmed. Further details about the crash have not been released. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
