Dramatic Photos Show Firefighters Battling Car Hauler Fire On I-10
March 20, 2020
Dramatic photos show firefighters from the Ferry Pass Station of Escambia Fire Rescue as they battled a commercial vehicle fire Thursday night.
The fire on I-10 was reported as being at Scenic Highway exit, but it turned out to be on the Santa Rosa County side of the I-10 bridge across Pensacola Bay.
The fire swept through an 18-wheel vehicle hauler carrying three vehicles. There were no injuries reported.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Here’s How Alabama Is Handling The Coronavirus, From Closing Beaches To Takeout Only Eats
March 20, 2020
The State of Alabama has implemented several new regulations in an effort to help curb the coronavirus spread.
Those regulations include:
- All restaurant, bars, breweries are limited to delivery or pick-up. Hospital food service is exempted from this order.
- All schools and universities are ordered to close.
- All gatherings of 25 or more of those that cannot maintain a 6-foot distance between people are prohibited.
- All Alabama beaches are closed.
- All senior citizen gatherings, senior citizen centers across the state are closed.
- All preschools, childcare centers are closed statewide. This ban doesn’t apply to childcare centers serving families of government, first responders or healthcare workers.
- Visitors and non-essential personnel are banned at hospitals and nursing homes. There are exceptions for end-of-life and maternity situations.
- All elective medical and dental procedures are delayed. Medical offices remain open and are serving patients.
Click here to read the full order.
Escambia Tax Collector Office Closed; Services Available By Phone Or Online
March 20, 2020
All Escambia County Tax Collector offices are now closed to the public, but many services are still available online or by phone.
From Tax Collector Scott Lunsford:
Employees will continue to assist as many citizens as possible by way of a phone queue. All current appointments are cancelled.
For service, visit www.EscambiaTaxCollector.com and click “Join the Line” at the top. Pick an office and follow the prompts. Calls to customers who join the phone queue will be returned in the order in which they joined. A valid phone number must be provided. Call-backs will be from a 438 (Escambia County) or 595 (State of Florida) exchange.
Assistance for the following transactions will be processed through the virtual phone queue:
- Title services (to the extent possible)
- Original registrations (new tags; renewals are online only)
- Print electronic titles
- Handicapped parking placards
- Florida birth certificates
- Surrender plates
- Driver license (to the extent possible)
If you are currently Real ID compliant and your last driver license or identification card renewal was done in an office, you may be eligible to renew online. A 30-day extension has been issued for those citizens those licenses or identification cards expire between March 16, 2020 and April 15, 2020.
The following transactions are available online only:
- • Property Tax Payments – Property tax payments are due by the end of March and at this time, there is no provision of law to extend the statutory delinquency deadline for the payment of real estate and tangible property taxes
- • Business Tax Receipt – Businesses can renew and print their business tax receipts online
- • BTExpress – Citizens and business owners can apply for a new business tax receipt or edit information on your current account
- • Tag Renewal – Renew online and pick up the same or next business day in one of our convenient drive-thrus or have the registration mailed to you
- • Hunting and Fishing License – Purchase or renew online
Full payment of fees is required at time of service, and payment may be made by eCheck, debit, or credit cards.
Payments made by eCheck are fee-free. Credit and debit transactions are subject to convenience fees charged by the payment vendor(s). If you must pay by cash, you may visit a drive thru at our Downtown, Marcus Pointe, or Molino offices.
One Dead, Two Injured In Escambia County Triple Shooting
March 19, 2020
One person was killed and two others were injured in a triple shooting Thursday afternoon in Escambia County.
It happened at a home on 61st Avenue not far from Fairfield Drive. The three victims were found inside the home. The two injured persons were transported to an area hospital suffering from gunshot wounds.
Caleb Gladden, 19, was taken into custody by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Additional information has not been released as the investigation is underway.
City Of Pensacola Closes Restaurant Dining Rooms, Movie Theaters; Escambia County Could Follow
March 19, 2020
Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson has ordered restaurants in the city to close their dining rooms for two weeks starting Monday. The order also closes movie theaters and other entertainment venues.
Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May, speaking at a press conference at Pensacola City Hall, said the Escambia County Commission will consider similar closures during a special meeting Friday morning.
“These were incredibly difficult decisions, and they are not ones that I take lightly,” Robinson said. “I know the impact on our restaurant and local business industry will be felt by many, but the safety and health of our community is my top priority. In this unprecedented situation that we are facing, I would rather take aggressive preventative action to protect the public than to not do enough and risk an even greater negative impact to our community.”
Robinson’s order includes all restaurants in the city limits with seating for eight or more people. The order does not apply to dining at the airport or hospitals.
Robinson encouraged the restaurants to offer drive-thru, curbside pickup or delivery.
Click to read the city ordinance.
Escambia, Santa Rosa Beaches To Remain Open; Okaloosa And Walton Beaches Close
March 19, 2020
The beaches in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties will remain open for now. Gatherings should still be limited to 10 or fewer people following CDC guidelines, officials said Thursday.
Hotels on Pensacola Beach will reduce occupancy to 50%.
Okaloosa and Walton counties closed their public beaches Thursday morning.
In Alabama, beached will close at 5 p.m. Thursday under order from the governor.
Pictured: Pensacola beach on Wednesday. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Police Make Arrested In 35-Year Old Cold Case Using DNA, Cigarette Butt
March 19, 2020
After 35 years, an Escambia County man has been charged with murdering a woman in Pensacola.
Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, is charged with homicide and sexual battery in the death of 23-year old Tonya Ethridge McKinley.
She was killed in the early-morning hours of January 1, 1985. Her partially nude body was found on the side of Peak Drive near Scenic Highway about four hours after she was last seen alive at Darryl’s Restaurant behind what was then University Mall. The investigation found she had been strangled to death and sexually assaulted.
Wells was developed as the suspect after a DNA sample from the crime scene ran through a database identified some of his’ relatives. Police created a family tree and tracked him down. They surreptitiously obtained a cigarette butt discarded by Wells and made a DNA match to the crime scene.
Second COVID-19 Case Confirmed In Santa Rosa; No New Cases Announced In Escambia
March 19, 2020
A second positive COVID-19 case in Santa Rosa County has been identified by the Florida Department of Health. The person is a 48-year old male with a travel history to the United Kingdom, according to FDOH.
Santa Rosa County’s first case was announced March 5. The 71-year old man traveled to Egypt, Israel and Jordan. He died at Baptist Hospital In Pensacola.
The number of positive cases announced by the health department in Escambia County remains at one, a 53-year old male that traveled to France.
There are currently 390 cases in the state — 360 positive cases in Florida residents and 30 positive cases in non-Florida residents. There have been eight total deaths in Florida as of Thursday morning.
Cantonment Man Charged With Stealing Gun, Other Items From Godmother While She Was In Jail
March 19, 2020
A Cantonment man was charged with stealing a gun and other items from his godmother’s home in Cottage Hill while she was in jail.
Travis Paul Sterback, 23, was charged with armed burglary, two counts of grand theft of a firearm, petit theft and criminal mischief.
Sterback allegedly stole multiple items from the home on Cottage Hill Road, including a .22 caliber rifle, a six-round magazine, a cell phone, camcorder and an antique Thermos valued at $20, an arrest report says. A small $40 safe was also forced open with paperwork missing, according to the victim.
The rifle was later pawned by Sterback, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Escambia County COVID-19 Patient Traveled To France
March 19, 2020
We are learning more about the travel histories of the two people from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties confirmed to have COVID-19.
On Monday, the Florida Department of Health announced Escambia County’s first case. New information shows he was a 53-year old man that had visited France.
A Santa Rosa County patient died last week while being treated at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola. He was a 71-year old man with underlying medical conditions that had traveled to Egypt and Israel.
Navy Federal Credit Union reported Tuesday evening that an employee that last worked March 14 on the Pensacola campus had tested presumptively positive for COVID-19. Health officials say he had no relation to the other Escambia County, and they are working to confirm his presumptive diagnosis.
Four other Florida Panhandle cases have been reported in Okaloosa County. The latest was a 24-year old woman that traveled to Colorado. Other Okaloosa County cases are a 66-year old female that traveled to Japan, a 78-year old female that had traveled to Italy and a 61-year old female with a travel history that included Florida, California and Mexico.