Century’s Gas Department Makes A Profit. Well, For A Month On Paper Anyway.
January 4, 2020
The Town of Century’s financially troubled gas department showed a profit on paper.
According to a balance sheet for November, the gas department had a profit of $9,162, much better than the 2 cents (that’s right, 2 cents) profit projected in the town’s budget.
But a closer look at the balance sheet shows the beleaguered department’s bottom line was boosted by $10,000 from the water department and $5,000 from the garbage department. Without the transfers, the gas department would have lost $5,837.27 for the month.
The transfer caused the garbage fund to show a $281.10 negative balance for the month. The water and sewer fund had an income amount of $11,207.16 after the $10,000 transfer to gas.
Century’s gas department ended the last fiscal year with a $222,304.75 loss for the 12 months ending September 30.
Former Baptist Hospital Nurse Charged With Sexually Assaulting Patient
January 4, 2020
A former Baptist Hospital nurse charged Friday with performing a lewd act on a patient.
James Bemis, 71, is charged with sexual assault and indecent exposure. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $71,000.
Bemis allegedly performed a lewd act on a male patient while he was awake in March 2019. Pensacola Police obtained a warrant and made the arrest Friday after getting DNA test results back from a laboratory.
PPD says Bemis was employed by Baptist Hospital for 46 years. He was placed on administrative leave when the the hospital learned of the allegations, and he was fired in April, according to Baptist.
Temps In The 30s For Saturday Night
January 4, 2020
Pensacola set a record high of 79 Friday morning, breaking the old record of 78 degrees set back in 1997.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 33. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light after midnight.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 61. Calm wind.
Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 35. Calm wind.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 69. Calm wind.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. Calm wind.
Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the morning.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 35. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 57.
Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 34.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55.
Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 69.
Escambia Man Gets Another 40 Years To Go With His Life Sentence For Murder
January 4, 2020
An Escambia County man has been sentenced to life in prison for a 2017 murder was sentenced Friday to an additional 40 years.
Antjuan Sanders, 19, received the additional 40 years to run consecutively with the life sentence for additional convictions for home burglary, burglary of a vehicle and multiple grand thefts and criminal mischiefs occuring in 2016 and 2017.
In November, Circuit Judge Jeffrey Burns sentenced 19-year old Antjuan Sanders to life in state prison for the first degree murder of Susan Midyett. Because Sanders was 17 at the time of murder, he is entitled to a review of his sentence after 25 years.
On February 23, 2017, Susan Midyett was found deceased at her home on Statler Avenue.
Deputies first believed her death to be accidental, but further investigation determined that Midyett was strangled to death and her house was burglarized. Investigators said DNA evidence collected at the scene revealed Midyett had been sexually assaulted and led to the arrest of Sanders.
Temporary Closure Of Littleton Street At Nine Mile Road
January 4, 2020
Littleton Street at the Milestone Subdivision will be closed at the intersection of Nine Mile Road in Escambia County from 7 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7 through 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11 as crews perform drainage work. Traffic will be detoured to Milestone Boulevard and Oldenburg Boulevard. Signs and variable message boards will be in place to alert drivers of the temporary closure and direct traffic to the alternate routes.
Please use extra caution as drivers become familiar with the new traffic patterns. Motorists should also watch for construction workers and equipment entering and exiting the roadway as they prepare for the work.
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather. Drivers are reminded to obey the 35-mph speed limit and to use caution, especially at night, when traveling through the work zone.
Santa Rosa Sheriff, Milton PD Looking For Violent, Possibly Armed Fugitive
January 4, 2020
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office and Milton Police are looking for a wanted violent fugitive who may be armed.
Coty James Anderson is a 23-year old white male, about 5-foot 11-inches tall, 185 pounds with dark blonde hair and hazel eyes. He is wanted by both agencies on extensive charges.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts or what he may be driving is asked to call Santa Rosa Crime Stoppers at (850) 437-STOP (7867) or visit SRCCS.com.
Manna Food Pantries Receives $15,000 Volunteer Grant
January 4, 2020
Volunteer Florida announced Friday that Manna Food Pantries and 21 other nonprofit and service organizations throughout the state will share $370,000 in Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) grant funding. Together, these organization have also secured $370,000 in local funding, bringing the total investment in Florida communities to $740,000.
Manna Food Pantries in Escambia County received $15,000 to recruit 400 volunteers that will help the organization provide emergency food assistance and speciality programs to those in need in Northwest Florida. This is the second year Manna has received the grant.
“In 2019 alone, Manna had 5,441 volunteers donate 14,169 hours of service in support of our work,” said Manna Outreach and Marketing Manager Miranda Melvin. “We could not carry out our mission without volunteers. The Volunteer Generation Fund grant supports the recruitment, management, retainment and recognition of skills-based volunteers at Manna.”
“Skills-based volunteers are an integral part of many nonprofits as they help extend the reach and capacity of organizations to meet their missions,” said Volunteer Florida CEO Clay Ingram.
Volunteer Florida’s VGF program, which is funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service, helps organizations use skills-based volunteers to serve Florida students, families and communities. Skills-based volunteerism expands the impact of organizations by leveraging the experience and talents of professionals, such as teachers, IT consultants, accountants and attorneys.
Molino Man Sentenced To Life In Prison For Child Molestation
January 3, 2020
A Molino man has been sentenced to life in prison for child molestation.
Dennis Lister Odom, 60, was found guilty by an Escambia County jury on two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation. Friday, he received the life sentence on the first count and 15 years on the second count. He will also be listed as a sexual predator.
Odom has another pending case of two counts of lewd or Lascivious molestation involving a different victim. The case is currently set for status conference on January 15, 2020.
From June 2017 through September 2018, Odom fondled a young girl left in his care. She disclosed the abuse to family members in September 2018, and Odom was arrested in October 2018. After Odom’s arrest, another young girl came forward and disclosed that she had also been molested by Odom over the course of several years.
He faced a minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years in state prison.
ECSO Looking For Attempted Murder Suspect
January 3, 2020
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a shooting suspect.
Phillip Isaac Bivins, 18, is wanted for attempted murder for a shooting on Thursday. The ECSO says he is considered armed and dangerous.
The Pensacola Police Department responded to Bayou Boulevard after a vehicle crashed into a ditch Thursday afternoon. They discovered a person in the car had been shot three times on Tryton Circle in the county.
Bivins and the victim got into an argument over how a blunt — a marijuana cigarette — was rolled, according to the ECSO. They decided to go to Tryton Circle to settle the dispute with a fight, but when the victim arrived, Bivins allegedly shot him.
Anyone with information on the shooting or the whereabouts of Bivins is asked to call the ECSO at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
I-10 Exit To Nine Mile Road To Be Partially Closed For Three Months
January 3, 2020
[Updated with map - 10 a.m.] The Florida Department of Transportation plans a partial closure of an I-10 exit ramp to Nine Mile Road that will last three months.
Exit 5 eastbound from I-10 to Nine Mile Road will be partially closed beginning Monday, January 6. Construction crews will only close the section that connects to Nine Mile Road westbound. Drivers will be able to access Nine Mile Road both east and westbound using the other section of the ramp.
The partial ramp closure is needed to reconstruct the ramp and will be in place for approximately three months, according to FDOT.
All construction activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather.
NorthEscambia.com graphic.
Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors