Traffic Disruptions Possible Tonight At West Nine Mile Road Railroad Crossing
March 18, 2021
Drivers can expect possible traffic disruptions at the Nine Mile Road railroad crossing west of Highway 29 (Lowes side) tonight for safety marking upgrades.
The Florida Department of Transportation said the work will be done between 8 p.m. Thursday and 5 a.m. Friday.
The lane restrictions will be for the installation of Operation STRIDE (Statewide Traffic and Railroad Initiative using Dynamic Envelopes) projects in Escambia County pavement markings. The new dynamic markings are designed to warn motorists to stay out of the danger zone near railroad crossings.
Pictured: STRIDE markings at a railroad crossing. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Sacred Heart Offering COVID-19 Vaccine Without An Appointment At Olive Baptist Today
March 18, 2021
Ascension Medical Group Sacred Heart is offering COVID-19 vaccinations without an appointment today until 3 p.m. at Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, while supplies last.
The vaccination clinic is open to to Florida residents 60 and older, and others who qualify under Florida’s latest executive order. Other groups eligible for the vaccine at the two locations are:
- Employees of the Escambia County School District and private schools (K-12).
- First responders, firefighters and law enforcement personnel age 50 and older,
- Healthcare workers with direct patient contact
- Individuals ages 18 to 64 who have underlying conditions that, according to the CDC, put them at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
Century Man Convicted Of Raping 16-Year Old Girl As She Walked To The Library; He Is Facing Up To Life In Prison
March 18, 2021
A Century man is facing up to life in prison after being convicted by a jury of grabbing a 16-year old girl she walked to the library in Century and raping her.
Na’Keetric Devonte Davison was convicted of kidnapping, sexual battery using threats of force or violence, attempted sexual battery, trespassing and criminal mischief. He will be sentenced in late May and designated as a sexual predator.
On August 21, 2019, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of Highway 29 and McCurdy Street Wednesday where a teen female exiting the wood line told deputies she had been raped by a man that fled the area on foot.
A passerby called 911 to report a disturbance after seeing a man pull the teen into wooded area. The motorist’s intervention allowed the teenage victim to escape from Davison.
The 16-year old female was obviously hysterical, standing with her jeans unzipped and her hair in disarray. She told deputies she was walking south on the sidewalk to the Century Branch Library when she was approached from behind by a a man that asked her for some change. She stated the man, later identified as Davison, grabbed her and pulled her into a wooded area adjacent to the sidewalk. Davison then grabbed her by the throat, slammed her to the ground and told her not to scream or he would kill her, the report states.
The teen told deputies that Davison then sexually assaulted her before telling her again that he would kill her if she screamed out. He then took her wallet from inside her purse and fled on foot into the woods.
The teen was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment.
A perimeter was established, and Davison was tracked by deputies and K-9 units from the Escambia County Road Prison and the Century Correctional Institution.
NorthEscambia.com was there as Davison was found inside a small storage building used as a meeting room adjacent to the New Calvary Church at Zion and Jackson streets. He had kicked in the door of the building in order to gain entry, according to an arrest report, and consumed several bottles of water and a bag of chips. He as apprehended wearing only his underwear after hiding his clothes in a refrigerator inside the building. The hidden clothing matched the description provided by the victim. Other evidence was collected at that time that helped corroborate the crime.
For an exclusive NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the scene and arrest, click here.
NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Updated: Woman Struck And Killed By Train Near Nine Mile Road
March 18, 2021
A person was struck and killed by a train Wednesday night off Nine Mile Road.
It happened on the railroad tracks south of East Nine Mile Road, near Nims Lane. The 58-year old female was pronounced deceased at the scene, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The ECSO has not released the victim’s name as they work to contact her next of kin and the investigation continued.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Century Council Rejects Two New Hires By The Mayor, Saying He Violated The Town Charter
March 18, 2021
The Century Town Council has rejected two employees hired by the mayor because they say he violated the town’s charter.
After the town received five applications for an entry-level service worker in the street department and 50 applications for a citizen services clerk office position, Mayor Ben Boutwell and staff members made their selections and offered jobs to two people. The service worker was already on the job, and the clerk was set to start late this month.
The service worker the mayor hired has nine years experience as millwright at a lumber mill, five years in maintenance at a chemical plant, and six years in home construction. The office worker selected by Boutwell has almost 20 years experience at an area bank as a bookkeeper, loan assistance, teller and accounts payable clerk, and holds an associate degree from Pensacola Junior College.
But at a recent meeting, town council president Luis Gomez said the two were not hired in accordance with the town charter. The charter states that the mayor will present his employee selections to the town council to be approved or denied. The council can only vote yes or no on the mayor’s choice; the charter does not give the council any authority to hire anyone not recommended by the mayor.
“The council was disregarded, blatant disregard,” Gomez told Boutwell. “We could have waited to tonight, and you could have did the proper protocol and said I recommend A and B for these two jobs. And then it would have been up to the council.”
“I’m not here to preach but I’m here to make sure that everything is done by the books because if we go by this charter, even though it’s 40 years old, it’s outdated we got to go by this charter,” Gomez added. “Right here it says you cannot hire somebody, and my understanding is you’ve already hired two people.”
“My understanding is that in May of 2013 there was some type of council meeting that the council gave the mayor at that time permission (to hire employees),” Boutwell responded.
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“In 2013 they should have amended this; this is the charter. This has not been amended,” Gomez said. “The council cannot even say Mr. Boutwell, Mayor Boutwell, you can do this.”
“We picked out the two that were the most qualified as a team that we felt was the best,” the mayor said. “And so if I should I have brought that person to y’all, then that’s what I should have done. I thought, because they were already a position in the budget, that I could hire them. That was my interpretation.”
“I will admit that I am wrong,” Boutwell stated.
While the positions were properly advertised before Boutwell’s hires, the council voted 3-2 to restart the process and readvertise the jobs. Council members James Smith and Sandra McMurray Jackson voted no.
“I would not want to be put in a position where I have put my resignation in on my previous job for Kim (Kim Godwin, town clerk) to call me in the morning and tell me that I’m sorry, but … I would not want that,” Jackson said.
Pictured top: Century Mayor Ben Boutwell. Pictured below: Luis Gomez, Century Town Council president. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Six Months After Hurricane Sally, $269.2 Million In Federal Assistance Provided
March 18, 2021
Just over six months ago, communities across 14 affected counties in Florida experienced the devastating effects of Hurricane Sally.
Since the hurricane made landfall September 16, 2020, federal assistance for recovery in those counties is approximately $269.2 million. This includes National Flood Insurance Program insurance payments; FEMA grants for temporary rental assistance, basic home repairs, and other needs not covered by insurance; and U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loans for homeowners, renters and businesses.
Federal assistance for Hurricane Sally, as of March 16, 2021:
- More than $36.3 million approved in FEMA Individual Assistance:
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- More than $28.4 million approved for housing repair costs, home replacement and rental payments.
- Nearly $7.9 million approved to replace essential household items and for other critical disaster-related costs.
- 8,463 individuals and households were approved for housing assistance and other disaster-related costs such as home repair, rental assistance and replacing essential household items.
- More than 5,400 homeowners and renters displaced by the storm have received rental assistance.
- The U.S. Small Business Administration approved 2,141 low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters and businesses for more than $84 million.
- 4,758 claims filed with the National Flood Insurance Program primarily in Bay, Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties; $144.5 million paid.
- Flood insurance specialists have contacted more than 360 insurance agents and more than 280 real estate professionals in the Hurricane Sally-affected area with flood-insurance and flood-risk information, claims and marketing support.
- More than $4.4 million in Public Assistance grants approved for Hurricane Sally-related reimbursements to state and local governments, and certain nonprofits.
Northview High School Names Students Of The Month
March 18, 2021
Northview High School has named their February Students of the Month. They are Briar Weaver (pictured left) and Kinzey Powell (pictured right). Also pictured is Northview Principal Michael Sherrill. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FDOH Reports 24 More COVID-19 Cases Escambia County, No New Deaths
March 18, 2021
THIS IS AN ARCHIVED STORY. SEE NORTHESCAMBIA.COM FOR THE LATEST DATA.
There were 24 more COVID-19 cases and no additional deaths reported Wednesday in Escambia County by the Florida Department of Health.
Here is the latest data:
Escambia County cases:
Total cases: 34,465 (+24)
Non-Florida residents: 3,569
Recovered: 33,201*
Total deaths: 654
Long-term care facility deaths: 274
Current hospitalizations: 31
Number of tests reported last day: 975
Percent positive reported last day: 2.0%
Percent positive reported last week: 4.0%
Escambia County cases by location*:
Pensacola: 25,676 (+16)
Cantonment: 3,112 (+3)
Century: 1,170
—-including 774 Century prison inmates
Molino: 483
McDavid: 207
Bellview: 57
Walnut Hill: 53
Perdido Key: 21
Gonzalez: 13
Santa Rosa County cases:
Total cases: 17,508 (+23)
Non-Florida residents: 220
Total deaths: 276
Long-term care facility deaths: 80
Cumulative Hospitalizations: 833*
Number of tests reported last day: 357
Percent positive reported last day: 7.0%
Santa Rosa County cases by location*:
Milton: 8,349 (+17)
Navarre: 3,609 (+5)
Gulf Breeze: 3,256 (+2)
Pace: 1,397
Jay: 544
Bagdad: 32
Florida cases:
Total cases: 1,989,024
Florida residents: 1,952,321
Deaths: 32,504
Hospitalizations: 82,786*
*“Hospitalizations” in the statewide and Santa Rosa County totals is a count of all laboratory confirmed cases in which an inpatient hospitalization occurred at any time during the course of illness. Most of these people are longer be hospitalized. The FDOH does not provide a count of patients currently hospitalized. The Escambia County number is current data compiled each day from the local hospitals.
**On cases by location, the city is based upon zip code and is not always received as part of the initial notification. There may be a delay in reporting locations, and locations will not total the daily case increase as a result.
***The Florida Department of Health does not have a clear standard or definition of “recovered” and does not report a number of recovered individuals. Escambia County is reporting an approximate recovery number defined as the total cases prior to last month, minus deaths. In other words, anyone that tested positive more than a month ago is presumed to have recovered by Escambia County.
**Data Sources: Florida Department of Health, Escambia County, City of Pensacola, local hospitals.
Cooler Weather Returns, Low In The 40s For Thursday Night
March 18, 2021
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45. Northwest wind around 10 mph.
Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 59. Northwest wind around 10 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 62. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 42. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 67. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 44. East wind around 5 mph.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 71. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72.
Tuesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58.
Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74.
Thomas Leo Odom
March 18, 2021
Mr. Thomas Leo Odom, age 82, passed away on Tuesday, March 16, 2021 in Crestview, Florida.
Mr. Odom was a native of Brewton, AL, former resident of Lake Wales, FL and had resided in Atmore, AL for the past 56 years. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. He enjoyed fishing, camping, traveling and was a member of the Grace Fellowship Community Church. He was owner-operator of Odom’s Service Center of Perdido and served as Sergeant at arm with the Atmore American Legion Post #90.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Shirley Smith Odom of Atmore, AL; four sons: Frankie (John) Morgan of Jacksonville, FL, Richard (Robin) Morgan of Canoe, AL, Tony Odom of Atmore, AL and Kenneth (Ceola) Odom of Pace, FL; one daughter, Rhonda (Barry) Middleton of Bay Minette, AL; one brother, Rual (Jackie) Odom of Lakeland, FL; one sister, Charlotte (Billy Ray) Williams of Davisville, FL; seven grandchildren; nine great grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends.
Graveside services will be held Friday, March 19, 2021 at11:00 AM at the Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery with Bro. Earl Harrison officiating.
Visitation will be held Friday, March 19, 2021 from 9:00 AM until 10:00 AM at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be the American Legion.
In lieu of flowers memorials can be made to the Grace Fellowship Community Church Missionary Fund.