Wet Weather To Continue
September 21, 2009
Our wet weather pattern will continue the next several days in the North Escambia area.
Some of the showers could be heavy, so there could be localized flooding. Here’s your official forecast:
- Monday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89. North wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 90. Calm wind.
- Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. North wind around 5 mph.
- Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 90. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Calm wind.
- Friday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89.
All That Glitters: Another Gold Party At EWMS Today
September 21, 2009
Due to popular demand, there will be another Gold Party this afternoon at Ernest Ward Middle School from 4:30 until the last customer is served.
Ernest Ward Middle School teacher Cynthia Wilson turned scrap gold into money in her pocket last week, helping the school’s cheerleaders raise money at the same time.
Wilson and dozens of people like her sold their old and sometimes damaged jewelry during a “Gold Party” at the school. The concept was simple — show up with unwanted, broken or used gold pieces and leave with a check.
“Wow, I’m really quite surprised,” Wilson said when she received her check for almost $200. About $30 was going to her daughter for items that belonged to her, “and the reset is mine,” she said.
“It was just junk,” she said about the small pile of jewelry she sold, which even included earrings that had long since lost their match.
For every dollar paid out to those selling their gold, the EWMS cheerleaders received 10 percent.
According to information from the cheerleader sponsor, here is how it works:
- Find all of your, used, broken, and unwanted gold pieces. Ex. A broken earring or out of style bracelet. Anything from 10K to 24K and white gold, too. And if you discover something that you are not sure about, just bring it anyway.
- Bring your gold to a GOLDEN GIRLS’ GOLD PARTY. This is no pressure to buy anything because there is nothing to buy.
- Sell your gold to the GOLDEN GIRLS licensed gold buyer. The buyer will assess, test, and weigh your gold right in front of you. Then, they will pay you on the spot. You will actually leave this fundraiser with money in your pocket.
- Enjoy your money. Donate some of it… save it… or spend it. It’s your money so it’s up to you.
.
Pictured above: Ernest Ward teacher Cynthia Wilson sells her unwanted gold to Andrea Tompkins at a Gold Party sponsored by the EWMS cheerleaders. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Flood Advisory
September 20, 2009
The National Weather Service in Mobile has issued a
* Flood Advisory for…
central Escambia County in northwest Florida…
east central Baldwin County in southwest Alabama…
* until 415 PM CDT
* at 222 PM CDT… National Weather Service meteorologists found an
area of heavy rain northern Baldwin County Alabama and Escambia
County Florida. Rainfall rates of 3 to 4 inches of rain per hour has
fallen in the last 30 minutes betweeen Spanish Fort Alabama and Bay
Springs Florida.
Precautionary/preparedness actions…
Most flood deaths occur in automobiles. In hilly terrain there are
many low water crossings which are dangerous in heavy rain. Do not
attempt to travel across flooded roads. Never drive your vehicle
into areas where the water covers the roadway. Find alternate
routes. Flood waters are usually deeper than they appear. Just a few
inches of flowing water is powerful enough to sweep vehicles off the
Road. When encountering flooded roads make the smart choice… turn
around… dont drown.
Special Weather Statement: North Escambia, Santa Rosa Strong Storm
September 20, 2009
A strong thunderstorm will affect Escambia and Santa
Rosa counties…
At 152 PM CDT… National Weather Service meteorologists found a
strong thunderstorm 3 miles west of Bay Springs… moving northeast
at 15 mph.
This thunderstorm will affect areas in and around…
Walnut Hill… Oak Grove and Bratt through 245 PM CDT.
The primary threats from this storm are small hail… frequent
lightning… and wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph. Winds this strong could
down small tree limbs or branches and blow around unsecured small
objects. Seek shelter in a safe home or building until the storm has
passed.
This storm could produce rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches in a
short period of time… resulting in brief ponding of water around
low lying and poor drainage areas. Remember… do not drive your
vehicle into water covered roadways. The depth may be too great to
allow a safe crossing.
See You At The Pole Rallies Planned At Northview, Ernest Ward, Flomaton
September 20, 2009
The annual See You at the Pole rally will be held Wednesday morning at Northview High and Ernest Ward Middle schools, and a special rally will be held Wednesday night in Flomaton.
Students will gather as school begins to pray in the non-denominational event. See You at the Pole will be held at 8:15 a.m. at Northview High School, and about 8:40 at Ernest Ward Middle School.
A community-wide See You At the Pole Rally will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Flomaton High School Auditorium. All students are invited. The free event will feature music from FACE (formerly Soul Society) and speaker Bo Bell.
See You at the Pole is a student-initiated, student organized, and student-led event. Students typically pray for their school, friends teachers, government and the nation.
““Engage: Go and pray . . .” from 2 Kings 22:13a will be the theme verse for See You at the Pole event at thousands of schools across the nation Wednesday morning.
“It’s tough being a Christian student today, isn’t it? You have to make a lot of choices about who you are—and who you’re not. You have to try and follow God in a world that misunderstands Christianity and tolerates its principles less and less all the time,” according to the See You at the Pole website.
See You at the Pole is scheduled annually on the fourth Wednesday in September. This is the 20th year for the event that started in a Ft. Worth, Texas, suburb.
Pictured: Students gathered last year at Northview High School for See You at the Pole. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Low Sticks Around, Brings More Rain
September 19, 2009
A wet weather pattern will stick around through the weekend thanks to a low pressure system pumping in more Gulf moisture.
Here is your official North Escambia forecast:
- Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. Southeast wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Saturday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
- Sunday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. Southeast wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
- Sunday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
- Monday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
- Monday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
- Tuesday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 87. East wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
- Tuesday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
- Wednesday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Today: Century Care Center Afternoon Of Memories
September 19, 2009
An “Afternoon of Memories” will be held Saturday at Century Care Center.
Past Century Care Center residents will be remembered and all current residents will be honored during the program. Residents and their families will have the opportunity to make memory boxes together following the program. Cake and punch will also be served.
The Afternoon of Memories is sponsored by Century Care Center, Covenant Hospice and Century United Methodist Church. The event begins at 2:30 Saturday afternoon.
To RSVP, or for more information, call Mae at (850) 256-1540.
Sheriff’s Office Looking For Livestock Officer
September 18, 2009
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is accepting bids for its livestock control officer position.
The livestock officer is responsible for “controlling and apprehending all livestock and strays on the public rights-of-way within Escambia County, Florida, and those found or reported roaming at large within said county,” according to bid documents. The officer will also provide food, board and veterinary care for impounded livestock. The livestock officer is also responsible for removing all dead livestock and large animals from the public rights-of-way.
The person selected will be required to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They must respond to calls or pages within 15 minutes and respond to the actually animal incident within 30 minutes. The sheriff’s office provides truck and livestock trailer for the officer’s use.
For more information, click here.
Educators In Federal Court Today On Criminal Contempt Charges For School Prayer
September 17, 2009
Two Santa Rosa educators will be in federal court in Pensacola today, facing criminal charges for praying in violation of a federal court order. A criminal defense fund established to help with with their legal expenses has almost $70,000 to pay for that defense.
Pace High School Principal Frank Lay asked the school’s athletic director, Robert Freeman, to bless a meal where sports boosters had gathered to celebrate the completion of a new field house.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit in federal court almost a year ago against the Santa Rosa School District, Pace High School Principal Frank Lay and then-Santa Rosa Superintendent John Rogers. The suit alleged that Santa Rosa County Schools “persistently and persuasively promote their personal religious beliefs in the public schools and at school events”.
A federal court order earlier this year prohibited, among other things, any prayer in schools, “reading from a sacred text”, “calling upon a deity to offer guidance, assistance or a blessing” and religious services such as baccalaureate services. There are circumstances were student-led prayers are permissible, but school employees are prohibited to participate in the prayer, even prohibited from “a posture or manner that is likely to be perceived as an endorsement of prayer, e.g. bowing their heads, kneeling or folding their hands”.
Lay and Freeman were ordered to appear today before a federal judge on criminal contempt charges for allegedly violating the court order. They could, depending on the judge’s ruling, be forced to pay fines or serve time in jail.
Several supporters, including Milton insurance agent Robert Smith have formed a legal defense fund to help the two men pay their legal expenses. That fund has $69,670.99.
The lawsuit filed last year names specific events at several Santa Rosa schools, including Jay. The suit states that Jay High School held an invocation and benediction prayer each year from 2004-2008 led by students from groups such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The ACLU also complains in the suit that Jay High School has held baccalaureate services that were religious in nature.
The ACLU also requested documents from the Escambia County School District that might relate to religion or prayer. Specifically, the ACLU requested records from Escambia Schools about graduations and baccalaureate services. The ACLU public records requests also asked for the notes of all speakers at the event as well as any audio or video recordings of the events. The ACLU request extended to all schools in Escambia County, including Northview High School.
Read the complete criminal contempt order against Lay and Freeman by clicking here (pdf).
All That Glitters: Another Gold Party At EWMS Today
September 15, 2009
After two successful and exciting days last week, the Ernest Ward Middle School cheerleaders will continue their Gold Party this afternoon.
If you have ever thought about selling your unwanted gold jewelry for cash — this is the event for you.
The Ernest Ward Middle School cheerleaders will host a Golden Girls’ Gold Party from 4:30 p.m. until the last customer is served today in the Ernest Ward gym.
According to information from the cheerleader sponsor, here is how it works:
- Find all of your, used, broken, and unwanted gold pieces. Ex. A broken earring or out of style bracelet. Anything from 10K to 24K and white gold, too. And if you discover something that you are not sure about, just bring it anyway.
- Bring your gold to a GOLDEN GIRLS’ GOLD PARTY. This is no pressure to buy anything because there is nothing to buy.
- Sell your gold to the GOLDEN GIRLS licensed gold buyer. The buyer will assess, test, and weigh your gold right in front of you. Then, they will pay you on the spot. You will actually leave this fundraiser with money in your pocket.
- Enjoy your money. Donate some of it… save it… or spend it. It’s your money so it’s up to you.