Crist Says Florida Has Plenty Of Fuel As Ike Hits Texas
September 13, 2008
Florida Governor Charlie Crist issued the following statement regarding the fuel supply in the state as Hurricane Ike heads inland into Texas:
“Currently Florida is watching Hurricane Ike approach the Gulf shores of Texas. The people of Texas are in our prayers, and we stand ready to help them in the recovery efforts following the storm. Last evening, I reached out to Governor Perry to let him know that Floridians are prepared to assist our neighbors in their time of need.
“It is important for the people of Florida to know that our state currently has an adequate fuel supply. Major fuel companies continue to deliver millions of gallons of gasoline and diesel to retailers and communities across the state. In addition, we are coordinating with the petroleum industry and representatives from the Florida Petroleum Council and Florida Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association to ensure that there is fuel to meet current consumer needs.
“Despite this fact, there are confirmed reports of gas stations charging more than five dollars a gallon, which can only be described as unconscionable. Raising rates to exorbitant levels like this only causes unnecessary panic and fear. This type of behavior will not be tolerated, and I pledge to work with Attorney General McCollum and Agriculture Commissioner Bronson to ensure swift and appropriate action is taken against all price gougers.
“To report suspected cases of price gouging, please call 1-800-HELP-FLA or 1-866-966-7226.”
Blog: Where Were You That September Morning?
September 11, 2008
September 11, 2001. It’s been seven years today. We’ll all ask each other today, “where were you”. So here’s my story.
Life, at least when that morning began, seemed good. I’ve always been a work at home dad, so I was home with my two girls. The youngest was almost four months old, and the oldest was approaching her fourth birthday. It was a normal morning. The little one was asleep, “fat and happy” as we used to say, after a morning bottle. The oldest was in the living room just a few feet from my office watching PBS Kids on the TV as I worked on a project for a client.
Then this arrived in my inbox:
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 08:52am– World trade center damaged; unconfirmed reports say a plane has
crashed into tower. Details to come.
I got up, walked to the living room and flipped the TV to CNN. They were talking about how a pilot could make such an error, hitting such a large building. They were speculating that it was just a small plane. But then as the TV news helicopters zoomed their cameras in closer, the anchors were beginning to notice what I had already thought….those holes the tower were to big to have been a small plane.
I called my wife at work in Atmore. She had seen the breaking news email, and had tried to visit the CNN website to see the story. If you remember trying to use the internet that morning, it was near impossible to get a news website to load; they were all overloaded. She was unable to see the pictures. I was describing what I saw on the TV to her.
I managed to grab a picture from CNN via my web server and then download and email it to her. We were speculating about how it could happen when the second one hit.
I remember saying “wait, hold on, wait…”. I told her what I just watched on the TV. The second plane had hit the other tower. We quickly decided that we were at war as the anchors on TV speculated again that perhaps there was a problem with some navigational system, causing jetliners on a beautiful, clear morning in New York to fly into some of the tallest structures in the world.
Another breaking news email arrived:
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:21am– Second plane crashes into World Trade Center.
She and I began to speculate ourselves that we were at war. What would we do? What should we do? What about the kids? It was not panic, understand, but just that protective momma and daddy instinct, I suppose. Prayer. That was a good idea. Maybe go to the bank and get out a little cash. That seemed like a good idea. How would you prep for a war on American soil? We were not sure.
I continued to relay information about what I was seeing on TV to my wife at work, who, in turn, would relay the information to her coworkers. They had a TV, but no cable service or antenna. They ended up fashioning a homemade antenna to see a fuzzy picture.
Meanwhile, the breaking news emails kept arriving…
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:32am– Sources tell CNN one of two planes that crashed into World Trade
Center was an American Airlines 767.
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:42am– President Bush calls plane crashes at World Trade Center a
terrorist act.
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:45am– Significant fire at the Pentagon. Details to come.
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:46am– White House evactuated. Details to come.
The Pentagon on fire? The White House evacuated? Notice that in CNN’s email they were in such a hurry that they misspelled “evacuated”. One sentence at a time, the situation became more grave.
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:55am– CNN confirms a plane hit the Pentagon
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 10:03am– One of World Trade Center towers collapses; fire forces
evacuation of State Department
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 10:30am– Second World Trade Center tower collapses in Manhattan
Over and over, we watched those towers collapse on TV, and we watched our Pentagon burn.
Our almost four year old asked a lot of questions. “Were people hurt? Did they need a Band-aid?” The magnitude of the event was lost on a four year old. Looking back at those first few hours, I think the magnitude of the event was lost on all of us.
Like many Americans, I sat glued to the TV that day, continuing to watch the video of the towers falling. Our almost four year old asked if another building fell down or if it was the same one. It was time to change the channel on the TV.
You might remember that many of the entertainment TV stations ran network news feeds. Others just simply ran screens about the day’s events. There was no USA network, no ESPN, no MTV. But on PBS, we found children’s programming at a time it was not normally on. For a little while, sitting in the living room floor holding my kids, the world stopped turning that September day, as we watched Big Bird and the Cookie Monster.
Country artist Alan Jackson later wrote a song “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?”.
Some of those lyrics:
Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Working on some stage in LA
Did you stand there in shock at the site of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cryDid you weep for the children
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don’t know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left belowBut I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love
Where where you when the world stopped turning that September day? Your comments are welcome below.
Century Man Recalls Flying On September 11
September 11, 2008
Seven years ago this morning, Freddie McCall of Century and his son were preparing their small plane to fly to Texas. It was a major business decision for the McCalls…should they bid on a contract for the Texas company, or should they not? They knew that landing the contract for their company, Brewton Aviation, would mean hiring a new pilot or perhaps one of them moving to Texas. It would be a day that would change their lives. But little did they know how much the lives of all Americans were about to change that morning…September 11, 2001.
McCall flew out of the Brewton airport early that morning, headed for brief stops in Mobile and Baton Rouge before heading to Texas. Plans quickly changed, as the weather became too foggy to fly. The McCalls set their small plane down on a grassy strip near Jay to wait for the fog to burn off. They had no communications… no cellular phone and their radio was not turned on.
We all know the sequence of events that most people saw unfold on live television before our eyes. At 7:45 our time, a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York. Television anchors were talking about the terrible accident, speculating how a pilot could make such a grave mistake. As millions watched the TV, a second plane hit the second Twin Tower at 8:03. We all knew…we were under attack.
But McCall and his son still had no idea of the horror unfolding in New York. A world away, the fog had lifted in Jay. They took off, flying under the level of airport radar, toward Mobile. Their biggest concern was still the trip to Texas and the business deal.
At 8:40 local time, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights in the United States, for the first time in American history. Brewton Avation’s plane continued toward Mobile. They had no idea that they were flying in increasingly empty skies .
“Our big concern that day was the contract for our company in Texas,” McCall said. “I had thought long and hard about it, and we had prayed about it.”
As they approached Mobile, McCall contacted the Mobile Regional Airport to let them know they were approaching at about 500 feet, still below the level of the airport’s radar.
“A voice came back real prompt like and asked where we were,” he said. “They told us to fly directly to the airport and get that plane down as fast as we could.”
McCall and his son knew something was going on, but they had no idea what.
Upon landing in Mobile, the Brewton Aviation plane was met by authorities who told them to get anything out of the plane they ever wanted to see again. McCall said that he still did not know what was going on in New York, and by that point, at the Pentagon in Washington.
McCall and his son were escorted to a room that had a TV. They watched the replays of the towers being hit again and again.
They called their wives to get rides back home. Their plane was held by federal authorities for a week before it was released.
Post-9/11 business has changed in many ways for Brewton Aviation and McCall. Insurance is up 20 times what it was before the terrorist attacks. Flight plans are required by Homeland Security and the FAA.
“The Lord was good to us, increasing our contracts in other ways,” McCall said of his business, post-9/11. “We have kept our head above water, and we have survived.”
“And our country has survived; the Lord took care of all of us,” he said.
McCall now serves as mayor of Century.
Budget Public Hearing Today
September 11, 2008
The Century Town Council will hold a public hearing on the town’s proposed budget at 5:01 this afternoon at the town hall.
The public is invited to attend and offer their input into the $2.5 million budget.
Learn To Read Meeting At IP
September 11, 2008
Learn to Read of Northwest Florida will host an informational orientation meeting this afternoon at International Paper.
The meeting will be from 3:00 until 4:00 this afternoon at the International Paper Employee Development Center, room 109, in Cantonment.
This meeting will educate prospective volunteers on tutoring and various other rewarding opportunities.
Learn to Read of Northwest Florida is a non-profit adult literacy program in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties, that provides free, one-one tutoring for adults who need help with reading and writing,
To reserve your place and for directions, contact Lise at 432-4347 or email info@learntoreadnwf.org. For more information about Learn to Read, visit learntoreadnwf.org.
One Injured In Nokomis Accident
September 9, 2008
One person was injured in a single vehicle accident on Rockaway Creek Road about 6:00 this morning.
The driver of a Hyundai Tucson lost control and struck a tree on Rockaway Creek Road just south of Circle Road. That is about a mile south of the Alabama state line in the Nokomis community.
The driver was transported from the scene with non-life threatening injuries by Atmore Ambulance.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department also responded to the call.
Century Council To Discuss And Approve Budget Today
September 9, 2008
The Town of Century will hold a budget workshop and special meeting this afternoon to finalize next year’s budget.
The budget workshop will being at 5:15 and the special meeting will follow at approximately 6:00. Both the workshop and meeting are open to the public.
The town’s accountant, Robert Hudson, told the town council last week that they need to approve a budget early next week in order to hold a public hearing on that budget by September 11.
The budget for the next fiscal year has a $255,000 deficit, according to Council president Ann Brooks. “We have a much larger shortfall than we’ve been having,” she said at the council’s meeting.
The $255,000 shortfall assumes the council chooses a cheaper health plan for town employees. The town currently pays about $161,000 a year for health benefits, but that number would rise to $212,000 if they council did not make a health benefit change. Brooks said one plan being considered would cost the town about $150,000 per year.
At this afternoon’s workshop meeting, the council is to finalize their choice of health insurance plans, and to insert numbers they are getting from quotes for workman’s comp, liability and life insurance into the budget.
A first public hearing on the budget will be held at 5:01 p.m. on Thursday, September 11 for public input on the budget.
Molino: Registration For Fall Ball Today
September 6, 2008
Signup for Molino Fall Ball will be held today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Molino Ballpark.
For more information, call Wayne Wilson at (850) 698-7014. This is only for t-ball ages, coach pitch and minor baseball.
Music Night At Barrineau Park
September 5, 2008
Southern Sounds and Whistlestop will take to the stage tonight at the Barrineau Park Community Center.
Both groups will preform a variety of bluegrass, gospel and country tunes will their excellent style of harmony and instrumentals.
Music Night at Barrineau Park is family friendly event, free and open to the public.
No alcohol is permitted, and there is not smoking in or near the building. The event takes place in the auditorium with soft chairs and modern sound system. Snacks and drinks will be available from the snack bar.
Everyone is invited to attend and enjoy an evening of music and fun with friends and neighbors. The music begins at seven p.m. and usually continues until after nine.
Pictured above: Whistlestop. Pictured below: Southern Sounds.
Meet The Chiefs Today
September 4, 2008
The Northview Chief held “Meet the Chiefs” this afternoon. We will have photos Friday morning here on NorthEscambia.com.The Chiefs will kickoff the football season Friday night against Pensacola Catholic High School at 7:30.
Pictured above. The 2008-2009 Varsity Northview Chiefs. Front row: #2 Jeremy Jackson, #3 Ka ‘Daris Grice, #4 Dustin Yuhasz, #5 Josh Dorriety, #6 Kevin Cottrell, #7 Devin Moorer , #8 Brandon Sheets.
Second row: #9 Austin Arrington, #10 Austin Reid, #12 Clarence Brown, #18 Chris Sheets, #22 Austin Albritton, #24 Shakel Holmes, #25 Jay Jackson, #26 Montaio Mitchell.
Third row: #29 Cole Gandy, #32 Jake Clayton, #37 Aaron Chancery, #44 Luke Killam, #49 Levi Gideons, #51 Patrick Garrison, #52 Anthony Pierce, #53 James Shook, #54 Steven Long.
Fourth row: #57 Lance Yuhasz, #60 Wesley Morris, #61 Tyler Brooks, #63 Brian Knight, #64 Lonnie Gardner, #65 Brian Long, #67 Samuel Cooler, #68 Michael Frye, #72 Casey Hare, #76 Austin Cooper. Back row: #78 John Sellars, #86 Seth Leonard and the coaching staff. Photo courtesy Stone’s Studio, click to enlarge.