Tonight: Escambia Commissioner Barry Town Hall Meeting In Cantonment
December 7, 2015
Escambia County District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry will host a town hall meeting at 5:30 this evening at the Escambia County Extension Office at 3740 Stefani Road in Cantonment.
Residents are invited and encouraged to attend the open forum event.
A Seasonable, Sunny Sunday
December 6, 2015
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 67. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 46. North wind around 5 mph.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 69. North wind around 5 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 42. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 67. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 44. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 70. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 51. South wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 72.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 57.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 73.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 73.
Sunny And Pleasant Weekend
December 5, 2015
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 65. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 44. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 47. North wind around 5 mph.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 42. North wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 66. North wind around 5 mph becoming west in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 47. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming northeast after midnight.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 68.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 69.
Authorities Searching For Missing, Endangered Woman
December 5, 2015
UPDATE 12/05/15 3:25 pm — This missing person has been located and taken to a medical facility.
Authorities are searching for a missing and endangered Santa Rosa County woman.
Investigators with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office are asking the public to be on the lookout for 60-year old Deborah Elizabeth Reid of Baker.
Reid left her residence about 10:30 a.m. Thursday and has not returned. She has not driven in quite some time and has no cell phone, credit cards and none of the medication that she is required to take. It is believed she is traveling with two small Yorkshire Terrier dogs.
Her direction of travel was not known.
Reid is 5′1″, weighs 120 pounds and has blue eyes and blonde hair. She was last seen wearing a cream quarter-length sleeve blouse, blue jeans and black boots. She is believed to be traveling in a 2007 silver Trailblazer with Florida tag CRXH11.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact their local law enforcement agency.
Pictured: A 2003 photo of Deborah Elizabeth Reid as provided by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Low Around 40 Tonight
December 4, 2015
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 39. North wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 65. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 44. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 47. North wind around 5 mph.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 43. North wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 66. North wind around 5 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 47. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming northeast after midnight.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 68.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 69.
Sunny, Cool Today; Middle 30’s For Tonight
December 3, 2015
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 59. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 35. North wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 61. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 39. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 63. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 46. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 50. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 63.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 43.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 64.
Finally Some Cooler Weather
December 2, 2015
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 41. North wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 58. North wind around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 35. North wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 61. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 39. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 63. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 46. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 50.
Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 46.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 63.
Christmas Events, Including A Parade In Molino, Planned For Saturday
December 2, 2015
Several Christmas events are planned for Saturday in the North Escambia area.
An Evening in Bethlehem
The 6th annual Evening in Bethlehem will be held on Saturday, December 5, from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Gonzalez United Methodist Church Sanctuary. No tickets or reservations are required. For more information call (850) 968-6006 or visit www.gonzalezmethodist.org or www.facebook.com/GUMCbethlehem. The church is located at 2026 Pauline Street in Cantonment.
Molino Christmas Parade
The Molino Christmas parade is scheduled for Saturday, December 5 at 11 a.m. The parade will start at the west end of Crabtree Church Road and end at Molino Ballpark, where Santa will be waiting to visit with all the good little boys and girls. Pre-register at Jimmy’s Grill or day of the parade. Registration cost will be $30 for floats/trailers, $20 for vehicle and $10 for horses. Line-up for the parade is 10:15 a.m. All proceeds will benefit children in need in the community. Donations such as toys and non-perishable food can be dropped off at Jimmy’s Grill. For more information, contact Charity Sheldt at (850) 324-4463 or Jimmy’s Grill 754-0041. Rain date will be Sunday, December 6 at 2:30 p.m.
Byrneville Christmas Festival
Byrneville Elementary’s PTO will hold their annual Christmas Festival on Saturday, December 5, beginning at 11 a.m. There will be games, vendors, a trolley, entertainment, and food. Santa will also be on hand for photos. A basket auction begins at 1 p.m. The festival will be held at the Byrneville Community Center.
A Little Rain, Followed By Cooler Temps
December 1, 2015
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: A 40 percent chance of showers. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 58. South wind around 5 mph becoming west after midnight.
Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly before noon. Cloudy, with a high near 65. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 41. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 59. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 35. North wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 60. North wind around 5 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 41. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 63. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 44.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 64.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 47.
Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 64.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 49.
Tuesday: A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 66.
Prison Health Firm Corizon Cancels Contract With State
December 1, 2015
Saying a contract with the state is “too constraining,” a company that provides health care to 75,000 Florida prison inmates gave notice Monday that it will end the agreement as of May 31.
Corizon Health, which in 2013 received a five-year contract to provide health care at prisons in three regions of the state, said it exercised a 180-day cancellation provision in the contract. It was not immediately clear what will happen at the end of the period, though Corizon said the six months will allow a transition.
Department of Corrections Secretary Julie Jones in February announced an intention to re-bid prison health contracts through a process known as an invitation to negotiate. Through that process, the department indicated it wanted to address issues such as staffing, mental-health services and the use of electronic health records.
In a prepared statement Monday, Corizon Chief Executive Officer Karey Witty alluded to those issues.
“We appreciate the contracts for inmate health services permit very little of the flexibility that Secretary Jones would like in order to address issues such as staffing, mental health care, and electronic health records,” Witty said. “We have tried to address the department’s concerns but have found the terms of the current contract too constraining. At this point, we believe the best way to move forward is to focus our efforts on a successful transition to a new provider.”
McKinley Lewis, a department spokesman, said in an email that Jones met Monday with Corizon and received notice of the cancellation. The email said a contract with another health-care provider, Wexford Health Sources, will continue.
“In the coming months, Secretary Jones will work closely with the Department’s Office of Health Services to ensure that the appropriate staff and resources are available at our facilities to continue seamless delivery of appropriate medical care to our inmate population,” Lewis said in the email. “While Corizon has terminated its contract with the Department of Corrections, we will continue our partnership with Wexford Health Sources and will work closely with their leadership throughout this process.”
A legislative decision in 2011 to privatize prison health-care services was highly controversial and drew legal challenges. But ultimately, Tennessee-based Corizon and Pennsylvania-based Wexford received contracts to move ahead.
Corizon provides health services at prisons across North Florida and Central Florida, such as at Florida State Prison in Bradford County and other institutions that are critical employers in rural areas.
In a news release Monday, Corizon said it would work with the Department of Corrections “to plan a transition schedule and to mitigate employee concerns regarding their future employment. This is will help ensure a stable environment for safe and effective clinical care for the patients during this changeover.”
Jones’ announcement in February that she wanted to re-bid the health contracts came amid intense scrutiny of the prison system. While that scrutiny included prison health care, it focused heavily on issues such as reports about guards abusing inmates and allegations of cover-ups.
Under the current agreements, Corizon receives $229 million per year. Wexford, which provides services in a smaller number of prisons in South Florida, is being paid $48 million a year.
by Jim Saunder, The News Service of Florida
Pictured: Inmate medical facilities inside the Century Correctional Institution. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.