Tonight’s Century Council Meeting Canceled
August 4, 2014
Tonight’s regular meeting of the Century Town Council has been canceled due to a lack of a quorum, according to Town Clerk Leslie Gonzalez.
The council will meet next on their regularly schedule date of August 18 at 7 p.m.
New Walmart Offers VIP Sneak Peek (With Gallery)
August 4, 2014
The new Atmore Walmart held a “VIP” open house Sunday night to give local community leaders and employee families a sneak peak at the new 70,000 square foot store that opens this Wednesday.
The event included welcoming speeches from Walmart store manager Joe Ferguson and regional representatives, traditional dance performances by the Poarch Creek Indians, refreshments and a store tour.
The new Atmore Walmart will open after a brief ribbon cutting ceremony at 7:30 Wednesday morning. The store, which employees about 100 people, will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Pictured top: A Poarch Creek Indian dancer performs Sunday night during a VIP event at the new Atmore Walmart which opens Wednesday. Pictured inset: Manager Joe Ferguson welcomes guests. Pictured below: Cash registers were empty and shelves were awaiting fresh bakery and produce items Sunday night. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Florida Blue Health Exchange Customers To See Rate Hike
August 4, 2014
Florida Blue plans to increase rates by an average of 17.6 percent next year for customers who buy coverage through the federal Affordable Care Act’s health-insurance exchange, Kaiser Health News reported.
The insurer, formerly known as Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, pointed to a large number of older adults buying coverage through the exchange. Those adults often have higher medical costs than younger, healthier people.
But the Jacksonville-based insurer also noted that premiums in the individual-insurance market have seen a series of double-digit increases in recent years, regardless of the exchange.
“In the individual market, this type of average rate increase is typical,” Florida Blue CEO Patrick Geraghty told Kaiser Health News. State insurance regulators are expected to release rate information for all companies next week.
Back To School Sale Tax Holiday Info; School Supply Lists
August 3, 2014
School starts Monday, August 18 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
CLICK HERE for printable school supply lists from each elementary school and middle school in Escambia County, plus the North Escambia area schools in Santa Rosa County and Escambia County, AL.
CLICK HERE for weekend school supply sales tax information for both Florida and Alabama.
Showers, Thunderstorm Likely Today
August 3, 2014
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Sunday Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Sunday Night A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Monday Showers and thunderstorms likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
- Monday Night A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Tuesday A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph.
- Tuesday Night A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
- Wednesday A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
- Wednesday Night A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
- Thursday A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93.
- Thursday Night A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72.
- Friday A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93.
- Friday Night A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73.
- Saturday A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93.
Back To School Tax Holiday Underway In Florida, Alabama
August 1, 2014
It’s a back to school tax free weekend in Florida and across most of Alabama. Here’s a look at what’s tax free in each state:
Florida’s back to school sales tax holiday is now underway and continues through midnight Sunday. The sales tax holiday allows families to save on items the need to gear up for the school year, including school supplies, clothing and some electronics.
The back to school tax holiday includes clothes, backpacks, shoes and wallets up to $100, specified school supplies under $15 each, and the first $750 of a personal computer or computer-related accessories.
For a complete Florida tax free list, click here.
Alabama’s back to school sales tax holiday is also underway. The holiday offers no tax on certain school supplies, computers and clothing.
However, not every city and town participates. Escambia County (Ala.), Atmore and East Brewton will not participate. Baldwin County and its cities will take part.
For a complete Alabama tax free list, click here.
Free School Supplies Available Saturday In Century
August 1, 2014
Free school supplies will be distributed Saturday in Century.
The supplies will be distributed in memory of Dedria Robinson, who was killed in 2005 in an automobile accident at age 11. Organizers of the “Dedria’s Gift” program said they have enough school supplies for about 300 children from Escambia County in both Florida and Alabama.
The giveaway begins at 9 a.m. Saturday in the Nadine McCaw Park (Roadside Park) on North Century Boulevard and continues until the school supplies are gone.
Seasonal Help Job Fair Today In Jay
July 31, 2014
A job fair for the 2014 peanut season will be held today in Jay.
The job fair will take place at the Jay Community Center from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Positions are available for seasonal help in Jay or Allentown. Attendees should bring two forms of identification and be prepared to stay for an interview.
Great Weather Continues
July 30, 2014
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 60. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.
- Thursday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Calm wind.
- Friday A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
- Friday Night A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Saturday A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
- Saturday Night A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Sunday A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the morning.
- Sunday Night A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Monday A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90.
- Monday Night A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69.
- Tuesday A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91.
- Tuesday Night A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70.
- Wednesday A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90.
Many Retailers Counting On School Sales Tax Holiday For Bump In Sales
July 30, 2014
The Florida Retail Federation fully supports the upcoming three-day sales tax “holiday” on back-to-school items, with stores expecting to see a 30 percent increase in sales for the weekend.
However, the retail-industry lobbying group would have preferred the holiday period to be, as Gov. Rick Scott requested, at least a week longer. The three-day period begins at 12:01 a.m. Friday.
“Not everybody gets paid on the same schedule,” said John Fleming, a spokesman for the group. “The people who get paid at the end of the month, they’ll be fine. But there are people on that two-week cycle of paychecks. And we have always thought if you extend it to two weekends in a row you’d get more people to take advantage.”
Still, even at one weekend — the same length lawmakers set the previous four years — retailers should see an increase in shoppers from 2013 because of a couple of changes, according to state economists.
The first change raises the tax-free bar on clothing, bags and backpacks from a maximum of $75 per item to $100.
The second waives the collection of sales taxes on the first $750 of computers and related gear, regardless of the overall price of the electronics. Last year, when computer equipment was first introduced into the discount period, items had to cost less than $750.
“I do think it’s going to allow (electronics retailers) to sell more of their product line,” Fleming said. “This expands the ability for people to buy what they need.”
During the discount period, the collection of sales taxes will also be eliminated on certain school supplies costing less than $15 each, such as notebooks, pens and lunch boxes.
Florida economists have projected the “holiday” period will reduce state revenue by $32.3 million and local revenue to the tune of $7.3 million.
The projections are a jump from 2013, when a similar three-day “holiday” hit state revenue by $28.3 million and local government income by $6.4 million.
The projected increase this year is in part due to a higher demand for electronics.
The changes were included as part of the wide-ranging “patchwork of awesomeness” tax package approved by state lawmakers this spring. When combined with a rollback in vehicle-registration fees, the package gave Scott his election-year request for $500 million in cuts to taxes and fees.
The patchwork (HB 5601), so named by one of its chief architects House Finance & Tax Chairman Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, offered a wide array of tax cuts. They included two other sales-tax holidays: discounts from May 31 to June 8 on hurricane supplies and another tax-free period that will run from Sept. 19 to Sept. 21 on the first $1,500 of the sales price of new Energy Star and WaterSense products.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida