Santa Rosa Elected Officials Meet And Greet Tonight
July 30, 2013
Santa Rosa Young Professionals (SRYP) will host an elected officials meet and greet today at the Santa Rosa County Auditorium, 4530 Spikes Way, Milton.
Attending officials will be introduced at 6 p.m.; there will be no formal speeches. The general public is invited to attend this free event and will have the opportunity to speak one-on-one with their representatives.
Complimentary refreshments will be provided.
Scheduled to attend are:
State of Florida
Sen. Greg Evers
Rep. Clay Ingram
Rep. Doug Broxson
Rep. Matt Gaetz
Public Defender Bruce Miller
Santa Rosa County
Commissioner Jim Williamson
Commissioner Don Salter
Commissioner Jim Melvin
Commissioner Bob Cole
Clerk of Court Don Spencer
Supervisor of Elections Tappie Villane
Superintendent of Schools Tim Wyrosdick
Sheriff Wendell Hall
Tax Collector Stan Colie Nichols
School Board Member Jennifer Granse
School Board Member Scott Peden
School Board Member Diane Scott
City of Milton
Mayor Guy Thompson
Councilman Grady Hester
Councilwoman Patsy Lunsford
Councilman Wesley Meiss
Northview Quarterback Club Meets Tonight
July 30, 2013
The next meeting of the Northview High School Quarterback Club is tonight at 6:30 in the Northview Media Center. All current and prospective members are encouraged to attend.
Families can support the Chiefs by joining the Quarterback Club for just $10 per family per year. All of the proceeds go directly to help the school, the football program and the students.
Local Couple Needs Your Vote To Win Free Wedding
July 29, 2013
A local couple is in the running to win the Pensacola Block Party Wedding Contest — a free wedding held on the streets of Pensacola with everything donated by various vendors.
Jessica (Jessy) Killam and her fiance Jarrett Swearingen are top ten finalists, and they are asking for North Escambia readers to vote for them to win the fabulous free wedding.
Jessica grew up in Byrneville and graduated from Northview High School. Her fiance Jarrett grew up in Jay and graduated from Jay High School. He’s now an Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy.
The couple met on a blind date in December 2011 and almost immediately fell in love.
“Marriage is important to both of us, Putting God first is definitely a must,” a poem penned by the couple says. “We both have divorced parents, no one’s willing to help. We’ll be paying for our wedding all by ourself. Winning this wedding would be a dream come true, The future Mr. & Mrs. Swearingen saying I do. We go together like two peas in a pod, Can’t wait to begin our marriage blessed by God!”
The couple has gone to great lengths to garner votes for the contest — from painting a campaign message on Pensacola’s famed “Graffiti Bridge”, to handouts with an easy to scan QR code for smartphones, to campaign t-shirts, to asking for this article on NorthEscambia.com.
To vote for Jessica and Jarrett in the Pensacola Block Party Wedding Contest, click here and choose “Jessica Killam & Jarrett Swearingen” from the drop-down menu. Voting ends at midnight today and is limited to one vote per email address.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Angels Team Members At Library Storytimes This Week
July 29, 2013
The West Florida Public Library has a special storytime treat in store beginning this week. A member of the Blue Angels’ team will take part in the final summer storytime sessions as follows:
- Wednesday, July 31, 10:30 a.m. Main Library, 239 N. Spring St.
- Wednesday, July 31, 3:30 p.m. Century Branch, 7991 N. Century Blvd.
- Thursday, August 1, 10:30 a.m. Tryon Branch, 1200 Langley Ave.
- Saturday, August 3, 2:30 p.m.. Westside Branch, 1580 W. Cervantes St.
- Tuesday, August 6, 10:30 a.m.. Southwest Branch, 12248 Gulf Beach Hwy.
Groups of 20 or less are invited to contact their favorite library branch to inquire if seating is available for attendance at this very special Blue Angels storytime.
Pictured top: LCDR John Hiltz,, pilot of the No. 2 Blue Angels plane, gets a little help with a story that pointed out humans have arms, not wings during a storytime earlier this year at the Molino Branch Library. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
More Rain For Sunday, Maybe Some Sun
July 28, 2013
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Isolated showers and thunderstorms before 7pm. Patchy fog after 4am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming clear, with a low around 69. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Monday: Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.
- Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon.
- Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph after midnight.
- Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 89.
- Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72.
- Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 88.
- Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70.
- Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91.
- Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72.
- Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93.
- Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72.
- Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 92.
Retailers Tout Electronics In Back To School Tax Holiday
July 28, 2013
Retailers expect an even bigger year from savvy discount shoppers as some high-tech gear has been added to the state’s upcoming three-day break from sales taxes on back-to-school items.
Certain clothes, shoes, wallets, bags, and backpacks costing $75 or less and school supplies costing $15 or less will be included in the “sales tax holiday,” which lawmakers approved for Aug. 2 through Aug. 4. And for the first time, personal computers, digital readers, tablets and select accessories costing $750 or less, as long as they’re not used for commercial purposes, are also covered.
The Florida Retail Federation expects additional hiring by some businesses and says electronics companies have already started lowering the prices on laptops and tablets to fit under the $750 benchmark to be sales-tax free.
“What it looks like is the retailers are preparing for the demand, and they’re marking down some computers so they can slide in under the $750 limit,” said John Fleming, spokesman for the statewide trade association.
The retail federation also expects businesses will start to include sales inserts in newspapers starting this Sunday.
The shopping period isn’t on the hype level of Black Friday, which is considered the unofficial kick-off of the Christmas shopping period. But its popularity continues to grow, said retail federation President and CEO Rick McAllister during a conference call Thursday.
Part of the popularity with brick-and-mortar businesses is that the tax break briefly creates a level playing field with out-of-state companies that year-round skirt the collection of state sales taxes through online sales, he said.
“It’s one of those times Main Street can compete with those who don’t tax,” McAllister said.
The state Revenue Estimating Conference has estimated the tax break will cost Florida $28.3 million in revenue this year, with local governments out $6.4 million. The statewide projection is up from a $25.9 million estimate from the 2012 back-to-school period that was also three days.
McAllister said retailers and state officials have also long supported the shopping incentive because the money lost on marked-down school supplies — to fit within the sales break guidelines — is made up as more people go shopping for discounts and decide to eat out.
Still, not everyone is juiced about the pending tax-savings period.
The Washington, D.C.-based Tax Foundation, a conservative think tank, in a report posted Wednesday, noted that the holidays —- offered by 17 states primarily in the southeast — don’t promote economic growth, as most shoppers simply shift the timing of purchases. Also, it said the holidays allow politicians to distract from permanent tax relief and benefit the wealthy.
“While sales taxes are somewhat regressive, this is often exaggerated to sell the idea that sales-tax holidays are an effective way of providing relief to the poor,” the Tax Foundation said in outlining the report. “To give a small amount of tax savings to low-income individuals, holidays give a large amount to others.”
The foundation also claimed that some retailers may also raise prices during the holiday, reducing the eventual consumer savings.
The tax break, as has been in the case in previous years, doesn’t apply in theme parks or at airports or hotel gift shops.
By The News Service of Florida
Last Day For Football, Cheer Registrations At NWE, Flomaton, Cantonment
July 27, 2013
Football and cheerleading registrations will be accepted today for Northwest Escambia and Cantonment as follows:
NWE Football, Cheerleading Registration
LAST DAY — Northwest Escambia football and cheerleading registration will be held today at Ernest Ward Middle School (in front of the gym) in Walnut Hill and Nadine McCaw Park (the former Roadside Park) in Century from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m., and all day at Bradberry Ballpark in Walnut Hill. Players and cheerleaders accepted ages 4-12. Florida residency not required. Practice beings at 6 p.m. on August 1. For more information contact Greg Gibson at (850) 449-3185.
Cantonment Cowboys Registration
LAST DAY — Registration is going on now for the 2013 Cantonment Cowboys. Cheerleaders and football players can register on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. at the Cantonment Cowboys Football Field located at 681 Well Line Road in Cantonment. You also can register at www.cantonmentcowboys.org/register/ until the season starts. For more information, visit www.cantonmentcowboys.org or www.facebook.com/CantonmentCowboys.
Flomaton Football Registration
LAST DAY — Football registration for Flomaton will be held today from 9-11 at Hurricane Park. The fee is $50. Bring a birth certificate, and insurance card and two proofs of residency.
Chance Of More Showers
July 27, 2013
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming north in the afternoon.
- Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable in the evening.
- Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
- Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. South wind around 5 mph becoming west in the evening.
- Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Sunny, with a high near 90. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 73. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
- Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92.
- Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73.
- Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91.
- Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72.
- Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92.
Winn Dixie Looks To Hire 60 People; Holding Job Fair Today
July 26, 2013
Winn Dixie is looking to hire about 60 people in the Pensacola metro area.
The grocery chain will host a job fair today from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Winn Dixie store located at 7135 North 9th Avenue to accept applications and conduct on-site interviews.
Winn-Dixie is recruiting for all store positions from entry level to management including cashiers, baggers, deli, bakery, grocery, dairy, meat and seafood departments, and manager-level positions. With competitive salaries and great benefits, the grocer hopes to fill various openings available immediately at locations in the Pensacola metro area. Applicants are “strongly encouraged” to apply at www.winndixie.com prior to the job fair.
Highway 97A Traffic To Shift To Temp Bridge Over Boggy Creek
July 24, 2013
Traffic on Highway 97A over Boggy Creek in Escambia County will be transitioned to a temporary roadway on Friday around noon. This will allow for demolition of the existing bridge and construction of a new structure and approaches. The $1.5 million project is scheduled for completion during the winter of 2014.
The speed limit will be reduced to 30 mph through the work zone. Drivers are advised by the Florida Department of Transportation to use caution while traveling through the work area and to be aware that speeding violations will be doubled when workers are present.
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather.