Current Escambia Goverment Consolidation Effort May Be Dead
January 7, 2010
It appears that the possible governmental consolidation of Escambia County, Century and Pensacola may be over — at least until 2012 at the earliest.
Tonight, the Escambia County Commission voted to ask the Escambia County legislative delegation to delay any possible public vote on a proposed governmental consolidation plan until 2012.
Escambia County Commissioner Wilson Robertson said this morning that he would introduce a motion at tonight’s commission meeting to yank the commission’s support for the current consolidation proposal.
The Escambia County Consolidation Study Commission’s proposal to unify the three governments is due by January 15, but it is still not complete. The group has three meetings remaining, including one on January 14, in which it planned to hammer out a final proposal.
Robertson said that he disagrees with many parts of the consolidation committee’s draft proposal, and he feels that the entire process was rushed.
NorthEscambia.com will continue to follow this story.
Sleet, Snow In Tonight’s Forecast
January 7, 2010
There’s a chance of sleet and snow in our forecast for tonight, but the National Weather Service says we can expect little or no snow or sleet accumulation.
If you plan to travel north into Alabama Friday morning — the weather service is forecasting about an inch of snow down to Monroeville and Evergreen.
Here is your official National Weather Service forecast for North Escambia:
- Tonight…Rain and light sleet in the evening…then chance of rain and snow after midnight. Little or no snow and sleet accumulation. Lows in the lower 20s. West winds 5 to 15 mph becoming north after midnight. Chance of precipitation 80 percent.
- Friday…Sunny. Highs in the upper 30s. North winds 10 to 20 mph.
- Friday Night…Partly cloudy. Lows around 16. North winds 5 to 15 mph.
- Saturday…Sunny. Highs in the lower 40s. North winds 10 to 15 mph.
- Saturday Night…Clear. Lows around 16. North winds 5 to 10 mph.
- Sunday…Sunny. Highs in the mid 40s.
- Sunday Night…Clear. Lows around 15.
- Monday…Sunny. Highs in the lower 50s.
- Monday Night…Mostly clear. Lows 18 to 23.
- Tuesday…Sunny. Highs in the upper 50s.
- Tuesday Night…Partly cloudy. Lows 26 to 31.
- Wednesday…Mostly sunny. Highs around 60.
- Wednesday Night…Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 30s.
- Thursday…Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of rain showers. Highs in the upper 50s. Chance of showers 20 percent.
Pictured top: Ice covered most of an Oak Grove pond Wednesday morning. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
BCS National Championship Tonight — Who Do You Think Will Win?
January 7, 2010
The No. 1 BCS-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, the Southeastern Conference champions, and the No. 2 BCS-ranked Texas Longhorns, champions of the Big 12 Conference, will play in the Citi BCS National Championship Game at 7:38 tonight.
Who do you think will win? Submit your comments on the game below and show your team spirit!
With its win of the Southeastern Conference crown for the 22nd time, Alabama is going to a bowl for the sixth straight season. The Crimson Tide also enters the game with a perfect mark of 13-0 overall, 9-0 in conference. Alabama has been to the eighth most Rose Bowl Games in history (6), behind only: USC, Michigan, Washington, Ohio State, Stanford, UCLA and California; most of any team outside of the Big Ten and Pac-10.
Texas enters the BCS National Championship game after clinching the Big 12 Conference title for the third time (28 conference championships overall) and a record of 13-0 overall, 9-0 in conference. The Longhorns are bowl eligible for the 12th consecutive season and are one of two schools in the nation (Utah) that has won five straight bowl games. This streak includes three straight BCS games (2009 Fiesta Bowl, 2006 BCS National Championship, 2005 Rose Bowl).
Tonight’s game marks Texas and Alabama’s eighth meeting in history; the last time was on January 1, 1982, in Dallas, Texas, at the Cotton Bowl where the Longhorns defeated the Crimson Tide, 14-12.
Pregame festivities for the 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game begin at 7 p.m. and include musical performances by Josh Groban, Audra McDonald and the coin toss by legendary football announcer Keith Jackson. The game is televised nationally on ESPN on ABC with Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit and Lisa Salters calling the action. Locally, the game airs on WEAR 3.
Escambia Road Department Ready For Possible Snow, Ice
January 7, 2010
Escambia County officials are preparing for the possibility of winter weather tonight.
County road crews are ready to roll tonight or early Friday morning in the event ice begins to form on roadways. Crews have sand ready to spread on any icy areas that might develop, according to Sonya Daniel, Escambia County public information manager.
“The Road Department will be watching the roads all night if it looks like there might be a problem,” Daniel said.
Bridges and overpasses often freeze first, she said, adding that drivers need to be careful if as they head out tonight or early Friday morning.
Commission To Consider Time Line To Replace Administrator
January 7, 2010
Today, the Escambia County Commission will consider a plan for hiring an acting county administrator to replace County Administrator Bob McLaughlin.
In December, the commission decided to not renew McLaughlin’s contract when it expires February 6. That decision will officially be considered, and most likely approved, at a commission meeting tonight.
Under a proposal to be presented to the five commissioners this afternoon, the recruitment process for an acting administrator will begin next Monday. Candidates would be interviewed by April 2, and an acting administrator would be hired by April 12.
The time line to be considered by the commission, as prepared by the human resources department, is as follows:
Pre-Posting Activities: January 11, 2010 – January 15, 2010
- Prepare detailed Job Description – duties, responsibilities, knowledge, skills
- Determine Required Qualifications
- Determine Recruitment Range and Negotiating Cap
- Develop Supplemental Questions for Job Posting
- Determine Selection Committee (odd number, no more than 5)
- Determine Advertising Budget: $12,500 for 30 Days
- Determine Travel Budget for Candidates: $10,000
Advertise – 30 Calendar Days: January 18, 2010 – February 19, 2010
- Florida Association of Counties
- National Association of Counties
- ICMA
- Pensacola News Journal
- Escambia County Web Site
- Various National News Papers
- (Example: Wall Street Journal – $1,429 (1 day print, 30 days online)
HR conducts Preliminary Candidate Screening: By February 26, 2010
- Application Review
- Prepare matrix
- Establish Referral List of Candidates
- Prepare binders with applications/resumes for committee
1st Panel Review – Selection Committee: By 03/03/2010
- Review Referred Candidates and Matrix
- Develop Questionnaire
- Select candidates to receive questionnaire
HR – Distribute Questionnaire: By 03/05/2010
- Distribute and confirm receipt of questionnaire to candidates
HR – Distribute Questionnaire Replies to committee: By 03/17/2010
- Collect replies
- Prepare binders for distribution to committee
- Board Recommendation for candidate travel reimbursement
2nd Panel Review – Selection Committee: By 03/23/2010
- Review Questionnaires
- Determine candidates for telephone interviews
- Develop Telephone Interview Questions
Telephone Interviews Conducted: By 03/26/2010
- HR coordinates candidates and committee
- Committee selects candidates for Face-to-Face Interviews
- Committee develops Face-to-Face Interview Questions
Face-to-Face Interviews Conducted by 04/02/2010
- HR Coordinates Interviews with Candidates & Selection Committee
- HR Coordinates travel & travel reimbursement
- Interviews Conducted
- Selection made or re-advertise
County Attorney executes contract: By 04/12/2010
- Total Compensation Package Negotiated
- Contract executed
Regret Letters: By 04/16/2010
- To interviewed candidates that were not selected.
Crimson Tide Ready For National Championship Game Tonight
January 7, 2010
The No. 1-ranked Alabama football team has wrapped up preparations for No. 2 Texas with its last full practice at the Costa Mesa High School Sports Complex. The Crimson Tide practiced for two hours in shells for the second consecutive day under great Southern California weather conditions.
“I think the most important thing is getting our players focused on playing in the game, and there’s obviously a lot of distractions in any Bowl game, especially in a circumstance like this one, and I think we’ve handled that with quite a bit of maturity in terms of the way we’ve been able to focus on practice and doing things right and playing against a very good Texas team,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said.
“At this point it’s almost like getting on a flight; it takes a long time to board and check your bags and all that kind of stuff, but now we’re ready to take off, and you’ve got to go through your checklist and make sure you get it right and do it right and get ready to go out there and play your best game of the year.”
“This is the biggest game we have ever played in. Last year after the SEC Championship game was kind of a letdown and we had people dragging through the Sugar Bowl,” said Mike Johnson, senior left guard. Johnson is a graduate of Pine Forest High School in Pensacola.
“We weren’t really playing for anything other than a Sugar Bowl title. This year we have so much more to play for. It definitely shows in the spirit at practice and the way people have gone about preparing for the game and hopefully we can continue it and stay injury-free and keep the intensity up through the game,” Johnson said.
No. 1 Alabama (13-0, 8-0 SEC) and No. 2 Texas (13-0, 8-0 Big 12) will meet in the BCS National Championship Game tonight at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. The game will be nationally televised by ABC Sports. Locally, the game airs on WEAR 3.
Alabama conducted a final walk through on Wednesday and headed to the Rose Bowl to get comfortable with the facility which features a new playing surface.
Pictured top: Julio Jones talks to the media in Pasadena. Pictured midde: Mike Johnson, senior left guard, is a graduate of Pine Forest High School in Pensacola. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Winter Weather Continues (With Updated Forecast)
January 6, 2010
Our week of winter weather continues with a low tonight around 20.
Thursday is when things get really interesting along our part of the Gulf Coast. Cold temperatures and a low pressure moving across the Gulf of Mexico may produce snow across the area. If it happens and how much remain to be seen at the this point — it may be an all rain event.
But that’s not the end of our cold — lows will be back down to about 16 Friday night and 12 Saturday night.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 20. Calm wind.
- Thursday: Rain likely, mainly after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 47. Wind chill values between 15 and 25 early. Calm wind becoming south between 10 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
- Thursday Night: A 40 percent chance of snow before midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 23. Wind chill values between 15 and 20. North wind between 10 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
- Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38. Wind chill values between 10 and 20. North wind between 5 and 15 mph.
- Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 16. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 40. North wind between 10 and 15 mph.
- Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 12. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 45. Northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 20. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 55.
- Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27.
- Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31.
- Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54.
Pictured above: An icicle covered swing set located near Barrineau Park Road and Molino Road. Submitted photo by Kristi Smith for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge. For more photos, click here.
Updated: Teens Tonight, Snow Thursday Night And Even Colder For The Weekend
January 5, 2010
Updated 3:50 p.m. It’s going to be C-O-L-D tonight, snow is forecast for Thursday, and it forecast to be even C-O-L-D-E-R for the weekend.
Tonight is forecast to be around 16, and forecasters are calling for a 60 percent chance of snow by Thursday night with an overnight low around 20.
Here is your frigid Florida forecast for North Escambia and surrounding areas:
- Tonight…Clear. Lows around 16. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.
- Wednesday…Sunny. Highs in the mid 40s. Northwest winds around 5 mph.
- Wednesday Night…Partly cloudy in the evening becoming mostly cloudy. Lows in the lower 20s. Light winds.
- Thursday…Cloudy. Chance of rain in the morning…then scattered rain showers in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 40s. South winds 5 to 10 mph becoming west 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 40 percent.
- Thursday Night…Mostly cloudy. Rain and snow likely in the evening…then isolated snow showers after midnight. Lows 19 to 24. North winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent.
- Friday…Partly sunny. Highs in the upper 30s.
- Friday Night…Partly cloudy in the evening becoming mostly cloudy. Lows around 15.
- Saturday…Partly sunny in the morning then clearing. Highs in the upper 30s.
- Saturday Night…Mostly clear. Lows around 11.
- Sunday…Sunny. Highs in the mid 40s. Lowest wind chill 1 below to 9 above zero in the morning.
- Sunday Night…Mostly clear. Lows around 17.
- Monday…Not as cool. Sunny. Highs in the mid 50s.
- Monday Night…Partly cloudy. Lows 23 to 28.
- Tuesday…Mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid 50s.
Pictured above: The Nona Hightower Fountain this morning at Century Care Center. Submitted photo by Mae Hildreth for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Students Head Back To Class
January 5, 2010
It’s back to school day for students in Escambia County, Florida, today following the two-week Christmas break. Teachers in the county returned to work yesterday.
Students in Santa Rosa County returned to class yesterday.
Students in Escambia County, Alabama, returned to school Monday. That was one day earlier than planned — one of two make up days for the days missed due to December’s floods. The second make up day will be March 19.
The University of West Florida begins the spring semester on Wednesday, and the spring semester starts Thursday at Pensacola Junior College.
Here is a look at the school calendars for Escambia (Fla.) and Santa Rosa counties for January:
Escambia County
- Jan. 15: End of grading period
- Jan. 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
- Jan. 19: Teacher planning day (students out of school)
- Jan. 26: Report cards sent home
Santa Rosa County
- Jan. 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
- Jan. 22: Teacher planning day (students out of school).
- Jan. 21: End of grading period
- Jan. 29: Report cards sent home
Frigid Florida: Frozen Fountain
January 4, 2010
The Nona Hightower Fountain at Century Care Center was partially frozen Monday morning. Submitted photo by Mae Hildreth for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.