Great Fall Weather Continues
October 19, 2023
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 53. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. East wind around 5 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 80. West wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 52. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 79. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. West wind around 5 mph becoming north after midnight.
Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 80. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph in the morning.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 80.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 55.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 79.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 57.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 79.
Upcoming Beulah Master Plan Meetings Canceled
October 19, 2023
Beulah Master Plan public meetings that were scheduled for October 24-25 have been cancelled due to scheduling conflicts.
The meetings will be rescheduled and the new dates, times and location will be announced soon.
Friday Night Football Scoreboard
October 19, 2023
Here are Friday night’s football scrores from around the North Escambia area.
FLORIDA
- Blountstown 18, Northview7 [story..Photos]
- Tate at Gulf Breeze,
- Choctaw at Booker T. Washington
- Escambia at Pine Forest 14. Escambia 7
- Jay 42, Lighthouse Private Christian Academy 8
- Crestview at Milton
- Catholic 42, Muroe 7
- Navarre 25, Pace 24
- Gulf Breeze 27, Tate 20
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ALABAMA
- South Choctaw Academy 36, Escambia Academy 34
- Escambia County (Atmore) at Bayside Academy 38, Atmore 14
- T.R. Miller 42, Satsuma 0
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Have You Donated In The Peanut Butter Challenge?
October 18, 2023
The annual Peanut Butter Challenge is now underway in Escambia County to help families in need.
The Peanut Butter Challenge, UF/IFAS Extension’s annual jar collection for local food pantries, first launched in the Florida Panhandle in 2012. It has since launched statewide, giving counties the chance to compete for most jars of peanut butter donated. The challenge serves a way to feed hungry families ahead of the holidays and also promotes peanuts grown in Florida.
Unopened, unexpired jars of peanut butter can be donated at the following locations through October 31:
- Escambia County Extension, 3740 Stefani Road, Cantonment
- Escambia County Farm Bureau, 153 Highway 97, Molino
- Escambia County Public Safety, 6575 North W Street
- Gilmore Services, 31 East Fairfield Drive
- Escambia County Administration, 221 Palafox Place, 4th Floor
- Holy Spirit Catholic, 10650 Gulf Beach Highway
In addition to the community donations, the Florida Peanut Producers Association (FPPA) and Florida Peanut Federation (FPF) have partnered with the project for years. These organizations are based in the northwest and northeast peanut-producing regions of the state and will again contribute to the totals distributed to food pantries in those regions.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Public Schools Awarded $1.5 Million Esports Gaming Grant by U.S. Department of Defense
October 18, 2023
Students at seven schools– Bailey, Beulah, Brown-Barge, and Ransom Middle Schools; Escambia, Tate, and West Florida High Schools. will benefit from a $1.5 million, 5-year project designed to promote Esports Escambia County Public Schools (ECPS).
Esports: E is for Everyone provides military connected students from all walks of life an opportunity to be part of a team at seven military-connected schools within the Escambia County Public Schools (FL). The DoDEA-funded 5-year project seeks to build a sustainable competitive gaming ecosystem that is welcoming and inclusive of everyone. Bridges will be built between military-connected students and communities who engage in Esports, making student learning transitions seamless. The benefits of Esports will reach far beyond the four walls of the classroom and expose military-connected students to technology, teamwork, competition, and diversity, while preparing them for successful college and career paths.
“Esports: E is for Everyone is an innovative approach to engage students in social-emotional learning and hands-on problem solving that will motivate, inspire, and foster grit within our students,” said Monica Willis, ECPS Grants Specialist and author of the grant. This marks the 11th competitive grant that the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) has awarded the school district since 2010.
Access to coaches, equipment, resources and competitions will afford rich experiences for all students at four ECPS middle schools and three ECPS high schools. New extra-curricular Esports teams will pique interest, increase attendance, spark ingenuity, and remove physical and social barriers to ultimately close achievement gaps.
Military-connected students will have the opportunity to make meaningful connections while honing their skills and exploring scholarship opportunities at hundreds of colleges. The characteristics and skills utilized by successful Esports team members directly correlate to the skills needed for students to become college and career ready citizens.
International Paper To Permanently Cease Operation On One Local Production Machine
October 18, 2023
International Paper will permanently cease operation of one of their production machines in Pensacola, the company said Wednesday.
IP announced a series of actions to further strengthen and optimize its manufacturing system to meet customers’ needs. The company will permanently close its containerboard mill in Orange, Texas, and will permanently cease production on two of its pulp machines – the #20 machine in Riegelwood, N.C., and the #4 machine in Pensacola
Locally, about 100 jobs are expected to be impacted.
“Decisions like these are extremely difficult, because of the impact on our employees, their families and the communities in which we operate,” said Chairman and CEO Mark Sutton. “We are grateful to our employees in Orange, Riegelwood and Pensacola for their significant contributions to the company over the years. We are committed to providing severance benefits, outplacement assistance and more to help employees during this time.”
In total, approximately 900 positions will be impacted. Wherever possible, the company said their goal is to minimize the impact on employees by using current vacancies, retirements, normal attrition and other roles at International Paper.
The actions in Pensacola and Riegelwood will reduce IP’s pulp capacity by approximately 500,000 tons (300,000 tons fluff pulp and 200,000 tons southern bleached softwood). The company’s remaining pulp mill system will include eight mills with an annual production capability of 2.7MM tons.
The #4 machine in Pensacola is currently idled and will not resume production.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Cool, Crisp Mornings Continue
October 18, 2023
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 75. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 52. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the morning.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. South wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 78. West wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 51. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 77. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 53. West wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 78.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 53.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 56.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 80.
Cantonment Mourns Passing of Dave Jasso, Ace Hardware owner
October 17, 2023
The Cantonment community is mourning the passing of Dave Jasso, owner of the Cantonment Ace Hardware.
Jassso loved nothing more than his Cantonment Ace Hardware store that was part of a dream after he retired from the Navy. he had been battling cancer quietly for some time now. He lost his battle on October 13.
The 8,00 square foot store next to Winn Dixie opened in 2019.
Employees are asking customers to stop by and share their stories and memories about Dave as they shop.
RESTORE MYIP Amendment 3 Public Comment Period Open Now
October 17, 2023
RESTORE MYIP Amendment 3 Public Comment Period Open Now
Escambia County has released its RESTORE Act Draft Multi-Year Implementation Plan Amendment 3 for a 45-day public comment period beginning Oct. 16, 2023 until Dec. 1, 2023. Visit MyEscambia.com/MYIP to view MYIP Amendment 3.
Public comments will be accepted via the following ways:
Emailing restore@myescambia.com
By mail – Attention: Terri Berry, Natural Resources Department, 221 Palafox Place, Pensacola FL 32502.
MYIP Amendment 3 proposes alterations of two projects and the addition of eight new projects. The two alteration projects include the Escambia County Workforce Development program and Little Sabine Bay Restoration program. The eight new projects include:
Perdido Key Public Beach Access – Property Acquisition and Construction
Pensacola Bob Sikes Fishing Pier – Rehabilitation
Cantonment Community Center – Construction
Palafox Complete Street – Construction
South Navy Boulevard Improvements
Bayou Grande Watershed Management Plan
O.C. Phillips Bridge Replacement
Carpenter Creek Headwaters – Carpenter Creek Watershed Management Plan Site 16
Background
In April 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded, killing 11 workers and leading to the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. As a result, the RESTORE Act was signed into law in 2012, directing 80% of administrative and civil penalties back to the impacted areas of the Gulf Coast through the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund.
The U.S. Department of Treasury serves as the administrator of the RESTORE Act Direct Component, one of five funding streams through the RESTORE Act. In Florida, RESTORE Direct Component projects are selected and implemented by the 23 Gulf Coast counties, contingent on compliance with the RESTORE Act and acceptance by the U.S. Department of Treasury.
To ensure projects are consistent with the RESTORE Act and obtain broad-based participation in the project selection process, Treasury requires submittal and acceptance of a Multi-Year Implementation Plan. The U.S. Department of Treasury approved Escambia County’s Initial MYIP on Oct. 20, 2017, which included 10 projects selected by the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners.
The first amendment to the MYIP was approved by the U.S. Department of Treasury on June 16, 2020, which included modification to three projects included in the Initial MYIP and the addition of eight new projects. The second amendment to the MYIP was approved by the U.S. Department of Treasury on Aug. 16, 2021, which proposed the addition of funds to one existing project and the addition of a new project.
The RESTORE Act and the U.S. Department of Treasury require the county to complete a 45-day public comment period to obtain broad-based participation from the public prior to the submittal and approval of MYIP Amendment 3. Escambia County will take all public comments under advisement and reflect those comments in the public comment section of this document following the public comment period closure.
For questions or more information, email. restore@myescambia.com.
Century’s Permanent Water System Interconnect To Century Prison Getting More expensive
October 17, 2023
The Tow of Century’s plan to provide a dependable backup source water for the Century prison is about get more expensive if and when it is used.
The permanent interconnect from Central Water Works to the Century water system was completed in May 2020 to provide a dependable water supply to the prison. At one point in 2020, the prison was receiving water through an emergency fire hose connection across Tedder Road after the failure of a Century water well.
Central Water Works is raising the cost of water provided to Century from $2.50 per 1,000 gallons of water to $3.00 per 1,000 gallons– Central’s ordinary bulk rate for other customers.
The interconnect is not currently providing water to the prison.
Earlier in May 2020 , the town’s water well that was the sole water supply for the prison failed.
Interim Mayor Luis Gomez. Jr. said the town needs to complete infrastructure projects into order to reduce the need for the interconnect as a Plan B
An emergency interconnect using two, two-inch fire hoses was made from Central Water Works fire hydrant on the south side of Tedder Road to the prison on the north side of the road in 2020.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
