ECFR: Well Line Road Mobile Fire Caused By Electrical Malfunction
October 14, 2021
Investigators have determined a fire that damaged a Cantonment mobile home Tuesday afternoon was due to an electrical malfunction.
Escambia County Fire Rescue responded to the fire just after noon Tuesday in the 1000 block of Well Line Road.
Crews arrived to find light smoke showing from the trailer from a kitchen fire. The home suffered fire and smoke damage throughout, according to ECFR.
There were no injuries reported.
The Cantonment, Ensley, Molino and Beulah stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded.
The home had smoke detectors, but they did not function, the fire department said. Free smoke detectors are available for Escambia County residents by calling (850) 595-HERO.
Century Awarded $35,000 Competitive Florida Partnership Grant From The State
October 14, 2021
Century, with the assistance of FloridaWest, was one of just eight small and rural communities in the state awarded a $35,000 Competitive Florida Partnership Grant.
The grant will be used to elevate the area’s education, training and skilled workforce to meet current industry and business demands. In April, the Century area had an unemployment rate of 12%, nearly three times that of Escambia County.
FloridaWest recently held a meeting to discuss the grant with partners including the town, Escambia County School District, Pensacola State College, CareerSource Escarosa and other local leaders.
“We don’t have a specific plan right now,” FloridaWest CEO Scott Luth said. “We are bringing the stakeholders together to create something and giving them the opportunity to say this is what we want to do.”
The grant plan will work to connect youth at area schools with business and industry.
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity partner with communities to help them leverage this unique assets and set realistic goals. They will also work to connect the communities like Century with available state and federal resources.
Once a better-defined roadmap is in place for the grant, there will be a public outreach including two public meetings.
The grant was awarded on a cost reimbursement basis.
Pictured: Community partners discuss a $35,000 Competitive Florida Partnership Grant during a recent meeting in Century. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
It’s National School Lunch Week (And Jim Allen’s Cafeteria Is Looking Like Fall)
October 14, 2021
It’s National School Lunch Week, and the staff at Jim Allen Elementary School has made the cafeteria a festival fall place for students to enjoy their lunches. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Local COVID-19 Hospitalizations Fall To Lowest Level Since July
October 14, 2021
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Escambia County have fallen to their lowest level since July 22.
On September 22, there were 158 people hospitalized for COVID-19 in Ascension Sacred Heart, Baptist and West Florida hospitals. That compares to 127 two weeks ago and 284 one month ago.
The numbers in the graph indicate daily hospitalizations in Escambia County and are provided daily by Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital, Baptist Hospital and West Florida Hospital. The daily numbers are not cumulative.
Data sources: Escambia County, City of Pensacola, Ascension Sacred Heart, Baptist and West Florida hospitals. Graphics: City of Pensacola.
Reminder: District 5 Cottage Hill Neighborhood Cleanup Day Is Friday
October 14, 2021
Residents of Cottage Hill will have the opportunity to dispose of yard debris and other items free of charge Friday, October 15 during a District 5 Neighborhood Cleanup.
During neighborhood cleanups, Escambia County departments team up to bring services to residents in an effort to keep local neighborhoods clean and safe. Participating is easy: Residents in the cleanup area simply leave eligible items at the curb to be disposed of free of charge by Escambia County and partnering agencies.
All debris must be at the curb directly in front of residences in the area by 7 a.m. on the day of the cleanup. Tires and paint cans should be separate from all other debris. Debris piles should not be placed under low-hanging lines or near poles, fences or mailboxes. All items, including containers, will be collected.
Only residents in the designated cleanup area are able to participate in the neighborhood cleanup. Items left at the curb outside of the cleanup area will not be collected. The collection area is east of Highway 95A, between the side streets north of McKenzie Road to Eden Road and to the east of Williams Ditch Road (see map above).
Items eligible for removal include:
- Household appliances and electronics
- Household junk and debris
- Bicycles and toys
- Old furniture and mattresses
- Barbecue grills
- Household hazardous waste (old paint, motor oil, chemicals, batteries)
- Tires (limit 10 per household)
Items NOT eligible for removal include:
- Building materials (concrete, bricks, blocks, roofing, drywall or lumber)
- Explosives or ammunition
- Auto parts
- Dirt or sod
- Vehicles or vessels
- 55-gallon drums of fluids
The neighborhood cleanup initiative involves an aggressive cleanup effort, targeting different neighborhoods throughout the county, with crew members and volunteers picking up a variety of debris and waste, including electronics, furniture and household items.
Since 2016, more than 3,577 tons (7,154,000 pounds) of debris were collected and disposed of through the Community Redevelopment Agency’s Safe Neighborhood Program.
The county’s neighborhood cleanup program is hosted by the Escambia County Community Redevelopment Agency’s Safe Neighborhood Program. Local partners include Escambia County Waste Services, Environmental Code Enforcement, Public Works, Animal Services and Road Prison, along with the City of Pensacola Sanitation Department and Keep Pensacola Beautiful. During the cleanups, county staff handle issues such as roaming dogs and cats, unsafe structures, tree trimming, right of way mowing, street sweeping, household hazardous waste recycling and more.
SUV Lands Up In Trees In Highway 29 Wreck
October 13, 2021
A SUV landed literally up in the trees in a crash late Tuesday afternoon just south of Century.
The driver of the SUV was towing a U-Haul trailer on North Century Boulevard near Crary Road when lost control. The vehicle left the roadway and crashed into wood line. One tree was downed under the Honda Pilot. The SUV stopped with its bumper several feet off the ground with only one tire on the ground.
The adult male driver was not injured in the crash. He was able to crawl up and out of the wreckage and was assisted by firefighters as he climbed down a ladder.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. The Century and McDavid stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos. click to enlarge.
Escambia Doctor, Two Family Members Charged With Running ‘Pill Mill’ From Medical Clinic
October 13, 2021
An Escambia County doctor, along with his wife and son, have been arrested for allegedly operating a pill mill, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Dr. William Wilson, 68, and Beverly Wilson, 66, were arrested Tuesday in Norfolk, Virginia, and James Wilson, 48, was arrested in Pensacola.
The investigation began in 2019, based on pharmacist and citizen complaints that Dr. Wilson and the Wilson Family Medical Center on University Parkway was operating as an unlicensed pain management clinic for financial gain and negligently prescribing dangerous narcotic combinations.
On September 11, 2019, agents executed the first of two search warrants and seized significant evidence. Dr. William Wilson also relinquished his DEA registration that allowed him to prescribe controlled substances. The investigation continued and evidence was analyzed. The analysis included file reviews by a certified expert physician with an expertise in interventional pain management, who found that all of the charts he reviewed revealed patients were prescribed controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose.
The investigation found that the Wilson Family Medical Center double-billed clients for cash and insurance, without clinical notes or exams, and clients routinely received controlled substance prescriptions without seeing Dr. Wilson.
Agents provided the expert physician the chart of an 18-year-old male who visited the clinic at least 10 times, receiving controlled substances each visit. There were no notes in his chart indicating the reason for the prescriptions. On April 26, 2018, he received a prescription for oxycodone and was found dead on April 27. The Medical Examiner determined the cause of death as oxycodone toxicity.
The investigation found that the Wilson Family Medical Center fraudulently billed Blue Cross Blue Shield for a total of $1,862,000 and received $500,000.
“As in all professions, the majority of physicians do the right thing,” said Chris Williams, FDLE Pensacola special agent in charge. “From time to time, a physician does not live out the Hippocratic Oath and FDLE appreciates the help of our law enforcement partners and members of our community in working together to stop them from hurting our citizens, and hold them accountable.”
William Wilson, Beverly Wilson and James Wilson were each charged with conspiracy to traffic in oxycodone (100 grams/30 kilograms), unlawful use of a two-way communications device, culpable negligence inflicting actual injury and scheme to defraud. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be forthcoming, according to FDLE.
James Wilson was booked into the Escambia County Jail Tuesday on $136,000 bond. William and Beverly Wilson are being held pending extradition at the Norfolk (Virginia) City Jail. The Office of the State Attorney, First Judicial Circuit, will prosecute the case.
FDLE agents, with the assistance of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Norfolk (Virginia) Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), made the arrests.
Investigation Underway After Body Found On Road
October 13, 2021
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a man whose body was found on Tuesday as a homicide.
The body of a black male believed to be in his late 30s or early 40s was found on Rambler Drive in the Marcus Pointe area.
Sheriff Chip Simmons said it appears someone shot the man, but so far there are no suspects. He said the body may have been there overnight.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Charter Review Committee Wants To Make Century Mayor A Council Member
October 13, 2021
The Century Charter Review Committee wants to make the elected mayor a member of the town council and delegate most authority for running the municipality to a hired town manager.
The committee voted in July that a charter rewrite would form a town manager-council form of government, making the elected mayor a weak position, perhaps mostly a figurehead. With a show of hands Tuesday afternoon, the committee decided 4-2 that the mayor will serve as a council member and chair of the council. As such, the mayor would not be allowed to discuss town business with other council members away from public meetings under Florida’s Sunshine Law. Contact with council members would be the responsibility of the town manager.
The committee decided to remove an outdated mayoral spending limit from the charter, which currently stands at $500 for emergencies or $200 otherwise.
If the charter review committee completes a rewrite, the changes would go the town council to decide if the recommendation will go on the ballot for a citizen vote.
Tate High School Names Students Of The Month
October 13, 2021
Tate High School recently named their Students of the Month for August. They are Hailey Hartjen and Zavion Simmons. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.