One Killed, Multiple Others Injured In Santa Rosa County Wreck
September 1, 2021
A Pace woman was killed and several others were injured in a crash Wednesday morning in Santa Rosa County.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the 81-year male driver of a Ford SUV pulled from a stop sign on Wallace Lake Road into the path of a Chevrolet SUV headed south on Chumuckla Highway.
The 82-year old female rear passenger of the Ford SUV was pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver and another passenger, a 72-year old Pace woman, were both taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
A 35-year old Jay woman driving the Chevrolet SUB suffered minor injuries. One of her passengers, a 35-year old Jay man, was transported to the hospital with serious injuries. A 2-year old in the vehicle was not injured.
The Florida Highway Patrol investigation is continuing.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tropical Storm Larry Forms Off Africa, Expected To Become Major Hurricane
September 1, 2021
Tropical Storm Larry formed Wednesday morning off the coast of Africa.
The National Hurricane Center expects Larry to ramp up to major hurricane status. Larry won’t impact land over the next five days, and the storm is forecast to recurve in the open Atlantic Ocean and stay away from the United States.
We’ll keep an eye on Larry, but for now there’s no concern.
In case you missed it, tropical storms Julian and Kate formed a couple of days ago for a brief time and fell apart in the Atlantic.
New Dollar General Proposed For Walnut Hill, But In A Different Location Than Before
September 1, 2021
Developers are looking at a new location for a Dollar General Store in Walnut Hill, which would be allowed under a recent zoning change.
The store would be located at 7100 Highway 97, on the north side of the intersection of South Highway 99. There are currently two residences on the 5.3 acre property, which is across the road from a former farm supply retail business.
The Escambia County future land use category of the property is Rural Community (RC), and is it currently zoned Rural Mixed Use (RMU).
Until an update approved unanimously by the Escambia County Commission on August 19, RMU zoning only allowed commercial buildings up to 6,000 square feet with no provision whatsoever to grant any exceptions to construct a larger commercial building.
Now, retail space up to 15,000 square feet is allowed. Properties zoned as RMU in Escambia County are typically located near rural community centers and most are not currently used for agriculture. For a map of RMU zoning in Escambia County, click or tap here (pdf).
The Dollar General now proposed for Walnut Hill will be 10,640 square feet. The plan is in the early stages of potential approval by the Escambia County Development Review Committee, and there’s no guarantee that it will every be constructed after approval.
Earlier this year, Dollar General previously announced a proposal for a store about a mile away at intersection of Highway 97 and Highway 99A in Walnut Hill, next to Ernest Ward Middle School. The proposed size of the store did not meet zoning requirements at the time (but now would after the August 19 BOCC vote). Additionally, there was some minor public backlash against the store due to its location in a curve on Highway 97 and its proximity to the middle school. Plans for this store have not moved forward.
Pictured: A proposed Dollar General for Walnut Hill as presented in February 2021 by their development firm. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Volunteer Firefighters May Receive $1,000 Bonus
September 1, 2021
Many Escambia County volunteer firefighters could receive a nice bonus check in the near future.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Florida’s Heroes Initiative provided $1,000 bonus checks to about 200,000 first responders, including 35,000 firefighters, through the Department of Economic Opportunity. But volunteer firefighters across the state did not receive the bonus.
Now, the Escambia County Commission will discuss a one-time $1,000 payment to volunteer firefighters in the county.
In order to receive the bonus, a volunteer must have completed required training and run 25% of their station’s calls.
The Board of County Commissioners will consider the bonus check idea at their meeting on Thursday.
Pictured: “Engine 18″ at the all-volunteer Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Escambia School District Bus Drivers, Other Support Personnel To Receive Raises
September 1, 2021
The Escambia County School District has reached a pay raise agreement for all educational support personnel (ESP), including bus drivers.
With the proposed agreement with the Escambia Educational Staff Professionals union, bus drivers will receive at least a 4% pay hike. A new, incoming bus driver will now earn $14.72 per hour, with training opportunities to receive a 50 cent increase.
The agreement, according to the district, will meet the school board’s goal to pay over $15 an hour to bus drivers
“We are excited about the pay increase for bus drivers and the potential to have an hourly wage over $15 an hour,” Superintendent Tim Smith said. “This increase will better compensate our bus drivers and help to recruit new drivers. We are also excited to be able to provide all other support personnel the equivalent of a 4% raise.”
For all other support personnel, an agreement was reached to increase the entire salary schedule by 2%, and give current employees a step-raise that is approximately an additional 2% for an overall raise of 4%. Furthermore, an additional Step has been created to allow for the promotion of our most veteran employees. A new employee on Pay Grade 9 will now immediately begin at Step 2, with a starting hourly wage of $10.17.
All impacted employees will have the chance to vote on the proposal. If ratified, the school board will then vote on the new agreement. If passed, the new salaries will soon go into effect retroactive to July 1, 2021.
Investigation Underway After Shots Fired At Atmore Gas Station
September 1, 2021
Police are investigating after shots were fired at a gas station on South Main Street in Atmore.
The Atmore Police Department responded to the Chevron station at the corner of South Main Street and Lindberg Avenue about 6:40 p.m. after reports of gunfire.
Officer arrived to find a gas pump nozzle on the ground and multiple spent shell casings. Anyone involved in the incident had already fled the scene.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
The Atmore Police Department is continuing their investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call police at (251) 368-9141.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
EREC Sends Line Crews, Bunk Trailers And Showers To Help With Louisiana Power Restoration
September 1, 2021
Line crews from Escambia River Electric Cooperative are assisting a fellow cooperative with power restoration following Hurricane Ida.
After landfall of the Category 4 hurricane, there were 84,896 DEMCO customers without power in the Greenwell Springs, Louisiana area.
“Following any storm, our first priority is to safeguard our cooperative and make sure our members have power,” said EREC CEO Ryan Campbell. “As soon as we know our system is intact, then our crews are ready to go help others who were impacted by the storm.”
EREC has also sent five bunk trailers and a shower trailer to Washington — St. Tammany Electric Cooperative in Mandeville, Louisiana, to house cooperative line crews working to restore power there.
One of the biggest challenges facing electric utilities during power restoration after disasters such as hurricanes is lodging. It is difficult to find housing for hundreds or even thousands of workers in an area whose infrastructure has been devastated. EREC acquired trailers and renovated them into bunk housing for this purpose.
EREC’s five bunk trailers will sleep 33 people each, and the shower trailer has 10 showers and sinks. The trailers are self-contained, each equipped with its own generator.
“Rebuilding communities following a storm of this intensity will take time, but we want to do whatever we can to help speed the process,” said Campbell.
Pictured: EREC line crew members Cody Lewis, Philip Gandy, Matthew Reynolds, Thomas Nall and Gary McCaskill. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Coastal Alabama Warhawks Baseball Coach Darrell Blevins Passes Away
September 1, 2021
Coastal Alabama Community College Warhawks head baseball coach Darrell Blevins has passed away. He was 53.
Blevins was entering his 16th season leading the Warhawks at the college’s Brewton campus and spent more than 30 years in organized baseball at the collegiate and high school levels. He also taught microcomputer applications full time as a faculty instructor.
“The three most important things in his life were his relationship with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, his family, especially his boys Kyle and Craig, and baseball. He tried to use the game of baseball to teach lifelong skills to young men, that would help them be successful both on and off the field,” said his wife, Denise Blevins
“Darrell was a standup guy and a pillar in our community,” said Dennis Fuqua, director of Coastal Alabama Community College’s Brewton campus. “He was very respected both personally and professionally, and one of his greatest attributes was that he was a man strong in his faith and he was an extremely hard worker.”
As a coach, he helped more than 90 players get the opportunity to play baseball at the next level, including NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and the NAIA.
Blevins is survived by his wife Denise and their two sons Kyle and Craig. The family attends First Baptist Church of Brewton, where Coach Blevins was a deacon who taught Sunday school classes.
Blue Wahoos Offense Stalls In 6-1 Loss To Montgomery Biscuits
September 1, 2021
Chris Chinea’s solo home run was all the offense the Wahoos could muster as they fell 6-1 to Montgomery on Tuesday night at Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium.
Kyle Nicolas (L, 3-1) suffered his worst outing in his short tenure in Double-A. After going three starts without allowing a run, Nicolas surrendered a three-run home run to Ford Proctor in the bottom of the first, which set the Wahoos behind 3-0. He allowed another run in the fourth, after a walk and an RBI double from Niko Hulsizer, which made the score at the time 4-1. He was lifted from the game after four innings, which was the first time Nicolas was unable to pitch more than four innings since July 7th when he was still a member with the Beloit Snappers.
Pensacola had an immediate response from Chinea in the top of the second when he led off the inning with a solo home run against Jack Labosky. Chine finished the night 2-for-4. Despite his homer making it 3-1, Pensacola’s offense had no further response to combat the Biscuits. Pensacola was limited to four hits on the night and struck out 15 times.
Tuesday’s contest was the first game for the Wahoos in the past week. After a 1-0 win over Mississippi on August 24th, the rest of their series was canceled due to positive COVID tests, and a need for contact tracing. The Wahoos and Biscuits were the only Double-A South teams to play on Tuesday, with two series paused to allow for contact tracing, while Birmingham and Chattanooga were postponed due to rain.
With the loss, Pensacola sits three games back of Montgomery for the second and final postseason spot in the 2021 Double-A South Championship Series.
RHP Max Meyer (6-1, 1.97) will start Wednesday’s contest for the Blue Wahoos, and he will be opposed by RHP Jayden Murray (1-2, 2.36). Meyer’s ERA is currently the lowest in all of baseball, just ahead of Los Angeles Dodgers ace Walker Buehler (2.02). Firs
Construction Underway On North Escambia Solar Farm (With Photo Gallery)
August 31, 2021
Gulf Power is now working to install 300,000 solar panels at the Cotton Creek Solar Energy Center in North Escambia.
At about 500 acres, the site on Bogia Road will have the capacity to generate 75 megawatts — enough energy to power 15,000 homes and the emissions-free energy generated is the equivalent to removing 14,000 cars from the road annually.
The development is in an area north of West Bogia Road between South Pine Barren Road and Highway 29, just west of Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church.
For a photo gallery, click here.
“With every panel installed, we are ushering in a more sustainable future for Florida by delivering cleaner, lower-cost energy while increasing reliability for our customers,” said Mike Spoor, Gulf Power vice president. “With each solar farm we build, we are driving down costs that will ultimately lead to lower bills for our customers. We are also reducing our carbon footprint and providing cleaner air for our region, ensuring we keep Northwest Florida beautiful for generations to come, while also benefiting the local economy with the contribution of hundreds of thousands of additional tax dollars.”
The project has created about 100 construction jobs, according to Gulf Power, that have attracted local skilled installers and laborers, who get the opportunity to work in the innovative renewable energy industry. Some workers travel to the area to work, providing an economic boost through their purchases of goods and services. Gulf Power said the company has many local hires from counties across Northwest Florida working on the project, and the company is also using local vendors where possible for goods and services.
When the Cotton Creek Solar Energy Center and Blue Springs Solar Energy Center in Jackson County are completed in early 2022, they will join Gulf Power’s Blue Indigo Solar Energy Center in Jackson County in provided solar power. Cotton Creek will be Gulf Power’s first owned and operated solar energy center in Escambia County.
Gulf Power is in the development phase for the First City Solar Energy Center, also in North Escambia. Similar in size and capacity to power another 15,000 homes, First City will be located off Holland, Cox and Roach roads in McDavid.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured: Constructions is underway on the Cotton Creek Solar Energy Center in Bogia. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
