Expect Nightly Lane Closures On The Pensacola Bay Bridge
June 10, 2021
Nightly lane restrictions will be in place on the Pensacola Bay Bridge as work continues to restore four lanes of traffic for the length of the structure.
From Thursday, June 10 until Friday, June 18, drivers will encounter lane closures and lane shifts each night from 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. Drivers should anticipate congestion during the time work is underway.
Construction crews are working to complete repairs on the bridge. The Pensacola Bay Bridge reopened Friday, May 28 to four lanes of traffic (two in each direction), with the exception of an an approximately one-half-mile segment of two travel lanes (one lane in each direction) on the Pensacola side of the bridge arch.
No date has been announced for completing repairs and restoring all four lanes of traffic, though the Florida Department of Transportation said indications are it could be within “weeks as opposed to months” Also not determined at this time is an estimate for completing repairs to the bridge’s multiuse path that accommodates bicyclists and pedestrians.
The speed limit on the Pensacola Bay Bridge is 35 mph, and law enforcement personnel are patrolling the structure around the clock to enforce the limit. Tolls on the Garcon Point Bridge remain suspended through Tuesday, July 6.
Motorcyclist Seriously Injured After Crashing Into A Turkey In Walnut Hill
June 10, 2021
A motorcyclist was seriously injured after crashing into a turkey Wednesday evening in Walnut Hill.
The adult male was headed east on Rockaway Creek Road about a mile from Pine Forest Road when he collided with the wild turkey about 6:50 p.m. He lost control of his Harley-Davidson motorcycle and slid about 150 feet along the pavement with the bike.
He was airlifted by MedStar Air Care 2 to Sacred Heart Hospital for treatment. The turkey did not survive.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating. Escambia County EMS and the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
May, Barry Don’t Want Retirement Plan Back Pay, But They Will Seek Resolution For Other Employees
June 10, 2021
Escambia County commissioners Steven Barry and Lumon May say they don’t want any back payments from a 401(a) annuity retirement plan settlement, but they will continue to work to help other senior level county employees that were not told about the program.
Barry told NorthEscambia.com Wednesday afternoon that the overall issue is bigger than just the board.
“There is a bigger issue,” he said. “The bigger issue is how this information (about the 401(a)) is being distributed.”
The 401(a) annuity program is available under state law and is offered only to senior management service employees and commissioners that opt out of the Florida Retirement System (FRS). It’s available statewide, not just in Escambia County.
Many employees, along with current and past commissioners, have said they were never informed of the annuity plan’s existence, and they lost significant retirement revenue as a result.
Barry asked the state ethics commission if the county commission could vote on a settlement plan that would allow payments to him, other commissioners and other county employees that were not told about the annuity plan by the county’s human resources department. The ethics commission agreed that the county commission could vote on paying lost earnings from the 401(a) plan to impacted commissioners and county employees.
At the county commission’s last meeting, May seconded a motion by Barry to move forward with discussion to discuss the program, and May also seconded an ameded motion to seek a legal opinion on the matter first.
“Quite frankly, in my opinion, this action, it’s not about county commissioners,” May said during the BOCC meeting. “It’s about those employees who have served in the dark without knowledge of this program and that they should have the opportunity to exercise any retirement benefits, not for themselves, but the sacrifice that they made for their children and those they may leave upon their death and their retirement.”
The payout could total as much as $1.9 million, including just over $225,000 each for Barry and May. But both commissioners now say they will not seek the money for themselves.
“Personally, I’m not going to seek any back payments, but I am extremely supportive of continuing to seek a legal opinion about a fair and equitable resolution for our senior management employees, many of whom were never informed of even the existence of the 401(a) plan, much less the details of the plan,” Barry said in a text message to NorthEscambia.com Wednesday afternoon.
“We have a responsibility to advocate for the fair treatment of all our eligible employees, not only a select few,” Barry continued.
For an earlier story and more background, click or tap here.
New Signal At Highway 29, Molino Road Will Become Operational Next Tuesday
June 10, 2021
A new traffic signal at the intersection of Highway 29 and Molino Road will become fully operational about 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 15..
The signal is currently in flash mode to acquaint motorists with the new location. The Florida Department of Transpiration said drivers are urged to use caution when approaching the intersection.
NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Mira Awards Honor Escambia’s Most Creative High School Seniors
June 10, 2021
Each year the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation celebrates the unique gifts and creative talents of students from the Escambia County School District’s seven high schools with the presentation of the Mira Creative Arts Awards.
Students received a custom medallion during their school’s senior awards to wear with their cap and gown at graduation.
The awards presented last month were as follows:
Escambia High School
Band: Aubrey Crooks, Lily Strickland, Jonathan Trillo
Chorus: Keith Franco, Ashlee Radcliff, Mary Rouse
Drama: James Smith
Instrumental – Piano: Nicholas Grimes
Orchestra: Jacob Barrow
Yearbook: Shea Robards
Northview High School
Band: Alexia Jeneske
Drama: Josiah Carter
Graphic Arts: William Wilson
Graphic Design: Savannah Doremus
Visual Arts: Alexis Fleming
Visual Design: Libby Pugh
Yearbook: Hannah Hughes
Pensacola High School
Band: Alyssa Pasco, Mikael Patriarca
Drama: Owen Ides, Graybill Partington, Gabrielle Vines
Orchestra: Jenalynn Fernandez
Photography: Tavi Parker
Visual Arts: Khuyen Tran, Calla Endacott, Morgan Green
Pine Forest High School
Band: Yasmin Blount, Keith Jackson
Chorus: Bennez Kornegay
Culinary Arts: Dillon Southerland
Orchestra: Saudia Davis
TV Production: Natalia Eddy
Visual Arts: Christian Missal, Ayshia Williams
Yearbook: Mary Prokosch
Tate High School
Band: Michael Dixon, Mia Morehouse
Drama: Grey Benauer, Brody Kuehn
Orchestra: Reeve Roberts, Jade Ronca
Photography: Maggie Williams
Theater/Chorus: Adalynn Joiner, Liliana Watson
Visual Arts: Natalee Stuart
Booker T. Washington High School
Band: Joshua A. Mullikin, Rick Washington
Chorus: Kindell Nathaniel Harris, Jonathan West
Orchestra: Zachary Ford, Alyson Maybin
Theater: Nathaniel Holzknecht, Anna E. Miley
Visual Arts: Scarlett Mariana Coffey, Jordyn Johnson
West Florida High School
Band: Autumn Clayton, Selalina Hakaumotu
Drama: Grace Stanley
Graphic Arts: Marie Jansen, Abe Pasion
Journalism: Parker Hassebrock, Myles Powers
Orchestra: Olivia Enkey
Visual Arts: Skai Estares, Liberty Isbell
ECUA Offers Cooking Oil Disposal Stations, Including A New One On Nine Mile Road
June 10, 2021
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority has a new Cooking Oil Disposal Station at Ever’man Cooperative on Nine Mile Road.
The cooking oil station allows customers to capture and dispose of their cooking oil and grease in an environmentally safe and effective manner.
The disposal station is stocked with plastic containers of various sizes. ECUA customers can take a free container, fill it with fats, oils and grease, and return it to exchange it for an empty container. The collected cooking oil and grease is recycled as biodiesel fuel. That, according to ECUA, keeps it out of sewer lines where it can cause clogs and overflows.
ECUA customers can also poor cooled grease into empty cans or plastic bottles and dispose of it in their trash.
Other Cooking Oil and Grease Disposal sites are located at:
Escambia County Extension Office
3470 Stefani Rd., Cantonment
Ever’man’s – Two locations
315 West Garden Street
1000 East Nine Mile Road
Perdido Landfill
13009 Beulah Rd., Cantonment
Beulah Fire Station
6400 West Nine Mile Road
Grocery Advantage
736 Hwy 29 North, Cantonment
ECUA at Ellyson Industrial Park
9255 Sturdevant Street
ECUA Sanitation Department
3050 Godwin Lane
Apple Market
1021 Scenic Highway, Pensacola
NAS Corry Station
4120 Pless Avenue (Corry Village Housing)
ECUA Bayou Marcus Water Reclamation Facility
3050 Fayal Drive
Keep Pensacola Beautiful
2001 N Palafox Street
Perdido Key
12950 Gulf Beach Highway
ECUA at Warrington
609 S. Old Corry Field Road
Pensacola Beach Via de Luna Drive
53 Via DeLuna Drive (Adjacent to ECUA Pensacola Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant)
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Serious Injuries In Highway 29 Crash Near 10 Mile Road
June 9, 2021
Two people were seriously injured in a near head-on crash Wednesday morning on Highway 29.
The crash happened about 10:35 a.m. on Highway 29 just north of 10 Mile Road. The Florida Highway Patrol said a 64-year old Pensacola man was southbound in a Ford Taurus when he crossed the median into the northbound lanes. The Taurus collided with the front left of a Dodge Challenger driving by a 50-year old Molino woman in what troopers described as an offset head-on collision.”
A white Dodge Journey operated by a 34-year old Pensacola man was traveling north behind the Challenger and collided with the Taurus.
The Taurus came to rest southbound in the northbound lane, and the Challenger was in the grassy area between northbound Highway 29 and Highway 95A. Firefighters were forced to extricate the driver of the Taurus.
The drivers of both the Taurus and the Challenger was transported with serious injuries. to area hospitals by Escambia County EMS. The driver and adult passenger of the Dodge Journey were not injured.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Armed Robbery Of Beulah Circle K Under Investigation
June 9, 2021
Authorities are searching for two suspects after the armed robbery of a convenience store early Wednesday morning in Beulah.
About 1:20 a.m., two white males walked into the Circle K at the corner of Nine Mile Road and Beulah Road. Both suspects were dressed in all black clothing and were armed with knives, according to Amber Southard, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
They demanded the clerk to hand over money and “other items” before exiting the store, she said.
There were no injuries reported. Surveillance images have not yet been released.
Anyone with information on the holdup is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or the ECSO at (850) 436-9620.
File photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Update: Woman Drove Her Truck Into Bluff Springs Lake — And Then Went Home
June 9, 2021
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office says a woman drove her truck into a lake south of Century — and then went home.
Thes submerged pickup was found about 7:15 p.m. Tuesday by individuals fishing near the gravel lake on Bluff Springs Road, just west of the Escambia River in the Bluff Springs Recreation Area.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office dive team responded and by late Tuesday night had determined that no one was inside the truck. Amber Southard, ECSO spokesperson, said Wednesday morning that no charges have been filed against the woman.
One of the people that found the truck told NorthEscambia.com that the truck appeared to be a dually, a dual rear-wheel pickup.
The woman’s name has not been released. She has not been charged in connection with the incident.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Academic Awards Presented To Graduating Seniors At Each Escambia High School
June 9, 2021
The Escambia County Public Schools Foundation recently presented senior academic awards to students from each of the Escambia County School District’s high schools.
Seniors received a custom medallion to wear during their graduation ceremony.
The Escambia County Public Schools Foundation’s Academic Award honorees for the Class of 2021 were:
Escambia High School
Top Five (Six): Jennifer St. George, Joel Sexton, James Smith, Robert Vititoe, ArieAnna Muro, Malaika Voyou
Career and Technical: Ashley Gray
English: Laylah Curran
Foreign Language: Josefina Garcia
Math: Oanh Tran
Science: Amanda Silvania
Social Studies: Catherine Deason
Northview High School
Top Five: Amber Gilman, Libby Pugh, Savannah Doremus, Leland Seaton, Meredith McGhee
Career and Technical: Noah Harigel
English: Leia Grantham
Math: Sehoye Buckley
Science: David lamb
Social Studies: Ayiana Courtney
Pensacola High School
Top Five: Morgan Boesel, Benjamin Spangrud, Logan Turbiville, Sydney Dodson, Jenalynn Fernandez
National Merit Recipient: Owen Ides, Sydney Dodson
Career and Technical: Jordan Shipp
English: Willow Thompson
Foreign Language: Kyle-Xander Magpoc
Math: Samantha Galvan-Diaz
Science: Adryanna Cummings
Social Studies: Precious Oliver
PHS – International Baccalaureate
Top Five & National Merit Recipient: MaxAnthony Mateer
Top Five & National Merit Recipient: Ashley Wu
Top Five: Levi Cherek
Top Five & National Merit Recipient: Mai Tran
Top Five: Olivia Langhorne
Top Five: Claire Litvak
Top Five: Lauryn Murphy
National Merit Recipients: Calla Endacott, Kendall Frazee, Alyssa Pascoe, George Thomas Prettyman, Amy Zhang
Career and Technical: Graybill Partington
English: Akelah Reeves
Foreign Language: Adele Dorion
Math: Khuyen
Science: Siddhi Gavkar
Social Studies: Elizabeth Molchan
Pine Forest High School
Top Five & National Merit Recipient: Kayla Stapleton
Top Five: Alexandria Dread, Justin Pengson, Alan Munoz, Jaylen Thomas
Career and Technical: Jaeden Burrier
English: Caden Wilson
Foreign Language: Kaylee Holland
Math: Tabatha Farro
Science: Yasmin Blount
Social Studies: Sheridan McRoberts
Tate High School
Top Five & National Merit Recipient: Michael Dixon, John Semple
Top Five: Katelyn Loudon, Maggie Brown, Quang Vo
Career and Technical: Adam Lee
English: Evelyn Campbell
Foreign Language: Lauren Torrez
Math: Jonathan French
Science: Jackson Chatwood
Social Studies: Courtney Adams
Booker T. Washington High School
Top Five: Cortney Sherman, Vu Pham, Steven Nguyen, Xian Zhang, Alan Lapid, Measia Armstrong
Career and Technical: Elana Burke
English: Isabella Swan
Foreign Language: Mary Marinescu
Math: Turner Friday
Science: Trevor Shaffer
Social Studies: Cheree Rembert
West Florida High School
Top Five: Measia Armstrong, Jeffrey Bates, Autumn Clayton, Vi Dang, Roel Torres
Career and Technical: Cathryn Clay
English: Hayamus Williams
Foreign Language: Marina Tampary
Math: Ian Young
Science: Logan Nix
Social Studies: Kevin Le