Town Of Century Offering No-Fee Yard Waste Collection
January 16, 2021
Town of Century sanitation customers can take advantage of scheduled vegetative debris pick up at no additional charge.
The route is scheduled for the first and third Tuesday of each month. The debris cannot exceed a length or width of six feet or a height of three feet. All leaves, grass clippings and pine straw much be bagged without exception.
Items such as televisions, microwaves, tires, paint, batteries and electronics will not be picked up under any circumstances.
Individual collections on different days or in larger bulk can be arranged by calling town hall at (850) 256-3208 for a fee of $150.
Fourth Suspect In Fatal Century Triple Shooting Is Now Behind Bars In Florida
January 15, 2021
The fourth suspect in a fatal triple shooting November 30 in Century is now behind bars in Florida.
E’monee Long, age 18 of Atmore, was taken into custody and booked into the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center in Brewton in mid-December. He has now been extradited to Escambia County, Florida, to face charges of premeditated first degree homicide, conspiracy to commit home invasion robbery, aggravated battery and home invasion robbery. He is being held in the Escambia County (FL) Jail without bond.
Three other people were charged in the days immediately following the shooting:
— Kiaunna Shane Grice, age 30 of Century, was booked into the Escambia County Jail December 3 for first degree homicide, home invasion robbery, aggravated battery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
— Tacorius Cordale Stallworth, 22, was arrested December 2 for first degree homicide, home invasion robbery, and aggravated battery.
— Jaran Britt Myles, 26, was taken into custody December 1 at the Liquor Cabinet on Highway 29 at Old Chemstrand Road. He was jailed without bond on charges including first degree homicide, home invasion robbery, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine, three counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia.
RELATED STORY: Myles Was Recently Released From Prison For 2015 Manslaughter
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the shooting about 11:35 p.m. Monday, November 30 in the 8200 block of Alger Road, just off North Century Boulevard.
Arrest reports obtained by NorthEscambia.com offer insight into the fatal triple shooting:
The victim, Joseph Christopher Smith, was found shot to death outside a shed near the mobile home. Multiple shell casings were found near the body, in the shed and leading away from the body. The inside of the shed had a couch, several chairs, tables and lamp. The items were in a state of disarray with the lamp glass shattered.
Two other adult males, Xavier Demarquese Walker and Lavor Chante Johnson were sitting near the mobile home when deputies arrived; both had been shot. They were transported by Escambia County EMS and Flomaton Medstar ambulance to a Pensacola hospital for treatment.
Walker stated he was seated in his vehicle when three people approached him, pointed guns at him and told him to get out of the vehicle. He said they “slapped him down” and put in a gun in face, saying “Don’t say nuthin, don’t make a noise”, according to the arrest report. Walker told investigators that he told them that he did not have “nuthin”. He told investigators that he recognized “Run-Run”, the street name used by Myles, and Stallworth, but did not recognize the third person.
Walker said the gunmen walked him over to the shed and told him to knock on the door and say “It’s Xa”. Walker stated that when the door opened, the three suspects pushed past him and went inside. Walker said he “freaked out”, the report states, and jumped on the ground where he was shot in the leg by Stallworth.
The suspects took Smith outside the shed before shooting him multiple time because of money, Walker stated.
Johnson told investigators that he was walking back from the store when he was picked up in a vehicle driven by Smith. He said he went inside the shed with Smith when someone knocked on the door and said “it’s Xa”. Smith opened the door, and the three male suspects entered the shed.
The report states Johnson said one of the men pointed a gun directly at his head and then shot him in the leg. They then started shooting in all directions inside the shed, striking Walker in the leg.
One of the suspect said “Where’s the money” to Smith, who replied “Ain’t no money. Johnson stated that the suspects took Smith outside, and he heard numerous gunshots.
Johnson told deputies that after the suspects shot Smith, they began celebrating by firing their guns and yelling, “Yeah, we caught that [expletives] slackin” before fleeing the scene.
After receiving a tip Tuesday night, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office caught up with Myles as he walked out of the Liquor Cabinet on Highway 29 at Old Chemstrand Road in Gonzalez. Deputies gave him loud verbal commands, but he turned and walked back inside the store. The deputies drew their service weapons, entered the store and continued to give loud verbal commands. Myles entered one of the aisles and made movements near products on the shelf before placing his hands and surrendering, an arrest report states.
After and ECSO K-9 alerted on the vehicle, a search produced 24 MDMA pills, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, Alprazolam pills and suspected fentanyl.
A firearm was located inside the Liquor Cabinet.
Pictured: Deputies look for evidence at the scene of a of a triple shooting in Century as seen early Tuesday morning on Alger Road. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia County To Consider Broadband Internet Network; Thousands Would Get Access To True High Speeds
January 15, 2021
Escambia County will explore the financial feasibility of a countywide broadband network following a study that found the county has large broadband internet gaps.
A recent Magellan Advisors assessment found that almost all resident in the more northern parts of Escambia County do not have any access to the internet at speeds defined as broadband by the Federal Communications Commission.
In a nonbinding straw vote of county commissioners at a Thursday workshop, commissioners decided to reserve $650,000 in CARES Act funding for design engineering, detailed business and financial planning, and grant services and applications in the first step toward a county broadband network. It essentially will create a plan for moving forward if commissioners determine the network is financially feasible. Commissioners must ratify the vote during a regular meeting next week.
The study identified about 3,000 under or unserved residents without access to true broadband in North Escambia. After the planning, the next step in the project outlined by Magellan Advisors would be a fiber based wireless network in North Escambia in areas from Molino north (pictured above). That move would take additional action by the commission in coming months.
The wi-fi type network would immediately offer high speed internet to 3,000 underserved North Escambia residents at an estimated cost of $79 per month for a speed of 150/50 Mbps. Additional fiber connections up to a symmetrical 1 Gigabit would also become available.
None of those North Escambia residents currently have access to the defined minimum broadband speed of 25/3 Mbps.
NorthEscambia.com will offer continuing coverage of the broadband project.
Escambia County provided the following additional information about results of the broadband study:
Northern Escambia County
In the rural northern portion of the county most communities lack access to true broadband services. Broadband is defined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload. Nearly all communities in Northern Escambia lack access to broadband speeds that meet this standard. Northern Escambia County faces the dual challenges of many rural areas: high per capita cost to build network infrastructure and low capacity to pay for service. Consequently, the area is simply not an attractive market for most private sector service providers. Most companies will not invest what is needed to provide broadband services because they simply cannot make adequate profits. These parts of Escambia County are not an economically feasible location for most private, for-profit internet service providers.
Southern Escambia County
In Southern Escambia County broadband speeds are greater due to increased density and the population center of Pensacola, but competition is lacking. Many locations are limited to two choices of providers with only one that meets true broadband speeds. Additionally, as providers have improved their speeds utilizing new technology, the infrastructure they deliver these services on are aging leaving the services unreliable and susceptible to outages and slowdowns.
Impact
The current broadband environment in Escambia County has direct impacts on its citizens’ and businesses’ abilities to compete for economic development opportunities, gain access to online education and health care, and participate in the same quality of life afforded to residents in communities with affordable, reliable and accessible broadband. With the right plan and phased investments Escambia County has the ability to change the market equation so it is more attractive for private companies to invest and provide services, while also reducing its telecommunications spend, providing better connectivity to community buildings, providing a platform for Smart City applications and delivering redundancy for other public networks and stakeholders.
About Fiber Networks
Over 3,000 communities in the US have invested in fiber networks to support internal and community needs. In doing so, they have been able to expand this fiber to support other internal and community needs, from connecting county and city facilities, to providing fiber access to schools, to connecting traffic signals, streetlights and public safety cameras. In some cases, municipalities and county governments have expanded their fiber to increase access to high-speed internet services in areas where existing broadband services do not meet one of the four dimensions of internet service, which include speed, reliability, customer service and/or affordability.
Benefits to the Residents
- 1 Gigabit & 150 Megabit Internet for 3,000 Underserved Residents and Businesses
- Symmetrical Service County & Businesses — Same Upload & Download
- Locally Owned and Operated — Speeds from 1 Gig to 10 GIG
- Fully Redundant System with 99.999% uptime. No Throttling or Data Caps
- Dollars Stay Local, Reinvested in Community
Benefits to the Community
- Economic development has been a major beneficiary of this strategy as the small and medium business sectors are generally the largest contributor to the economy yet are challenged to find affordable high-speed internet services.
- Education — Provide futureproofed connectivity to all students/schools
- Healthcare — Support telehealth needs of residents and providers
- Transportation and housing
- Some communities have crafted their own policies to consider internet access a utility, similar to electric and water. In doing so, these communities have built their broadband networks to reach all citizens and businesses in their jurisdictions.
- Support future capabilities and reduce operating costs
- Self-Determination — Control over the future of Escambia’s connectedness
Implementation
Communities have used differing techniques to expand broadband, from making fiber available to local providers, to developing public-private partnerships, to delivering high-speed internet services themselves. Each community must decide for itself the role it wants to play in broadband, depending on its unique issues, available funding, tolerance for risk, capabilities to compete and desire for overall control. About 500 municipal utilities, cities and cooperatives play a role in expanding broadband within their communities today.
Century CVS Robbed Thursday Night; Suspect Demanded OxyContin
January 15, 2021
The CVS Pharmacy in Century was robbed Thursday night.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect demanded that OxyContin be placed in a bag before he ran from the store on North Century Boulevard. A K-9 was used to search for the suspect, but he was not located.
The suspect was described only as a white male about 18-20 years old. The ECSO said he did not display a weapon.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Pictured: The CVS Pharmacy in Century. NorthEscambia.com file photo.
First Replacement Deck Concrete Pour Completed For Pensacola Bay Bridge
January 15, 2021
Repairing the bridge requires repair or replacement of eight full spans and 14 partial spans. Each full span is 150-feet long, 59-feet wide, and weighs approximately two million pounds. The Pensacola Bay Bridge has a targeted re-opening date of March 2021. Once repairs are complete, all four lanes will be open with no load restrictions.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County To Contact Residents With Incomplete CARES Grant Applications
January 15, 2021
Escambia County is taking a closer look at CARES grant applications that were not approved due to incomplete information.
The Escambia County Commission on Thursday instructed county staff to reach about again to about 2,500 Family CARES Grant applicants who do not have complete information on their application.
Applicants can check their status in an online portal. If the status indicates “Applications Under Review,” the applicant can expect contact from the county.
“The county would like to stress that staff will contact individuals who still need to submit additional paperwork,” said Deputy Administrator Chips Kirschenfeld. “Please do not email or call the county to check on your status because staff needs to concentrate on processing, rather than call taking. Applicants will have two weeks after they are contacted by staff to submit the necessary paperwork.”
The Escambia County Family CARES Grant program application and verification process began back on September 25 of last year. As of December 30, the county had approved 5,736 households for the $3,000 grants totaling over $17 million. In its four-day application window, the county received a higher than anticipated volume of applications with 9,558 households submitting information.
Man Critical After Highway 29 Hit And Run Rollover Crash
January 14, 2021
An Escambia County man is in critical condition after an early morning hit and run crash on Highway 29.
The Florida Highway Patrol said a 49-year old Pensacola man was traveling south on Highway 29 near Archer about 4:30 a.m. when his SUV was struck from the rear. The SUV traveled across the median intp the northbound lanes and overturned off the roadway.
The man was airlifted to a Pensacola hospital after being extricated from the vehicle.
The FHP said they do not currently have a suspect as they continue their investigation.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County, State Graduation Rates Move Upward
January 14, 2021
Escambia County graduation rates inched up for the last school year, but remained below the state average, according to a recently released Florida Department of Education report.
The report showed a 1.7 percent point increase in Escambia County, while the state average was up an even 3%.
The Class of 2020 graduation rate in Escambia County was 86.5%, continuing steady gains from 76.1% in 2016. The state graduation rate for 2020 was 90%.
West Florida High School’s 99.1% graduation rate was the highest in the county. Graduation rates improved at Escambia, Northview, Tate, Pine Forest and Washington High Schools.
The pandemic disrupted the regular school year for the Class of 2020 in the spring as schools across the state were shuttered and moved to virtual instruction.
The 2020 graduation rate for each Escambia County public school or special center was as follows:
- West Florida High School — 99.1%
- Tate High School — 90.2%
- Escambia High School — 89.5%
- Pine Forest High School — 87.6%
- Pensacola High School — 87.1%
- Northview High School — 86.4%
- Washington High School — 85.8%
- Escambia Virtual Academy — 100%
- Escambia Westgate — 94.1%
- Success Academy — 57.4%
- Camelot Academy — 23.5%
“Though graduation rates are up, I want to be very clear this increase must be understood within the context of the exemptions that were provided in the spring semester to the class of 2020,” Jacob Oliva, chancellor of the state’s K-12 public school system, wrote in an email to school superintendents. “That compassion and grace for our seniors was absolutely necessary, as we took several steps to ensure that our seniors would have support and opportunities to minimize the disruption of the pandemic on their educational journey. However, it limits the interpretation of these results.”
Gulf Power Switches Plant Crist To Natural Gas Delivered Through North Escambia Pipeline, Ending Coal Use
January 14, 2021
Gulf Power’s Plant Crist is now running 100% on natural gas delivered by a pipeline through North Escambia.
Gulf Power, a division Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), ceased coal-fired power generation at its Plant Crist in Escambia County. The plant modernization, which FPL initiated immediately after purchasing Gulf Power from the Southern Company, includes a conversion to run entirely on American-produced, cleaner natural gas – cutting the plant’s carbon emissions rate by 40% and marking the end of Gulf Power’s use of coal to generate energy in Florida.
Converting coal-burning units to run on natural gas was a major piece of the modernization underway at Plant Crist, along with the addition of four new, highly efficient combustion turbines to provide greater reliability and efficiency for the energy grid and a new natural gas pipeline to provide additional natural gas for the plant.
Over the past several months, Gulf Power has installed an underground natural gas pipeline that runs 39 miles from the Florida Gas Transmission Pipeline near Century, through McDavid, Molino and Cantonment, to the company’s Plant Crist.
The retirement of coal at Plant Crist was accelerated by Hurricane Sally, which caused damage to the plant’s coal equipment. The company determined that it is in the best interests of its customers to accelerate the modernization instead of repairing the coal equipment.
Pictured top: Bright yellow new pipes threaded throughout the inside and outside of Plant Crist this year are the visible signs of the coal to natural gas conversion that will allow the plant to run 100% on U.S. produced natural gas. Pictured inset: A crane hoists one of the larger pieces of new equipment at Plant Crist, a gas heater, into place at the Plant Crist gas yard as part of the coal to natural gas conversion. The heater will warm the natural gas to keep it from freezing in the pressure control valves that send the gas from the pipeline to the power plant. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Man Gets 15 Years On 12 Child Porn Charges
January 14, 2021
An Escambia County man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison on child pornography charges.
Shawn Eric Caron, 45, entered a plea to 12 counts of possession of certain images of child pornography. Circuit Judge Jan Shackelford then handed down the sentence.
The charges stemmedf from a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation. On June 15, 2020, a search warrant was executed at Caron’s residence and found child pornography images on his devices, including a cell phone, that depicted male and female children under the age of 10.