Old Chemstrand Road Area Boil Water Notice Has Been Lifted
December 19, 2020
Gonzales Utilities has rescinded a boil water notice that was issued Monday following a water main break on Old Chemstrand Road.
The utility said bacteriological sampling showed that the water is safe to drink.
The notice was in effect for residents on 2nd through 7th Avenues and 1415 to 1693 Old Chemstrand Road.
The water main break had closed Old Chemstrand Road on Monday, leading to detours.
Escambia County Names Interim Public Safety Director, Interim EMS Manager
December 19, 2020
Escambia County has announced top level public safety department changes.
Emergency Manager Eric Gilmore (pictured left) will become interim public safety director on December 24. He is taking on the position previously held by Jason Rogers, who announced his resignation recently due to family medical issues.
EMS Manager Jimmy Maddrey has announced he is stepping down to become an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy. He will be replaced by Billy Shipp, current Escambia County EMS operation manager. Shipp will become interim EMS manager effective January 4.
“I am proud to serve as interim public safety director for Escambia County,” Gilmore said. “I understand Jason Rogers needs to tend to his family.”
“In addition, while we are sad to see Jimmy leave our public safety department, he really stepped up as a leader during a difficult time for EMS. He will follow in his father’s footsteps by serving in law enforcement, and we are glad he is staying within our community.”
Shipp has more than 29 years paramedic experience.
“I feel confident in Billy’s abilities to lead the EMS department in the direction it needs to go,” Gilmore added.
Florida House Committee Assignments Are Out. Here’s How Local Reps Were Assigned.
December 19, 2020
Florida House committee assignments were announced on Friday.
Northwest Florida representatives were assigned to committees as follows.
District 1 – Michelle Salzman
- Civil Justice & Property Rights Subcommittee
- Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee
- Judiciary Committee
- Local Administration & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee
- Post-Secondary Education & Lifelong Learning Subcommittee
District 2 – Alex Andrade
- Education & Employment Committee Republican - Committee Whip
- Post-Secondary Education & Lifelong Learning Subcommittee
- PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee
- Professions & Public Health Subcommittee
- Secondary Education & Career Development Subcommittee
District 3 – Jayer Williamson
- Infrastructure & Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee - Chair
- Appropriations Committee
- Finance & Facilities Subcommittee
- Joint Committee on Public Council Oversight
- Joint Legislative Budget Commission
- Pandemics & Public Emergencies Committee
- Rules Committee
- Tourism, Infrastructure & Energy Subcommittee
Tate High Vegetable Evaluation Team Places At State Contest
December 19, 2020
The Tate High School Vegetable Evaluation Team placed 20 out of 58 teams at the state contest.
Team members include athan O’Neal, Maliya Porter, Piper Pfeuffer-Ferguson and Jiana Dortch.
The Vegetable Evaluation CDE is designed to test skills and knowledge of students in the area of vegetable production and management. Event Highlights include evaluating classes of vegetables, identifying kinds and varieties of vegetables, insects, diseases, weeds, and seeds.
The team coach is Kristi Wise.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Woman Charged With Stealing Newly Purchased Pickup From Couple
December 18, 2020
A Cantonment woman is charged with allegedly stealing a newly purchased used pickup truck from a local couple.
Kristi Nicole Mitchell, 43 was charged with felony grand theft of a vehicle, felony grand theft and criminal mischief.
The victim was out with friends when she told Mitchell that she would give her a ride to work, but the victim needed to stop by her house first, according to an arrest report. Shortly after arriving on Cottage Hill Road, the victim and her husband discovered that the 2002 two-tone Ford F150 pickup truck they had just bought was missing.
The truck, valued at $2,500, also contained $1,456 worth of personal property including a phone, two jackets, makeup and nail polish, sunglasses and a fire pit, the report states.
The phone was tracked, eventually leading to the discovery of the truck behind a residence on Cedartown Road in Molino. The resident stated that it had been dropped off for repairs, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report said. The truck had $1,550 worth of damage, including a dent in the rear bumper and damage to the passenger’s side mirror. In addition, the entire exhaust system was missing.
The stolen items that were in the pickup truck have not been recovered.
Mitchell remained in the Escambia County Jail Friday morning with bond set at $7,500.
Escambia Sheriff’s Office Donates Hundreds Of Cans Of Stolen Baby Formula
December 18, 2020
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office donated 477 cans of stolen baby formula to the Gulf Coast Kid’s House and Manna Food Pantries.
The formula, along with many other items, had been stolen with the intent to resell. The ECSO could not determine where the formula was stolen from, so it was donated to help local families in need.
Photos for NorthEsambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate High School Names Students Of The Month
December 18, 2020
Tate High School has named their Students of the Month for November. They are Oliver Alvarez and Courtney Adams. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Man Caught At Pensacola Airport Sentenced For Plan To Smuggle Generator To Iran
December 18, 2020
A citizen of the United Kingdom that was arrested at the Pensacola airport has been sentenced for a plan to smuggle a turbine motor to Iran.
Colin Fisher, a citizen of the United Kingdom, was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison on charges related to his attempt to export power generating equipment to Iran. He was also fined $5,000.
Fisher was arrested by federal agents earlier this year when he arrived at the Pensacola airport from the United Arab Emirates in order to complete the illegal transaction and obtain equipment for a buyer in Iran.
Fisher pled guilty in September to violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”) and attempted smuggling. Between 2017 and the time of his arrest in August, Fisher, 45, worked to violate the Iranian embargo by attempting to export a Solar Mars 90 S turbine core engine and parts from the United States for delivery to an end user in Iran. This included participating in fraudulent invoicing and using coded language with conspirators to communicate about the illegal transactions. Despite these efforts, law enforcement authorities discovered the plan and were able to seize the turbine before its transatlantic journey to the end user, a conspirator in Iran who is linked to an Iranian energy company. The turbine, which was valued at half a million dollars, could have been used to provide energy to the oil fields of Iran.
“The Iranian embargo is directly related to the national security of the United States, and by attempting to evade that embargo Fisher and his fellow conspirators placed this nation directly at risk,” U.S. Attorney Lawrence Keefe said. “It’s appalling to think that someone would place personal financial gain above the safety of the nation, but this case shows we will pursue and punish those who try.”
When Fisher was arrested on August 7, 2020, he had arrived at the Pensacola International Airport to meet with individuals he believed would help him finalize the illicit transaction. Instead, he was met by agents from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the FBI, who took him into custody. When he completes his prison sentence, Fisher will be removed from the United States.
James Meharg, CEO and president of Turbine Resources International, LLC, in Pensacola, was previously convicted of conspiring with Fisher to export the turbine and parts from the United States to an Iranian recipient, in violation of the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations. Meharg is currently serving a 31⁄2-year sentence in federal prison.
Alabama Police Chase Ends With Crash Across State Line In Florida
December 17, 2020
An Alabama police chase ended with a vehicle crash across the state line in Florida Thursday afternoon near Bratt.
The Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office was pursuing the vehicle south on Florida Highway when the driver wrecked, according to Escambia County (AL) Sheriff Heath Jackson.
Jackson said occupants in the vehicle were burglary suspects, and he confirmed that a handgun was found in the vehicle following the crash. No one was transported to the hospital, but at least one suspect was likely being transported to jail.
The wreck happened when the driver attempted to turn onto Old Bratt Road while being pursued and lost control. The Hyundai Sonata crossed over the centerline into Florida and hit into a power pole before the vehicle came to rest in a field in Florida. (The first photo below shows the scene just moments after the crash.)
The wreck downed Escambia River Electric Cooperative lines across North Highway 99 in Florida.
Further details on this developing story were not available as the investigations continued.
The Atmore Police Department, ASAP Ambulance, Escambia County (FL) Sheriff’s Office and Alabama State Troopers also responded to the incident. Alabama troopers were working the traffic crash since the driver lost control in Alabama before the vehicle entered Florida.
The road on which the driver lost control sits on the state line. The westbound lane of the roadway is named Old Bratt Road and is considered to be in Alabama, while the eastbound lane is considered to be in Florida and is named State Line Road.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
‘Carl Madison Field’ – School Board Considers Renaming Tate Football Field For Legendary Coach
December 17, 2020
The Escambia County School Board will consider a proposal next month to name the football field at Tate High School as the “Carl Madison Field” in honor of the legendary coach that led the Aggies to a 1980 state championship and is one of the all-time winningest high school coaches in the nation.
Madison, who will turn 90 next month, sits at number two on Florida’s all-time football coaching victories list with a 326-129-7 record.
In addition to winning a state title at Tate, he took the Pine Forest Eagles to two state championships in 1987 and 1988. The 1988 Eagle team was named as national champions by USA Today, and Madison earned the title of the National High School Football Coach of the Year. All in all, he coached at five different Florida High Schools including Ernest Ward, plus three out of state schools.
His football days began early at Escambia County High School in Atmore where he played tailback under Coach Herbert Barnes from 1945 to 1947, making him one of Atmore’s semi-famous “Barnes Boys” with 30 straight wins. After a stint in the Army, from 1950 to 1952, Madison played college ball for Texas Tech and Troy State Teachers College in the mid-1950’s.
Fresh out of college, Madison coached for four years beginning in 1957 at Ernest Ward High School in Walnut Hill. He moved to Milton High in 1961, coaching them to a state championship and 34 straight victories. He then took a coaching job at a Georgia High School, losing a state championship game in 1968.
Madison joined the coaching staff at Tate in 1971 on his way to winning that 1980 state championship. He left Tate in 1983, heading to Pensacola High for a couple of years. Then it was off to Pine Forest and those back-to-back state championships. He coached at an Albany, Georgia, school, another 10 years at Milton High and another short period at PHS during the period from 1989 until 2002.
In 2002, he took the head coach job at the small Jackson Academy in Alabama. The then 71-year old took over a team that had gone 0-10 prior to his arrival. He lost his first two games at Jackson, but he went on to win the state championship. The following year, Jackson was undefeated and won another state championship.
In 2009, Madison briefly came out of retirement to once again take to the field at Tate, this time as an offensive consultant.
The Escambia County School Board will consider a resolution at their January 19, 2021, meeting to name the Tate High football field as “Carl Madison Field”. The stadium will continue to be known as the Pete Gindl Stadium.