Florida Gas Prices Decline
September 30, 2019
Florida gas prices dropped an average of 6 cents during the past week. After shooting up to $2.50 per gallon 11 days ago, the state average is now $2.44 and falling.
The average price per gallon Sunday night in Escambia County was $2.45. Four gas stations in Cantonment were at $2.36.
“Oil prices are essentially back down to their previous levels before the drone attacks in Saudi Arabia,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “The belief that Saudi Arabia’s crude infrastructure could recover quickly has eased market concerns of an extended supply interruption. The lower oil prices, combined with rising gasoline supplies, is keeping downward pressure on prices at the pump. The state average could trickle lower this week.”
Atmore Man Gets Life In Prison For 2017 Murder
September 30, 2019
An Atmore man has been sentenced to life in prison for a 2017 murder in Baldwin County.
Justin Bryan Still, now age 33, negotiated a plea for the murder of 25-year old Christopher Michael Allen of Atmore.
Allen was shot and killed on August 22, 2017, on Dallas Hadley Lane in Perdido, Alabama. Still was taken into custody a few hundred yards away on Hoyle Bryars Road in Perdido.
Jim Allen Elementary’s Crazy Hat Day For Childhood Cancer Research
September 30, 2019
Jim Allen Elementary School raised over $500 for the American Cancer Society and childhood cancer research during their recent Crazy Hat Day. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Weekly Traffic Alerts – This Week’s State Road Project Slowdowns
September 30, 2019
Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads and projects in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.
Escambia County:
- U.S. 29 Resurfacing from south of Muscogee Road (County Road/C.R. 184) to Atmore Highway (State Road /S.R. 97) – North and southbound traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction south of Muscogee Road in Cantonment from 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27 to 6 a.m. Monday, Sept. 30 as crews replace the CSX railroad crossing. During the crossing work, crews will stop traffic in two intervals for approximately 15 minutes to move the new rails into place. North and southbound traffic may encounter intermittent day and nighttime lane restrictions as crews perform median work.
- U.S. 29 Widening from Interstate 10 (I-10) to Nine Mile Road (S.R. 10/U.S. 90A)– Drivers will experience the following impacts to traffic Sunday, Sept. 29 through Saturday, Oct. 5:
- Nine Mile Road at the U.S. 29 Overpass: Alternating east and westbound lane shifts as crews construct the new southbound bridge, end bend, and center pier.
- U.S. 29 traffic between I-10 and 9 ½ Mile Road may experience alternating lane closures as crews continue drainage and paving operations.
- U.S. 98 Resurfacing from S.R. 298 (Lillian Highway) to west of S.R. 173 (Blue Angel Parkway)- There will be intermittent lane restrictions from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 29 through Friday, Oct. 4 as crews stripe the roadway.
- · U.S. 98 (Pensacola Bay Bridge) Replacement- Bridge construction may require the following lane closures from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. the week of Sunday, Sept. 29.
- · S.R. 298 (Lillian Highway) Utility Operations west of New Warrington Road- The eastbound travel lanes of Lillian Highway just west of New Warrington Road will be closed from 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3 to 5 a.m. Friday, Oct. 4 as utility crews conduct maintenance on underground unities. Traffic will be redirected during the repair operations.
- · U.S. 90 (Nine Mile Road) Widening from Beulah Road (C.R. 99) to S.R. 297 (Pine Forest Road)- Eastbound traffic between the I-10 overpass and the new Eleven Mile Creek bridge will be opened to two travel lanes the week of Sunday, Oct. 6
- · Bratt Road Bridge Replacement over Canoe Creek- The bridge will be open to traffic Friday, Sept. 27.
- · C.R. 168 Bridge Replacement over Unnamed Branch in Northwest Century- Crews continue driving production piles. Traffic will remain shifted onto the special detour until the new bridge is constructed and reopened to traffic.
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- Intermittent east and westbound lane closures on U.S. 98 from North 14th Avenue in Pensacola to east of the Pensacola Bay Bridge in Gulf Breeze.
- Intermittent lane closures on North 17th Avenue in Pensacola, between U.S. 98 and the CSX Railroad overpass (Graffiti Bridge).
- Hanks Road Bridge Replacement over Breastworks Creek- Construction activities continue. The roadway is temporarily closed during construction. Drivers on Hanks Road, west of the bridge, will be detoured to C.R. 99 and C.R. 4. Drivers east of the bridge will utilize Pine Barren Road. The project is anticipated to be complete late 2019.
Santa Rosa County:
- U.S. 98 Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement Bridge- Bridge construction may require the following lane closures 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. the week of Sunday, Sept 29:
- Intermittent east and westbound lane closures on U.S. 98 from North 14th Avenue in Pensacola to east of the Pensacola Bay Bridge in Gulf Breeze.
- Intermittent lane closures on North 17th Avenue in Pensacola, between U.S. 98 and the CSX Railroad overpass (Graffiti Bridge).
- S.R. 87 Pavement Markings Replacement- Traffic will encounter alternating and intermittent minor delays between Nicholas Lake Road and Vonnie Tolbert Road from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday through Thursday until Tuesday, Dec. 31 as crews remove and replace pavement markings in the roadway. Law enforcement will be on site to direct traffic
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather. Drivers are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling through a work zone and to watch for construction workers and equipment entering and exiting the roadway.
Cantonment Railroad Crossing Replacement Ties Up Traffic
September 30, 2019
The replacement of a railroad crossing in Cantonment tied up traffic all weekend.
Crews replaced the crossing on Highway 29 just south of Muscogee Road. One lane of traffic was open in both directions during most of the project, but there were temporary lane closures.
The project is completed.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Escambia BOCC Weekly Meeting Schedule
September 30, 2019
Here is a schedule of this week’s Escambia County public meetings:
Monday, September 30
District 1 Multi-Agency Town Hall Meeting – 6 p.m., Jim C. Bailey Middle School, 4110 Bauer Road
Tuesday, October 1
Planning Board – Rezoning – 8:30 a.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place
Planning Board – Regular – 8:35 a.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place
EMS – Paramedic Supervisor Interviews – 9 a.m., 6575 N. W St.
Environmental Enforcement Special Magistrate – 1:30 p.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place
Wednesday, October 2
Contractor Competency Board Exam Committee - 8:30 a.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place
Contractor Competency Board Public Meeting – 9 a.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place
EMS – Paramedic Supervisor Interviews – 9 a.m., 6575 N. W St.
Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program Policy Board Meeting – 9:30 a.m., Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place, Board Chambers
Development Review Committee – 1 p.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place
Thursday, October 3
Community Redevelopment Agency – 9 a.m., Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place, Board Chambers
Board of County Commissioners Agenda Review – 9 a.m., Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place, Board Chambers
FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance 5th Anniversary – 11 a.m., 511 S. Palafox St.
BCC Public Forum – 4:30 p.m., Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place, Board Chambers
BCC Regular Meeting – 5:30 p.m., Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place, Board Chambers
Strengthening Resilience through Community-Based Planning – 6 p.m., S. I St.
FDLE Clears 8,000 ‘Rape Kit’ Backlog; DNA Matches Returned From Local Cases
September 29, 2019
The state has processed a backlog of sexual assault kits, resulting in possibly hundreds of new cases for law enforcement. In Escambia County, the process won’t help any Escambia County Sheriff’s Office cases, but it may result in solved cases for Pensacola Police.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement completed a three-year project to process older sexual assault kits, often called rape kits, submitted by local law enforcement agencies to FDLE labs following a 2016 Sexual Assault Kit Assessment.
In total, 8,023 sexual assault kits were processed resulting in 1,814 CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) hits. CODIS enables federal, state and local agencies to compare DNA profiles electronically, linking crimes to each other and known offenders.
Of the five sexual assault kits that were in the backlog from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, there were zero database hits, according to FDLE. Of the 35 kits processed for the Pensacola Police, there were five database hits. Not all hits are actionable. An “actionable hit” is a match to the DNA database that provides new information to the investigation.
“Ensuring that law enforcement has the appropriate tools to properly process sexual assault kits in a timely manner is important in helping solve crimes in Florida,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Victims deserve our support, and they should know that under my administration justice will prevail.”
“This is an extraordinary accomplishment and I am grateful to FDLE and all our law enforcement partners who worked diligently to eliminate the backlog of previously untested sexual assault kits,” said Attorney General Ashley Moody. “Not only was the backlog eliminated, procedures were adopted and advances made in an effort to prevent future backlogs.”
Bratt Road Bridge Reopens After Nearly Two Years And $2.7 Million
September 29, 2019
The Bratt Road Bridge over Canoe Creek has officially reopened, ended a state-funded replacement project that was a long time coming.
An emergency closure was ordered for the bridge on December 6, 2017, after its deteriorated wooden supports failed an inspection. Work on a $2.7 million Florida Department of Transportation project to replace the 1950s era bridge did not begin for almost a year, commencing in November 2018.
The new single-span concrete bridge includes extensive drainage improvements and paved approaches.
The bridge averaged 425 vehicles per day prior to closure.
For a photo gallery from the new bridge and a look at the old wooden support bridge, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Molino Park Holds Community Helpers Day (With Photo Gallery)
September 29, 2019
They are the folks that make the community go round. And they’ve got cool tools, and trucks, sirens and other gadgets and gizmos.
They are the community helpers that are hard at work, often behind the scenes, in the Molino area.
Molino Park Elementary School held their annual Community Helpers Day on Friday.
The event included personnel and equipment from Escambia County EMS, the K-9 unit from the Escambia County Road Prison, the Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, J. Miller Construction Company, Florida Highway Patrol, Escambia Search and Rescue, the Florida Forest Service, FedEx, Rockhill Farms, Ace Towing, Gulf Power and more.
Students also dressed as their favorite community helpers, such as firefighters, police officers, teachers, nurses and others.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Youth Football Scores: NWE Chiefs, Century Blackcats
September 29, 2019
Here are Saturday scores from the NWE Chiefs and the Century Blackcats:
NWE Chiefs
Freshmen
NWE 34, Excel 0
Sophomores
Excel 26, NWE 20
Juniors
NWE 41, Excel 0
Seniors
Excel 25, NWE 20
Century Blackcats
Mighty Mites 28, Evergreen 6
Tiny Mites 34, Evergreen 30
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
