Local Man Allegedly Fires Gun At Woman In Cantonment
June 19, 2019
A local man is accused of shooting at a woman in Cantonment.
Denarion Keon Wallace, 24, was charged aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shots fired disturbance Monday afternoon in the area of Lake Drive after an anonymous caller reported hearing gunfire and people screaming. A witness told deputies that her cousin got into a verbal argument with Wallace, who pulled out a small black handgun and made the statement “You better get off Lake Drive”, according to arrest report.
He then allegedly pointed the gun toward the victim and fired two rounds. Both rounds missed.
After Wallace was detained, a 9mm bullet was located in his pants pocket, the report states. Wallace told deputies there was a verbal argument, but there was no gun involved. He also told deputies he found the bullet somewhere on the road.
Wallace remained in the Escambia County Jail Wednesday morning. He was being held without bond.
Former Gulf Breeze City Manager Proposes To Help Century
June 19, 2019
Longtime Gulf Breeze City Manager Edwin “Buz” Eddy has offered his consulting services to the Town of Century to help them solve the numerous problems identified in a recent report.
Eddy made the unsolicited offer after reading a report by independent financial consultant Bob Inzer, whose services were provided to the town by the Florida League of Cities following a scathing grand jury findings. Inzer repeatedly told the town council that Century needs to hire someone for a chief financial officer type position to have direct oversight over the town’s finances.
Eddy is not currently seeking a full time job with Century. Instead, he is proposing an hourly rate of $35 as a consultant.
“I have read Mr. Inzer’ s report and I have had a couple of informal conversations with Mayor Hawkins over the past few months. I am available, if the Mayor and the Council decide to secure additional administrative assistance, to help out,” Eddy wrote in an email this week to council President Ann Brooks. “Using the Inzer report as a basis and individual interviews with the Mayor and Council members, we would develop and assist in implementing a series of steps to get the Town of Century back on track.”
After meeting individually with the mayor and council members, he said the next action would be to evaluate utility operations, including billing and service-related issues.
Eddy recommended that the town set aside $5,000 for the initial phase, providing for 143 hours of service.
Council members collectively indicated that they would be interested in Eddy’s services, but they would want to first have him attend a meeting with the council to fully present his proposal.
Eddy met with the Century Town Council in early 2018, explaining a new tax up to 10 percent that the town could levy on electricity, municipal water, propane and natural gas usage within the town limits. He also told the council that they could add an additional 25 percent premium to the bills of those outside the town limits that use town water or natural gas services, and up to a 5 percent communications tax to phone and internet bills.
The council never acted on any utility tax increases.
Eddy served as the Gulf Breeze city manager from 1992 until his retirement in 2017. He also worked as the city manager in Coral Springs, Florida, from 1988-1992.
Pictured above and below: Consultant Buz Eddy explained possible new tax revenue to the Century Town Council in February 2018. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Navy Federal Named Best Place To Work In IT
June 19, 2019
Navy Federal Credit Union was named a Computerworld 2019 Best Places to Work in IT for a fifth consecutive year, ranking eighth among 49 large organizations. This is Navy Federal’s highest-ever ranking, and the organization continues to be the only credit union on the list.
Navy Federal’s Information Technology professionals provide support for the credit union’s 18,000 employees and over 8 million members. The credit union is known for its workplace culture that’s filled with opportunities to learn and encourages collaboration and innovative thinking.
“Navy Federal’s focus is always on our members,” said Tony Gallardy, chief information officer. “That focus is the main reason we’ve created a thriving culture that empowers our team members to explore and develop digital solutions to provide members with the best experience possible.”
Computerworld compiles its Best Places to Work in IT list based on a comprehensive questionnaire regarding company offerings in categories such as benefits, career development, training and retention.
Additionally, IT professionals are surveyed and their responses are factored heavily in determining the rankings.
In 2019, Navy Federal is placing an emphasis on growing its team in the information services department, with commitment to fill 120 positions before the end of the year.
Pictured: Employees in the Information Services Department (IT) at Navy Federal’s Greater Pensacola Operations Center. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Former NBA Coach To Lead Bratt Basketball Camp
June 19, 2019
The First Baptist Church of Bratt will host a basketball camp with a former NBA, college and high school coach.
The camp for children ages 8-14 will be held June 26-28 at the church. Coach Roger Dutremble of Global Sports Outreach will teach kids the fundamentals of basketball and Biblical awareness.
Dutremble is a a retired coach and member of the International Basketball Hall of Fame. He career includes coaching at every level from high school to the NBA, and into international arenas, with a lifetime coaching record of 687-117 and seven national championships. He was selected “Coach of the Year” six times, and served as national team head coach to Belgium, Scotland, and Jordan. He was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, serving under Paul Westhead and Pat Riley, from 1979-83 and helping the team to three NBA championships with players like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
““He is a devoted Christian man that has a unique ability to deal with children, and his love for them is evident,” FBC Bratt Youth Pastor Tim Hawsey said. This is the eighth year the church has offered the camp.
The cost is $45 per student with a limited number of scholarships available. The funds are used exclusively to purchase shoes and basketballs for needy children in other countries where Dutremble conducts camps.
The First Baptist Church of Bratt is located on Highway 4 just west of Northview High School.
All children participating in the camp will receive a certificate of completion and a t-shirt from Dutremble. For registration information, call (850) 327-6529, or stop by the church Monday through Wednesday mornings.
Pictured: Students that participated in a previous basketball camp at the First Baptist Church of Bratt. Inset: Coach Roger Dutremble of Global Sports Outreach. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Central Water Works Experiences Water Main Break, Boil Water Notice Issued
June 19, 2019
**This boil water notice was lifted Friday, June 21.**
Central Water Works experienced a water main break Wednesday morning at the intersection of Cox Road and Highway 29.
The water was cut off on Cox and Holland roads for repairs, and those customers will be without water for several hours while repairs are made.
Other customers were expected to gradually regain water pressure. Customers not on Cox or Holland roads that do not have water pressure should call (850) 256-3849.
Central Water Works customers between Cox Road and Byrneville Road, including customers on Byrneville Road are under a precautionary boil water notice until at least Friday afternoon. Updates will be posted on NorthEscambia.com
Ernie Lee Magaha, Former Escambia Clerk Of The Court, Passes Away
June 19, 2019
Former Escambia County Clerk of the Court Ernie Lee Magaha, Sr. passed away Tuesday. He was 91.
Magaha was born in Jay, raised in Mosquito Flats near Century, and graduated from Century High School. He served in the Merchant Marines and graduated from Auburn University with a degree in economics in 1950.
He served as a state auditor for five years and resigned in 1956 to run for the clerk of the court of record. At that time, he and his wife, Lucile, spearheaded a grassroots campaign and literally walked the county for a successful election in November 1956 as she was expecting their first child.
Magaha took office in January of 1957 and has held the position of clerk until 2012. His office was instrumental in the smooth transition of the court system in 1972 to the two-tier system in place today. In 1995, then Governor Lawton Chiles asked him to assume the additional responsibilities of the comptroller’s office.
Escambia County’s governmental hub is named in his honor – the Ernie Lee Magaha Governmental Complex.
Visitation will be held 9 a.m. until the funeral service to begins at 10 a.m. Friday at the First Baptist Church, Pleitz Chapel with Dr. Dave Snyder and Rev. Walt Magaha officiating. A private family burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Age For Florida Correctional Officers Reduced To 18
June 19, 2019
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed a law that allows 18-year old corrections officers in Florida.
The minimum age for a corrections officer in Florida is currently 19. The 18-year old minimum goes into effect July 1 not only to the state prison system, but in county jails in an effort to solve staffing issues.
In addition, the bill bans the use of drones near and over near county, state and private correctional facilities and juvenile detention centers to help decrease the amount of contrand introduced into the facilities.
Pictured: Inside a prisoner dorm at Century Correctional Institution. NorthEscambia.com photo.
Century Receives Another Offer For Vacant Industrial Property
June 18, 2019
The Town of Century has received another offer from a company looking to occupy the town-owned former Helicopter Technology building.
A “letter of intent” was emailed last Friday to Mayor Henry Hawkins on behalf of Noble Trucking Solutions, LLC, of Sheridan, Wyoming. The letter says the company specializes in oilfield water and sand hauling and wishes to expand to Century.
The building will serve as “multi-use facility that will house and serve as the Century Florida Annex for our Trucking, Logistics and CDL Trucking School with a CDL Certification Program”, according to the letter.
“Our presence in Century will allow us to bring a variety of services resulting in the creation of employment resources and enhanced skilled trades options, all under one roof to be nurtured and developed into a sustainable business,” stated the email from Felecia L Knight, a consulting agent for ACTS Entertainment Management on behalf of Noble CEO Devin Harper.
In 2017, the building was appraised for $550,000 with a fair market rent of $80,000 per year ($6,667 per month).
Nobles offered rent of about $3,500 per month for a minimum term of 3-5 years with a negotiated “moderate” annual rental increase. The company also asked for deferred payments for 90 days to “accommodate the necessary construction build-out, repairs and equipment implementation”.
According to Wyoming Secretary of State, Noble Trucking Solutions, LLC was organized April 11, 2019, and uses and address and registered agent address of a Sheridan, Wyoming, law firm. No company officers are listed.
The lack of immediately available information about the company led town council members to express concern at their Monday night meeting.
Council President Ann Brooks and councilman Ben Boutwell both told Hawkins they want to know more about the company before considering their officer. Hawkins said he would attempt to get more information from company principals soon.
Three weeks ago, the council rejected a $240,000 deal for the building.
West Florida Gin Manager Robert Earl Godwin and businessman Larry Baxley, who are in the process of setting up North Escambia Warehouse and Storage, LLC, made a preliminary lease-to-own offer on the town-owned building at $4,000 per month for five years, for a total of $240,000. The company would have made an $8,000 deposit, paid the first month’s rent in advance, and paid for any upgrades to the building. At the end of the lease term, they would have had the option to buy the building for $100, a proposed lease agreement prepared by the town’s attorney stated.
The cotton storage would likely not create any jobs, which was one major concern for some council members.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Firefighters Receive Decontamination Kits To Fight Cancer Risk
June 18, 2019
Escambia County Fire Rescue has received 42 post fire on-scene decontamination kits to help mitigate firefighters’ exposure to cancer-causing products of combustion. The decontamination kits will be distributed to county fire departments to be housed on apparatus with pumping capability beginning today.
The kits were provided as part of a $1 million statewide firefighter cancer mitigation grant program.
New construction and furniture often contain synthetic materials like polyurethane and hydrocarbons. The result is not only material that ignites faster, but produces carcinogens, which can increase existing cancer risks posed by a fire’s gases. A 2016 study by the National Institute for Occupation Health and Safety said U.S. firefighters are at a higher risk for cancer and they are 14% more likely to die of cancer than the general public.
Each kit includes the tools needed for firefighters to effectively clean gear after a fire:
- Flash drive, including educational videos and training outline
- Laminated field operation guide
- Standard operating guideline
- 5-gallon bucket and leak-proof lid
- 5-gallon 6 mil clear bags
- Duct tape
- Dish soap
- Short handle scrub brush
- All-purpose spray bottle
- Dermal wipes
- 2- 50-foot 5/8” hose lines
- 2- garden hose nozzles
- 2- adapters, 2 feet 5 inches female X 3/4 inch male garden hose thread
- Collapsible traffic cone
The kits are in addition to a department initiative to issue all certified firefighters two sets of personal protective gear, which further reduces firefighter exposure. A set of clean, dry gear would be available for use at the station while the first set can be initially cleaned on scene with the donated kit. The overall goal is to reduce expose time, not only while on scene, but when returning to the station and responding to other calls.
The state of Florida partnered with Ten-8, the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Florida Firefighters Safety and Health Collaborative, and the Firefighter Cancer Support Network to provide more than 4,200 kits to 405 Florida fire departments as part of the state effort.
Century For Independent Living Disability To Hold Public Session In Molino
June 18, 2019
The Center for Independent Living Disability Resource Center is hosting a public strategic planning session Thursday in Molino and Pensacola. The CIL is looking for input from people with disabilities, their families, caregivers, and other community members.
The Center for Independent Living Disability Resource Center is a consumer-controlled, community-based, cross-disability, nonresidential private non-profit agency that is designed and operated within a local community by individuals with disabilities and provides an array of independent living services. Clients are not charged for core services.
Thursday’s meetings will be held:
- 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. at Studer Community Institute, 202 W. Garden St., Pensacola
- 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Molino Community Center, 6450 Hwy 95A Molino