Two Vehicles Slam Into Cantonment Man’s Broken Down Vehicle
January 9, 2017
A Cantonment man escaped injury when two other drivers slammed into his broken down vehicle Sunday night on I-10.
The three vehicle crash blocked all eastbound traffic on I-10 at mile marker 16 from 9:05 to 10:40 p.m.. The Florida Highway Patrol said a 2000 Dodge Durango driven by 57-year old Gary Moffett of Cantonment became disabled in the outside lane of I-10 for unknown mechanical reasons.
The FHP said a 2016 Nissan NV2500 van driven by 38-year old Grant Douglas Hofberger III of Pensacola failed to avoid a collision with Moffett. Moffet’s Dodge was then struck by a 2011 Buick Lacross driven by Charles Edward Guarino of Springtown, TX. All three vehicle sustained substantial damage.
No one involved in the crash was injured.
Guarino and Hofberger were both cited with careless driving by the FHP.
Town Hall Meeting to Discuss Concrete Recycling Facility
January 9, 2017
Escambia County will hold a town hall meeting Tuesday, January 10 to gather feedback regarding a proposed concrete recycling facility. The request from J. Miller Construction Inc. is for their property located at 8900 Waring Road. The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the 4-H Multipurpose Room of the Langley Bell 4-H Center, located at 3730 Stefani Road in Cantonment.
Residents from the surrounding area are encouraged to attend and provide feedback. One or more commissioners may attend the meeting.
For more information, contact the Escambia County Development Services Department at (850) 595-3475.
Apartment Fire Claims Young Boy
January 8, 2017
A fire off Blue Angel Parkway Sunday morning has claimed the life of a young boy and sent two other people to the hospital.
The fire was reported shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday by an Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy who was responding an incident in the area and spotted the fire at the Stoddert Place Apartment complex.
The boy, Ozzy Goodman, 8, was badly burned. He was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital for his injuries, where he later died. Two adults were also taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
The affected apartment was occupied by two adults and four children, all of whom were sleeping upstairs. The fire is believed to have begun downstairs. The cause is being investigated.
Escambia County Fire Rescue was able to extinguish the fire, which was confined to one apartment in the 8-unit complex. Engine 14 from Pleasant Grove was the first unit on scene, arriving within seven minutes. Approximately 20 units responded to the incident including Escambia County Fire Rescue, Escambia County Emergency Medical Services, Navy Fire and Baldwin County Emergency Medical Services.
The Red Cross was called in to assist 19 residents displaced by the fire. The State Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate.
Editor’s note: This story originally stated four people were injured based upon a written release from Escambia County. The county has since revised the patient count to just three injured.
Boom Heard Saturday Night Was From Exploding Target
January 8, 2017
Numerous residents across a portion of the North Escambia area reported hearing and feeling a strong “explosion” Saturday night that, in some instances, shook their homes.
Residents from Walnut Hill, to Molino and even into Baldwin County reported the explosion.
Through a trusted source familiar with the incident, NorthEscambia.com traced the source of the “boom” to an unknown size Tannerite target that was exploded in the Morgan Road area of Walnut Hill. There were no injuries reported and no word of any property damage.
Tannerite is a system used as a shot indicator during long-distance target practice. Tannerite consists of two powders – ammonium nitrate and aluminum powder – that when mixed together create an explosion triggered by the impact of a high-speed bullet. The product is legally sold over the counter at sporting goods stores.
Bondi Says She’s Happy As AG ‘Right Now’
January 8, 2017
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has repeated she’s happy in her current job amid renewed speculation that she will soon take a White House post in the administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
“I’m very happy being the attorney general of the state of Florida right now,” Bondi said in response to questions during a press conference on human trafficking at Tampa International Airport.
“I am a member of the (Trump) transition team. And I can tell you I talked to the president (elect) last week for half an hour,” Bondi said. “We talk frequently, as well as with members of his family and the transition team on many issues that don’t involve me. But he is committed to fighting human trafficking in our country.”
Bondi declined to discuss if she had been offered a job or who she would recommend as her replacement if she left for Washington.
“You already have me replaced and I’m still here?” Bondi said.
On Thursday, Bloomberg Politics reported that Bondi, an early backer of Trump’s presidential bid, would soon be offered an unspecified White House job. Bondi has been rumored as a possible candidate to head the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, a position informally known as the drug czar.
Flood Leaves Behind Large Logjam At Barrineau Park Bridge
January 8, 2017
Flooding along the Perdido River at Barrineau Park has subsided, but a much larger than normal logjam against the bridge was left behind. We’re told that Escambia County hauled away over a dozen loads of logs on Friday and will return to the bridge on Monday. These photos were taken Saturday from the Barrineau Park Road Bridge on the Florida/Alabama state line. Reader submitted photos by Brian Hall for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Youth, Volunteers Brave Cold For Livestock Weigh-in
January 8, 2017
Youth and volunteers braved freezing temperatures Saturday morning in Molino as the Gulf Coast Agricultural and Natural Resources Youth Organization held a mandatory weigh-in.
The event at the 4-H facilities on South Highway 99 was a precursor to the 2017 GCA/NRYO Spring Livestock show which will be held on April 1. The day included preliminary swine, market goat and market lamb weigh-ins.
The GCA/NRYO Spring Livestock is open to all FFA and 4-H members in southwest Alabama and Northwest Florida.
For more photos, click to enlarge.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Consumers Tips For New Gym Memberships
January 8, 2017
Many Floridians want to kick-off healthier habits in the new year with memberships to health clubs. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam today provided tips to educate consumers on what to look for when signing a new membership.
“January is an extremely popular time for consumers to join gyms, and I encourage Floridians to do their homework to ensure they get the most out of their memberships,” said Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam.
Commissioner Putnam urges consumers to consider the following before signing a membership:
· Search the “Business/Complaint Lookup” at FreshFromFlorida.com or call 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) to check if complaints were filed about the studio and how they were resolved.
· Don’t join the first time you visit. Use the gym first to make sure it meets your needs, then take the contract home and read it thoroughly before signing. Be sure to ask for clarification if you don’t understand something.
· It’s a good rule of thumb to avoid long contracts. Shop around to make sure you know what’s included in the membership.
· Service fees, such as registration fees, processing or start-up fees, may be required. However, it must be considered a “reasonable and fair service fee,” meaning no more than 10 percent of the contract price.
· Use a credit card, debit card or check to pay each month. Setting up an automatic withdrawal from checking accounts may result in problems if there is ever a dispute.
· The contract should include a provision for penalty-free cancellation in writing within three days, exclusive of holidays and weekends, of signing a contract.
Under Florida’s Health Studio Act, health studios are required to register with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and to provide a bond or other financial security to protect consumers’ funds if the gym expectantly moves or closes. Additionally, if a gym closes or moves its facilities more than five miles away, it must provide access to an alternate facility of equal quality within five miles of its original location at no additional cost.
For additional information on the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, to verify a health studio’s registration status or to file a complaint, contact the department at 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352)
One Injured In Crash With Tree
January 7, 2017
One person was injured when their vehicle struck a tree this morning on Pauline Street near Old Chemstrand Road. The driver of the Ford vehicle was transported to an area hospital by ambulance following the 9:20 a.m. crash. The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Atmore Sailor Who Died In Pearl Harbor Attack Laid To Rest In Pensacola
January 7, 2017
A World War II sailor from Atmore that was killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor 75 years ago was laid to rest Friday with full military honors in Pensacola.
Navy Water Tender 1st Class Walter H. Sollie was 37-years old on December 7, 1941. He was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft.
The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Sollie. No single vessel at Pearl Harbor, with the exception of the USS Arizona, suffered as many fatalities.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu’uanu cemeteries in Hawaii.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel in the Pacific theater, members of the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time.
The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Sollie.
In April 2015, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a policy memorandum directing the disinterment of unknowns associated with the USS Oklahoma. On June 15, 2015, DPAA personnel began exhuming the remains from the NMCP for analysis.
To identify Sollie’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA analysis, which matched two great nieces, as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons, which matched Sollie’s records.
On November 23, 1904, Sollie was the first born child of Frederick Ernest and Florence Vallie McCrary in Myrtlewood, AL. The family lived in the Myrtlewood area until they moved to Atmore in the late 1920’s.
Pictured top: Walter Sollie, who died in the attack on Pearl Harbor, is laid to final rest Friday at Barrancas National Cemetery in Pensacola. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge. Pictured inset and below: Sollie as seen during his time of service. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
