Students Won’t Be Required To Make Up Day Missed Due To Icy Conditions
January 27, 2018
Schools officials say Escambia and Santa Rosa county students will not be required to make up a day they missed due to ice. Students in both counties were out on January 17 due to the frozen conditions across the area. Pictured: Ice in the school zone on Highway 4 in front of Northview High School in Bratt the morning of January 17. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Escambia Extension Holds ‘Starting Your Plants From Seeds’ Program
January 27, 2018
Escambia Extension held a “Starting Your Plants from Seed” program Friday morning. Attendees learned about seed starting techniques to get a jump on a successful gardening season. The program was held at the Escambia County Extension Office in Cantonment. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino Park Collects Thousands Of Pop Tabs For The Ronald McDonald House
January 27, 2018
Molino Park Elementary School students collected tens of thousands pop tabs — those little pull tabs off the tops of aluminum drink cans — to benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Northwest Florida.
The pop tabs were delivered to the Ronald McDonald House in Pensacola Friday night…there were too many to weigh right away, so we’ll update you on the total later.
The money from recycling the tabs is used by the facility to help pay their utility bills for the house on Bayou Boulevard.
And it’s not too late to donate pop tabs to Molino Park Elementary for the Ronald McDonald House…the school is still accepting donations.
Pictured: Molino Park Elementary dropped off a lot of pop tabs Friday night at the Ronald McDonald House in Pensacola. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Jay Weight Lifters Place At Regionals, Watson Going To State
January 27, 2018
Two Jay High School senior weightlifters placed at regionals on Friday. Haylee Watson won regionals in her division, and she advances to state for the third year. Sarah Barnhill placed sixth in her division. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Driver Arrested For DUI Following Highway 97 Crash (Updated)
January 26, 2018
[Updated with details 10 a.m.] A Century man with a blood alcohol level almost two and a half times the legal limit was arrested for driving under the influence following an injury crash on Highway 97 Thursday evening.
The accident happened about 5:30 p.m. on Highway 97 near Gibson Road near Molino.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 46-year old Linda Faye Till of Molino was traveling south on Highway 97 when her 2017 Toyota was rear-ended by a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado pickup driven by 53-year old Benjamin Frank Ard. After the initial collision, the vehicles were being moved off the roadway when Ard rear-ended the car a second time, according to troopers.
Linda Till and her passenger, Brian Aubrey Till, were transported by Escambia County EMS to Atmore Community Hospital for their injuries.
Ard and his passenger, Lorenzo Knight of Walnut Hill, were not injured.
Ard had a blood alcohol level of .197, according to a FHP report, above the legal limit of .08. He was charged with driving under the influence and cited for careless driving and possession of an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $1,000.
Further details have not been released as the FHP continues their investigation.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Forecasters: Drought Conditions Worsen Across The Area
January 26, 2018
A drought continues to slowly worsen with moderate to severe drought across the Florida Panhandle, according to the National Weather Service. NWS graphic, click to enlarge.
New Krispy Kreme Planned For Nine Mile Road
January 26, 2018
A new Krispy Kreme Doughnuts is in the planning stages for East Nine Mile Road, possibly with a new Burger King next door.
Krispy Kreme presented plants for the new store at 1730 East Nine Mile Road — just east of Dodge’s Fried Chicken (pictured above). Company representatives went before the Escambia County Development Review Committee this week with their plants.
The developers are purchasing four parcels located on East Nine Mile Road between Plainfield Avenue and Barranger Drive, two of which would house a Krispy Kreme and two of which would house a Burger King.
Currents plans show the Krispy Kreme at 3,500 square feet with 40 seats.
In order for the development to move forward, they would have to apply for a rezoning to rezone the property from commercial to heavy commercial and light industrial. This rezoning is required to accommodate a further request for a conditional Use, based on the drive-thru nature of the proposed business, according to Escambia County spokesperson Kaycee Lagarde.
“It is up to the developers to take the next step and apply for the rezoning, then they would go through the conditional use process,” she said in an email. “Both of those processes combined (rezoning and conditional use) can take up to several months, but again, it is up to the developers to decide whether to proceed/how soon they decide to apply.”
Pictures above: A Krispy Kreme is planned for this location on East Nine Mile Road next to Dodge’s Fried Chicken. Pictured below: Preliminary drawings showing the restaurant. Pictured inset: The only other Krispy Kreme in Escambia County, located on North 8th Avenue. Images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Atmore’s Escambia County High Named A ‘Failing School’ Again
January 26, 2018
The Alabama Department of Education released their latest list of “failing schools” on Thursday. There are 75 schools on the list, including Escambia County High School in Atmore for the second year.
Under the Alabama Accountability Act, “Failing Schools” are the bottom 6 perent of public Alabama schools for the 2016-2017 school year based on the state’s standardized assessment (ACT Aspire and Alabama Alternate Assessment) in reading and math.
Students are tested in reading and math in grades 3-8 and 10 with the Aspire Assessment and the Alabama Alternate Assessment.
Students in an Alabama public school designated as a failing school or scheduled to enroll in a failing school will be given school choice options:
- The student may remain or enroll in the assigned school.
- The student may transfer to a comparable school that is not included on the annual list of “failing schools” within the same local school system that has available space and is willing to accept the student.
- If the local system has not made Option 2 available, the student may transfer to a comparable school that is not included on the annual list of “failing schools” within another Alabama local school system that has available space and is willing to accept the student.
- The student may transfer to a qualifying non-public Alabama school that is willing to accept the student.
Parents have until May 1 to give notice of their intent to transfer.
From Dollars To Dinosaurs: Byrne Learns About Atmore Pre-K Program
January 26, 2018
Thursday morning, Rep. Bradley Byrne of Alabama visited with educators and preschoolers at Rachel Patterson Elementary School in Atmore to learn more about how the voluntary Pre-K program is benefiting from a federal Preschool Development Grant.
Byrne heard from educators about the successes of the Pre-K program at Rachel Patterson and talked about the dollars and cents that makes the program work. He also visited two Pre-K classrooms where he joined four and five-year olds on the floor playing with dinosaurs and blocks, and he read the Dr. Seuss classic “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” to students.
Current funding allows about one-fourth of four-year olds in Escambia County to participate in Alabama’s Pre-K program, slightly less than the state average. There are seven Pre-K classrooms at public schools in Escambia County.
“The biggest takeaway from today’s visit is that the rest of the nation has a lot to learn from Alabama’s successful Pre-K programs,” Byrne said. “”I appreciated the opportunity to visit with the students, teachers, administrations, and community leaders who help make the program such a success. As a member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, I will be sure to take my experiences from today back to Washington as we work to improve Pre-K programs around the country.”
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Man Convicted Of Exploiting Legally Blind Elderly Victim
January 26, 2018
An Escambia County man has been convicted of exploiting a legally blind elderly victim.
John Louis Wages, 45, was found guility of one count of illegal use of criminal identification information, victim over 60 years of age, and exploitation of the elderly, $10,000 or more but less than $50,000, both second degree felonies. The sentencing is set for Feb. 15, 2018, with Wages facing 30 years in state prison. Wages qualifies to be sentenced as a habitual felony offender due to extensive prior criminal history and an active probationary status, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
f one count of illegal use of criminal identification information, victim over 60 years of age, and exploitation of the elderly, $10,000 or more but less than $50,000, both second degree felonies. The sentencing is set for Feb. 15, 2018, with Wages facing 30 years in state prison. Wages qualifies to be sentenced as a habitual felony offender due to extensive prior criminal history and an active probationary status.