Most Road Work Halts For The Holidays; Some Hwy 29, Nine Mile Work Continuing
December 22, 2017
For the upcoming holiday season, there will be no lane closures or other activities which impede traffic on state roads beginning at 7 a.m. Friday, December 22 through midnight on Tuesday, January 2.
This includes the Nine Mile Road and Highway 29 construction zones. There will be utility work between Pine Forest Road and U.S. 29 during the holidays, however there will be no impacts to traffic, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.
Santa To Ride Fire Truck Through Century On Saturday
December 22, 2017
The Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue will escort Santa through Century, Byrneville and Poplar Dell on Saturday on “Ladder 5″.
Santa will leave the Century Fire Station on Tedder Road about 10 a.m., and return about 12:00 or 12:30 where Santa will be available for photos for a short time.
The complete route, as provided by the Century Fire Station, will be:
- Parents please have your kids come out to see them and maybe catch some candy and other goodies when you hear the sirens getting close by!
- We will leave Century Fire Station on Tedder Road at 10:00 AM.
- From there we will head down Hwy 29 to West Hwy 4 to the Century Care Center.
- We will leave Century Care Center heading back to Hwy 29.
- Then we will travel Hwy 29 to East Pond Street and make a right on Jefferson Ave.
- Zooming down Jefferson Ave and making left on East Hecker Rd.
- Going down East Hecker Rd and turning left onto Mayo St.
- Then Santa will go down Mayo St and make a right onto Front St.
- Will travel Front St. and make a right on Alger Rd, and fly down Alger to Hwy 29!
- You can catch a glimpse of the Jolly Ole St Nick moving down Hwy 29 headed towards the Dollar General Store in Century!! Santa and his elves will stop for a short period at the Dollar General for kids that want a closer look! Pictures can be taken here but the kids will have to stand by the truck, Mr. and Mrs. Claus can’t climb down!
- Then we will head towards West Stateline Rd and make a fly over by Shady Lane Apartments.
- Then Byrneville area here he comes! We will be traveling down West Stateline Rd / Hwy 4A and make left onto Killam Rd.
- Travelling down Killam Rd. we will make a right onto West Hwy 4.
- We will travel West Hwy 4 and make a left onto Byrneville Rd. and Santa and his elves will stop for another short break at the old Driscolls Gas Station. Bring the kids here to catch another closer look! Again pictures can be taken with kids standing by the truck but Mr. and Mrs. Clause can’t climb down!
- Leaving Driscolls you can catch a view of them heading down Byrneville Rd all the way to Hwy 29.
- Then the sleigh will be headed down Hwy 29 back to the Century Fire House on Tedder Rd so Mr. and Mrs. Claus and the reindeer can get back to the North Pole and get ready for Christmas Eve night!
Pictured: Last year’s Century Santa Run. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Man Cited After Multiple Injury Crash At Highway 29, Highway 97
December 21, 2017
Multiple people were injured in a two vehicle crash Thursday evening at Highway 29 and Highway 97 in Molino.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 73-year old Elroy Vannuys of Michigan was traveling north on Highway 29 in a 2009 Ford F150 pickup when he failed to notice a 2009 Mazda 5 driven by 36-year old Rachel Parish of Pensacola. Vannuys attempted a turn onto Highway 97, pulling into the direct path of Parish, causing a head-on collision about 5:25 p.m.
Elroy Vannuys suffered minor injuries while his passenger, 71-year old Carolyn Vannuys of Michigan, was seriously injured. Both were transported by Escambia County EMS to West Florida Hospital. Parish was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital with serious injuries. Her passenger, 30-year old Lisa Bembeneck of Pensacola was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital with minor injuries.
The traffic signal at the time of the crash was indicating green for was north and south traffic on Highway 29, troopers said.
Elroy Vannuys was cited for an improper turn by the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Century Planner Resigns Over Moral, Ethical And Credibility Issues With Town
December 21, 2017
Century’s longtime town planner has submitted her resignation over moral and ethical issues, and concerns about the town’s credibility.
The last day on the job for Debbie Nickles will be December 29, but she will continue to complete a few ongoing projects.
Nickles gave no reason for her resignation in a memorandum to Mayor Henry Hawkins and town council members. But Wednesday she told NorthEscambia.com in an email, “I feel that I have been placed in a moral/ethical dilemma and that the Town has lost its focus and credibility”.
She gave no hint of her resignation as she addressed town council members Monday night, but did express grave concerns regarding the town’s decision to bill an apartment developer $180,250 to establish water and sewer service as opposed to $63,500 based upon a 2015 verbal agreement that she and then-mayor Freddie McCall made with the Paces Foundation. The 2015 agreement was based upon then-current published rates. [Read more...]
“I love the town. I’d do anything in the world for the town,” Nickles told the council be expressing displeasure over the $180,250. “In my opinion, that is taking this new development and using them as a way to make up for your lack of maintenance and your lack of taking care of you infrastructure. In other words you are trying to get them to pay for your problems.”
“I feel like this is a moral, ethical thing to me. I feel like we made a commitment to them and the town should honor that commitment,” she said addressing the town council.
“I appreciate the opportunity to have been a part of moving Century forward and the support I have received from the Town and Century residents over the past 30+ years,” Nickles said in her resignation letter. She said Wednesday that she does not currently have future plans.
Pictured top and inset: Town Planner Debbie Nickles at a recent meeting of the Century Town Council. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Reimagine Century Community Outreach To Return In 2018
December 21, 2017
Organizers have announced that Reimagine Century will return in 2018 as the faithful will reach out to touch the hearts, souls and lives of area residents in need.
Reimagine Century will be held Saturday, May 5 with complete times and details to be announced.
The last Reimagine Century event was held in May 2016 with a wide variety of activities, including a 15,000 pound food giveaway, health screenings, youth and teen activities, free haircuts, baby diaper giveaway, live music, free lunch, manicures, hearing tests, motorcycle rides and much more. There were also children’s activities including inflatables, face painting, popcorn and games. All items, activities and events were free.
Doers of the Word Ministry will hold additional Reimagine events in 2018 in Milton on March 10, the Montclair neighborhood in Pensacola on September 22, and Brownsville on November 3.
Reimagine Century 2016 was sponsored in part by numerous organizations, including NorthEscambia.com.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Alabama Burglary Suspect Arrested After Chase, Manhunt
December 21, 2017
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office joined several agencies in captured a man the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office chased into Okaloosa County Tuesday night.
Louis Allen Scott crashed his car in Okaloosa County and then fled before being taken into custody with the help of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and a dog team from the Okaloosa Correctional Institution.
Escambia County (AL) Chief Deputy Mike Lambert said Scott was wanted in his county on multiple felony warrants related to several burglaries. When deputies spotted his vehicle near Wing, AL, in the eastern portion of the county, Scott fled and was chased into Covington County and eventually into Okaloosa County. Lambert said his deputies broke off the chase and followed at a safe distance once they entered Florida, calling for assistance from Okaloosa County.
Scott eventually crashed his vehicle on Mattie Sherman Road and fled on foot before being taken into custody. He is facing charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription in Okaloosa County and awaiting extradition back to Alabama.
Lambert said a second suspect in the burglaries, Shane Bonifay, is already in the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center in Brewton on related charges.
Pictured above and below: Alabama burglary suspect Louis Allen Scott was arrested after an manhunt in Okaloosa County Tuesday night. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Council On Aging Distributes Over $28K Worth Of Christmas Presents
December 21, 2017
Every year since 2009, Council on Aging of West Florida has asked Escambia and Santa Rosa county residents to help make Christmas special for our clients age 60 and over, and every year, the community answers the call. Approximately $28,300 worth of gifts were donated to Council on Aging beginning in mid-November and continuing through the week before Christmas. These gifts included blankets, craft supplies, vacuums, microwaves, space heaters, hygiene products and more courtesy of individuals and organizations.
The holidays can be an especially lonely time for vulnerable elders, as many of their friends and family have either passed away or no longer live nearby. The delivery of these gifts – made to homebound seniors through the Meals on Wheels program, Senior Dining Sites and other initiatives – infuses their end-of-year season with joy.
“Receiving these gifts not only makes a tangible impact by disbursing the necessities of life to these low-income elders, but it also makes an emotional impact when they see that they have not been forgotten, that people still care,” said Josh Newby, marketing communications director at Council on Aging. “They are reminded that they can still be active in their community, and that is the greatest gift of all.”
Nearly 1,500 older adults received Christmas gifts through the initiative this year.
“Our clients are so grateful for these gifts,” said Margaret Jerauld, activities supervisor at Council on Aging who helps oversee the Christmas program each year. “These may be the only presents they receive and the only quality interaction they have during the holidays, so it makes a transformative impact.”
In addition to the presents that delivered holiday cheer to hundreds of aging adults, the agency helps distribute hundreds of blankets and heaters to senior citizens who are particularly vulnerable to the cold weather this time of year, and we are still receiving donations of these items.
If you are interested in volunteering to help Council on Aging, or if you would like to drop off any new heaters or blankets, call (850) 432-1475.
Molino Park Names December Students, Good Citizens Of The Month
December 21, 2017
Molino Park Elementary School named (L-R) Christopher Williams-McFarlain and Nicole Garcia as December Students of the Month, and Jordyn Gibbs and Maximus Ridgley as December Good Citizens of the Month. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Children’s Health Program Funding In Jeopardy
December 21, 2017
With money for Florida’s subsidized children’s health-insurance program due to run out in a matter of weeks, the state has not warned the parents of roughly 200,000 children that they could soon lose coverage.
Florida’s decision contrasts with other states that have decided that they can no longer wait to see if Congress restores money for the 20-year-old Children’s Health Insurance Program, according to Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families.
Federal funding for the so-called CHIP program ran out in September, and while there have been promises to restore it, a final deal has not emerged from Congress. Alker’s center on Wednesday released an analysis that shows which states are projected to soon have shortfalls.
State officials have verified that funding for Florida’s program — which is operated primarily through the Florida Healthy Kids Corp. — would run out at the end of January. Twenty-four other states are also projected to run out of money at the same time.
The funding shortfall does not impact the roughly 2 million children who are in Florida’s Medicaid program — but instead affects those children whose families are just above the poverty line.
Mallory McManus, a spokeswoman for the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, said the state was “closely monitoring” to see if Congress will restore the money.
“We are hopeful that Congress will bring this issue to a resolution very soon,” McManus said in an email.
But McManus acknowledged that if that does not happen, “it our goal to provide the families with as much as notice as possible.” She added that at a minimum, families would get a “30 day notice,” which means the state would be required to send out notices by the end of December.
Alker said there is no federal requirement to send out notices, but she said states are going to also have to cut off new enrollment at some point. She said her organization has been “unable” to get answers from Florida about its plans, but she said the blame still belongs on Congress for failing to act.
“Congress has left states in an extremely difficult situation,” Alker said.
Neighboring Alabama is freezing enrollment on Jan. 1 and then will begin to disenroll families currently in the program at the start of February. Virginia has also put parents on notice that coverage could end soon.
The administration of Gov. Rick Scott has remained somewhat quiet as the deadline looms.
Scott’s press office has said the Republican governor is in favor of extending the popular children’s health insurance program, but Scott has not come out strongly to call on Congress to act. On Wednesday, Scott asked Congress to pass a hurricane relief package that Florida and Texas officials are seeking.
by
Lifetime Sportsman’s License Cost Reduced For Children, Young Adults
December 21, 2017
Gov. Rick Scott has signed a proclamation authorizing the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to offer Lifetime Sportsman’s Licenses for Florida children and young adults at a reduced cost. The license currently costs up to $1,000 but from now through Dec. 31st, the price will be reduced by 25 percent for Florida residents who are 17-years-old and younger. The lifetime license covers saltwater and freshwater recreational fishing, hunting and most associated permits.
Governor Scott said, “Our state’s natural treasures give families all across the state opportunities to spend quality time together, and I’m proud to reduce the cost of the Lifetime Sportsman’s Licenses for Florida’s children and young adults this holiday season. I encourage Florida’s children and young adults to take advantage of this opportunity to spend time enjoying Florida’s great outdoors.”
A Lifetime Sportsman’s License allows fishing and hunting in Florida for the rest of the license holder’s life, even if that person is no longer a resident of the state.
The license may be purchased online at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com, and at Florida county tax collectors’ offices. Residency must be verified. For more information about a Lifetime Sportsman’s License and this limited time offer, CLICK HERE.