Shortage Of Reddi-wip, Other Whipped Creams Due To Cantonment Explosion
December 16, 2016
A nationwide shortage of canned whipped cream is being attributed to a fatal explosion in Cantonment in late August.
A local man was killed in the explosion of several nitrous oxide tanks in a loading bay at the Airgas plant near Ascend Performance Materials on Old Chemstrand Road.
The chemical is used as a medical anesthetic and as a propellant in foods like Reddi-wip and other canned whipped creams. There’s a priority for medical uses among the remaining nitrous oxide supply.
“Due to an industry-wide supply issue, there is currently a shortage of some whipped toppings, including Reddi-wip. We are proactively managing the production of Reddi-wip, and are doing the best we can to make it available to as many consumers as possible,” Reddi-whip spokesperson Lanie Friedman said. “To clarify, this is impacting any company that uses nitrous oxide in food, so not just our brand. Obviously, medical usage of nitrous oxide takes priority at this point.”
“In late August, an incident occurred at a production facility in Cantonment, Florida operated by Nitrous Oxide Corp, an Airgas company (“Airgas Nitrous Oxide”), that impacted production at the facility indefinitely as well as Airgas Nitrous Oxide’s supply of nitrous oxide in the short-term. Airgas Nitrous Oxide is making all possible efforts to remedy the situation as quickly as possible. Impacted customers, including those who manufacture whipped cream, have been notified directly,” said Sarah Boxley, a spokesperson for Airgas.
The canned whipped cream shortage should be short lived, at least for the Reddi-wip brand.
“We should have our full supply up and running by February. Again, we encourage shoppers to stock up early on Reddi-wip during our peak holiday season,” Friedman said.
Century Chamber Elects Outgoing Mayor McCall As New President
December 16, 2016
Thursday, outgoing Century Mayor Freddie McCall was elected president of the Century Chamber of Commerce, where he plans to continue to champion the best Century has to offer.
“I intend to visit all the businesses in Century, hit the pavement and see that they are on board with what we are trying to do,” McCall said. “A big purpose of the chamber of commerce is work for new business and help our existing businesses try to be the best that they can be. We will work together with our businesses for a better community.”
McCall said he will also work to bring new businesses and industries to Century. He pushed for economic development while serving the past nine years as mayor, but he expects to be more productive with “more time on his hands”.
McCall’s second term as mayor comes to an end on January 1 as his new volunteer position as chamber president begins. He currently serves as chamber vice president.
Also Thursday, the Century Chamber Board of Directors elected Mary Hudson Bourgeois, owner of Hudson’s Grocery, as vice president; re-elected Kim Godwin, Town of Century, as secretary and re-elected Angie Kelley, Penair Century branch manager, as treasurer.
Pictured top: The Century Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors held a special meeting Thursday afternoon at Nadine McCaw Park to elect new officers. The short meeting was held in the park because the chamber’s board room was being prepped for a Christmas open house. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
ECUA Facility Finds Northview Football Championship Ring In 165 Tons Of Recyclables
December 16, 2016
Finding a needle in a haystack might be easier.
But a very observant employee at ECUA’s Interim Materials Recycling Facility at the Perdido Landfill found a 2012 Northview High School state championship ring Thursday. The employee spotted the ring mixed in with 165 tons of recyclables.
The facility called the school, and a school official picked it up. The ring was engraved with the owner’s name, and it will be be returned to them.
The employee that found the ring, who works for an ECUA subcontractor, nor the football play have been publicly named.
Pictured: This 2012 Northview High School State Football Championship ring was located in the midst of 165 tons of recyclables at ECUA’s Interim Materials Recycling Facility. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bratt Elementary School Names Students Of The Month
December 16, 2016
The following students (pictured above) were named Students of the Month for December at Bratt Elementary School.
Cade Hare
Emma Southard
Parker Marsh (not pictured)
Owen Blanton
Sophia Ikner
Maybree Johnson
Madalynn Pittman
Keylashia Randle
Jamarreai Davison (not pictured)
Sawyer Gilmore
Lori Hall
Lexi Bingham
Emma Holder
Zakhel Clemmons
Max Mason
Emily Jarvis
Kaleb Nicholson
Jonathon Stillwell
Zakyla Smith
Hannah Smith
Hadyn Baker
Ava Gurganus
Rabekah Abbott
Zykuria Fountain
The students pictured below, Lexi Bingham and Zakhel Clemmons, were chosen to represent Bratt Elementary School as Escambia County Students of the Month for December.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Chamber Holds Christmas Open House Event
December 16, 2016
The Century Chamber of Commerce held its annual Christmas Open House Thursday afternoon. Chamber members, prospective members and area residents had the opportunity to network and learn more about what the Century Chamber offers, all while enjoying light refreshments.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
EREC Awarded $159K For Walnut Hill, Bratt Water Improvements
December 15, 2016
The Northwest Florida er Management District’s Governing Board has awarded a $159,559 to Escambia River Electric Cooperative (EREC) for water system improvements.
The grant will be used for distribution and pipe improvements, including the replacement of a aging water line and to interconnect the Walnut Hill Water Works system with the Bratt-Davisville Water System. Both water systems are owned and operated by EREC.
The funds were part of $974,000 in Northwest Florida Water Management District grant funding for water supply projects across Northwest Florida.
The funding was awarded as part of a competitive grant program to help local governments and non-profit utilities address local water supply challenges and meet regional water supply protection and management needs.
Since 2013, the District has awarded approximately $20.6 million in grant funding to boost the infrastructure, economic, and public health needs of northwest Florida communities by addressing regional water resource and supply development priorities.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Atmore Paving Project Causing Delays At State Line
December 15, 2016
Drivers traveling into Alabama at Atmore can expect delays for a resurfacing project. Highway 21 is being resurfaced from the Florida state line north to Magnolia Street in Atmore with ongoing lane closures. Work started Wednesday at the state line, with traffic backed up into Florida on Highway 97. The project is expected to last for several days; the Alabama Department of Transportation was unable to provide an estimated completion date. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Woman Gets 30 Years Prison After High Speed Chase
December 15, 2016
An Escambia County woman has been sentenced to 30 years in state prison after a high speed chase during which she crashed into a deputy.
Charmaine Brown was convicted of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer with lights and siren activated at high speed, grand theft auto, grand theft of a firearm, criminal mischief and resisting an officer without violence. She was sentenced this week by Judge Judge Gary Bergosh to minimum mandatory sentence of 30 years in state prison as a prison releasee reoffender. This means that she will serve the 30 year sentence day for day with no gain time.
On July 30, 2015, Brown was at the home of an elderly gentleman. She was caught by the victim rummaging through his personal belongings. The victim confronted Brown with a firearm, a struggle ensued and the gun was discharged. The victim was unharmed and Brown fled with the gun and in the victim’s car with another individual. Law enforcement arriving on the scene, saw the car leave at high speed. Officers pursued, believing that the elderly gentleman may have been kidnapped.
During the pursuit, Brown nearly struck an occupied law enforcement officer’s vehicle that was blocking traffic. The chase began in the area of the Barrancas Bridge and terminated in Perdido after the defendant crashed into another law enforcement officer’s occupied vehicle. During the course of the chase, Brown drove erratically and at speeds in excess of 100 mph. Charmaine Brown was taken into custody without incident.
FWC Law Enforcement Report
December 15, 2016
The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the week ending December 8 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Lieutenant Hahr was patrolling the Perdido River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) when he observed a truck pulling into the Pipes after legal access hours. When he approached the truck, he observed the adult male driver and juvenile female passenger scrambling to hide a glass pipe and small box. After securing the occupants, he located a container of methamphetamine and various other drug paraphernalia. The man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and accessing the management area after hours and booked into jail. The young woman was charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia and turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
Officers Long and Manning were at a local seafood dealer looking for a suspect that had an active warrant for failure to appear for commercial fishing violations. They had information that he was currently performing maintenance on his vessel. The officers boarded the vessel and located the subject hiding in a small compartment and transported him to jail for the warrant. He was also charged with possession of cannabis.
Officers Long and Manning conducted wholesale and retail license inspections at numerous fish markets and retail establishments. A total of five notice to appear citations and two written warnings were issued.
Lieutenant Hahr was patrolling the Perdido River WMA when he observed a vehicle enter an area after legal access hours. He pulled up to the truck and smelled a strong odor of cannabis coming from the interior. The occupants were two 16‑year‑old juveniles and one 15‑year‑old juvenile. Three types of alcoholic beverages were also found in the truck. The three juveniles admitted to smoking cannabis and the two passengers admitted to drinking. All three were charged with possession of alcoholic beverages, possession of not more than 20 grams of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
Officer Hutchinson received a call from a deputy who informed him that he observed a vehicle shining a spotlight in several fields late at night. The deputy stopped the vehicle and made contact with the driver. While speaking with the driver, he discovered a loaded hunting rifle inside of the vehicle. Officer Hutchinson responded to the location and made contact with the driver. The driver admitted to looking for deer while shining the light. After further investigation, Officer Hutchinson discovered fresh deer blood on a rack attached to the back of the vehicle. The subject informed Officer Hutchinson that his uncle shot the deer in Alabama while they were hunting together on the previous day. The subject then admitted to taking the deer and throwing the deer over a bridge into the water because he didn’t want to clean the deer. After further investigation, Officer Hutchinson discovered that the subject did not possess a Florida or Alabama hunting license. Officer Hutchinson made contact with the subject’s uncle who denied shooting the deer. The subject was issued a notice to appear citation for night hunting.
After the night-hunting case, Officer Hutchinson was approached by a truck with the passenger window rolled down. The driver of the vehicle asked Officer Hutchinson if everything was alright. While speaking to the subject, Officer Hutchinson could smell a strong odor of cannabis coming from the inside of the vehicle. He asked the driver to step out of the vehicle and questioned him about the cannabis. The subject admitted to having cannabis inside of the vehicle and turned it over to the officer. The male subject was issued a notice to appear citation for possession of cannabis under 20 grams.
Officer Ramos discovered signs of illegal placement of bait in the Eglin WMA. Over the course of several weeks, he conducted patrol and surveillance in the area where the corn was placed. Early one morning he returned to check on the location and found a previously identified suspect hunting from a tree facing the bait. After interviewing the suspect, the man admitted to placing bait in the WMA and was charged accordingly. In addition to several criminal charges, the suspect’s hunting and fishing privileges in Eglin WMA were revoked for one year.
While on patrol near Escambia River, Officer Ramos stopped to check a person fishing. The person said he had a valid fishing license, but then provided a false date of birth that did not match his name according to Dispatch. Officer Ramos escorted the man back to his vehicle to retrieve his driver license. When the subject opened his vehicle door, Officer Ramos smelled and saw an unburned marijuana cigarette in the ashtray. After further questioning, the man also admitted to possessing a weighing scale, which contained marijuana residue. Officer Ramos discovered additional drug paraphernalia and seized it for evidence and lab testing. The person was charged with possession of the marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and failure to have a valid fishing license.
Officer Ramos was on patrol in the Garcon Point area when he observed two men tonging oysters nearby. He conducted a vessel and resource inspection and chose a random bag of oysters for inspection. Florida law allows for an undersized tolerance of 5% per bag of oysters. The bag measured by Officer Ramos contained 75% undersized oysters. After interviewing the subjects, they admitted to having additional oysters inside their truck at the boat ramp. Officer Ramos found three partial sacks of oysters that were not on ice in the vehicle and one that was on ice. When all the oysters were properly measured, the men were found to be in excess of the daily bag limit of two bags (one extra full bag of oysters). Appropriate criminal charges were filed for the undersized oysters and over the bag limit violations.
While on patrol in the Robert’s Pond Unit of the Eglin WMA, Officer Ramos discovered a large 4×4 truck stuck in a wet-weather pond. Two men were actively attempting to get the truck out of the mud. There were large muddy ruts throughout the area and multiple deep holes where two different trucks had bogged down and destroyed sensitive habitat. The subjects admitted to off-roading in the closed area the previous night and one truck was unable to get back to the main road. Each person was issued a citation for operating a vehicle off the named and numbered road and a criminal citation for destruction of public lands by motor vehicle. Eglin Range Patrol police arrived and revoked the men’s access to the Eglin WMA for two years.
During the predawn hours, Officers Jones and Tolbert conducted foot patrol on the Eglin WMA near the community of Holley to locate an individual who had outstanding warrants for his arrest. The wanted person had fled from deputies on a four-wheeler ATV when they had previously attempted to arrest him. The officers believed the suspect was in the area. They located a campsite and arrested the individual without incident. A female who was with the subject was also detained and later released. The subject was booked into Santa Rosa County Jail. A notice to appear was issued to both individuals for trespass on Eglin property after legal hours.
Officer Cushing was working in the Blackwater WMA when he observed several dog hunters rushing to a certain area. He followed and checked the first hunter he encountered. While talking to him, he heard seven shots and a person state, “I got him,” over the radio. He located the source of the shots, but the hunters stated that they had missed. Lieutenant Hahr and Officer Jernigan arrived to assist and located where the hunter had been parked down a closed road. Officer Hutchinson contacted one of the hunters and obtained a confession. The hunter stated that he thought the deer was bigger but it was not a legal buck. He returned to the scene and showed the officers the location of the deer. He was issued a notice to appear for taking a buck without three points on one side or a 10‑inch main beam.
Officer Jernigan checked a hunter as he was leaving a WMA and determined that he did not have a hunting license or quota permit. He also discovered that the subject’s driver license had been suspended and there was a warrant out for his arrest. He booked the man on the warrant and driving with license suspended or revoked and issued the appropriate citations for the other offenses.
Officer Jernigan responded to a complaint of trespass on a private hunting club. The leaseholder found two subjects sitting in one of his tree stands. The subjects stated that they had been hunting and camping on the river and had walked to the private property and decided to hunt. The leaseholder wished to prosecute the subjects and charges will be pending after discussion with the state attorney’s office.
Officers from Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties conducted a detail for the opening weekend of general gun season. They patrolled the high-activity areas within Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties, including the Blackwater State Forest. They checked several hunters to ensure compliance of the established hunting rules in each area. They met with landowners who live in these high activity hunting areas and conducted patrols near their properties. The officers issued several warnings and citations for hunting and traffic violations.
This report represents some events the FWC handled over the past week; however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement. Information provided by FWC.
Molino Park Elementary Students Donate To Council On Aging
December 15, 2016
After learning about elderly residents in need, the staff and fifth graders at Molino Park Elementary School decided to help. They collected items that were donated to the Escambia County on Aging. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.