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One Killed During Major Explosion At Cantonment Airgas Plant

One person was killed as a major explosion ripped through the Airgas facility next to the Ascend Performance Materials plant on Old Chemstrand Road in Cantonment just after noon Sunday. There were no other injuries or fatalities.

About 12:15 p.m., multiple agencies from across Escambia County responded to the Airgas facility. First responders reported a major explosion with an area of significant structural collapse. The area was described a “mini-war zone”.

The gas that exploded was nitrous oxide, some of which was released into the atmosphere but did not pose any threat to the public. There were no gasses or chemicals released outside the industrial facility. There were no evacuations or shelter in place orders issued for residents living near the plant.

The Ascend plant supplies a mixture of gases to the Airgas plant, which Airgas uses to make nitrous oxide.

“Ascend personnel and contractors are all safe and accounted for at this time. Ascend’s site operations continue to operate safety,” Ascend said in a written statement.  “Ascend is currently working with local authorities and first responders…Ascend’s facilities located near the event may have sustained some damage, which Ascend will assess after the completion of all necessary emergency response procedures.”

As emergency workers, assisted by an Ascend response team, secured the area made sure there was no risk of an additional explosions, it was determined that one Airgas employee was missing. After an extensive search, his body was recovered after 6 p.m. His name has not yet been released.

Residents across the area reported feeling the blast, including Amy Hayes.

“My property borders the plant, the closest one to it. I was outside when I felt the blast… it was like a movie, feeling the heat blast/wave that literally pushes into your body. It blew the wooden frames off our windows. The plume was immediate and after not knowing what the smell was … confirming that it was nitrous of some sort and could be dangerous,” Hayes said, adding that she evacuated with her children and dogs. “It was a major explosion and I never want to feel that again.”

The investigation is under the lead of the Florida State Marshal’s Office.  Other agencies that responded to the scene included Escambia County Fire Rescue, Escambia County Emergency Management, Escambia County EMS, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Escambia Search and Rescue, the ATF, Florida Highway Patrol, the Trauma Intervention Program on Northwest Florida, and K-9 teams from the Century Correctional Institution.

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Reader photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Residents Urged To Monitor Tropics, Check Storm Preparations

Nine Mile Widening Begins Soon From Beulah To Hwy 29; Public Info Meeting Set

The Florida Department of Transportation will hold a public information meeting for work beginning on Nine Mile Road between Beulah Road and Highway 29 in Escambia County. The meeting will be held Thursday, September 8 at Plainview Baptist Church, 1101 West Nine Mile Road, from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

“We’ve been working for 20 years to fix the traffic and gridlock in the Beulah community, as well as bring good-paying jobs and growth, and these improvements will ensure our success,” District 1 Commissioner Wilson Robertson said. “The core growth and the traffic going to Navy Federal and the new OLF-8 Park is going to be well accommodated by widening Nine Mile Road to four lanes.”

The $46 million project includes widening Nine Mile Road between Beulah Road and U.S. 29 from two to four travel lanes. Additional improvements include constructing a new bridge over Eleven Mile Creek, new sidewalks and stormwater retention ponds, signalization improvements and drainage enhancements. FDOT representatives will be available to provide information about planned construction work and potential impacts.

Work is scheduled to begin in September and will require nighttime lane closures and speed limit reductions on Nine Mile Road. Weather permitting, the entire corridor is slated for completion in early 2019.

Winning Fantasy 5 Tickets Sold In Molino and Pensacola

Two people are over $88,000 richer after purchasing winning Florida Lottery Fantasy 5 tickets in Molino and Pensacola.

A ticket sold at the Molino First Stop at, 6530 Highway 95A and another ticket sold at the Tom Thumb, 5695 Pensacola Boulevard were the only two tickets in the state to match all of Sunday night’s winning numbers. The two winners will receive a top prize of $88,852.35.

The 239 tickets matching four numbers won $119.50 each. Another 6,879  tickets matching three numbers are worth $11.50 each, and 66,910 ticket holders won a free Quick Pick ticket for picking two numbers.

Sun day’s winning numbers were 20-23-30-33-35

UWF’s Haas Center, Supervisor Of Elections To Study Voting Process

The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office and the Haas Center at the University of West Florida is undertaking a new study to determine how satisfied voters are with the types and availability of voting options in the county.

“For quite some time, we have wanted to conduct a study to try to gauge voter attitudes and opinions in Escambia County,” said David Stafford, Escambia County supervisor of elections. “With higher voter participation in a presidential election year, this seemed like the perfect time to conduct this project.”

The study will assess the ease and efficiency of the voting process and the voters’ knowledge of voting options, locations and other general election information.

“The research will be starting up with a pilot study for the August primary and then larger data collection for the November general (election),” said Amy Newburn, assistant director of the Haas Center.

Data collection will consist of two parts, post-election phone surveys and early voting and election day intercept surveys. The analysis will continue through the end of the 2016 with the final findings released in 2017.

Participants will be asked questions such as, “How confident are you that your vote counted as intended, and how confident are you that all of the ballots in the county are counted as the voter(s) intended?”

“We are looking to see what voting method voters chose and why, where they get their election information, and how knowledgeable they feel the election workers are at the polling location or early-voting site,” Stafford said.

The project is funded jointly by the supervisor of elections and a grant from the UWF Center for Research and Economic Opportunity’s Northwest Florida Asset Valuation and Marketing Support Program.

The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office and the Haas Center at the University of West Florida is undertaking a new study to determine how satisfied voters are with the types and availability of voting options in the county.

“For quite some time, we have wanted to conduct a study to try to gauge voter attitudes and opinions in Escambia County,” said David Stafford, Escambia County supervisor of elections. “With higher voter participation in a presidential election year, this seemed like the perfect time to conduct this project.”

The study will assess the ease and efficiency of the voting process and the voters’ knowledge of voting options, locations and other general election information.

“The research will be starting up with a pilot study for the August primary an

“We are looking to see what voting method voters chose and why, where they get their election information, and how knowledgeable they feel the election workers are at the polling location or early-voting site,” Stafford said.

The project is funded jointly by the supervisor of elections and a grant from the UWF Center for Research and Economic Opportunity’s Northwest Florida Asset Valuation and Marketing Support Program.

d then larger data collection for the November general (election),” said Amy Newburn, assistant director of the Haas Center.

Data collection will consist of two parts, post-election phone surveys and early voting and election day intercept surveys. The analysis will continue through the end of the 2016 with the final findings released in 2017.

Participants will be asked questions such as, “How confident are you that your vote counted as intended, and how confident are you that all of the ballots in the county are counted as the voter(s) intended?”

Pensacola Blue Wahoos Rally To Top Jacksonville, 7-4

The Pensacola Blue Wahoos spotted the Jacksonville Suns four runs in the first inning Sunday at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

But after that, the Blue Wahoos bullpen combined on 8.1 innings of shutout ball to deliver a 7-4 victory over the Suns. With eight games left in the season, the Blue Wahoos have won three straight games and seven of its last 10.

Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said there was no panic in the dugout after digging themselves into a four-run hole.

“It was early,” Kelly said. “We emphasized they didn’t have to make it up all at once. Mentally, the guys never felt they were out of the game.”

In fact, the Blue Wahoos cut the lead in half, 4-2, in the bottom of the first inning when left fielder Brandon Dixon smashed a fly ball into the left center gap to drive in Blue Wahoos second baseman Alex Blandino to make the score, 4-1. Pensacola shortstop Zach Vincej then delivered a single to center to score Dixon and put the Blue Wahoos right back in the game.

Vincej entered the game in a 4-29 slump but got on base all four times with two singles, a double and a walk Sunday, plus he scored and drove in a run.

Vincej said his swing had gotten “too big and too long” and he concentrated on having a quicker swing.

“The end of the year is the time to heat up,” said Vincej, who hit .370 in July. “Every single day we’re trying to compete. We still want to have pride in what we’re doing. We want to go into the playoffs with a hot streak.”

Pensacola pitcher Jackson Stephens uncharacteristically had his shortest outing of the season, lasting just 0.2 innings while giving up four runs on three hits and three walks.

But the Blue Wahoos bullpen came through after that. Pensacola reliever El’Hajj Muhamad pitched 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing four hits, one walk and striking out three. He was followed by 2.2 scoreless innings from Evan Mitchell, who earned the victory and is 3-1 on the year. Abel De Los Santos walked two and struck out two in one shutout inning and then Kyle McMyne earned his fifth save by pitching a scoreless ninth inning.

“I thought (Muhammad) did a tremendous job,” Kelly said. “Eight and a third scoreless innings. You can’t ask for more than that.”

Vincej said “El” fired up the offense with his performance.

“El came in and did a phenomenal job,” he said. “Everyone kind of got fired up after that. You want to put up runs for guys competing their butts off like that.”

Chad Wallach hit a two-out, two-run bomb over the left field fence in the fourth inning to tie the game, 4-4. All of Wallach’s seven homers this season have come at home in Blue Wahoos Stadium.

Three innings later in the seventh inning, Ronald Bueno scored the go ahead run, 5-4, when he smacked a pinch hit single up the middle, reached second on Pensacola second baseman Alex Blandino’s single to third and then scored from second base on a passed ball and throwing error by Jacksonville catcher Sharif Othman. Right fielder Sebastian Elizalde doubled in Blandino for a 6-4 lead.

Elizalde now has hit in 13 straight games, which is one game short of his 14-game streak last season with the High-A Daytona Tortugas. The 24-year-old is 22-52 or .423 during his current streak.

Derek Dietrich, who is doing a Major League rehab assignment for the Miami Marlins with Jacksonville, was 2-4 with a walk and scored the first run of the game for the Suns. In two games, he is 2-8.

The Mississippi Braves snapped its seven game losing streak with a 6-4 win over the Chattanooga Lookouts and improved its record in the second half to 34-27 in the South Division. It remains 1.5 games ahead of Pensacola, which won the South Division in the first half, and is now 33-29 in the second half.

“If we can win both halves that would be a pretty impressive thing to do,” Vincej said.

Three Injured In Two Motorcycle Wreck

Three people were injured in a motorcycle crash in Molino.

The accident happened just before 4:00 Saturday afternoon near the intersection of Molino Road and Chestnut Road when two motorcycle collided. Two people were seriously injured, while a third reportedly suffered from road rash after being thrown from a motorcycle.

Further details have not yet been released as the accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.

The Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the accident.

NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.

FDOT: Weekly Traffic Alerts

Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.

Escambia County:

• Interstate 10 (I-10) Widening – Alternating lane closures on I-10 east and westbound, between Davis Highway (State Road (S.R.) 291/Exit 13) and Scenic Highway (U.S. 90/Exit 17), from 8 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 29 through Thursday, Sept. 1 as crews place temporary barrier wall and pavement markers.
• I-10 / U.S. 29 Interchange – Drivers will experience the following impacts on I-10 and U.S. 29 the week of Sunday, Aug. 28.
  • Alternating lane closures on I-10 eastbound near U.S. 29 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 28 through Thursday, Sept. 1 as crews perform drainage work.
  • The U.S. 29 north to I-10 eastbound ramp will be intermittently closed Sunday through Thursday nights from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. through the end of August as crews work on the shoulder of the roadway. Traffic will be detoured north to make a U-turn at Broad Street and access I-10 eastbound.
  • Traffic on U.S. 29 near the I-10 interchange will be shifted to the outside beginning Wednesday night, Aug. 31. The shift will allow crews to perform drainage improvements in the median and will be in place for approximately one month.
• 9th Avenue (S.R. 289) - Southbound outside lane restricted between Berkley Drive and Barcia Drive from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 28 through Thursday, Sept. 3 as crews perform underground utility maintenance work.

Santa Rosa County:

• I-10 Widening – Alternating lane closures, between the Escambia Bay Bridge and S.R. 281 (Avalon Boulevard/Exit 22), from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 28 through Thursday, Sept. 1 as crews continue widening work. In addition, there will be alternating lane closures on Avalon Boulevard near the I-10 interchange for bridge work.
• I-10 Resurfacing – Intermittent and alternating lane closures east and westbound between the S.R. 87 interchange and the Okaloosa County line from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 28 through Thursday, Sept. 1 as crews perform paving operations.  Motorists are reminded the speed limit is reduced to 60 MPH within the lane closure.
• U.S. 98 - Intermittent and alternating lane closures and slow moving operations between Bayshore Road and the Okaloosa County line continue  from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Wednesday, Aug. 31.  as crews perform striping operations.

All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather. Drivers are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling in a work zone and to watch for construction workers and equipment entering and exiting the roadway.

Ernest Ward Middle School Advisory Council To Meet Tuesday

The Ernest Ward Middle School Advisory Council will meet this week.

The SAC is an avenue through which parents can meet with representatives from school administration, teachers, educational support staff, and students to discuss all aspects of student life at Ernest Ward, from academics to extracurricular activities.

The SAC meets at least four times per year. The first meeting will be at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, August 30 and is open to the public.

Early Voting Ends With Over 8,800 Ballots Cast

Eight days of early voting ended Saturday in Escambia County with record turnout.

There 8,826 early votes cast — up 32 percent over 2012 and up 103 percent over 2014. The overall early voting, vote by mail turnout was 13 percent.

Click the table above to enlarge and see early voting details.

In the North Escambia area, 748 early votes were cast in Molino and 1,840 were cast at the Escambia County Extension office in Cantonment.

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