Escambia, Santa Rosa Holiday Closures
December 31, 2015
The following closures are planned due to the New Year holiday:
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Below is a listing of the offices and departments closing Thursday, Dec. 31 and Friday, Jan. 1, in observance of New Year’s. Normal operations resume on Monday, Jan. 4, 2016.
- Escambia County Supervisor of Elections
- Escambia County Property Appraiser
- West Florida Public Library System
Exceptions
- Escambia County 911 Dispatch, EMS and Fire Rescue services will remain operational.
- Escambia County Tax Collector will be closed on Friday, Jan. 1, 2016. The office will be open for normal business hours on Thursday, Dec. 31.
- Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller will be closed on Friday, Jan. 1, 2016. The office will be open for normal business hours on Thursday, Dec. 31.
- Perdido Landfill will be open for normal business hours on Thursday Dec. 31.
Escambia County Area Transit:
- Administrative office will be closed on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016. The office will be open for normal business hours on Thursday, Dec. 31.
- No bus service and administrative office will be closed on Friday, Jan. 1, 2016.
- UWF Trolley and express shuttle service will be suspended on Friday, Jan. 1, 2016.
- UWF Trolley Express Shuttle service will resume Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016, and regular UWF Trolley service will resume Monday, Jan. 4.
- Details for specific routes are listed on www.goecat.com
ECUA
ECUA offices will be closed on Friday, January 1, 2016, in observance of the New Year’s holiday.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY ONLY:
Residential Customers: Garbage, Yard Trash & Recycling Services
• Friday pick-ups will be on Saturday
Commercial Customers: Dumpster Services
• Friday pick-ups will be on Saturday
SANTA ROSA COUNTY (NORTH-END) ONLY:
Residential Garbage, Yard Trash & Recycling Services
• No garbage, yard trash or recycling collection on Jan. 1.
• Garbage and yard trash will be collected on the next normally scheduled collection day for those routes (Monday or Tuesday).
• Please place real wreaths and Christmas trees, free of stands and decorations, at the curb for pick-up with regular yard waste collection.
• Recycling collections scheduled for Jan. 1 will be collected on Saturday, Jan. 2.
All other holiday week collections will remain on normal schedule. Customers may call ECUA Customer Service at 476-0480, if they require further information.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
The following offices and departments are closed Friday, Jan. 1, in observance of New Year’s. Regular hours of operation resume Monday, Jan. 4.
· Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners, including the library system and animal shelter
· Santa Rosa County Clerk of the Court
· Santa Rosa County Property Appraiser
· Santa Rosa County Supervisor of Elections
· Santa Rosa County Tax Collector
Registration Underway, Discount Available For Cantonment Baseball, Softball
December 31, 2015
A limited time discount is available as registration is underway online for baseball and softball at the Cantonment Sportsplex.
In-person registration dates will be every Saturday in January (including this Saturday, January 2) and the first two Saturdays in February from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Teams will be available for ages 3-14. The registration fee will be $85.
Online registration is available at www.cantonmentbaseball.org/Register, and there is a $15 discount for registering online by January 1.
Donations of new and gently-used equipment will be accepted on registration Saturdays.
County Blocked From Intervening In Gretna Slots Case
December 31, 2015
The Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a request from Gadsden County to formally intervene in a closely watched case about slot machines — but the county will be able to file a friend-of-the-court brief.
The case focuses on whether slot machines should be allowed at the Gretna Racing pari-mutuel facility in Gadsden County owned by the Poarch Creek Indians of Atmore, but it also could have implications for pari-mutuels in Brevard, Hamilton, Lee, Palm Beach and Washington counties.
Voters in Gadsden and the other five counties approved allowing slot machines in referendums, but the Supreme Court is expected to decide whether the lucrative machines can be offered without the express permission of the Legislature. In a motion to intervene as a party this month, Gadsden County argued it had the right to authorize a referendum that would clear the way for slots.
The Supreme Court, however, issued a three-sentence order Wednesday denying the request to intervene, though it said the county could file a friend-of-the-court brief by January 6.
Gretna Racing took the case to the Supreme Court after a panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal in October sided with Attorney General Pam Bondi and Gov. Rick Scott’s administration in ruling that legislative approval was needed for slots.
by The News Service of Florida
2015 In Photos: April
December 31, 2015
Today, we continue our look back at the year 2015 in photos with a look at April.
During an Earth Day celebration in Byrneville, USDA Rural Development presented Central Water Works with a $1.588 million check to replace existing water lines in both Florida and Alabama.
An Alabama woman has claimed her prize from the winning Powerball ticket sold in North Escambia on April 11. Alice Dawson, 60, of Frisco City, AL, chose to receive the winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $53,440,213.76.
The Northview Chiefs captured their first District 1A title as they destroyed Chipley 11-1 in Bonifay.
The West Florida High Jaguars beat Catholic 5-2 for a back to back District 1-4A titles, and the ninth overall under Coach Marc Conti.
The Bristol Park community was hard-hit by flooding in 2014. Homes were filled with several feet of water; numerous residents were rescued from floodwaters from their homes, even their roofs, by first responders. In April 2015, the community remembered, with luminaries lining the streets.
The defending 4A state champion West Florida Lady Jaguars were knocked out of the state playoffs. The Lady Jags lost to the Walton Braves 6-0 in the Region 1-4A quarterfinal.
The Town of Century allocated funds to spruce up the Century Business Center.
Community groups joined hands in April to clean up the Barrineau Park community.
The Escambia County Commission has issued a proclamation in honor of longtime volunteer fireman K.C. Fehl upon his retirement.
The Tate High School Lady Aggies won the District 1-7A softball championship 6-4 over Niceville.
Despite a move from Tate High School to the Pensacola Fairgrounds due to rain, the Greater Escambia Relay for Life was a success.
The Gulf Coast Agriculture and Natural Resources Youth Organization (GCA & NRYO) Spring Livestock Show was held Saturday in April. It was the first youth livestock show and sale at the newly complete 4-H barns on South Highway 99 just north of Chalker Road.
Sixty students were inducted into the National Junior Honor Society during a candlelight ceremony at Ernest Ward Middle School.
The first grade classes at Molino Park Elementary School presented “The Alphabet Adventures of Sometimes Y” at the school.
Bigfoot monster truck “Trick Flow” visited Alto Products in Atmore, where the vehicle’s transmission clutch plates are manufactured.
Radio icon Marty White, a Tate High school graduate, retired after 42 years on the air, with 37 of those years on Pensacola radio.
“Graffiti Bridge” in Pensacola, as seen on Easter Morning.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Children’s Health Program To Resume Enrollment Next Month
December 31, 2015
Under fire in the media and the state Senate, the Florida Department of Health took another step toward accepting children into a program that serves kids with “chronic and serious” medical conditions.
After a hearing on a proposed rule to determine which youngsters will be eligible for the Children’s Medical Services Network, Department of Health officials said they were on track to reopen the program to new enrollees next month.
“We could be again screening in early January,” said Jennifer Tschetter, the department’s chief operating officer.
The Department of Health has faced criticism after 9,000 special-needs kids were dropped from Children’s Medical Services between May and September. Critics blamed the use of a controversial screening tool to determine whether the children were eligible for services. The issue has drawn heavy attention this week because of investigative reporting by the Miami Herald.
An administrative law judge ruled in September that the Department of Health could not use the screening tool without adopting it through a formal rule-making process. Since then, new enrollments in Children’s Medical Services have been on hold pending the rule-making process now under way.
The hearing was aimed at adopting a screening tool that would address some of the criticism.
“We are delighted that they are moving forward with a process that will allow children to be screened and have access to the services at (the Children’s Medical Services Network), and we are delighted that they are moving very quickly with that,” said Laura Brennaman, policy and research director for the advocacy group Florida CHAIN.
The department also has agreed to revisit the proposed rule three months after it goes into effect.
Department of Health officials say the current screening tool was based on the legislative intent behind a 2012 law that changed Children’s Medical Services from a fee-for-service plan, based on a child’s needs, to a specialty managed-care plan that involves the department providing care coordination.
The screening tool, which has been in effect since May, relies solely on parents’ responses to a five-question survey. Pediatricians and lawmakers have criticized the approach on the grounds that many parents did not understand the questions they were being asked, yet their children lost vital services as a result of their answers.
Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, and some senators have watched the process warily.
In October, members of the Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee said they’d had calls from constituents — “in tears,” in the words of Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach — over their special-needs kids being dropped from Children’s Medical Services.
Gardiner told The News Service of Florida that he might consider legislative changes to the program, depending on the options available to families whose children need the specialized care.
“Is it being communicated to them that there are other options where services are not reduced?” Gardiner asked. “If people are being told they’re no longer eligible for services, what are they being offered? Is it just, ‘Hey, we’re no longer serving you’ — or is it, ‘Here’s the other program that we’re recommending you move into?’ That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”
Department of Health officials say the kids who left the program obtained services through other managed-care plans “with the same level of service agreement as the CMS Plan, or other Medicaid programs” — but critics have contended that other managed-care plans can’t provide the same quality of service that Children’s Medical Services does.
“So much of it is communication, but there may be some policy decisions, too, that we need to look at,” Gardiner said.
Agency officials say the proposed rule would ensure that all Medicaid-eligible children with special health care needs are given the option to enroll in the Children’s Medical Services Network. It’s a dual approach to eligibility screening that would consider medical professionals’ opinions as well as parents’ responses to a five-question survey.
Additionally, the department has worked with the Children’s Medical Services regional medical directors to create a revised list of diagnosed conditions that would allow physicians to attest to children’s eligibility for the program.
For instance, Tschetter said, sickle cell anemia and certain cardiac conditions have been added to the list of diagnoses that would qualify a child for Children’s Medical Services.
Pediatricians and advocates like Brennaman still have qualms about the list of diagnoses in the proposed rule, but are banking on the department’s agreement to reopen the process down the line.
“We’re delighted that they’ve already agreed to revisit the rule in three months — and that will happen while children are being allowed to enter the system,” Brennaman said. “So we can take a more deliberate approach at that time to ensure that the final rule comes out right for all of Florida’s children.”
Meanwhile, with CMS enrollment temporarily closed, the state Agency for Health Care Administration has been accepting the sickest children into managed-care plans. Additionally, new enrollments for October, November and December include kids who were screened and found eligible prior to the judge’s ruling in September, were then screened by AHCA and ultimately chose Children’s Medical Services for their care.
Gov. Rick Scott, who has recently made a mission of fighting “price-gouging” at Florida hospitals, said that services for fragile children have not been disrupted.
“There will be absolutely no interruption in service,” he told reporters. “What AHCA has been doing, I think, is good for those that need service in our state. But I can tell you there will be absolutely no interruption in service.”
by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
Video Released: Molino Pharmacy Burglarized
December 30, 2015
Scott’s Pharmacy in Molino was burglarized early Wednesday morning.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to an alarm at the Highway 29 business about 3:30 a.m. to find the glass front door had been smashed in. Surveillance video showed two people, believed to be males, entering the building and putting prescription medications into a trash can, according to Amber Southard, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office. She said about $41,000 worth of medications were stolen.
Pharmacist Ron Scott said the suspects were completely covered-up by clothing and gloves, and there was no description of them available.
(The surveillance video is at the top of this page. If you do not see it, it is because your home, school or work firewall is blocking YouTube videos)
Anyone with information on the burglary is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Pictured: Scott’s Pharmacy in Molino following a burglary early Wednesday morning. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
State To Seek Death Penalty In Cantonment Double Murder
December 30, 2015
An Escambia County Jury has indicted a Cantonment man for a double murder earlier this month on Jacks Branch Road.
Chad Mark Fontenot, 45, was indicted on two counts of first degree murder in the death of Kim Boswell and Wendell Nichols. They were found shot to death at Boswell’s home on Jack’s Branch Road on December 13. Fontenot is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges on Thursday. Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty in the case.
After receiving a 911 call on December 13 about 8:15 p.m. from Fontenot reporting the shooting, deputies arrived at the home in the 900 block of Jacks Branch Road to find Fontenot standing the garage where he was taken into custody without incident.
Inside the home, deputies discovered the bodies of Wendell Dwayne Nichols, age 50 of Cantonment, on the living room couch and Kim M. Boswell, age 46 of Cantonment, in a bedroom. Both were pronounced deceased at the scene.
Fontenot was transported to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office to be interviewed after telling he deputies that he knew what he did and was willing to cooperate, according to an arrest report. He requested a lawyer once at the Sheriff’s Office, ending the interview.
Nichols’ girlfriend told deputies that she had been dating him for about two weeks and he was living with Boswell while he recuperating from a recent injury. The witness said Boswell and Fontenot were in a relationship, but they were constantly arguing and that Fontenot was very controlling and aggressive with Boswell. Nichols’ girlfriend said she received a text from him about 4 p.m. saying that he was sick of hearing Boswell and Fontenot argue and that he wished he had never moved in.
Nichols’ girlfriend called him at 8 p.m. and spoke for him for just under eight minutes. She told investigators that she heard a loud bang, a woman screaming and then the phone disconnected. She attempted to call Nichols and Boswell several times without success.
When investigators searched the home, they found a revolver sitting on top of freezer in the garage. The revolver contained four spent casings and five unspent casings, according to an arrest report.
Fontenot remains in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Ninth Red Bulb Placed On Fire Safety Wreath
December 30, 2015
The ninth green bulb has been replaced for the “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign after Escambia County Fire Rescue recently responded to a fire in the 3500 block of Muldoon Road.
The first 911 call was received Monday at 4:05 p.m., with on-site crews reporting that the home was full of smoke. The fire was extinguished upon arrival of on-site crews, and it was determined that the incident was caused due to an electrical malfunction of a television. Escambia County Fire Rescue reminds citizens to make sure they do not overload electrical outlets or circuits, which can result in a safety hazard.
The “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign is a collaborative initiative with City of Pensacola and Santa Rosa County to promote fire safety during the month of December. During the month-long campaign, five-foot wreaths will be on display at 23 different county fire stations. Every time firefighters respond to a residential fire, a green light bulb will be replaced with a red one to remind citizens of the dangers posed by holiday decorations.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Brothers Indicted For Motel Murder
December 30, 2015
State Attorney Bill Eddins announced Tuesday that an Escambia County Grand Jury indicted Daniel Lee Durning, 28, and Aaron Lee Durning, 34, for first degree murder in the death of 57-year old Lisa Barberi.
Her body was found dead on November 22 at the Quality Inn on New Warrington Road. An investigation determined that Barberi was strangled to death, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The Durning brothers will be returned to Escambia County to face charges of first degree premeditated murder.
The brothers will be arraigned Thursday.
ECUA Announces New Year’s Holiday Schedule
December 30, 2015
ECUA offices will be closed on Friday, January 1, 2016, in observance of the New Year’s holiday.
SANITATION COLLECTIONS – ESCAMBIA COUNTY ONLY:
Residential Customers: Garbage, Yard Trash & Recycling Services
• Friday pick-ups will be on Saturday
• Please place real wreaths and Christmas trees, free of stands and decorations, at the curb for pick-up with regular yard waste collection.
Commercial Customers: Dumpster Services
• Friday pick-ups will be on Saturday
SANITATION COLLECTIONS- SANTA ROSA COUNTY (NORTH-END) ONLY:
Residential Garbage, Yard Trash &Recycling Services
• No garbage, yard trash or recycling collection on Jan. 1.
• Garbage and yard trash will be collected on the next normally scheduled collection day for those routes (Tuesday).
• Please place real wreaths and Christmas trees, free of stands and decorations, at the curb for pick-up with regular yard waste collection.
• Recycling collections scheduled for Jan. 1 will be collected on Saturday, Jan. 2.
All other holiday week collections will remain on normal schedule. Customers may call ECUA Customer Service at (850) 476-0480, if they require further information.