Concert Raises $1,300 For Molino Park Elementary Music Program
October 21, 2015
A benefit piano concert Sunday night at Highland Baptist Church raised $1,300 for the the music program at Molino Park Elementary School.
The school partnered with the Gulf Coast Steinway Society to present a performance by Kadisha Onalbayeva along with a special performance from Molino Park students.
“We are very grateful to all those who came out to support the program, and are excited to use these donations to further the goal of bringing the music program into the 21st century and giving every student the tools necessary to express
themselves through music,” said Katherine Powell, Molino Park’s music teacher.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Panhandle Ag Team Represented At “North America’s Premier Farm Show”
October 21, 2015
Known as “North America’s Premier Farm Show”, the 38th Annual Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition is going on this week in Moultrie, GA. The annual event has more than 1200 exhibitors showcasing the latest in farming technology. The Expo’s unique site has a 100-acre exhibit area adjoining a 600-acre working research farm.
Pictured: Panhandle Ag Extension Team member Libbie Johnson of Escambia County talks to visitors to the UF/IFAS barn at the Sunbelt Ag Expo Tuesday about native Florida wildlife. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
It’s a Tradition: Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere
October 21, 2015
Looking for a pumpkin? The Allen Memorial United Methodist Church Men’s Pumpkin Patch is open once again this year at the corner of Highway 29 and Neal Road. Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes are available, with some priced as low as $1. The pumpkin patch is open daily from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Organizers said hundreds of pumpkins have been sold far this year.
The church’s Fourth Annual Fall Festival will be held at the pumpkin patch this Saturday, October 24 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. There will be free activities for the children including visits from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit in the morning, the Cantonment Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, games, crafts and more. The Methodist Men group will be selling smoked turkey legs, pulled pork sandwiches and baked goods. Admission is free. Vendors are welcome; call Candace at (850) 525-7216 for information.
Pictured: The Allen Memorial Pumpkin Patch in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Two Wanted For Escambia Attempted Murder, Robbery Home Invasion
October 21, 2015
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is seeking two men in connection with a an attempted murder and a robbery home invasion that occurred October 5 at 1000 South Fairfield Drive.
Darrell Williams Jr. and Ja’Quest Norris are both wanted in connection with the incident. Investigators said Williams sometimes goes by the nickname “Jerk”.
Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 733-STOP.
Lawmakers Sort Out Details Of Oil Spill Money
October 21, 2015
With billions of dollars coming to Florida in reparation for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a Senate panel Tuesday tried to get a better feel for how the money will be spent.
Drew Bartlett, deputy secretary for ecosystem restoration at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, told members of the Senate Agriculture Committee that the money will flow through several channels.
The 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico directly damaged the state’s tourism and fishing industries as well as its environment, but also had indirect effects as far away as the Florida Keys.
That’s partly why senators were interested in one of the buckets of money Bartlett described, $364 million that Florida counties will divide under what is known as the federal RESTORE Act. Seventy-five percent of the money, or $273 million, goes to the eight hardest-hit counties — Escambia, Okaloosa, Bay, Walton, Santa Rosa, Franklin, Gulf and Wakulla.
The other 25 percent, or $91 million, goes to 15 counties, ranging from Taylor to Monroe, along the coast.
“The environmental damages were largely seen in the Panhandle area,” Bartlett said. “But when you get to recreation and economic damages, during that time when the newscasts were showing the oil spill … a lot of vacations were canceled. We saw a lot of loss of economic revenue in counties throughout the Gulf.”
“Was it fear, or actual economic damage to those counties?” asked Sen. Eleanor Sobel, D-Hollywood.
“In the southern counties, it was fear,” he replied.
Committee Chairman Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, asked whether any of the money was earmarked for county commissions to make their own decisions about projects to fund.
“Who blesses these decisions?” he asked.
Under the RESTORE Act, the U.S. Department of the Treasury has a direct relationship with the coastal counties, said Mimi Drew, a Florida trustee for the National Resource Damage Assessment and a representative to what is known as the RESTORE Council.
“The coastal counties develop the plan, send it to Treasury,” Drew said. “When Treasury is comfortable with the plan, then the funding goes directly to those counties.”
The deadly explosion aboard the drilling rig owned by BP and operated by Transocean is considered the largest marine oil spill in the history of the industry. It killed 11 people and sent millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, taking months to cap and seal the well.
“We lost more than 50,000 birds, more than 50,000 sea turtles,” Bartlett said. “Much of the shoreline was impacted by oil, and a slick was detected the size of Virginia.”
Florida will collect $680 million from the National Resource Damage Assessment and $356 million from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for restoration projects. It will also net at least $676.5 from the RESTORE Act, formally known as the 2012 Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act.
Much of the money will be paid over a 15-year period. Both BP and Transocean will contribute to each fund.
Additionally, the state will receive $2 billion for economic damages, which will flow through the Attorney General’s Office.
Triumph Gulf Coast Inc., a non-profit corporation created by the Legislature in 2013, will help the eight Panhandle counties most economically impacted by the spill. It is expected to award 75 percent of the economic-damages money over 30 years for recovery efforts, while the Legislature will distribute the rest. Under the agreement, Florida will receive an initial payment of $400 million next year, with subsequent disbursements of about $100 million annually through 2033.
by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
Facing Eviction, Century Doctor Looks To Town Council For Help
October 20, 2015
A doctor ordered out of the old Century hospital by a state agency turned to the Century Town Council for support Monday night.
In a letter dated August 26, Century Health Care Access (CHCA) and Dr. Christian Bachman, president of CHCA and physician for Mayo Street Medical, were ordered to vacate the old Century Hospital facility by September 30 by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, current owners of 25,000 square foot building on Mayo Street.
Bachman has refused to budge, continuing to operate his medical practice, which will see patients regardless of their ability to pay and even make house calls.
“What we are trying to do is ask for community support and any advice that we can to try to keep health care in Century,” Bachman told the Century Town Council.
In the letter to Bachman, Cheryl C.McCall, chief of the Bureau of Public Land Administration Division of State Lands for DEP, wrote that the eviction was due to violations of the terms of his 50 year lease, including violations of the Florida Life Safety Code and National Fire Protection Code. McCall’s letter also listed numerous lease violations, including purpose, unauthorized use, insurance and maintenance. (Cheryl McCall is no relation to Century Mayor Freddie McCall.)
Bachman does not deny that some terms of the lease may have been violated, but he said he has followed “the heart of the contract, which was to take care of the building and to look after, to provide medical services.”
“Have we fulfilled every single letter of that contract? No,” he said Monday night.
Freddie McCall, mayor, said he supports Bachman and his practice.
“We need a doctor in town. I need the citizens to speak up and do what they can and try to work through our senators and representatives so they can hopefully pull some strings for the man to stay here,” the mayor said.
While Bachman is the only doctor that practices in town on a regular basis, Baptist Medical Group, formally Century Medical Center, operates a primary care facility in Century that is staffed by nurse practitioner Georgia W. Agrait, GNP.
The DEP said recently that the department is determining its next step.
Pictured top: Century council member Ben Boutwell (background) listens at Dr. Christan Bachman addresses the Century Town Council Monday night. Pictured inset: Mayor Freddie McCall. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Molino Event To Mark 10th Anniversary Of Death Of Fallen Hero J.R. Spears
October 20, 2015
The 10th anniversary of the death of a local hero will be marked with a special event in Molino on Saturday.
Cpl. Jonathan Ross “J.R.” Spears (USMC) was killed in action, Ramadi, Iraq, on October 23, 2005.
Spears, the son of Tim Spears and the late Marie Spears, grew up in Molino. He spent many years playing baseball at Don Sutton Ballpark in Molino. He was a 2002 graduate of Tate High School, where he played football. His number 62 jersey was retired by the school to honor their former lineman.
“He was very determined to be a United States Marine. After losing over 80 poounds and passing boot camp, he did it. The proudest moments of his life were in his dress blues. He wanted nothing more than to protect his country, and he gave his life doing so,” his father Tim said.
The event Saturday will begin at 2 p.m. at Don Sutton Ballpark in Molino. Food and drinks will be provided. There will be a few speakers on behalf of J.R. Spears and the entire Spears family. The event will conclude with a release of balloons to honor Spears, other fallen heroes and those still fighting for freedom.
The event is free and open to the public, and everyone is encouraged to attend. Donations for Cpl. J.R. Spears Memorial Scholarship Fund will be accepted.
Frequently Incarcerated Century Man Now Headed To State Prison
October 20, 2015
A Century man with a lengthy arrest history is headed to prison for the next five years.
Ronald Berlan Newton, 54, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault was sentenced by Circuit Judge Ross Goodman as a prison releasee reoffender, and a three-strike offender. As a releasee reoffender, Newton is not eligible for gain time and must serve the entire five years in prison.
On June 21, 2015, Newton was involved in an altercation with his brother and other family members at the family’s home on Blackmon Street in Century. Later in the day, Newton returned to the home and was again asked to leave the property. Newton became angry and threatened to kill his brother before picking up a sharp metal garden tool and swinging it at his brother’s head.
Since 2007, Newton has been arrested on a long list of charges that were dropped or dismissed included aggravated assault, criminal mischief, battery, lewd and lascivious behavior victim under 18, indecent exposure, disorderly conduct and contempt of court.
Newton was released from state prison in April 2012 after completing a 22 month sentence for stalking after being arrested more than a dozen times in a year. Newton was first found incompetent and remanded into the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families for evaluation, but was later found competent to stand trial.
Newton was again sentenced to prison in October 2013 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated stalking. After being released from prison, he was once again arrested for contempt of court for willfully violating an domestic violence injunction. He was released from jail on April 4, 2015.
Traffic Delays, Power Outages As Huge Equipment Is Moved From Pensacola To Brewton
October 20, 2015
A very large piece of equipment is on the move from the Port of Pensacola to the Georgia Pacific paper mill in Brewton, and it will cause traffic delays and short power outages over multiple night nights on a route that will travel through the North Escambia area.
Because of the size of the generator, power lines and traffic lights will need to be temporarily taken down to allow the transport truck to pass.
The first transport of the equipment is expected to take four nights from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. each night. A second piece of equipment leaves the Port on Friday, Oct. 23, and will use the same route through Sunday night, Oct. 25, from 10 p.m. until 10 a.m.
More than 400 obstructions are expected along the route, including overhead power lines, traffic signals, low-hanging trees, signs, etc. A convoy of power, telephone, cable, city, county and state bucket trucks, and work crews will assist the transport truck along with private and state police escort vehicles.
Gulf Power customers along the route could experience temporary power outages up to two hours as the convoy passes as well as intermittent traffic delays and road closures. Some Escambia River Electric Cooperative customers will also experience short outages and outages for crossings on Highway 29 on Highway 29 from 1.5 south of Bogia Road north to Thompson Road. EREC expects the first truck to be in that area between 10 p.m. Wednesday night and 6 a.m. Thursday.
“Outages for customers will last only as long as it takes to remove the line and re-install it as soon as the truck passes,” said Rick DelaHaya, Gulf Power spokesperson. “We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate our customers patience as we assist the transport company.”
Monday night’s move estimated to end at the Cordova Mall parking lot.
Georgia Pacific is installing a large steam turbine which will recycle the steam produced as part of Georgia Pacific’s manufacturing process and convert it to electricity to power the plant. The turbine was imported into the Port of Pensacola in late July and has been in storage at the port ever since awaiting routing and permitting for its move to Brewton. 18-feet wide, almost 25-feet tall and 173.5-feet long. The generator will be on a separate transport as part of the convoy. That trailer is 18-feet wide, 18.5-feet high and 192.5-feet long.
The details of the route are:
Route Details:
1.) Barracks St. North (Starting Location: Port of Pensacola, FL)
2.) Bay Front Pkwy East
3.) 9th Ave. North (estimated first night stop)
4.) SR289 North
5.) Olive Rd. East
6.) 90 Scenic Hwy. North
7.) Davis Hwy / US90 West
8.) US29 North
9.) US31 North
10.) Georgia Pacific (Ending Location)
Location and nightly roue updates will be published on NorthEscambia.com as the information is made available.
Pictured: A large steam turbine being moved from the Port of Pensacola to Georgia Pacific in Brewton. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Second Alleged Police Impersonator Arrested
October 20, 2015
A second man has been charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office says when accused police impersonator Joshua Lynam pulled over an undercover deputy last week, he was being aided by 21-year old Ryan Philip Ramsdell.
Lynam told investigators that he was watching drivers on I-10 and I-110 and would pull them over when he thought they were speeding. He would allegedly tell them they would be pulled over again to receive their citation, or the citation would be delivered in the mail.
Lynam, 24, was charged with impersonating a police officer after he performed a traffic stop on an Escambia County deputy on I-110 at Airport Boulevard earlier this month. Investigators said the entire incident was caught on video by a camera Lynam had in his truck — he capture his own arrest on video. That video also shows Ramsdell walking up to the undercover deputy’s car, but backing down and removing his vest, stashing it in the truck.
Lynam, 24, is charged with multiple counts of impersonating a police officer after he performed a traffic stop on an Escambia County deputy on I-110 at Airport Boulevard. He is now being held in the Escambia County Jail without bond
Ramsdell is also charged with impersonating a police officer and remains in jail without bond.
Anyone that believes they may have been a victim of Lynam or Ramsdell during a suspicious traffic stop is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
