Children’s Council Awarded $125K White House Grant
September 9, 2015
The Escambia County (AL) Children’s Policy Council has been awarded a $125,000 Drug-Free Communities Support Program grant by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
The coalition serves Escambia County, AL. The goal of the coalition is to establish and strengthen community collaboration in support of local efforts to prevent youth substance coalition will achieve its goal by implementing strategies that include education, skills enhancement and support.
The grant was awarded in cooperation with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Local Students Named National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalists
September 9, 2015
Eight local high school students have been named semifinalists in the 61st annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
The students are Jessica K. Amerson of Northview High School; Richard W. Fell of Pensacola Catholic; Anish A. Gupta, Scott A. McGaugh and Colin T. O’Brien of Pensacola High; Colby C. Gilley of Trinitas Christian; Lauren Claire Giffin of Washington High School; and Alexa R. Graham, homeschool.
About 16,000 national semifinalists were announced Tuesday. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and more than half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.
To become a finalist, the semifinalist and their high school must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. A semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record through-out high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.
Pictured: Jessica Amerson, Northview High School.
Escambia Jail Releases The Wrong Inmate
September 9, 2015
Escambia County corrections officers mistakenly released the wrong man from jail Monday, and so far authorities have not found him.
Correction officers meant to release Steve Watson on bond, but they retrieved the wrong inmate and mistakenly released Peter Watson instead. Peter Watson was being held on $2,500 bond on a shoplifting charge.
Shortly after the release, corrections officers realized their mistake and unsuccessfully searched the immediate area surrounding the jail, according to a county news release.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has been notified of the mistake, and jail administration is investigating the incident.
Authorities On The Hunt For Escaped Alabama Inmate
September 9, 2015
Authorities are searching for an escaped inmate from Baldwin County.
The Alabama Department of Corrections said work release inmate James Marshall Rigsby, 43, left from his assigned job location in Bay Minette on Tuesday. He was serving an eight year sentence for receiving stolen property in case out of Macon County, AL.
Rigsby is described as a white male, 6-feet 2-inches tall, 175 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.
Anyone with information on Rigsby’s whereabouts is asked to call (800) 831-8825 or their local law enforcement agency.
Washington Pre-Files As Democrat For Escambia School Superintendent
September 9, 2015
Gerald Washington has pre-filed for Escambia Superintendent of Schools, as a Democrat for the 2016 election cycle, according to the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office
Washington is currently the only Democrat pre-filed for the office. Incumbent Malcolm Thomas and Jim Taylor have announced as Republicans.
Submitted photo.
Citizens Property Insurance Rate Hikes Approved For 2016
September 9, 2015
The state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. on Tuesday received approval of rate changes for 2016, with some tweaks that are expected to spread additional costs to policyholders in coastal areas.
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation approved the average rate changes equating to 1.8 percent on residential multi-peril accounts, an increase from the 1.3 percent requested by Citizens. The office also set an 8.3 percent increase for residential wind-only policies. Citizens had sought a 9 percent increase for the wind-only policies.
“The office modified some of Citizens’ recommended rates to address key issues cited as causes for increasing homeowners’ insurance costs for policyholders in South Florida and on the coast,” a release accompanying the order said.
The new rates will vary by county and depend on a property’s location, the home’s style, and the type of policy. Citizens’ policyholders in Southeast Florida have better chances of seeing rate increases than homeowners in other parts of the state.
Even with the average rate increases, Citizens expects rates to come down for about 60 percent of its policyholders. The order includes no changes for sinkhole coverage, while increasing rates on mobile home coverage.
The order, which came two weeks after a public hearing on Citizens’ 2016 rate proposal, also advises Citizens not to pass to policyholders all the costs of buying reinsurance but to treat that as an expense, noted Citizens spokesman Michael Peltier. Reinsurance is effectively backup coverage for insurers to help cover large claims.
Florida insurance consumer advocate Sha’Ron James had asked Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty to “strongly consider” the large amount of reinsurance purchased by Citizens before making any decision on the company’s requested rate hike.
Citizens President and CEO Barry Gilway argued during last month’s public hearing that a “disturbing” rise in water-damage claims in South Florida had driven the need for much of the proposed rate increases.
Citizens entered the six-month Atlantic storm season with a $7.5 billion surplus, the highest in its history, and $3.9 billion in reinsurance coverage from private, offshore firms.
The new rates go into effect Feb. 1.
“Today’s decision by the Office of Insurance Regulation reflects Citizens’ success in reducing exposure and returning to its role as the state’s insurer of last resort,” Gilway said Tuesday in a release.
The rate proposal comes as Citizens has dropped from 1.5 million policies in 2012 to 589,456 policies as of July 31. Gilway said he expects the number of policies to be just above 500,000 by the end of the year.
Resurfacing, Widening Projects To Begin On Hwy 99, Barrineau Park Road
September 8, 2015
Work is set to begin this month to widen and resurface several miles of County Road 99 and Barrineau Park Road.
One project will widen and resurface Highway 99 from Barrineau Park Road north to Highway 97A in Bay Springs. The contractor, Panhandle Grading and Paving, will add paved shoulders and widen the road to 11-foot lanes. The project will be submitted to the Federal Highway Administration Agency (FHWA) for reimbursement at an estimated project construction cost of $2.87 million. Work is expected to be completed by November 2016.
The second project will widen and resurface Barrineau Park Road from Highway 99 to Jacks Branch Road. Panhandle Grading and Paving will add paved shoulders and widen the road to 12-foot lanes. Escambia County will also seek reimbursement for $1.2 million. Work is expected to continue through November 2016.
Both projects will include other work typically association with resurfacing and widening, including drainage, sodding and pavement striping. The contractor will work to minimize interruption for area residents, and an Escambia County inspector will monitor the construction areas daily.
Work on both projects will take place 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Two Injured In Jacks Branch Rollover Crash
September 8, 2015
Two people were injured in single vehicle rollover crash on Jacks Branch Road near Molino Monday night.
The driver of a Ford F150 lost control and overturned just after 10 p.m. on Jacks Branch Road just south of Barrineau Park Road. Two people in the truck were transported to area hospitals by Escambia County EMS; their conditions were not available.
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol; further details have not been released.
The Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the accident.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
Molino Park 1st Graders Attend Wedding Of Q And U
September 8, 2015
The letters Q and U were united in marriage last week in a wedding hosted by the first grade at Molino Park Elementary School.
First graders wore their fancy clothes to look like a QUeen or King for the royal event. Students also brought wedding “gifts” for the newly united couple, from real items to magazine cut-outs or printed items. Anything starting with “QU” was the perfect gift.
Wedding gifts ranged from QUarters, QUilts, boxes of QUinoa grain, Elsa the snow QUeen inspired items, a QUiver and even one student who said his special gift was to be QUiet for the wedding. The reception that followed involved lots of festive QUacking with the Chicken Dance song, ring pops and Little Debbie wedding cakes.
After the QUick wedding, Q and U are now QUietly at home in the vocabulary of first graders at Molino Park Elementary as they continue their QUest for learning.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Emergency Repairs Set To Begin On Quintette Road Bridge
September 8, 2015
The Quintette Rooad Bridge is set to be temporarily shifted to a single lane due to bridge repairs from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. until Friday, September 18.
On June 25, the Escambia County Commission authorized an emergency purchase order to DKE Marine Services for emergency bridge repairs on a portion of the bridge on Quintette Road for $196,369.40.
On Friday, June 19, Escambia County received notification from Infrastructure Engineers, a Florida Department of Transportation bridge inspection contractor, that recommended immediate repair to pilings under the bridge. The repair, the inspectors said, is needed to advance scouring around three pilings under the bridge.
Quintette Road is a major east/west corridor over the Escambia River between Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. The bridge was constructed in 1957.