Thanksgiving Weekend Gas Prices Lowest In Five Years
November 30, 2014
That Thanksgiving road trip to grandma’s house this weekend was cheaper, with the lowest Thanksgiving gas prices in five years. Locally gas prices were down about 65 cents when compared to last year.
The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas in the Pensacola metro was $2.67 this Thanksgiving weekend, down from from $3.34 last year. The national average price of gas is $2.85 per gallon, which is 43 cents lower than the average price for Thanksgiving a year ago ($3.28 per gallon).
Pictured: A gallon of regular unleaded gas was $2.69 this Thanksgiving weekend in Century. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Saint Monica’s Episcopal Church Calls New Priest
November 30, 2014
Saint Monica’s Episcopal Church of Cantonment has call Rev. Anthony MacWhinnie II, as its new priest in charge.
MacWhinnie, former vicar of St. Thomas by the Sea in Laguna Beach and former rector of St. Augustine of Canterbury in Navarre, is returning to lead the church and people who elected to send him to seminary.
St. Monica’s, which ministers to the community with a free beans and rice ministry, The Market at St. Monica’s, health screenings and various other outreach projects, has been without a resident priest since 2012.
In an announcement to the congregation recently, Senior Warden Chuck Barnett said, “We believe this is the best thing that has happened to St. Monica’s in years. Anthony has come home to where he belongs.”
Pictured: Rev. Anthony MacWhinnie II and his wife Elizabeth. Photo by Sarah McCarren for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Grad Nunley Graduates From Basic Military Training
November 30, 2014
U.S. Air National Guard Airman 1st Class Luke A. Nunley has graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.
The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.
Nunley is the son of Lori A. Nunley and step-son of Tim C. Brown of Cantonment, brother of Ben C. Nunley of Starkville, MS and Nick H. Nunley of Pensacola, and grandson of Loranne Bass of Prentiss, MS.
He is a 2014 graduate of J.M Tate High School, Cantonment.
Fire Burns Out Vehicle, Sparks Four Acre Brush Fire
November 29, 2014
An early morning fire is under investigation near Walnut Hill that left a vehicle completely burned out and blackened several acres along a dirt road.
The fire was reported about 3:55 a.m. Saturday in a very remote area on North Pineville Road between Arthur Brown Road and Nokomis Road. The vehicle, which appeared to a late model GMC Arcadia SUV, was completed burned to the shell and the fire out by the time firefighters were notified. The fire also sparked a four acre brush fire that firefighters fought through the early morning hours.
The Florida Division of Forestry was called to plow a line around and contain the brush fire. The vehicle fire is under investigation by the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the blaze. There were no injuries reported.
Cantonment Man, 95, Drives Onto Car, Backs Into Grocery Store
November 29, 2014
A 95-year old man drove his pickup onto a car before backing uncontrollably into the Grocery Advantage building in Cantonment Friday afternoon.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a 2001 Ford F150 pickup and a 2004 Nissan Altima were parked in the parking lot facing each other in the store lot. William Gilley of Cantonment pulled his pickup forward and ran up onto the hood of the Altima. He then put the vehicle in reverse in an attempt to free it from the top of the hood of the car. Once the vehicles separated, the pickup traveled backwards into the outside of the Grocery Advantage store .
There were no injuries reported in the crash. Gilley was cited for careless driving by the FHP.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
Delta Flight Diverted After Atmore Man Suffers Heart Attack, Dies
November 29, 2014
A cross-country commercial flight was diverted Wednesday for an emergency landing after an Atmore man suffered a heart attack and died in mid-air.
The Delta flight was enroute from Atlanta to Seattle when 70-year old Charles Blackwell suffered a heart attack and the plane was diverted to Billings, MT.
Mike Glancy with airport operations in Billings said a doctor on the plane was unable to resuscitate Blackwell, according to The Billings Gazette.
Passengers remained onboard the flight during a 2.5 hour delay in Billings.
Tate Showband Members Place Wreath At Tomb Of The Unknown
November 29, 2014
The Tate High School Showband of the South placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Friday at Arlington National Cemetery.
Band members toured Arlington, several war memorials and the Lincoln Memorial Friday. They are in Washington following their performance in the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday. [Read more, see photos, video...]
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Legislative Delegration To Hold Public Hearing
November 29, 2014
The Escambia County State Legislative Delegation will hold a public hearing on Monday, December 15 from 5-7 p.m. at the Jean & Paul Amos Performance Studio, 1000 College Boulevard.
Delegation members will consider local bills, hear presentations from government entities and take public testimony on proposals for the 2015 Legislative Session. Any member of the public is welcomed to attend and participate, but those who wish to make a presentation or provide testimony should complete a Meeting Participation Form and return it to Rep. Clay Ingram’s office no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 12th.
Local bill submissions, including a brief summary of the proposal, a draft of the proposed bill, and a 2015 Economic Impact Statement Form, must be received by Representative Ingram’s office no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 8th. (Click here for paperwork.)
The Escambia County State Legislative Delegation includes Senator Greg Evers, Representative Clay Ingram and Representative Mike Hill.
Will The Grass Be Greener In 2016 For Medical Pot?
November 29, 2014
Legalization of medical marijuana in Florida went up in smoke earlier this month, but proponents of Amendment 2 haven’t given up.
“We are going to pass a medical marijuana law in Florida by the end of 2016,” pledged Ben Pollara, head of the committee that tried to get voters to approve the proposed constitutional amendment Nov. 4.
The medical marijuana initiative was heavily bankrolled by Orlando trial lawyer John Morgan, who spent more than $2 million of his own money to get the item onto the November ballot. But Morgan and the United for Care group backing the amendment were outspent in the run-up to the November election by a political committee funded in large part by Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson.
Adelson spent $5.5 million to help fund a media blitz aimed at defeating the measure, also opposed by Florida sheriffs and police chiefs.
In an e-mail to supporters Tuesday evening, United for Care — tied to a political committee officially known as “People United for Medical Marijuana,” or “PUFFM” — Pollara wrote that he and his group aren’t backing down from the fight to make medical marijuana legal.
“Let’s be clear: the ONLY reason medical marijuana didn’t pass in November is because one of the richest men in the world funded over $5 million dollars worth of false and misleading advertising on TV, radio and the Internet, and we simply did not have enough resources to counter the lies with facts in enough time. Despite being outspent on advertising 3 to 1, we still wound up with one of the highest percentages of support for medical marijuana ever seen in the country,” Pollara wrote.
Pollara noted that Amendment 2 received 58 percent of the vote, just shy of the 60 percent approval required for constitutional amendments to pass in Florida.
“This total — half a million more than Gov. Rick Scott and almost 900k more than voted ‘no’ — is clear proof that the people of Florida want a medical marijuana law,” he wrote.
Pollara said his group will pursue a two-pronged approach to make medical pot legit, either by getting lawmakers to approve it or by putting another constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2016.
Even Pollara wrote that he is “skeptical” that the Legislature will expand on a measure approved earlier this year that legalized cannabis low in euphoria-inducing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, and high in cannabadiol, or CBD, for patients with severe muscle spasms or cancer. The pot purportedly doesn’t get users high but is believed to alleviate life-threatening seizures in children with rare forms of epilepsy.
The GOP-dominated Legislature approved the measure, signed into law by Scott, in part to thwart Amendment 2, which Scott and Republican legislative leaders opposed.
That leaves the constitutional route, a possibility that gives the GOP in Florida the willies because putting a pro-pot item on the presidential ballot in 2016 could draw out younger, more left-leaning voters.
That’s just the avenue that Pollara and his allies are planning, however.
The 2016 presidential election will increase voter turnout, “and arguably, a stronger and more engaged electorate than were interested in the governor’s race,” Pollara wrote.
“We believe this broader swath of the public will be way more likely to pass medical marijuana, despite what we expect will be a new round of well-funded lies coming out of the other side,” he wrote.
By Dara Kam and Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Snowball Derby Queens Named
November 29, 2014
Snowball 2014 queens have been named. They are: (L-R) Teen Miss Five Flags Speedway Raelyn Hurst of Tate High School, Miss Snowball Derby Arah Hans-Majors of Tate High School and Miss Five Flags Speedway Ashley Godwin of Pine Forest High School. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.