Keep The Wreath Green Safety Campaign Ends With 13 Fires
January 3, 2014
The “Keep the Wreath Green” holiday fire safety campaign came to a close with 13 red bulbs representing residential fires in Escambia County. The 13 fires during the December 2013 month-long campaign was an increase over six fires in December 2012.
In the wreath campaign, each time firefighters responded to a residential fire in Escambia County that displaced a resident, a green light bulb was replaced with a red one to remind citizens of fire dangers.
One of the fires was on Christmas Day on Highway 4 in Bratt. The wood frame home suffered heavy smoke and water damage throughout following a fire that was believed to have been started by a wood burning heater.
Pictured top: One of the December Escambia County residential fires was this fire on Highway 4 in Bratt. Pictured inset: The wreath outside the Walnut Hill Fire Station on Highway 97. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century Reschedules Council Meeting Due To BCS Game
January 3, 2014
The Town of Century has rescheduled their regular first Monday of the month council meeting from January 6 to Tuesday, January 7 at 7 p.m.
The meeting was rescheduled to encourage public participation and attendance — the regular Monday night meeting conflicted with the BCS National Championship Game between Auburn and Florida State.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Police Looking For Robbery Suspect With Skin Discoloration
January 3, 2014
Authorities are asking for the public’s help in identifying an armed bandit that held up a Flomaton title and payday loan business on New Year’s Eve.
About 5:15 p.m., an armed bandit walked into the Cash 2 Go store on Sidney Manning Boulevard (Highway 29) in Flomaton and demanded cash at gunpoint from a store employee, according to Flomaton Police Chief Brian Davis.
Thursday, Davis said the suspect is believed to be a black male who was wearing ski mask with eye and mouth openings.
“The suspect appeared to have some type of discoloration around his mouth area, possibly from some type of previous burn, injury or birth mark,” Davis said. “The suspect could have more of these on his face and body but due to the ski mask and jacket we were unable to tell.”
After the robbery, the suspect fled on foot in an unknown direction. An unsuccessful manhunt followed with officers from the Flomaton Police Department, Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office and Escambia County (FL) Sheriff’s Office and K-9 units from Fountain Prison in Atmore, the Escambia County (FL) Road Prison and Century Correctional Institution.
There were no injuries reported.
Anyone with information should contact the Flomaton Police Department at (251) 296-5811 or their local law enforcement agency.
Pictured top: It was businesses as usual Thursday afternoon at the Cash 2 Go store in Flomaton, almost 48 hours after the store was robbed at gunpoint. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Deputies Seek Missing Person
January 3, 2014
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in finding a missing woman.
Kimberly Joyce Smith, 30, has not been heard from since November 27. She is described as a white female, 5-foot 4-inches tall, 150 pounds with green eyes and blond hair. She has multiple tattoos, including one of a lizard on her right hand.
She was last seen in October wearing jeans and a blue jean shirt. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9426 or (850) 436-9620.
Scott Orders Execution For Murderer
January 3, 2014
Gov. Rick Scott has scheduled a February execution for Juan Carlos Chavez, who committed the notorious 1995 murder of nine-year-old Jimmy Ryce in Miami-Dade County.
Scott notified Florida State Prison Warden John Palmer of Florida State Prison on Thursday that the execution for Chavez, 46, will be held at Feb. 12.
Chavez was convicted in 1998 of kidnapping, sexual assault and murder of Ryce. The brutal crime spurred the Legislature to pass the Jimmy Ryce Involuntary Civil Commitment for Sexually Violent Predators’ Treatment and Care Act, known simply as the Jimmy Ryce Act.
The 1998 law lets the state indefinitely keep violent sexual predators behind bars by requiring them to undergo a review for the risk of re-offending and to be committed at a secured treatment facility after completing their sentences.
Ryce’s dismembered body was found near an avocado grove three months after being abducted at gunpoint near his Redland school bus stop on Sept. 11, 1995. Ryce’s book bag was found in Chavez’ trailer.
The Florida Supreme Court affirmed Chavez’ most recent appeal on Oct. 11, 2013.
Scott’s order comes a little less than a year after the death of Martha Ryce, a Redland native who dedicated her life to advocate for missing children after the murder of her brother. Martha Ryce, who was considered the voice of her family, committed suicide on December 30th in Atlanta. She was 35.
And the warrant comes as lawmakers consider strengthening the 1998 law in the wake of reports by the South Florida Sun Sentinel that found that nearly 600 sexual predators had been released only to be convicted of new sex offenses — including more than 460 child molestations, 121 rapes and 14 murders.
Scott’s office received numerous pleas for the governor to execute Chavez as the 18th anniversary of Ryce’s death approached.
“As simply as I can put it, it is time to end this family’s suffering,” Colleen Salaam of Broward County e-mailed Scott in September.
“He has out lived the entirety of the (Ryce) family,” wrote Dade County resident Matthew Schantz of Chavez. “It is time to put an end to this. It is time for justice.”
The tone was much different from the international pleas Scott often gets for amnesty when an inmate execution is pending.
With subject lines that include “the man who murdered this child has been on death row for way too long,” a number of people questioned how “this animal is still alive” and that they “don’t want to clothe, feed, and house” Chavez.
“I am one of those citizens of Homestead that spent days looking for poor Jimmy Ryce only to have my heart broken,” wrote Patty Accursio in September. Chavez “does not deserve to live one more day. The pain and suffering he has caused this family is just not acceptable.”
Chavez is the one of two Death Row inmates with a pending execution set by Scott. Convicted murderer Askari Abdullah Muhammad is set to be put to death by lethal injection on Tuesday. Scott reset the execution for Muhammad, formerly known as Thomas Knight, on Dec. 20.
Muhammad, 62, will be put to death for fatally stabbing corrections Officer Richard James Burke with a sharpened spoon in October 1980 while Muhammad was already on Death Row.
by The News Service of Florida
Escambia County Judge Retiring
January 3, 2014
Escambia County Judge Thomas E. Johnson has tendered his resignation from office for retirement to be effective Monday, March 31, 2014.
Johnson graduated from the University of West Florida with a degree in accounting and then went on to receive his Juris Doctorate at Florida State University. He was elected to the county bench in 1988 and has served the citizens of Escambia County as a county judge for 25 years following approximately 16 years in private practice.
The judicial nominating process will begin in the near future, at the conclusion of which Governor Scott will appoint a new judge to the bench.
Hate Crimes Up Across Florida; Eight Reported In Escambia County
January 3, 2014
Florida saw a 22.3 percent increase in reported hate crimes in 2012 from the prior year, according to a report released by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office. Of the 170 hate crimes reported in Florida in 2012, eight were in Escambia County.
Four of Escambia County’s hate crimes were reported by the Pensacola Police Department, three by the University of West Florida Police Department and one by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Pensacola Police reported three aggravated assaults related to face and one related to sexual orientation. Two UWF incidents were vandalisms related to race and one intimidation complaint related to sexual orientation. The single complaint to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was a simple assault related to race.
Statewide Data
Racially-motivated crimes comprised the majority of the 170 hate crimes reported in 2012 by local law enforcement agencies providing data to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The 170 reported hate crimes were the most in a single year since 2008, when there were 182. Crimes motivated by race and skin color represented 54.1 percent of the reported cases.
Other factors were: sexual orientation, which accounted for 28.8 percent; religion, 10 percent; ethnicity and national origin, 6.5 percent; and mental disability, 0.6 percent. The data does not include hate crimes committed against the homeless, which is not part of the Uniform Crime Reporting system used to compile the report. Hate crimes were reported in 30 Florida counties in 2012, down from 31 the previous year. Orange County accounted for 32 reported hate crimes in 2012, the most for any county, and up from 26 a year earlier. Brevard County had the second most with 15, up from six the prior year.
While the report lists the reason each crime was listed as a hate crime, it does not speculate on what caused the overall increase in hate crimes from year to year.
2013 In Photos: July
January 3, 2014
All this week, we are looking back at the photos that were in the news in 2013. Today, we are featuring photos from July.
A Nokomis woman was attacked and mauled by two pit bulls.
North Escambia firefighters practice using the Jaws of Life.
Fire destroyed this pickup on Highway 4 in Walnut Hill.
Molino’s Caleb Gindl made history in July for the Milwaukee Brewers as he became the first in franchise history to hit a walk-off for his first MLB homer.
Two pit bulls attacked a road crew and were later shot and killed by an Escambia County deputy in the Grand Oaks Subdivision in Cantonment near Tate High School.
An educator from Iraq spent time learning about farming in Walnut Hill.
Dozens of local children took part in a musical camp at Highland Baptist Church.
A Walnut Hill farmer fertilizes cotton.
A minister at his post in the chapel of the Century Correctional Institution.
Hail from a summer thunderstorm.
The Pensacola Beach Airshow went on without the Blue Angels.
Community members, seen here reflected in a security mirror, toured the Century Correctional Institution.
Flash flooding at Highway 29 and Highway 97.
Chloe Channel wowed audiences on America’s Got Talent.
Atmore fireworks.
Century fireworks.
A New Year, A Higher Power Bill For Gulf Power Customers
January 2, 2014
A new year means a rate increase for Gulf Power customers to help pay for the largest power grid construction program in the history of the company.
The average residential bill for 1,000 killowatt hours of electricity is expected to jump $4.06 from $127.94 to $132. In addition, in January 2015, the price will increase an additional $2.42 per 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity. Originally, Gulf Power filed a request that would have increased the cost for a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity $10.93 per month by the end of 2015.
Starting last year and continuing over the next three years, the company is building and replacing power lines and infrastructure — some more than 70 years old — to keep electricity flowing to its 430,000 customers. In addition, new lines and equipment are needed to comply with new mandatory federal environmental regulations. The formal request was filed in July, and a settlement with the Public Service Commission was reached in December.
The hike allows Gulf Power to increase its revenue through base rates by $35 million in January, with another $20 million boost in 2015.
The money will be used to pay for 15 transmission projects, both new and upgrades, Stone said. The work is considered the largest ever to be undertaken by the investor-owned utility, said attorney Jeff Stone, representing Gulf Power.
Another significant part of this settlement includes new job creation incentives. These incentives will reduce the amount the business pays for electricity by a certain percentage for four years if the business meets certain eligibility requirements.
Examples of the planned Gulf Power infrastructure investments include:
- Substations are being added and improved to continue to provide reliable service to our customers. In Pensacola, a substation on Devilliers Street has been rebuilt. On Allison Avenue in Panama City, a new substation has been built.
- Seventy miles of 70-year-old transmission line is being rebuilt from Panama City to Holmes County.
- An existing transmission line between Highland City and Holmes Creek substations in the Panama City area is being upgraded to maintain reliability for our customers.
- A new 38-mile line is being added that begins in the Pensacola area and goes to the Florida-Alabama state line. This project is necessary for mandatory federal environmental compliance.
Originally, the utility had sought to increase base rates by $74.4 million, along with the potential for a further $16.4 million in 2015. Those increases would have pushed the typical monthly bill to $138.87 by the end of 2015.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Fire Destroys Storage Shed
January 2, 2014
Fire destroyed a small storage shed in Bratt Wednesday night.
The 150 square foot detached shed on Hanks Road just off North Highway 99 was fully involved when firefighters arrived. The fire was quickly extinguished without being a threat to any other structures. There were no injuries reported.
The Walnut Hill and Century stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Atmore Fire Department were dispatched to the fire.