FDOT Calls For Traffic Light, Hwy 29, Hwy 97 Intersection Redesign
December 23, 2013
The Florida Department of Transportation is recommending multiple change at the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 97 in Molino — including a red light and redesign of a portion of the intersection.
According to James Barfield, District 3 secretary for FDOT, a full study of the intersection has concluded that a traffic signal be installed. The study also found that intersection should be redesigned to eliminate the “5-leg intersection configuration” caused by a driveway connection to the Tom Thumb by a combination of strong access control at the driveway connection and a reduction of the existing median opening width.
In October, the Escambia County Commission affirmed its support for improvements at the intersection and expressed a willingness for the county to pay for the red light at the Highway 29 and Highway 97 intersection.
The Florida DOT, Barfield said in an email, will begin the process to implement the recommend improvements. There is no timetable for completion.
The move came after residents of the all residential northern stretch of Highway 95A from Highway 29 to Highway 97 unsuccessful pushed commissioners to enforce a truck ban on that portion of Highway 95A. Trucks currently turn south on Highway 95A at Highway 29 to avoid the Highway 29 and Highway 97 intersection altogether over safety concerns.
“This is great news for the safety of the residents and commuters of Escambia County. It is an example of multiple municipalities and agencies working together for the good of the citizens. Assistant Escambia County Administrator Larry Newsom, and Colby Brown, director of Escambia Traffic and Transportation, worked closely and cooperatively with the professionals in the District 3 Florida Department of Transportation office in Chipley, headed by District Secretary Tommy Barfield,” Escambia County District 5 Commissioner Steve Barry said.
Barry said Sen. Greg Evers, Rep. Clay Ingram, Rep. Doug Broxson, Rep. Mike Hill, Rep. Matt Gaetz and Senate President Don Gaetz also advocated for the DOT to make safety improvements at the intersection.
Pictured: Traffic crashes at the Highway 29 and Highway 97 intersection in Molino. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Northview NJROTC Adopts A Highway
December 23, 2013
The Northview High School NJROTC Unit has adopted a portion of Highway 29 from Bogia to McDavid, taking part in the state’s Adopt-A-Highway partnership to remove litter. Recently, 19 cadets collected about 110 pounds of trash. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Christmas Recipes: Red Velvet Cake, Holiday Dips
December 23, 2013
The holidays are a time when a lot of people head into the kitchen to cook for family and friends. You just can’t go wrong with a red velvet cake. We also have a couple of dip recipes just in time for your Christmas entertaining — a black bean dip and a hot cream cheese dip.
Red Velvet Cake
by Shirley Boone
CAKE
- 1 ½ cups oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 ½ cups cake flour
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp. cocoa
- 1 oz bottle red food coloring
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cider vinegar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
Mix oil and sugar together. Add eggs and beat well. Add food coloring. Add vinegar to buttermilk and pour into oil mixture. Add vanilla. In small bowl combine cake flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Mix with other ingredients until well blended. Pour into 9 inch greased and floured pans. Bake at 350 degrees. Two pans bake for 30-35 minutes, three pans bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes and wrap in plastic wrap until cool.
ICING
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 box confectioners sugar
- 1 stick Parkay margarine, softened
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Mix all together until creamed. Spread on cooled cake.
Black Bean Dip
by Mona Brown
- 2 cans black beans, drained
- 2 cans shoe peg corn, drained
- ½ bunch green onions, chopped
- Sprinkle of garlic powder
- Mix ½ cup olive oil, ½ cup apple cider vinegar and ½ cup sugar.
Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Marinate for 24 hours. Drain and add 8 ounces of feta cheese. Serve with Scoops.
Hot Cream Cheese Dip
from the Molino Homemakers Club
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 8 oz sour cream
- 1 cup cooked crumbled bacon
- 3 stalks green onion diced
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Mix all ingredients and pour into a 9×9 glass pan or pie plate. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve warm with Chicken in a Biscuit crackers.
How Much Do Those Christmas Lights Cost On Your Power Bill?
December 23, 2013
Have you ever wondered just how much it costs to light up your house and tree for the holidays? Probably less than you think, according to Gulf Power. The utility says it costs about $1.40 to run a string of 200 miniature holiday lights for about five hours a day for 30 days.
To save money, the company recommends the purchase of LED Christmas lights — the cost to power 200 LED bulbs five hours a day is only about 19 cents for a month. According to the Alliance to Save Energy, each LED bulb uses only about one-tenth of the energy used by traditional mini-lights. And, LED lights last a long time and don’t produce heat, which helps eliminate fire hazards.
Saturday Night Highway 29 Crash Claims One Life
December 22, 2013
A traffic crash Saturday night in McDavid claimed the life of a Pensacola man.
The accident happened about 8:30 p.m. on Highway 29 near Highway 164. The Florida Highway Patrol said 61-year old Kim Jon Lagamba of Pensacola was southbound on Highway 29 when he failed to negotiate a curve. His 1995 Nissan Frontier entered the median and traveled about 450 feet before reentering Highway 29. The vehicle rotate several times before it traveled onto the shoulder, hit a culvert, become airborne and struck a tree. The vehicle then came to rest in a culvert.
Lagamba was ejected from the vehicle and was pronounced deceased on the scene; there were no passengers in the vehicle. Lagamba was not wearing a seat belt, according to the FHP.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The McDavid Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriffs Office also responded to the crash.
Pictured: First responders on the scene of a fatal traffic crash Saturday night on Highway 29 in McDavid. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Beulahfest Announces Headliners
December 22, 2013
Beulahfest has announced their headliners for the annual two-day event in March — The Charlie Daniels Band and country star Rodney Atkins.
Rodney Atkins will perform on Friday, March 21, and The Charlies Daniels band will perform on Saturday, March 22.
The 28th Annual Beulahfest will have a new home this year. The event has been held for the past few years at the Escambia County Equestrian Center, but the March 21-22, 2014, festival will be held at the Pensacola Interstate Fairgrounds.
Pictured top: Country star Randy Houser performs at the 2012 Beulahfest. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Woman Seriously Injured In Hwy 29 Crash With Molino Teen
December 22, 2013
A Brewton woman was seriously injured in a vehicle crash involving a Molino teen Saturday afternoon.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 16-year old Tyler J. Ray was eastbound on Molino Road about 4:05 p.m. when he pulled his 2006 Chevrolet Silverado away from a stop sign into the path of a Buick Lucerne that was northbound on Highway 29. The driver of the Buick, 71-year old Sarah B. Fraizer, swerved unsuccessfully to miss the pickup. Both vehicles came to rest on Molino Road following the collision.
Fraizer was transported to Baptist Hospital by ambulance in serious condition. Ray and his passengers — 15 year old Trace Oswald and 16-year old Josie Smith, both of Molino — were not injured in the crash.
Ray was cited by the FHP for no valid license, failure to provide insurance in a crash and violation of right of way at a stop intersection.
In Hot Pursuit 5K Nets $9,535 For Youth Ranches
December 22, 2013
Over 300 runners and walkers took part in the annual “In Hot Pursuit 5K” last month on Pensacola Beach. The event raised $9,535.07 for the Florida Sheriff’’s Youth Ranches. The In Hot Pursuit 5K was sponsored in part by NorthEscambia.com.
Gay Rights Backers Cheering Over Pensacola Partnership Registry
December 22, 2013
The passage of a domestic-partnership registry ordinance in Pensacola has gay rights advocates cheering.
But some social conservatives say the registries mean little in a state where a ban on gay marriage is enshrined in the constitution.
The Pensacola City Council approved the domestic partnership registry by an 8-1 vote last week after hearing from dozens of gay residents who tearfully shared tales of being denied hospital privileges for their loved ones and of drawn-out legal battles after their long-term partners died.
The city joined more than a dozen local governments in Florida, most of them in the more liberal southeastern portion of the state, with similar ordinances giving gay and straight couples who live together but aren’t married the right to make decisions about funerals, visit partners in the hospital or in prisons and be involved in dependents’ schooling.
The ordinance “has tremendous significance,” said Pensacola Councilman Larry Johnson, who sponsored the proposal.
“It does make a statement that Pensacola is a progressive, welcoming, open-minded, accepting, reasonable city,” he said.
With an active LGBT community, the city of Pensacola is decidedly more progressive than the rest of Escambia County. The city is included in a district represented by Republican Rep. Mike Hill, a tea party favorite and rising star in the GOP-controlled Legislature.
City Council Chairwoman Jewel Cannada-Wynn cast the lone “no” vote on the proposal, saying it “undermines the very fiber of our culture, that is marriage and the family unit.”
But the city’s overwhelming approval of the domestic registry signifies a cultural shift in attitudes toward gay rights, said Rep. Joe Saunders, an Orlando Democrat who is one of the first openly gay members of the Legislature.
“There’s something viral happening,” Saunders, who works for a division of the gay rights organization Equality Florida, said. “What you’re seeing is places like Pensacola and cities and counties acknowledging that there are gay and lesbian couples who are contributing members of the community who deserve protections that the federal and state governments won’t give them yet. …It is a sign of progress.”
Monroe County passed the first domestic partnership registry in 1998. Since then, at least 18 other local municipalities or counties have passed similar ordinances. Most of them give domiciled couples the rights to be notified in cases of emergency, make medical decisions about an incapacitated partner, be guaranteed health-care visitation, make decisions about funerals and burials, participate in dependents’ education and ensure visitation in correctional facilities.
Populous Palm Beach, Broward and Orange counties are among the localities with the registries, meaning that more than half of Floridians now live in communities where they can enroll.
“If we can have a domestic partnership registry here, I would like to say that the rest of the state should be thinking about it as well,” said ACLU of Florida Northwest Regional Director Sara Latshaw, who approached Saunders about the ordinance and organized support for it.
Social conservatives discount the significance of the registries, saying they provide rights already granted with the proper legal back-up.
But the steady creep of the local ordinances could provide fodder for courts to overturn the ban on gay marriage, said Florida Family Policy Council President John Stemberger, an Orlando lawyer who spearheaded the Florida Marriage Protection Act put into the constitution by more than 60 percent of voters in 2008.
“I’m very concerned because the issue has nothing to do with these arrangements. It has to do with collective schemes being used as a whole by courts to advance homosexual marriage and other special gay rights. These arrangements are really just completely unnecessary and the crocodile tears shed at these meetings are without merit,” Stemberger said.
Despite the growing support of local governments for domestic partnerships, there’s little chance that the Republican- controlled Legislature will soon follow suit.
A domestic-partnership registry proposal sponsored by Sen. Eleanor Sobel, D-Hollywood, received its first vetting in the state Senate this year. The 5-4 committee vote approving the measure, which later went nowhere, was considered a victory.
Saunders sponsored a proposal that would ban discrimination against gay employees. The bill never received a hearing but was co-sponsored by six Republicans. Saunders views that, too, as a win, and said it will be hard for state lawmakers to vote against policies supported by their local communities.
“I don’t think as entrenched as they are they can ignore this shift. Pensacola is the best example we have of the momentum. It doesn’t matter what party you’re in any more. …Eventually the leadership in Tallahassee is going to have to pay attention,” Saunders said.
In a historic June ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, injecting new enthusiasm into the gay marriage movement throughout the country. In Florida, gay rights activists postponed pursuing an effort to put on the November 2014 ballot an initiative that would undo the ban on gay marriage. But they haven’t ruled out a legal challenge to the constitutional ban such as those being fought in other states.
The courts are “counting these ordinances around the country,” Stemberger said. “It’s a piece of the puzzle of what a court does to make decisions they don’t have a basis for in law.
Stemberger argues that the ordinances may mislead gay couples into believing they have rights they aren’t entitled to without proper estate planning or durable powers of attorney.
“I do think it’s harmful to them in a weird sort of way,” he said.
Social conservatives may have stayed mostly on the sidelines about the Pensacola ordinance — no one spoke against the proposal at two public hearings on the issue — but they won’t remain mum about gay marriage or an anti-discrimination law.
The registry “isn’t something to get into a yelling match over,” said Tampa Bay evangelical radio host Bill Bunkley, president of the Florida Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.
“The moment you start talking about an active campaign to change the Florida marriage amendment in the constitution as opposed to this registry I suggest you would see all of the robust opposition on the right from social conservatives. There is a distinct difference,” he said.
Stemberger said his organization and others are “going to spend a lot of time and money opposing” anti-gay discrimination laws like the one Saunders is pushing. The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled this summer that a photographer could be liable for refusing to provide service to a gay couple for their same-sex commitment ceremony.
“If I refuse to facilitate as a landlord what I consider to be immoral conduct …I am then faced with a lawsuit because I can’t practice my faith. There’s enormous encroachment upon a private enterprise, a private property,” he said. “It’s one thing to prevent them from doing it. It’s another thing to force them to engage in commerce.”
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Non-Profits Graduate From United Way’s Training Program
December 22, 2013
The United Way of Escambia County has completed it’s first annual non-profit training series with nine local non-profit agencies and seven non-profit professionals graduating this week from the 12-week program.
Dozens of key community leaders were invited to share their best practices for topics including: essentials of non-profit paperwork, board governance, strategic planning, volunteer management, marketing strategies, grant writing and more.
“We established this series for our non-profit partners who had a desire to build capacity and efficiency within their organizations,” said United Way President and CEO Andrea Krieger said. “”We had been asked several times to start a program like this.”
Among the graduates were Community Action Program Committee, ECARE, Friends of the Pensacola Public Library, Learn to Read, BRACE, Manna Food Pantries, The Global Corner, Pensacola Humane Society and Ministry Village at Olive, Inc.