Respiratory Virus Infecting More Escambia Residents Than Usual
November 9, 2013
A higher than normal number of Escambia County residents are suffering from an RSV infection according to the Florida Department of Health in Escambia County.
Respiratory syncytial virus is highly contagious and spreads through droplets in coughs or sneezes, or when someone touches a contaminated surface like a countertop or doorknob. RSV can spread rapidly through schools and childcare centers. Babies often get RSV when older kids carry the virus home from school and pass it to them. RSV is a major cause of respiratory illness such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia in infants and young children.
Respiratory syncytial virus is often mistaken for a common cold or the flu. Adults and older children might have only mild symptoms such as a cough, stuffy nose, and low-grade fever. Infants younger than 1 year old may have more severe symptoms and trouble breathing. Most at risk are premature babies and children with diseases that affect the lungs, heart, or immune system. Older adults and anyone with poor immune function are also at greater risk for contracting RSV. In these cases, RSV infection can be more serious and may require hospitalization.
“The best way to prevent the spread of RSV is to wash your hands frequently,” said DOH-Escambia Director, Dr. John Lanza. “Also, avoid coming into contact with infected persons. Those having cold-like or flu-like symptoms should stay home from child care centers, school, or work and, if possible, remain apart from other family members – particularly infants and young children.”
Other prevention measures include:
- Covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue or elbow;
- Avoiding sharing cups and eating utensils;
- Refraining from kissing others, especially those with symptoms;
- Frequently cleaning potentially contaminated surfaces (doorknobs, countertops, tables, toys, etc.) using a bleach solution (1 part bleach and 9 parts water).
Call the doctor if your child has any of these symptoms:
- high fever with ill appearance
- thick nasal discharge
- worsening cough or cough that produces yellow, green, or gray mucus
- signs of dehydration
- trouble breathing
In infants less than six months old, irritability, decreased activity, and breathing difficulties may be the only symptoms of infection. If you observe these symptoms in your infant, call your child’s pediatrician.
Fatal Nine Mile Road Crash Victim Identified
November 9, 2013
The Florida Highway Patrol has released the name of the driver of a pickup truck whowas killed in a crash with a semi Thursday night on West Nine Mile Road at Pine Cone Drive.
According to the FHP, 56-year old Steven Allen Carr of Union Grove, Ala., attempted to exit a driveway at 3191 West Nine Mile Road in 2006 Peterbuilt semi when he pulled into the path of a 1998 Dodge Ram about 6:38 p.m.
The driver of the Dodge Ram. 41-year old Allen T. Billman of Pensacola was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.
Charges in the crash are pending investigation, according to the FHP.
Pictured: One person was killed in this crash Thursday night on West Nine Mile Road and Pine Cone Drive. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Spotlight On Walnut Hill Crude Oil Facility And Its Economic Impact
November 8, 2013
During a Thursday morning site tour, leaders from the Escambia Countyarea along with state officials from Florida and Mississippi got a firsthand look at the positive economic impact Genesis Energy L.P. (Genesis) has made on Walnut Hill and surrounding communities.
Genesis commenced operations at the Walnut Hill Crude Oil Rail Unloading Facility, one of the largest crude oil unloading stations in the region, last August and is on track to receive its 100th unit train in early December.
Oil arrives by rail from states like North Dakota to the facility that fronts Corley Road near Arthur Brown Road. The property was chosen because it is at the intersection of an existing crude oil pipeline and the Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway. From the location, crude flows to refineries along the Gulf Coast, including a Shell facility near Saraland, Ala.
For a photo tour of the facility, click here.
A crude oil pipeline from Jay rises to the surface at the facility. The flow from oilfields in the Jay area is cut, and the crude from the Walnut Hill train is injected into the pipeline. The process is simple enough, but it is controlled by a sophisticated computer system that monitors the operation and allows for an instant stop in the event of any problem.
“Walnut Hill is the largest crude oil rail unloading facility in the region. The facility enables Genesis to deliver crude oil from domestic shale plays to local refining markets. We have the capabilities to unload 75,000 barrels of oil per day. We are extremely proud that the local community is involved and is playing an integral part in making this operation a success,” said Genesis Rail Services Director Neal Bjorklund.
The Walnut Hill site has a 100,000 barrel storage tank in service and a second 100,000 barrel tank under construction.
Genesis is expanding its terminal in Natchez, Miss., using the state-of-the-art design of the Walnut Hill Facility. Representatives from The Mississippi Development Authority, Natchez, Inc. and advisors to Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant attended Thursday’s tour as a fact-finding visit. Century Mayor Freddie McCall and local staff representatives from the offices of Florida Representatives Clay Ingram and Mike Hill were also in attendance, as were representatives from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Pensacola area Chamber of Commerce. Genesis representatives presented the Walnut Hill Rail Unloading Facility as an example of the company delivering substantial economic benefits with minimal impact to the environment.
Genesis created 20 full-time positions through the Walnut Hill Rail Facility. These employment opportunities provide full health benefits and 401k matching contributions for retirement. Genesis expects to create additional jobs over the next five years, providing long-term economic benefits that generate revenue for the surrounding community. Company officials estimate an 10-15 indirect jobs were created by the facility through construction and rail operations.
“We strive to operate a business that protects the environmental integrity and the safety of the communities where we are located,” said Steve Nathanson, President and COO of Genesis. “We don’t just want to employ local workers – we want their workplace and the community they live in to be a safe, healthy place.”
For a photo tour of the facility, click here.
Pictured: Steve Perrigin, Genesis operations manager, explains how crude oil flows through the Walnut Hill Rail Facility Thursday. Pictured top inset: Crude oil is offloaded from trains and injected into a pipeline to Gulf Coast refineries at the facility. Pictured bottom inset: Perrigin explains the facility can be controlled on-site or remotely from Houston. Pictured below: Visitors are dwarfed by a second 100,000 barrel oil storage tank under construction at the facility. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Bill To Repeal Florida’s ‘Stand Your Ground’ Law Is Defeated
November 8, 2013
After hours of passionate debate before hundreds of people, a Florida House panel Thursday rejected a bill that would have repealed the state’s 2005 “stand your ground” self-defense law.
The outcome was never in doubt.
By an 11-2 vote, the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee defeated the bill (HB 4003) by Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee, saying the current law gives Floridians more protection from crime.
“We stand and defend what is ours,” said Rep. Jimmie Smith, R-Inverness. ” ‘Stand your ground’ is core to our American way of life.”
The Florida law, a model for similar laws in other states, allows people to use deadly force when they feel their lives are in danger. It provides immunity from prosecution or civil lawsuits. An expansion of the traditional Castle Doctrine, “stand your ground” gives people the right to defend themselves with deadly force in their own homes or any place they have a right to be.
The law passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, but has been under fire since 17-year-old Trayvon Martin’s shooting death last year. The Sanford police did not arrest neighborhood-watch volunteer George Zimmerman, the acknowledged shooter, for six weeks — until protests spread across the country.
Thursday’s hearing was the result of Zimmerman’s acquittal in July. Zimmerman claimed he shot Martin in self-defense, but did not use “stand your ground” to avoid being prosecuted. The law, however, spawned changes to jury instructions that at least one Zimmerman juror said resulted in the not-guilty verdict.
The acquittal sparked a march to the Capitol by protesters who staged a 31-day sit-in outside Gov. Rick Scott’s office. Known as the Dream Defenders, they argued that “stand your ground” targets black and Hispanic youths, especially males. They asked for a special legislative session, which they didn’t get. But they got a hearing.
House Criminal Justice Chairman Matt Gaetz, however, made it clear that while he valued the debate, he would oppose any changes to the law.
“I have to believe that ’stand your ground’ has put criminals on notice that Floridians are done being hapless victims,” the Fort Walton Beach Republican said.
Dozens of people spoke, almost evenly divided between pro and con.
Ed Robbeloff of Fort Walton Beach said Williams’ bill “looks to put the burden on the victim and not the perpetrator of the crime.”
Sean Holloway, 14, of Tallahassee said he felt unsafe under the current law. “It gives anyone the right to kill young black men who look like me.”
Among those opposing Williams’ bill were representatives of the Florida Sheriffs Association, the Florida Police Chiefs Association and the Florida Public Defender Association. So were citizens who described how much safer they felt under “stand your ground.”
Among the backers of the repeal bill were Lucia McBath and Ron Davis, parents of 17-year-old Jordan Davis. The unarmed teen was shot and killed at a Jacksonville gas station last year. Angered by an argument over loud music, 45-year-old Michael Dunn took his gun out and opened fire.
“My son was gunned down by a man with violence in his heart…angered and empowered by his gun and by Florida’s ’stand your ground’ law,” McBath said.
The hearing included a running dispute over whether or not African Americans are targeted by the law.
Dale Landry, an official with the Florida NAACP, said blacks are subject to irrational fears “even if you’re posing no threat at all.”
“We live with fear,” said Phillip Agnew, leader of the Dream Defenders. “We do not feel safe.”
But John Henry of Monticello spoke for many when he said the current law works as it should. The proof, he said, was that the man who’d allegedly shot Jordan Davis was in police custody.
“Where’s Michael Dunn now?” Henry demanded. “He’s in jail in Duval County, awaiting trial on murder charges — where he should be. The law isn’t broken.”
The debate was spirited, with speakers alternating between backers and opponents of Williams’ measure. The imbalance was among the lawmakers. When Williams introduced his bill, no Democrats joined him — whereas the bill’s bipartisan opponents took turns bashing it.
Just the day before, House Minority Leader Perry Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale, called a press conference to praise a much different “stand your ground” bill (SB 130) moving in the Senate. That measure, by Sens. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, and Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, would require law enforcement officers to fully investigate claims of self-defense and create guidelines for neighborhood watch groups.
Williams had difficulty under a barrage of questions from Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike. To those who expressed concern that repealing the law would put Floridians more at risk in their homes, he said common law would protect them. He asked the panel to pass the bill so that it could be improved at its next committee stop.
“Let’s repair the divide, seen or unseen, that this law appears to have given communities across the state,” Williams said.
Only the black males on the panel — Reps. Randolph Bracy, D-Orlando, and Kionne McGhee, D-Miami —- voted in favor.
After the vote, Gaetz and Williams embraced, and Gaetz dismissed the Senate bill by Simmons and Smith as “an exercise in style over substance.”
“There is no meaningful reform currently moving through the Florida Senate,” he said. “I think you’ve got a couple of senators who just want to see something pass, even though it doesn’t fundamentally alter the rights of Floridians in a favorable way.”
But despite the bill’s decisive defeat, lobbyist Karen Woodall said the debate itself would have an impact.
“The breadth of testimony will lead to change in time,” she predicted.
by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
Work Begins Monday To Six-Lane I-10 From Davis To Scenic
November 8, 2013
Construction will begin next week on a $43.1 million project to widen Interstate 10 to six travel lanes from Davis Highway to the Escambia Bay Bridge and to widen Scenic Highway from Whisper Way to Northpointe Parkway. In addition, construction crews will reconstruct the Scenic Highway overpass.
Other features of the project include the installation of sound walls adjacent to I-10, construction of storm water retention ponds, drainage improvements and new highway lighting. The project is slated for completion in fall 2016.
During construction drivers will encounter overnight lane restrictions on both Interstate 10 and Scenic Highway. Lane closures on I-10 will be limited to 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., while Scenic Highway lane closures will occur between 8:30 p.m. and 8 a.m. Access to businesses and other private property along Scenic Highway will be maintained at all times.
Maintenance activities are weather dependent and may be rescheduled. Motorists are reminded to travel with care through the work zone and to watch for construction equipment and workers entering and exiting the roadway.
Ernest Ward Middle Salutes Veterans (With Photo Gallery)
November 8, 2013
Ernest Ward Middle School paused to honor veterans from the across the area Thursday morning.
“When you say thank-you, it means the world to them,” retired Marine Rob Doss, the Escambia School District’s director of transportation, told the EWMS student body and their veteran guests. “Never forget all that we have is because of these great people that have worn the uniform of the United States of America.”
The program included patriotic music, a dance team and dramatic presentation a special “Old Glory” presentation by the Northview High School NJROTC.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The annual Veterans Day program at Ernest Ward is a longstanding community tradition, held annually for over 20 years.
Pictured top: The Northview High School NJROTC presents “Old Glory” Thursday morning at Ernest Ward Middle School’s annual Veterans Day program. Pictured inset: Special speaker Rob Doss. Pictured below: Veterans salute. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Two Injured In Hwy 29 Crash
November 8, 2013
Two people were injured in two vehicle collision Thursday night in Cantonment.
The crash happened in the northbound lanes of Highway 29 near Faith Chapel North Funeral Home about 6:25 p.m. One of the injured, a 61-year old female, was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. The condition of a second victim transported to the hospital was not available.
Northbound Highway 29 was closed about 30 minutes by the accident.
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Further details have not yet been released.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Mail Delivery Vehicle, Pickup Collide In Cantonment
November 7, 2013
Three people were injured in a wreck involving a mail delivery vehicle and a pickup truck this afternoon near the Cantonment Post Office.
The mail delivery vehicle overturned on the side of the roadway, while the pickup came to rest in a Highway 29 turn lane. None of the injuries were believed to be serious in the 12:15 p.m. crash.
Further details have not yet been released by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Reader submitted photos by Felicia Molchanoff and Kimberly Blackwell for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Hit And Run: Driver Heads Home After Hitting House
November 7, 2013
A Walnut Hill man allegedly hit a house, fled the scene of the accident and drove a couple of miles to his own home Wednesday night.
The driver of a Nissan was eastbound on Arthur Brown Road just west of the Walnut Hill Baptist Church when he left the roadway, plowed through some brush and into the front yard of a home. Witnesses said he then backed into the unoccupied home, causing little damage, before driving around behind the home and then fleeing the scene again eastbound on Arthur Brown Road.
Evidence and vehicle parts left behind led authorities to the man’s residence just over two miles away on Highway 97. Vehicle parts were visible in the front yard of his residence, and his heavily damaged vehicle was located behind his home.
The man was transported by Atmore Ambulance to Atmore Community Hospital with injuries that were not believed to be serious.
Charges are pending the outcome of a Florida Highway Patrol investigation. The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the incident.
Pictured above: First responders render aid to a Walnut Hill man at his Highway 97 residence Wednesday night, about two miles from where he allegedly struck a house on Arthur Brown Road. Parts from the alleged hit and run vehicle are seen in the photo foreground. Pictured inset: The vehicle tore a path through some brush on Arthur Brown Road. Pictured below: The man allegedly backed into this unoccupied home on Arthur Brown Road. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Pensacola Chamber Awarded $200K Cyber Warfare Grant
November 7, 2013
Governor Rick Scott announced Wednesday that the Greater Pensacola Chamber has been awarded a $200,000 grant from the Florida Defense Support Task Force. The funding will establish a center of excellence for information dominance to stimulate science and technology research and cyber warfare training.
We’re investing $200,000 in the Pensacola region to support the growth of science and technology in the region. The Greater Pensacola Chamber is putting these funds to great use by providing the community with more opportunity to excel and expand their knowledge in the military and defense sector,” Gov. Rick Scott said.
“The bases in Northwest Florida are vital to America’s national security, and we’re committed to supporting the families and communities who serve our country. We want to protect jobs and opportunities for Florida families, and the investment of another $200,000 from the Florida Defense Support Task Force grant funding to support research and development operations, create a center of excellence, and support our warriors will help in that goal,” Sen. Greg Evers said.
Representative Clay Ingram said, “I congratulate Pensacola’s military and defense industry. This award is huge for our area. The knowledge that our military men and women will gain because of these resources will make Pensacola a better place to live.”
“We’ve been working hard to support our military and defense in Pensacola and these funds will greatly help this community. I’m excited about Pensacola’s bright landscape and what’s to come for this area’s military sector,” added Rep. Mike Hill.
“The Center of Excellence is the culmination of our on-going relationship and collaboration with our federal partners at Corry Station,” said Craig Dalton, vice president of Armed Services, Greater Pensacola Chamber. “We are extremely grateful to the State of Florida for supporting this endeavor to collectively develop a cyber-forensics lab that promotes science and technology research in Pensacola.”
The grants are vital to military and defense programs and local economies, according to Secretary of Commerce and President & CEO of Enterprise Florida Gray Swoope. He said jobs are created and the state’s workforce is strengthened.
Statewide, the Task Force awarded more than $2 million in grant initiatives to local community organizations supporting Florida military installations. These grants will be utilized to protect, preserve and enhance Florida’s military missions and installations while maintaining Florida’s reputation as the most military friendly state in the nation.
Additionally, these grants will strengthen Florida’s military bases ahead of any potential U.S. Department of Defense realignment or closure actions. This will protect the more than $73 billion in economic impact and the nearly 760,000 jobs the defense industry infuses into Florida.
The Florida Defense Support Task Force was created in 2011 with the mission to make recommendations to preserve and protect military installations, support the state’s position in research and development related to military missions and contracting, and improve the state’s military-friendly environment for service members, military families, military retirees and businesses that bring military and base-related jobs to the state.
This program is administered by Enterprise Florida, Inc. on behalf of the Florida Defense Support Task Force.