2012 In Photos: May
December 30, 2012
All this week, we are looking back at the photos that were in the news in 2012. Today, we are featuring photos from May.
The annual Relay for Life was held at Tate High School.
Jim Allen Elementary held a Sock Hope to raise money for Relay for Life.
Life in the Slow Lane: A wagon train passed through North Escambia.
The Northview Spring Musical “The Dastardly Dr. Devereaux”, was presented in early May.
Funeral services were held in May for Robert Stewart, the former chief of the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department.
The Jay Lady Royals finished second in the Class 1A State Championship game in Clermont, Florida.
The “Big Banana Car” was spotted headed south through North Escambia in May, turning lots of heads.
Record crowds attended Century’s Sawmill Day and Car Show.
The 38th annual Pen Wheels Fishing Rodeo was held in Walnut Hill.
Crowds attended Mayfest in Atmore.
Services honored those that have served on Memorial Day in May.
Dry weather led to several brush fires, including this five acre fire near Walnut Hill.
The Northview High School Class of 2012 held their Baccalaureate service at the First baptist Church of Bratt.
A black bear was spotted around a Cantonment apartment complex for weeks before being euthanized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
There were no injuries when a freight train derailed in Molino.
A waterspout formed over Pensacola Bay.
The Northview Chiefs took on West Florida in a spring football game.
Sgt. Charles Gilliard of Century Correctional Institution was named the Florida Department of Correction’s statewide Institutions Employee of the Year.
A Pensacola man was killed in a multiple vehicle wreck involving a horse on Highway 29 in Molino.
“A Dancing Circus” was presented at Flomaton High School by Heather Leonard’s Danceworks.
Gulf Power Crews Continue To Restore Power In Snowy Arkansas
December 30, 2012
Gulf Power crews are continuing to work in near Hot Springs, Arkansas, with restoration efforts following a Christmas Day snowstorm. After a high of 194,000 outages, about 78,000 Entergy Arkansas customers remained without power Saturday.
A total of 28 line crew personnel and 15 support employees from Gulf Power are taking part in the restoration efforts.
This is the fifth storm restoration trip that Gulf Power crews have made in the last six months. A restoration crew spent 17 days restoring power in Philadelphia and New Jersey during November after Hurricane Sandy struck.
Pictured: A Gulf Power crew works to restore power near Hot Springs, Arkansas, on Saturday. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Birth: Zander James Rector
December 30, 2012
Dustin and Lindsay Rector, of Lawrence, MI, announce the birth of their son, Zander James Rector.
He was born December 18, 2012, at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo MI. He weighed 8-pounds 10-ounces, and was 21 3/4 inches long.
He is welcomed home by big sister Sophia Rector and big brother Aidan Rector. The grandparents are Dale and Kellie Rector of Centerville, LA, Karen Stevens of Mattawan MI, and Leslie and Susan Barnes of McDavid. The great-grandparents are Ivan and Bernice Gwilt of Dowagiac MI, and Louise Dockens of McDavid. Godparents are Chad and Ashley Burris of Molino.
North Escambia Trash Pickup Is Monday
December 29, 2012
ECUA residential sanitation collections scheduled for Tuesday will be made one day early, on Monday, December 31. The change includes garbage, recycling and yard trash collection across most of the North Escambia area.
Dumpster service collections for commercial customers will be made on Wednesday, January 2 instead of Tuesday, January 1.
For more information, click here.
Fire Destroys Semi Truck
December 29, 2012
Fire destroyed a semi-truck early Saturday morning at International Paper in Cantonment.
The fire was reported about 1 a.m. near a back gate of IP off Highway 297A. The semi-truck was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived; the cab of the vehicle was a total loss. The truck was hauling wood chips.
The Cantonment and Molino stations of Escambia Fire Rescue battled the blaze.
Pictured: Fire destroyed this semi-truck at International Paper in Cantonment early Saturday morning. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Century Woman Charged In Escambia County Carjacking
December 29, 2012
A Century woman has been charged with a Thursday night carjacking in Pensacola.
Kiauna Shanne Grice, age 22 of Alger Road, was charged with felony carjacking and battery.
Grice allegedly carjacked a black Chevrolet Suburban from the America’s Best Value hotel on Plantation Road. Deputies spotted the vehicle a short time after the carjacking report and conducted a traffic stop. They reported finding Grice in the vehicle.
The victim told deputies he was to pick Grice up at the hotel. When he pulled up, the victim said he was attacked by two females with their closed fists, telling him to get out of the vehicle. He refused treatment by Escambia County EMS.
Bond was set at $110,000 for Grice on the carjacking and battery charges. She remains in the Escambia County Jail without bond on an unrelated probation violation warrant.
Brakes Put On Santa Rosa Transit System
December 29, 2012
Friday was the last day of service for Santa Rosa Transit.
Santa Rosa Transit was a pilot public transportation program mainly along U.S. Hwy. 90, from the Santa Rosa Industrial Park to a connection to the Escambia County Area Transit system at Nine Mile Road and University Parkway. In October, a majority of the commission voted to no longer fund the county’s portion of the program due to insufficient ridership.
The public transportation service began on December 7, 2010, with approximately 14,000 one-way tickets purchased over two years. Ridership increased from 167 in December 2010 to a peak of 841 passengers in October 2012. Operating costs for the program for December 2010 to November 2012 were $269,309. The county was responsible for funding 18 percent with federal grants funding 77 percent and ticket sales accounting for only five percent of operating costs.
Santa Rosa Transit service was provided through the cooperation of the Santa Rosa Board of County Commissioners, Pensacola Bay Transportation LLC, the Florida – Alabama Transportation Planning Organization, and the Federal Transit Administration. Santa Rosa County was the project manager, the Florida – Alabama Transportation Planning Organization procured the buses and was the federal grant recipient, and Pensacola Bay Transportation LLC was the operator.
Time Running Out To Make Donations For 2012 Tax Deductions
December 29, 2012
The next few days are a great time to clear out the old and make room for the new as 2012 winds down — and a great opportunity to take advantage of the chance to save on your taxes. Or, simply just write a check to your favorite church or non-profit.
Area non-profit thrift stores are ready and waiting to accept donations of furniture, clothing, household items and more. With a receipt, the donations can be written off your 2012 tax return in most cases. There are plenty of choices in the North Escambia area, including the Waterfront Rescue Bargain Center in Cantonment, the Molino Outreach Ministry Thrift Store, the We Care Economy Shops in Atmore and Flomaton, and the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store in Century.
Tax experts say you also have until Monday to write a check to your local church or your favorite charity in order to potentially receive a deduction for 2012. Most churches or charities will willingly provide a receipt or a year-end summary of your contributions.
Pictured: The Waterfront Rescue Mission Bargain Center in Cantonment, the sixth store opened by the organization. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Minimum Wage Workers Getting A Raise
December 29, 2012
On January 1, Florida’s minimum wage will increase 12 cents to $7.79 an hour for the estimated 210,000 minimum wage workers across the state.
Under a 2004 constitutional amendment, Florida’s minimum wage is recalculated every year and is tied to the inflation rate. Florida is among 10 states that will increase the threshold next week. The number of minimum wage jobs is a small percentage of the 7.5 million people employed in the Florida workforce.
The increase is expected to increase annual incomes of minimum wage workers by about $370 a year, according to data from the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington D.C.-based think tank that focuses on low-income wage issues.
Ninety percent of the low-wage workers are over age 20; 85 percent work 20 hours per week or more; 46 percent have at least some college education, the institute indicated.
2012 In Photos: April
December 29, 2012
All this week, we are looking back at the photos that were in the news in 2012. Today, we are featuring photos from April.
A traffic stop at the Alabama/Florida line in late April uncovered a cache of weapons and cash with two men that said they were headed to Warrington Middle School.
The children and teens on the Escambia 4-H County Council voted to sell the 240 acre Langley Bell 4-H Center to Navy Federal Credit Union.
About 100 people rallied in support of the Century Library after budget cutbacks threatened to close the branch.
April was Relay for Life time in Atmore.
Mark Whitacre, the subject of the 2009 Matt Damon move “The Informant”, spoke to a group of GED graduates at Century Correctional Institution.
This Century convenience store was robbed at gunpoint in early April.
Tate High School Senior Chase Carroll (center) won the Florida High School Athletic Association’s state 2A weightlifting championship.
Relay for Life was held in Jay.
Several Century Correctional Institution inmates took part in a graduation ceremony after receiving their GED diplomas behind bars.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office held an Operation Clean Sweep in Molino.
The 19th Annual 4-H and FFA Youth Livestock Show and Agricultural Exposition was held in April at the Langley Bell 4-H Center in Beulah.
Escambia County’s annual Special Olympics was held at Tate High School.
LifeFlight lifts off following a traffic crash that injured a motorcyclist on Highway 4 in Byrneville.
NorthEscambia.com was there as the FBI raided this travel trailer in Bluff Springs, arresting a Century woman for the robbery of the Bank of Brewton.
Northview’s Lauren McCall attempts to tag out a Pine Forest runner at second base.
Northview High School honored retiring athletic director Sammy Day in April.
Opening Day was held at the Molino Ballpark.