Shooting, Pursuit Leads To Traffic Crash And Arrest
November 22, 2012
A police pursuit following a shooting ended with a driver trapped in his wrecked SUV early Thursday morning and later landed him in jail.
The incident began when Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the 2500 block of Eliasberg Street about 1:10 a.m. for a shots fired call. Deputies discovered there had been an argument over missing money. As deputies were speaking to the victim, the suspect drove by again. Deputies pursued the suspect, later identified as 49-year Ricky Davis, for a short distance before David crashed his Dodge Durango on Fairfield Drive near Ester Road, according Deputy Matt Baxter, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Davis failed to stop for deputies and veered off the roadway into several trees. The vehicle overturned, trapping Davis inside. First responders were forced to use the Jaws of Life to extract Davis from the SUV. He was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital with minor injuries and then released to law enforcement.
Davis was booked into the Escambia County Jail for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, disorderly intoxication and a firing a weapon recklessly. He is being held on a $12,000 bond.
The FHP said additional charges are pending against Davis for fleeing and eluding law enforcement, failure to maintain a single lane, DUI fourth offense, DUI property damage, refusal to submit to a DUI test with priors.
Pictured top: A wrecked SUV driven by Ricky Davis of Pensacola crashed Thursday morning on Fairfield Drive. Photo courtesy WEAR for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Trip To Grandma’s Just A Little Cheaper This Year
November 22, 2012
That Thanksgiving trip to grandma’s house was just a few pennies cheaper this year, with gas prices down slightly.
The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas in the Pensacola metro was $3.25 headed into the Thanksgiving weekend, down four cents from $3.29 a year ago and on a downward trend from $3.52 a month ago.
Around the North Escambia area, that gallon of gas averaged $3.21 in an informal survey. The lowest Escambia County price on Wednesday afternoon was $3.14 at a station on Airport Boulevard. The Florida state average was $3.37.
AAA projects 43.6 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, small increase over the 43.3 million people who traveled last year. This increase marks the fourth consecutive year of growing holiday travelers since 2008 when Thanksgiving travel fell by 25 percent. The Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as Wednesday, November 21 to Sunday, November 25.
“Thanksgiving travel hit a decade low in 2008 when only 37.8 million Americans traveled,” said AAA President and CEO Robert Darbelnet. “Since that year we have seen a steady increase in the number of travelers taking to the roads and skies for the holiday. Americans continue to find ways to economize their budgets so they can gather around the holiday table to carve the turkey.”
“While we do not yet know the full impact that Hurricane Sandy will have on travel from the Mid-Atlantic region, we do know that the impact for many Americans in that region is substantial,” continued Darbelnet.
Approximately 90 percent of travelers or 39.1 million people plan to travel by automobile this Thanksgiving. This is a 0.6 percent increase over the 38.9 million people who traveled by auto last year. Air travel is expected to decrease 1.7 percent as 3.14 million holiday travelers will take to the skies.
Those traveling by air will find lower airfares according to AAA’s Leisure travel Index. For the Thanksgiving holiday the average lowest round-trip rate is $188 for the top 40 U.S. air routes, an 11 percent decrease from last year. Approximately 1.3 million travelers will choose other modes of transportation, including rail, bus and cruise ship.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Photos: Camp Fire Kids Celebrate Thanksgiving With Feast
November 22, 2012
Camp Fire USA Century Youth Learning Center held a Thanksgiving feast this week for children and their parents. The daycare’s children, many dressed as Pilgrims or Native Americans, enjoyed a full Thanksgiving meal. Handmade toilet paper roll turkeys proclaimed some of the items that the children are thankful for, including moms, dads, siblings, other family, teachers, toys, God, pets and food.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
Pictured: Children enjoy a Thanksgiving feast at the Camp Fire USA Century Youth Learning Center earlier this week. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Holiday Closings For Thanksgiving
November 22, 2012
The following will be closed in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
- Escambia County Schools (Wed-Fri)
- Santa Rosa County School (Wed-Fri)
- Escambia (Fla. & Ala.) and Santa Rosa county offices (Thur-Fri)
- Century, Jay, Milton, Pensacola, Atmore, Flomaton city offices (Thur-Fri)
- U.S. Post Office — retail windows closed, no mail delivery or collection (Thur)
- Florida state offices (Thur-Fri)
- Federal offices (Thur-Fri)
- No bus service from ECAT on Thursday
- West Florida Public Libraries, including Century Branch (Thur-Fri)
- Santa Rosa libraries (Thur-Sun)
- Pensacola State College
- University of West Florida
ECUA Garbage:
ECUA’s Thursday residential routes will be collected Friday, and Friday’s routes will be collected on Saturday. Thursday’s commercial routes were picked up on Wednesday; Friday commercial routes will be picked up as usual.
Deer Gun Season Open
November 22, 2012
Deer gun season opened Thursday in Northwest Florida — for a few days.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission:
Antlered deer may be taken Thursday to Sunday, November 22-25, by all legal centerfire rifles and pistols, shotguns, muzzleloaders, crossbows and bows. Deer gun season reopens December 8 to February 17. Antlerless deer may be taken only December 26 to January 1.
Antlered deer my be taken only by crossbow or bow November 26-30, and only by muzzleloader, crossbow or bow December 1-7 and February 18-24.
A hunting license is required in Florida. A license for a resident is $17.50 per year. A non- resident can choose between a 10-day license for $46.50 or a one year license for $151.50. Everyone deer hunting must also have a $5 deer permit.
A hunting safety course is required for those born on or after June 1, 1975.
BBB Black Friday Tips
November 22, 2012
Black Friday has traditionally been the biggest retail shopping day of the year, although numerous stores will open on Thanksgiving Thursday this year.
Whether in the store or online, the Better Business Bureau serving Northwest Florida offers advice to help you with your holiday shopping:
- Budget your shopping money and stick to it. Avoid impulse buys.
- Look for the details on every sale and understand the specifics.
- Advertising can be tricky; don’t get stuck paying more for an item than you expected.
- Credit card offers from a store will offer a discount on your purchase but may also carry high interest rates.
- Keep all receipts and warranty information for each item purchased.
- Fraudulent charges are easier to fix if you pay with a credit card than a debit card.
- Return policies differ with every store. Make sure you know the conditions for returns and exchanges, including whether restocking fees are charged.
- If you purchase a gift card, look for hidden terms that can decrease its value.
- Don’t leave your wallet, credit card or purse on a counter or in an unattended shopping cart.
- Ask for a store manager if any advertised offer does not match the price listed on an item.
- Yelling at store employees and other customers won’t make the lines shorter. Anticipate crowds and take a friend along to enjoy the day.
- Credit cards provide the most protection if someone steals the credit card number or if you don’t receive an ordered item.
- You, the customer, are responsible for knowing and understanding each online retailer’s return/exchange policy.
- Beware of deals that sound too good to be true, especially extremely low priced on hard-to-get items.
- Ensure you have the most recent updates for spam filters, anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewalls installed.
- Read the site’s privacy policy and understand what personal information is being requested and how it will be used.
- Make a file to keep copies of all purchase confirmation web pages and e-mails for future reference and as a record of the purchase.
- Only shop on trustworthy sites; look for the BBB seal and other widely-recognized “trustmarks.”
- Never wire money to pay for a transaction and when on sites like Craigslist, only shop locally.
- Delete phishing emails such as those claiming a problem with an order or account in an attempt to lure the “buyer” into revealing financial information.
- Actively keep an eye on your credit card statements to detect suspicious or fraudulent activity on your accounts.
- You are your best protection! Make sure your online purchase is secure by looking for the “s” (https://) in the URL and the “lock” symbol in the lower-right corner before paying.
Turkey Time: Cooking Safety
November 22, 2012
It’s Thanksgiving, time for family and friends to gather and give thanks. And time for cooks to ponder the correct way to prepare their turkey.
Today, we are taking a look at the proper way to cook your turkey with tips from Dorthy Lee, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent for the Escambia County Extension Office.
Clean
Begin every meal preparation with clean hands, and wash hands frequently to prevent any cross contamination. As a rule, hands that have come in contact with raw meat or poultry should be washed for twenty seconds in hot, soapy water.
Separate
Raw meat and poultry products may contain harmful bacteria, so make certain that the juices from those products do not come in contact with food that will be eaten without cooking, like the salad. Also, never place cooked food on an unwashed plate that previously held raw meat or poultry.
Cook
Use of food thermometer should be a standard operating procedure in your kitchen and, when used correctly, will ensure that your turkey is cooked to perfection. To be safe, the
temperature of a whole turkey should reach 180°F between the breast and the innermost part of the thigh.
If you stuff your turkey, the center of the stuffing must reach 165°F. If the stuffing has not reached 165°F, then continue cooking the turkey until it does. Let the turkey stand twenty minutes after removal from the oven before carving.
Chill
This is another important step because food-borne bacteria can grow while food sits unrefrigerated. Refrigerate or freeze perishable leftovers within two hours of cooking. To prepare your leftovers, remove any remaining stuffing from the cavity and cut turkey into small pieces. Slice the breast meat. Wings and legs may be left whole. Refrigerate stuffing and turkey separately in shallow containers.
Use or freeze leftover turkey and stuffing within three to four days, gravy within one to two days. Reheat thoroughly to a temperature of 165°F, or until hot and steaming.
For more information, call the Escambia County Extension office, (850) 475-5230.
Florida Retailers: Holiday Spending Spree Coming
November 22, 2012
Florida shoppers are expected to loosen the purse strings this holiday season, with retailers anticipating strong gains during an extended season that makes up a large portion of annual sales.
While Internet sales are expected to take an even larger chunk out of the Christmas pie, Rick McAllister, president and CEO of the Florida Retail Federation, said overall consumer spending increases will also buoy storefront sales as merchants take advantage of a 32-day shopping season between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Overall, sales are expected to rise by 5.2. percent, the largest annual increase since the Great Recession. Florida consumers, heartened by improving economic indicators and succumbing to pent-up demand, are expected to spend $58 billion.
The boost in sales will support about 42,000 part time jobs.
“Holiday shopping is great for the local economies,” McAllister said. “Families are out shopping They’re buying gas, they’re stopping for lunch. They’re buying not only what’s on their list but what they see that they would like to have.”
A number of economic indicators were used to support the projections, which out-pace national figures showing a more modest expected gain.
New home starts are up, existing home sales and median prices are higher and the state unemployment rate continues to inch down. A University of Florida study recently indicated that consumer confidence about the future is at a post-recession high.
Meanwhile, consumers have spent the past few years lowering their credit card debt and putting money into savings.
In response, major retailers have resurrected and promoted layaway options for more credit card savvy customers who are more likely to pay in cash compared to before the recession.
But frugality will only go so far, McAllister said. Having skimped on personal expenditures for a couple years, consumers are also expected to take the opportunity during the holiday season to spend more on themselves.
”All those things add up to a consumer who is more willing to spend,” McAllister said.
Merchants count on fourth quarter shoppers for up to 40 percent of their annual sales. The average consumer is expected to spend $750 this season, up 1.2 percent over last year.
Nationally, holiday sales are expected to increase by 4.1 percent to $586.1 billion, the National Retail Federation reported last month. The national prediction was higher than the 10-year average holiday sales increase of 3.5 percent. Actual holiday sales in 2011 grew 5.6 percent.
“This is the most optimistic forecast NRF has released since the recession. In spite of the uncertainties that exist in our economy and among consumers, we believe we’ll see solid holiday sales growth this year,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in a statement.
Internet sales are expected to climb 15 percent over last year, but still account for only 5 percent of overall sales. Many national retailers are more closely linking online and store sales, with many chains like Best Buy allowing customers to order online and pick up their merchandise at nearby stores.
The increase in Internet commerce highlights the need for state and federal legislation dealing with sales tax issues, a revenue source that is eluding state officials and putting brick and mortar storefronts at a disadvantage, McAllister said.
Pictured: Rick McAllister, president of and CEO of the Florida Retail Federation, gives preview of holiday sales. Photo by Michael Peltier for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
By The News Service of Florida
Wreck Shuts Down Pine Forest Road
November 21, 2012
An accident involving three vehicles about 2:45 Wednesday afternoon shut down Pine Forest Road at I-10 for over an hour.
Two people were transported by ambulance to area hospital with non-life threatening injuries, and two people reportedly refused treatment at the scene.
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol; names have not been released. Escambia County EMS and the Bellview Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded to the crash.
An accident involving at least three vehicles about 2:45 Wednesday afternoon shut down Pine Forest Road at I-10. There was no immediate word of injuries in the crash. Reader submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Governor Tours Navy Federal
November 21, 2012
Governor Rick Scott today toured Navy Federal Credit Union’s campus in Beulah, where 2,700 of the company’s employees are based. At a press conference following the tour, Scott highlighted Navy Federal Credit Union’s continued expansion that will result in 700 new jobs and a $6.75 million investment into the area.
“Thanks to Navy Federal Credit Union hundreds of Florida families will have jobs, which will benefit this community. I’ve made job creation my top priority, and while we’re headed in the right direction, we still have a lot of work to do,” Scott said.
Scott highlighted Navy Federal’s recent announcement of its campus development strategy, which could set the stage for a decade of annual growth. To accommodate plans for a potentially larger campus, Navy Federal secured a 240-acre property from Escambia County 4-H located adjacent to its current site.
Debbie Calder, senior vice president of Navy Federal, led the tour and said, “Navy Federal is pleased to be part of the greater Pensacola community. We continue to hire talented individuals that possess the skills needed to provide world class service to our members.”