Sheriff: Morgan Defeats Powell
August 15, 2012
Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan won the Escambia County Republican Primary Tuesday, defeating challenger John Powell.
Morgan, the incumbent, received 77 percent of the vote to Powell’s 23.
“It is truly a humbling experience,” Morgan said after the win. He has not yet officially won the position; he must face Mindy Lynn Pare, a write-in candidate, in November.
After defeating Powell, Morgan said he plans to continue to focus on gun crime and drugs.
“We are going to take a hard run on the problem with guns in Escambia County. Right now, it’s killing our children, it’s killing our families. So that’s at the forefront,” the sheriff said.
During a concession speech at the Happy Pig Cafe, a barbeque restaurant in Pensacola, Powell said that despite the loss his campaign made significant accomplishments.
“The issues that were brought forth are extremely important to the community. We want to make sure that we stay on top of things,” Powell said. “We live here. We have to put up with the high crime and the budget and all that.”
“We fought an outstanding fight,” Powell told his supporters and volunteers.
Pictured top, inset: Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan and his supporters celebrate a primary win Tuesday night. (Courtesy WEAR 3). Pictured below: Morgan (right) and challenger John Powell.
Florida Firefighters To Help With Western Fires
August 15, 2012
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam said Tuesday that the Florida Forest Service will send wild fire fighting help to Oklahoma, Montana, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon.
“Due to rainfall in recent months, Florida’s wildfire danger levels have decreased,” Putnam said in a statement. “Therefore, we are able to assist other states that greatly need our help. The Florida Forest Service has some of the most skilled firefighters in the country, and we gladly offer our talent and resources to help other states protect the safety of people, structures and natural resources.”
A total of 56 firefighters are going west, the agency said.
Final, Unofficial Election Results – Santa Rosa County
August 15, 2012
Complete, but unofficial election results from Santa Rosa County
Santa Rosa Clerk of the Circuit Court
- Donny “Don” Spencer 13,450 — 57%
- Mary M. Johnson (R / Inc.) 10,155 — 43%
Santa Rosa Superintendent of Schools
- Timothy S. Wyrosdick (R / Inc.) 12,832 — 54%
- Dr. George McCormick 10,861 — 46%
Santa Rosa Supervisor of Elections
- Tappie Villane 14,767 — 63%
- W.A. “Buck” Lee 8,715 — 37%
Santa Rosa County Commission Dist. 3
- Don Salter 9,480 — 41%
- Jeffrey D. Kelley 6,328 — 27%
- J. Ed Carson 4,096 — 18%
- Marvin Fowler, Sr. 3,191 — 14%
Santa Rosa County Commission Dist. 5
- Lane Lynchard (R / Inc.) 13,462 — 60%
- Pete Southerland 8,864 — 40%
Circuit Judge Group 15
- Terry Ketchel (Inc.) 14,127 — 64%
- Thomas Murphy 7,811 — 36%
Santa Rosa School Board Dist. 2
- Hugh Winkles (Inc.) 13,025 — 58%
- Joseph Pool 9,546 – 42%
Santa Rosa School Board Dist. 4
- Jenny Granse 10,390 — 47%
- Charles Wayne Elliott 7,277 — 33%
- William Bledsoe 4,397 — 20%
Milton City Council, Ward 1
- Wesley Meiss 934 — 74%
- Irvin Stallworth 328 — 26%
Santa Rosa Property Tax Exemption Referendum
- Yes 11,449 — 64%
- No 6,324 — 36%
Santa Rosa Millage Limit for Avalon Fire/Rescue District
- Yes 557 — 57%
- No 428 — 43%
Santa Rosa Sheriff
- Wendell Hall (R / Inc.) 12,857– 71%
- Chuck R. Sloan 5,358 — 29%
Santa Rosa County Commission Dist. 1
- Jim Williamson (R / Inc.) 8,172 –47%
- Mark Cotton 4,660– 27%
- Tom Stewart 4,587 — 26%
Santa Rosa State Committeeman (Rep)
- Martin D. Simmons 10,391 — 71%
- Uriah Matthews 4,335 — 29%
Final, Unofficial Election Results – Escambia County
August 15, 2012
Here are complete, unofficial primary election results from Escambia County.
Some absentee and provision ballots remain to be tabulated before the numbers can be considered official.
79 of 79 Precincts Reporting
Wahoo Opens BayBears Series With 9-5 Win In Mobile
August 15, 2012
The Blue Wahoos plated three runs in the top of the fourth and again in the ninth on their way to a 9-5 win over the Mobile BayBears in the series opener at Hank Aaron Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Wahoos pounded out 15 hits in the winning effort. Donald Lutz led the way offensively for Pensacola with a 4-for-5 game including a pair of home runs. His last, was a two-run shot in the top of the ninth to give the Blue Wahoos some needed insurance.
After breaking a scoreless tie with a run in the third, the Wahoos opened up their lead with three runs in the fourth. Tucker Barnhart, Billy Hamilton and Josh Fellhauer all drove in runs in the inning to make it 4-0. Lutz blasted his first of two home runs on the night in the fifth to make is 5-0.
Mobile battled back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth on two solo home runs. Matt Davidson hit the first before Ryan Strieby hit the second two batters later. Those were the only two runs Blue Wahoos starter Chad Rogers (3-0) allowed on his way to his third win in as many starts.
After Pensacola added a run in the eighth, the BayBears added some suspense in the bottom of the inning. With two outs, Mobile scored three runs off Wahoos reliever Curtis Partch. Justin Freeman struck out Strieby for the final out of the inning with the tying run at third. He stayed on to work a 1-2-3 ninth after the Wahoos played three more runs in the top of the ninth to pad the lead. Lutz’s second home run of the game, a two-run blast, highlighted Pensacola’s second three-run inning of the game.
Rogers worked six innings in the start for Pensacola and allowed just four hits without walking a batter in the winning effort. Freeman (14) retired all four batters he faced for the save. Derek Eitel(7-10) took the loss after surrendering five runs, all earned, on nine hits over six innings for the BayBears.
Hamilton was thrown out at second base in his only stolen base attempt of the game. He remains just six steals shy of the all-time single-season record with 139.
The series continues on Wednesday in Mobile. LHP Tony Cingrani (5-3, 1.94) will get the nod for Pensacola against RHP Mike Bolsinger (4-2, 3.76) of Mobile. First pitch is set for 7:05 from Hank Aaron Stadium.
By Tommy Thrall
Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Election Day Live Blog
August 14, 2012
This is an archive of our Live Election Blog from today. No further updates will be posted to this story.
7:15 p.m. — Results posted here…
7:00 p.m. — Polls are now closed. Live Election Results Coming Up Soon on NorthEscambia.com!
5:20 p.m — Weather has become a factor in voting in North Escambia this afternoon with strong storms slowing the lines at the polls. We are now in what is typically the busiest two hours of voting of the afternoon on an election day. Candidates and supporters and continuing to stand outside polling locations making a last minute push, like sheriff candidate John Powell (pictured) at Precinct 110 at Pensacola Christian College. (Do you have photos to share? Email them to news@northescambia.com.)
4:35 p.m. – Special weather statement issued for strong storms moving into Escambia County. Polls remain open until 7 p.m.
4:05 p.m. — Strong storms are developing north and west of Escambia County around Atmore and Mobile. The storms are moving toward the east; if they hold together expect rain at the polls. But you can beat the rain, and the late after rush, by heading out now.
3:15 p.m. — Don’t forget that a photo and signature ID is required for all voters – if you do not present an approved form of ID, you may vote a provisional ballot. A driver’s license is safe bet. Many precincts still reporting a light turnout so far.
2:00 p.m. – Five hours until the polls close at 7:00. Things usually get busy after about 4:30. Candidates and supporters are out waving signs at polling places, like Ernest Ward student Mitchell Singleton (pictured top) showing his support for District Escambia County Commission candidate Jim Taylor at the precinct at Barrineau Park Community Center.
1:25 p.m. – A quick lunch…the number of voters increased during the lunch hour at many precincts in District 5. That’s a usual occurrence on election day as people vote during their lunch break or when they are back with their spouse around lunch. Voter turnout around the area is still being reported as low to moderate. Surprising, considering that we are voting on a commissioner and sheriff. Those offices usually bring people out to the polls.
12:10 p.m. — Turnout is reported to be generally light around the area…easy in, easy out at most precincts. Still have an absentee ballot that you did not cast? You can return it unvoted to your precinct, have it cancelled and vote there. If it’s a voted ballot, it can’t be returned at the precinct…it must be returned to the Elections Office downtown by 7 p.m.
11:35 a.m. — Coming up on the llunch hour. Voting usually picks up during this time . No major problems reported at any of the area precincts. A few showers reported in the Gonzalez and East Nine Mile Road area.
11:00 a.m. — In Escambia County, 6,685 voters had already cast their ballot before today. More than 1 million primary votes were cast in early voting or turned in by absentee ballots this year across Florida, state officials said Tuesday as Election Day primary voting got underway. The total is up 350,000 over 2008, despite five fewer days of early voting. With just one statewide race on the ballot – the U.S. Senate seat – turnout was expected to be low across the state, as it typically is in primaries. The primary in 2010 drew 22 percent of voters and 2008 brought out just 18 percent.
10:35 a.m. — Don’t forget NorthEscambia.com is the place to be tonight to get all of the election results from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. As soon as the results are in after 7 p.m., they will be posted here on NorthEscambia.com. This is the place to be tonight for all the election results.
9:15 a.m. – Big races on the District 5 ballot — county commissioner, sheriff and more — are not translating to big turnout in the North Escambia area, according to reports from a few precincts with no line, no waiting.
8:45 a.m. – Don’t forget…your voting precinct and polling place may have changed (especially for folks in the 9 Mile Road area due to redistricting!). Check her sample ballot, voter info car, EscambiaVotes.com or call (850) 595-3900 to make sure you head to the right place to vote.
8:05 a.m. — Turnout was reported to be slow but steady at polling locations in North Escambia during the first hour of voting. Today is not just a Republican primary. All registered voters, regardless of party affiliation, are eligible to vote in certain contests on the ballot, while other contests are restricted to voters in a specific political party or district — check your sample ballot to view the contests in which you can vote.
7:25 a.m. – The polls are open in Florida until 7 p.m. tonight. There is a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms by this afternoon. Get out and vote this morning if you want to avoid the possibility of rain later.
First Train, $6.5 Million In Crude Oil Rolls Into Walnut Hill Transfer Station
August 14, 2012
Monday afternoon, a train loaded with about $6.5 million worth of crude oil rolled into a new crude oil transfer station in Walnut Hill, the largest such facility in the United States.
Genesis Rail Systems, LLC has complete phase one of the facility on 20 acres 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 will flow primarily to a Shell facility near Saraland, Ala., and potentially to other refineries along the Gulf Coast.
By about 2:00 Monday afternoon, final adjustments were underway on the facility in anticipation of the first train — and 69,000 barrels of oil in 104 tanker cars. As the arrival time neared, workers stood around with excitement.
For a photo gallery, click here.
“I hear the train a comin’, It’s rollin’ ’round the bend.” -one worker sang those lines from a classic 1955 Johnny Cash song out loud as he waited. Then a quick cheer erupted when the locomotive horn blasted as the BNSF train approached the nearby Arthur Brown Road crossing.
It will take about 15 employees 36 hours to unload the first train. Tanker cars are positioned on two side tracks over 3,700 feet of 16-inch underground pipe. The area is covered with a thick liner to catch any spill. During the process, flexible pipes are first hooked to tanker cars, and then a pumping system offloads the crude.
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.
Presently, the facility can inject 2,500 barrels per hour into the pipeline. That capacity will increase to about 5,000 barrels — almost a half million dollars worth — of crude oil per hour by January 2013 once a 100,000 barrel storage tank is completed.
“It’s a very safe process,” Terminal Manager Travis Baggett said Monday afternoon. “There are a lot of safety checks in place.”
Workers are required to wear fire suits and hydrogen sulfide alarms. Small amounts of hydrogen sulfide — a colorless and very poisonous gas — occur natural in crude oil and could be released from a tanker car. But any such release would be very small and would quickly dissipate into the atmosphere and pose no danger to those around the Walnut Hill Transfer Station, Baggett said.
Those around the plant will not be bother by noise or even light pollution as the facility runs 24/7. The offload process is almost silent from outside the facility, Baggett said. The pumps can’t be heard from outside the transfer station, but residents might here “little popping noises” from the springs on the rail tanker cars as crude oil is removed and the cars rise. At night, a modern LED lighting system ensure that bright lights won’t disturb neighboring homes.
The crude oil offloaded in Walnut Hill begins its four-day rail journey in North Dakota. The facility will eventually receive about one train of up to 118 tanker cars per day.
Back in June, an estimated 800 people stood in line for hours at the Walnut Hill Community Center in hopes of being hired for the oil transfer station. About 15 were hired, with the payroll expected to increase to about 30 people. The positions pay from $16 to $20 per hour.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured top: Workers watch as the first train load of crude oil arrives at a new transfer station in Walnut Hill Monday afternoon. Pictured top inset: The facility can process up to 118 tanker cars at a time. Pictured middle inset: Individual offload stations. The taller white pipes are used to bleed off any air in the system. Pictured bottom inset: The system is computer controlled. Pictured below: Pumps that offload crude oil from a train before it is injected into a pipeline. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Man Charged With Busting Through Window, Attacking Sleeping Man
August 14, 2012
A Walnut Hill man was arrested after allegedly breaking into a home near Bratt and attacking a sleeping man.
Dalton Justice, 22, was charged with felony burglary with assault and battery and criminal mischief property damage. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $50,500 bond.
About 3:30 a.m., Justice allegedly busted an outside window on a home in the 4000 block of Rigby Road. He entered the house and attacked a man sleeping in the room, an arrest report states. Justice had left the residence by the time Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived.
The victim had physical injuries but refused medical treatment. The victim told deputies that he is currently dating Justice’s former girlfriend, and he believed that to be the reason for the attack.
Escambia County Could Regulate Chickens, Farm Animals
August 14, 2012
The morning crow of a rooster could one day be a thing of the past in some parts of Escambia County.
Monday, Escambia County commissioners discussed the potential of an ordinance that would regulate chickens and other farm animals in some residential areas, including “dairy animals”, poultry, and livestock such as cattle, goats,horses, sheep,and swine.
“Would a rooster trip the noise ordinance machine,” Commissioner Wilson Robertson jokingly asked during a commission meeting.
“It would depend, I think, on how close to the property line he’s standing,” Lloyd Kerr, director of county planning and zoning, replied.
Commissioners decided to not change the county’s animal ordinance for at least six to 12 months to see how a new ordinance in the city of Pensacola works.
Pensacola’s new ordinance requires coops, pens or enclosures with provisions for free range animals. Farm animals are not allowed with 30 feet of an adjacent dwelling, church, hospital, school, public building or park. The ordinance prohibits all roosters or more than eight chickens at a single residence.
Any farm animal ordinance would not likely not apply in agricultural and other rural zones.
Scott Appears With Romney At Florida Rally
August 14, 2012
Gov. Rick Scott joined Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney at a campaign stop Monday morning in St. Augustine. While he continued to talk up Florida’s economy, he said his job would be easier if Romney were in the White House.
“We cannot afford another four years of Barack Obama, his policies have failed us,” Scott said in introducing Romney. “Our economy nationally is struggling … here in Florida, even though we have a president that is making it much, much more difficult to do well, in Florida our econ is getting better. Our unemployment has dropped faster than any state but one in the past 18 months, 127,000 private sector jobs. Just think if we had a president … and a vice president that knew that you build business, government doesn’t build businesses. Think what this state could do then, if we had the right president.”
Romney’s newly announced running mate Paul Ryan made his first solo campaign appearance at the Iowa State Fair.
“President Obama has given us four years of trillion dollar – plus deficits,” said Ryan. “He is making matters worse, and he is spending our children into a diminished future. We don’t have to stand for that; we’re not going to stand for that. And on November 6, we’re going to change that.”
President Barack Obama also campaigned in Iowa Monday, taking a jab at Ryan.
“Governor Romney’s new running mate, Paul Ryan, might be around Iowa the next few days,” said President Obama. “He is one of the leaders of Congress standing in the way. So if you happen to see Congressman Ryan, tell him how important this farm bill is to Iowa and our rural communities. We have got to put politics aside when it comes to doing the right thing for rural America and for Iowa.”
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.