Upcoming Program – Cattle Management 101
May 30, 2012
The Escambia County Extension Service will present “Cattle Management 101: Establishing Yourself in the Cattle Industry”.
The program will cover such topics as getting started in the cattle industry, forages and nutrition, reproduction, herd health, marking and equipment. The cost is $30 per person and includes course materials.
The course will be presented on Thursdays from 6-8 p.m. from May 31 until June 28 at the Escambia County Extension Service on Stephani Road in Cantonment and the Santa Rosa Extension Service on Dogwood Drive in Milton.
For more information or to register, call the Escambia County office at (850) 475-5230 or the Santa Rosa County Office at (850) 623-3868.
Weather Photos: Storms Pound Area
May 30, 2012
The photo above shows lightning striking near Highway 29 in Cantonment Tuesday evening. Submitted by Allyson Bullard.
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Thunderstorms moved through the North Escambia area Tuesday evening, leaving behind scattered minor damage and putting a lot of households in the dark.
Hail was reported from Bratt south to Cantonment, while small trees and power lines were reported downed in the Jay, Molino and Cantonment areas. Both Escambia River Electric Cooperative and Gulf Power reported scattered power outages related to the storm. An exact number of customers without power was not available late Tuesday night.
The photographs on this page were submitted by NorthEscambia.com readers, providing a look at the weather across the area. When you see news or interesting weather, snap a photo and send it to news@northescambia.com.
Pictured: Gusty winds down trees on Williams Ditch Road Tuesday night in the Cottage Hill community. Photo by Tammie Neal.
This reader photo is of small hail Tuesday evening on Morgan Cemetery Road in Molino.
Pictured above: Gusty winds snapped this pine tree (center of photo behind pool) near on Azel Scott Lane just south Jay. Photo by Michelle Gibbs.
A double rainbow was visible south of Jay following Tuesday evening’s storms. Photo by Michelle Gibbs.
Reader submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photos: Progress Continues On Molino Library, Tax Collector Office
May 30, 2012
Progress is continuing on a $4 million project to convert the old Molino School into a community center and museum.
The project includes the conversion of the old Molino School into a 15,600 square foot library, community center and museum under a $2.95 million construction contract awarded by Escambia County to Birkshire Johnstone, LLC.
In addition to converting the 72-year old school building, a new 7,000 square foot building is being constructed adjacent to the old building for the tax collector and property appraiser. The current Escambia County Tax Collector office in the former Winn Dixie shopping center in Cantonment and the property appraiser office on Highway 97 in Molino will both be closed. The facility will also house a polling station for early voting and elections.
Final completion for both buildings is scheduled for November 2012.
Pictured: Work to convert the old Molino School into a new library and museum, plus the addition of a new building for the tax collector and property appraiser. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Man Sentenced Today To 15 Years For Escambia County Burglary
May 29, 2012
Lavonne Lee Shavers was sentenced Tuesday by Judge Gary Bergosh to the maximum 15 year in state prison as a prison releasee reoffender for a September 2010 burglary.
The victim awoke to find Shavers standing in her bedroom door, according to State Attorney Bill Eddins. Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies found Chavers hiding under a tree outside the victim’s home.
Shavers was released from an Alabama prison in February 2010 after serving 20 years for multiple charges including rape.lavo
Needs A Job? Workforce Escarosa Helping Fill Local Positions
May 29, 2012
Need a job? A wireless company is hiring for nearly two dozen jobs in Pensacola.
Workforce Escarosa will assist T-Mobile with the recruitment and hiring for over 20 open positions at their two new Pensacola retail stores. A hiring event has been scheduled for Wednesday, May 30, at the Workforce Escarosa Pensacola One-Stop Center, located at 3670-A North L Street, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Openings include solutions specialists, assistant managers and store managers. All positions are full-time and offer benefit packages, flexible hours and an hourly rate plus commission. Interested individuals are advised to apply in-person at the scheduled hiring event on May 30. Applicants should bring copies of their resume and dress for success. T-Mobile representatives will be on-siteand may choose to conduct interviews with selected individuals at the event.
Man Sentenced In Federal Feather Selling Case
May 29, 2012
An Atmore man has been sentenced to probation for violating federal laws dealing with the possession and sale of protected bird feathers. He was also ordered to pay $31,000 in restitution for killing protected migratory birds.
In February, Alexander D. Alvarez pleaded guilty before a federal judge to violating the Lacey Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) for illegally selling and possessing the feathers of anhingas and other migratory birds protected under the MBTA.
He faced as much as five years in federal prison and a half million dollars in fines.
Enrolled members of federally-recognized American Indian tribes may possess eagle and other migratory bird feathers and parts for religious and ceremonial purposes, but federal law strictly prohibits the sale of migratory birds, feathers or their parts by any person.
Alvarez is not an enrolled member of a federally-recognized American Indian tribe, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He was employed by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians as a teacher, but has since reportedly lost that job.
“Mr. Alvarez sought to profit from selling protected bird feathers he had no legal right to possess,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice. “Federal law prohibits the sale of migratory birds, feathers or their parts for commercial gain. In enforcing these wildlife laws in partnership with tribal law enforcement, we share a duty to protect the nation’s scarce and precious wildlife resources. In protecting these resources for future generations, we also ensure the ability of federally recognized tribal members to possess eagle and migratory bird feathers for religious and ceremonial practices.”
According to court documents, Alvarez communicated via email with an individual in Louisiana and eventually exchanged two anhinga tails that Alvarez possessed for a crested caracara tail, a Harris’s hawk tail and $400, which the individual possessed. Alvarez later sent 14 sets of anhinga tail feathers to this individual and asked the individual to photograph and offer the tails for sale via email. Alvarez received payment from the Louisiana individual for the anhinga tail feathers that were sold. A federal search warrant was executed at Alvarez’s home on March 11, 2009, and feathers from several migratory bird species were seized.
Pictured: Alex Alvarez discusses traditional Poarch Creek dance during a Fall Festival at Bratt Elementary School last November. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Resurfacing Project, Traffic Delays Begin On Nine Mile Road
May 29, 2012
A major resurfacing project is underway on Nine Mile Road.
Panhandle Grading and Paving will mill and pave a 6.5 mile section of Nine Mile Road from Pine Cone Drive (County Road 97) to the Perdido River Bridge and the Alabama state line. The project also includes minor drainage work, signal upgrades and the placement of new pavement markings and signs.
In an effort to minimize traffic congestion and delays, work requiring lane closures will take place at night. Motorists can expect lane restrictions between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Weather permitting the $3.3 million project should be complete sometime during the summer.
Photo Gallery: Atmore Area Memorial Day Service
May 29, 2012
About 200 people gathered in Atmore Monday morning for a Memorial Day service to recognize those that have served from Atmore, Walnut Hill, Bratt and surrounding areas.
“We need to put the ‘memorial’ back in ‘Memorial Day’,” keynote speaker Brigadier General (Ret.) Wendell B. McLain said. “Let’s not let this day be merely the first day of summer, let’s make it a time for reflection and to express gratitude.”
McClain said veterans are often taken for granted, especially those from the post-September 11th era. “There are so many heroes, many so young,” he said.
Members of American Legion Post 90 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7016 took part in a solemn ceremony, reading aloud the names of each deceased service member that appear on a spire-shaped monument. A bell was tolled in honor of those that served.
The names memorialized included LCpl Travis Nelson of Bratt, killed in a action in August 2011 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. It was just two weeks after his 19th birthday and only about a month after he arrived in Afghanistan.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
Pictured: A Memorial Day service in Atmore honored those who have served from across the area. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: Pensacola NAS Memorial Day Service
May 29, 2012
Scores of people attended a Memorial Day service Monday morning at the Naval Aviation Memorial Chapel at Pensacola Naval Air Station.
Guest speakers for the event were Congressman Jeff Miller and John Sepulveda of the Veterans Administration. During the event, names of service members were read in a solemn roll call by veterans.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
Pictured: Scenes from the annual Memorial Day service at the Naval Aviation Memorial Chapel aboard Pensacola NAS. Photos by Cheryl Casey Photography for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Walnut Hill Brush Fire Consumes 5 Acres
May 29, 2012
A brush fire burned about five acres near Walnut Hill late Monday afternoon.
It took firefighters from the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue about two hours to extinguish the blaze on Eicher Road, just off South Highway 99. The fire consumed mostly grass and scrub brush in what was formerly used as multiple cattle pastures. Firefighters were hampered by barbed wire fencing which prohibited easy access to all areas of the fire.
The cause of the blaze was not known.
Pictured: A brush fire on Eicher Road Monday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
