Photo: Azaleas In Bloom
March 5, 2012
Unusually warm winter weather has the North Escambia area looking a lot like spring. Azaleas, like this one in Bratt, are beginning to bloom across the area. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Miller: Remember The Fallen From Our Area
March 5, 2012
Northwest Florida is proud of our strong relationship with the United States Armed Forces. Service men and women train and work at our local bases, their spouses are active in our local community, and their children attend local schools. But often lost in the daily shuffle of life in and around our local military and Coast Guard is the fact that these are the brave soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coastguardsmen who put themselves in harm’s way to defend our freedom. Some defend it with their lives by paying the ultimate sacrifice. Over the past two weeks, our area was reminded of this devastating fact in a series of losses that have shaken the very core of our community.
A total of nine men have been lost and one still missing in a matter of eleven days– all ten of whom were serving their country as part of our United States Armed Services and Coast Guard. Of their dedication to duty, courage of heart, and commitment to our great nation, there can be no doubt.
On February 18, four members of U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command were killed when their U-28 aircraft went down near Camp Lemonnier outside of Djibouti, Africa: Captain Ryan P. Hall of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Captain Nicholas S. Whitlock of Newnan, Georgia; First Lieutenant Justin J. Wilkens of Bend, Oregon; and Senior Airman Julian S. Scholten of Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Four men who while stationed at Hurlburt Field became a part of our community. Four men who gave their lives in service to their country.
On February 23, Army Sergeant Joshua A. Born was killed in the Khogyani District of the Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. Originally from Niceville, Sergeant Born joined the Army in 2007 after high school. He was on his first deployment to Afghanistan when he and other members of his Company came under fire during local protests, and he was killed in action. Sergeant Born gave his life in service to his country.
On February 25, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel John D. Loftis of Paducah, Kentucky became the sixth member of our community to be killed in action in the past two weeks. Prior to his deployment to Kabul, Afghanistan as part of the Afghan Ministry of the Interior, Lt Col Loftis was stationed at the Air Force Special Operations Training Center on Hurlburt Field. He entered the Air Force in 1996 as a Space and Missile Officer and had been awarded the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal. Lt Col Loftis gave his life in service to his country.
On February 28, three members of the U.S. Coast Guard were killed and one remains missing after a helicopter crash during a training exercise in Mobile Bay, Alabama. Chief Petty Officer Fernando Jorge of Cypress, California; Lieutenant Commander Dale Taylor of Snow Hill, North Carolina; and Lieutenant Junior Grade Thomas Cameron of Portland, Oregon died as a result of the crash. Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Knight of Thomasville, Alabama remains missing. These men gave their lives in service to their country.
No words can express how we feel during such a time of loss. Our hearts and our prayers go out to the families of the men we’ve lost and the Coastguardsman who is still missing. May God be with each and every one of you.
As a community we must grieve for the warriors who passed away. We must mourn the fallen and we must pay tribute to their sacrifice. But we must also rally. And I know we will. Because that’s who we are in Northwest Florida. A community that stands behind the United States Armed Forces and proudly proclaims our fathers and mothers, our sisters and brothers, and our sons and daughters as members of a military tradition unlike anywhere else in the world.
We are and will continue to be the greatest country in the history of the world because of men and women like Captain Hall, Captain Whitlock, Lieutenant Wilkens, Senior Airman Scholten, Sergeant Born, Lieutenant Colonel Loftis, Chief Petty Officer Jorge, Lieutenant Commander Taylor, Lieutenant Cameron, and Petty Officer Knight. Men who gave their lives in service to their country. Men who we will never forget.
To those who continue to stand guard and take up the mantle of freedom that has been passed to you by those we’ve lost, thank you for what you do.
May God bless the families of those we’ve lost and those who serve, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.
Bratt Students Honored For ‘Diversity’ Poem, Photograph
March 5, 2012
The Escambia County School District held a reception for District PTA Reflections winners recently at the Hall Center. Two students from Bratt Elementary placed in the district contest and their work will go to the state level for judging.
Lydia Smith received first place on her literary entry (reprinted below) and Juliana Bryan placed second for her photography entry (pictured bottom of page). The theme of the reflections program this year was “Diversity”.
Different people
In this world,
Various looks
Everywhere around you,
Red, yellow, black, and white,
Small and big, man and woman,
In every way you’re different
To everyone else
You have diversity.
………………………– Lydia Smith
Pictured top: Bratt PTA Reflections second place winner Juliana Bryan (left), Superintendent Malcolm Thomas and first place winner Lydia Smith. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FDLE Affidavit Details Charges Against Escambia Sheriff’s Lieutenant
March 5, 2012
A Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrest affidavit details the circumstance surrounding the arrest of an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant .
Lt. Roger Grice, 57, was charged with vehicle title fraud and sales tax fraud. He was released from jail on bond and placed on administrative duty by the Sheriff’s Office pending the outcome of the case.
According to the FDLE affidavit:
On December 16, 2009, Grice purchased a pickup truck and trailer for a combined price of $28,000 and received an “open” title from the seller. He did not register the vehicle or complete a transfer of title. The title was not completed with the purchaser’s name, sales price, sale date or odometer reading. According to records at a Pensacola dealership, Grice took the vehicle in for service on the date of purchase with an odometer reading of 77,004.
On October 24, 2010, Grice sold the truck for $20,000 to Joe Clark of Clark’s Underground Construction. Grice provided the same “open” title that was given to him the previous year. Clark filed the transfer of title and recorded the mileage as 81,200. Clark’s title transfer listed the price of the truck as $10,000.
“Joe Clark was interviewed by law enforcement and provided a sworn statement that Grice instructed him to under-report the sales price in order to pay less sales tax,” the affidavit states.
Grice admitted to FLDE that he purchased the truck and did not register the vehicle, complete the title transfer or pay the appropriate sales tax. Grice said he used a license plate from another vehicle on the truck in order to drive it on the road. He also said he did not complete the title transfer or complete the registration because he did not like the truck and it needed mechanical work.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Locals Place In Boogie On Down 5K For United Cerebral Palsy
March 5, 2012
Several North Escambia residents took part in the Circle K 5K Run/Walk Benefiting Local Affiliates of United Cerebral Palsy on Pensacola Beach over the weekend.
Two local residents finished first in their divisions. April Conaster of Molino finished the rain-shortened 5K walk in fifth place overall, first in the female 1-39 division. Julie Keith of Molino also finished first in her division (female 10-14) in the 5K run.
North Escambia participants, ranked by overall finish place, were:
5K RUN
16 — Randall Kelly, Jay, 23:30 (3rd in division)
84 — Nichole Murphy, Cantonment, 31:44 (6th in division)
112 — Judson Conaster, Molino, 37:14 (5th in division)
135 — Julie Keith, Molino, 43:34 (1st in division)
5K WALK (shortened due to weather)
5 — April Conaster, Molino, 17:55 (1st in division)
7 — Sandy Russell, Cantonment, 18:45 (4th in division)
27 — Gage Wright, Cantonment, 22:32 (3rd in division)
29 –James McDaniel, Jay, 23:25 (7th in division)
31 — Brenda McCool, Cantonment, 23:45 (16th in division)
Coast Guard Continues Search For Helicopter Crewmember
March 5, 2012
The Coast Guard is continuing recovery operations for the missing crewmember of the MH-65C helicopter that crashed in Mobile Bay.
The activities are being hampered by high winds and heavy seas. Air operations and shoreline patrols will continue to be conducted Saturday, and the Coast Guard Cutter Stingray remains onscene to enforce the safety zone. Divers and boat crews equipped with side-scanning sonar were to resume operations Sunday.
“Our priority is to find the missing crewmember and the debris associated with the aircraft,” said Capt. Donald J. Rose, commander of Coast Guard Sector Mobile. “But we must ensure the safety of our crews who are engaged in these operations.”
The bodies of Lt. Cmdr. Dale Taylor, of Snow Hill, N.C., and Lt. j.g. Thomas Cameron, of Portland, Ore., were recovered by response personnel, Thursday. Chief Petty Officer Fernando Jorge was recovered Tuesday night after communications with the helicopter was lost during a training flight. Missing is Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Knight of Thomasville, Ala.
A Mishap Analysis Board has been convened by the commandant of the Coast Guard. The team will conduct a safety analysis of all aspects of the accident to determine causal factors and make recommendations to prevent the recurrence of similar mishaps in the future. The members of the board have experience in a variety of specialties including flight operations, engineering, medical, aviation support systems and accident analysis.
Century To Dedicate Roadside Park As ‘Nadine McCaw Park’
March 4, 2012
Century will rename the “Roadside Park” for the late town council member Nadine McCaw. The park will be officially dedicated Friday.
McCaw, a lifelong resident of Century, was elected to the town council in 2007, taking office in 2008. She passed away July 7, 2011.
“Her memory and legacy will continue to live on,” council member Sandra McMurray Jackson said recently. McCaw was known for going above and beyond for Century, often working behind the scenes and using her own money to benefit the town and its citizens, according to council member Gary Riley.
“She spent most of her paycheck every month on Century,” Mayor Freddie McCall said.
The public is invited and encouraged to attend the short ceremony at the park, located on North Century Boulevard at Hecker Road, at 10 a.m. Friday.
Pictured top: The soon-to-be Nadine McCaw Park on North Century Boulevard in Century. Pictured inset: Nadine McCaw at her first Century Town Council meeting in January 2008. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Zumba: 800 Calorie Workout For Two Bucks A Class
March 4, 2012
Get ready to Zumba — it’s a chance to get fit, have fun and burn up to 800 calories per hour — all for two bucks a class.
Zumba is “an exciting and effective fitness class that burns up to 800 calories per hour,” according to Shannon Erdwins, financial analyst by day, Zumba teacher by night. “Ditch the workout, join the party.”
Zumba combines Latin and international music with dance steps for an upbeat, high-energy workout.
The Escambia County Community School Zumba class is offered Wednesdays, 6-7 p.m,. at Ransom Middle School at 1000 Kingsfield Road.
Classes are just $2 each. For more information, call (850) 449-1949.
Correction: Byrneville Community Center
March 4, 2012
A few hours after we published photos of a misspelled sign on the Byrneville Community Center, the sign was repainted last Thursday. The misspelled sign can be seen in the photo to the left; the corrected sign is pictured above and below. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
BP Settles Up For $7.8 Billion Over Oil Spill
March 4, 2012
BP says it has reached a $7.8 billion settlement with plaintiffs, both businesses and individuals, that had sued over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and oil spill.
BP said in a company release that the settlement will be paid out of the $20 billion victim compensation trust fund that it had set up. A trial had been scheduled to start Monday in New Orleans on liability for the explosion. With the settlement, the trial now won’t go forward, though the court must approve the settlement terms.
BP has said it has spent more than $20 billion in the aftermath of the April 2010 explosion that ended up causing the largest oil spill in U.S. history. The majority of that was money spent responding, but that also includes more than $8 billion paid out to business owners who lost money because of the spill’s effect on beaches, and repaid to local governments for their response and cleanup costs.
The company still faces claims by the federal government for violations of the Clean Water Act and other damages. The company may also continue to face other litigation, such as claims filed by shareholders.