Cantonment Man Gets 10 Years For Traffic Accident Manslaughter
February 29, 2012
A 21-year old Cantonment man was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison in connection with a 2010 drug-related traffic homicide.
Phillip Michael Chevalier pleaded guilty Tuesday to manslaughter for the May 2010 death of Billy Beck III in a traffic crash on Chemstrand Road.
Beck, 23, was on Chemstrand Road just before midnight on May 6, 2010, when he was struck by at least three vehicles. Chevalier, identified by the Florida Highway Patrol as the driver of the first vehicle to strike Beck, fled the scene. Beck’s family maintained that foul play may have been involved in the crash; however there were few leads or witnesses, according to the FHP.
Witnesses told the FHP that Chevalier pulled off to the side of Chemstrand Road where Beck was standing. Chevealier pulled off after Beck handed him a bag of marijuana. Beck reached into the truck and tried to get the marijuana back, according to a witness’s affidavit. Chevalier continued to drive north on Chemstrand Road with Beck hanging on to the truck. He eventually fell off the vehicle and was hit by the vehicles.
In February 2011, Florida Highway Patrol investigators developed additional evidence that led to arrest warrants being issued for Chevalier for felony murder and leaving the scene of accident with death. Chevalier was arrested by U.S. Marshals in St. Johns County, Fla.
The drivers of the second and third vehicles to hit Beck were not charged.
Wash Your Hands: Health Dept. Records Increase In Stomach Bugs
February 29, 2012
Wash your hands — that’s the word from the Escambia County Health Department. They are seeing an increase in the number of contagious gastrointestinal infections in the county.
The health department says gastrointestinal infections can be highly contagious and are usually spread through contaminated food or drinking water, person to person contact with an infected person, or contact with contaminated surfaces. Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, low to high grade fever and headache.
Frequent handwashing and proper food preparation safety are the key to preventing infections.
1 Dead, 3 Missing After Coast Guard Helicopter Crash
February 29, 2012
One crewmember is dead and three others are missing after a Coast Guard helicopter crash in Mobile Bay Tuesday night.
A massive search is underway after the three Coast Guard members went missing after the crash, which occurred while they were conducting a training flight in the vicinity of Point Clear, Ala.
One crewmember was found unresponsive by a boat crew and was later declared deceased.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the crewmembers during this difficult time,” said Capt. Don Rose, commander of Coast Guard Sector Mobile. “We are working through the night to continue to conduct a robust search for the three crewmembers who are still missing and we appreciate the assistance of all of the agencies and personnel who are volunteering their time and resources to assist with the search and rescue efforts.”
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
Pictured: A Coast Guard MH-65C based out of New Orleans on public relations visit to Ernest Ward Middle School in Walnut Hill in November 2010. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
End Of A Era: The Last Day For WABB 97.5
February 29, 2012
Today marks the end of an era as the last day as a Top 40 station for WABB 97.5 FM.
(This is an archive story from Feb. 29, 2012)
WABB 97.5 — one of the oldest Top 40 radio stations in the country — was sold to not-for-profit EMF (Educational Media Foundation) of Rocklin, CA. EMF will take over all programming and the format for the station on Thursday, switching to the Christian K-Love format.
We asked our Facebook fans what they thought of the end of WABB 97.5, and here’s what some had to say:
- “I grew up listening to WABB and my kids have grown up listening. It’s just the end of an era!” — Chandra Rigby, Molino
- “That was the first cool station I listened to and now my kids listen to it. Sad. — Jennifer Beck, Cantonment
- “I love Qtip and have always listened to WABB! I don’t live there anymore but I have always loved them since the 70’s.” — Debbie Lewis, Stafford, VA
- “I loved the five o’clock whistle on Fridays! The official start of the weekend on the Gulf Coast.” – Tina Nabors, Montgomery
- “QTip has always been my favorite part of the show– he needs to go country since that is where his heart is.” – Wendy Ward, Molino
- “So said….grew up with them and got my kids listening to it.” — Teresa Andress, Molino
- “I will miss the history…I spent many a day blaring The Beastie Boys, with my dad yelling “Turn it DOWN!!!” over the noise, great times! LOVED WABB!!” — Janice Parham, Molino
WABB has been a family owned station for 52 years. Bernie Dittman bought WABB-AM in 1959 and put WABB-FM on the air in 1973 with a Top 40 format. A legendary icon in the broadcasting industry, Dittman was devoted throughout his career to maintaining WABB as an independent, family owned station. The family continued to operate the station after his death in 2006.
Despite the station’s success, the next generation of the family no longer resides in the Mobile area and, as a result, the family viewed the sale as a logical transition.
“This was a very difficult and emotional decision for our family,” said Judith Dittman, Bernie’s wife. “WABB-FM has enjoyed decades of success and being an integral part of the Mobile-Pensacola communities. But the time has come for us to move into another phase of life and spend more time together as a family.”
Molino Park Students Collect Over 200,000 Pop Tabs
February 29, 2012
Molino Park Elementary School students collected tens of thousands of pop tabs — those little pull tabs off the tops of aluminum drink cans — to benefit the Ronald McDonald House.
So far this year, students collected 149 pounds of the pop tabs that have been delivered to the Ronald McDonald House. The money from recycling the tabs are used by the facility to help pay their water bill.
According to the Ronald McDonald House, there are 1,430 tabs per pound — meaning Molino Park’s 149 pound donation would contain an estimated 213,000 tabs. Placed end to end, they would stretch nearly 3.5 miles.
Rachel Veneble’s first grade class collected the most pop tabs — 21 pounds.
Escambia (Ala.) GOP Holds Candidate Forum
February 29, 2012
Supporters turned out in force Monday night for a candidate forum in Flomaton hosted by the Escambia County (Ala.) Republican Party.
Over 50 interested voters attended the forum, which featured Republican candidates running for various federal, state and local offices.
Candidates attending included: Judge Charlie Graddick, candidate for Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court; Judge Tommy Bryan, candidate for Alabama Supreme Court, Place 1; Pete Riehm, candidate for U.S. Congress; Judge Emilie Mims, incumbent candidate for Escambia County Probate Judge; Becki Breckenridge, candidate for Escambia County Circuit Clerk; Patsy Jacks and Dr. Coleman Wallace, candidates for Escambia County School Board; and Brandon Smith, candidate for Escambia County Commission. In addition, representatives for the presidential campaigns of Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum spoke on behalf of their respective candidates.
“We are very excited to have so many of our Republican candidates with us here in Escambia County tonight. The size of this crowd is a great indicator of the excitement that GOP voters have for our 2012 slate of candidates. The prospects for the Republican Party, at all levels of government, are looking better and better every day,” Jeff Peacock, chairman of the Escambia County (Ala.) Republican Party.
The Escambia County GOP Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, March 13th.
Pictured top: Escambia Count (Ala.) Republicans gathered for a candidate forum Monday night in Flomaton. Pictured inset: Heath Jackson (foreground) takes notes as Judge Charlie Graddick, candidate for Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, addresses the group. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County’s Driver License Office Closes
February 29, 2012
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles closed its Driver License Office at 100 Stumpfield Road in Pensacola on Wednesday. The Escambia County Tax Collector will now be the sole provider of driver license services in Escambia County.
Four tax collector offices in Escambia County will continue to issue driver licenses and identification cards:
- 470 South Highway 29, Cantonment
- 6451 North W Street 32505
- 507 N. Navy Boulevard 32507
- 213 Palafox Place 32502
Drivers who receive notices that they must appear in person at a county tax collector’s office to renew a license, must make an appointment in Escambia County by visiting www.escambiataxcollector.com or by calling 850‑438‑6500.
Many customers can skip the trip to an office and renew driver licenses, ID cards, and vehicle tags, as well as conduct other driving-related business online at www.GoRenew.com. Customers who renew online will be required to visit a county tax collector’s office for the next renewal. The Department does not charge a fee for using the Internet service.
No Injuries In School Bus Crash, 46 Students On Board
February 28, 2012
No injuries were reported in a school bus crash in Cantonment Tuesday morning.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, an Escambia County School bus driven by Billie Jo Kaser, 41, of Cantonment was eastbound on Muscogee Road and stopped due to a red traffic light about 7:25 a.m. That’s when, the FHP said, 24-year old Leah Danielle Hughes of Pensacola rear-ended the bus with her 2008 Suzuki car. Troopers said Hughes had turned her attention away from the roadway to her 2-year old child in the vehicle. Her car came to rest wedged under the bumper of the bus.
There were 46 students bound for Jim Allen Elementary School on the bus at the time of the crash.
There were no injuries.
Hughes was charged with careless driving.
4-H Kids To Decide $3.6 Million Sale Of Langley Bell To Navy Federal
February 28, 2012
Navy Federal has offered $3.6 million for the Langley Bell-H Center property in Beulah to expand, but the future of that sale could depend on the vote of a few dozen children ages 8 to 18.
The children make up the 4-H County Council. Under the property deed, the Council must approve any sale of the 240 acres.
Escambia County is willing to spend well over a million from local option sales tax monies to build the 4-H’ers a new facility at the Escambia County Extension Office on Stefani Road in Cantonment. The facility would include a new building and pond on the 23-acre parcel.
Monday, member of the 4-H Council and their parents toured the land for the proposed facility at the Extension Office before a discussion meeting.
“They would be paying us to come here and build a building, and we wouldn’t be getting any more land,” 4-H Council member Eliza Eligio said. “We would not be benefiting from really from doing that.” She said that despite the jobs that might be at stake, she’s not convinced that the land sale to Navy Federal is good idea.
And that was the apparent sentiment among most of the 4-H Council members Monday as they participated in a question and answer session moderated by an attorney hired by the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s being used for what it needs to be used for, and I don’t really feel that any other lands can fulfill what it’s fulfilling right now,” 4-H member McKenzie Helmick (pictured left) said.
The 4-H Council, comprised of delegates from each of the county’s 20 plus 4-H Clubs, will vote on the proposed sale in March.
Navy Federal has said that if the sale is rejected, new jobs for the company in Escambia County would be difficult. The company is adding about 400 jobs per year, soon reaching capacity at their current 65-acre campus.
Escambia County Commissioners are trustees of the land, according to the deed. Commissioners could possible overrule the 4-H Council should they vote against the land sale, but that’s not totally clear.
4-H supporter Dr. M. Langley Bell, Jr. donated 400 acres to Escambia County for the Langley Bell 4-H Center. The center, which is now 240 of the original 400 acres, is used for events such as 4-H camps, retreats, timber projects, livestock projects, and as a meeting site for extension agents. The Langley Bell 4-H Center comprises about 240 acres of the original 400 acres. Four cabins, a kitchen, meeting hall, nature trails, forestry and livestock educational areas, barns, pastures, a 5-acre lake, and a campfire circle are part of the 4-H center’s learning environment.
Pictured top: Navy Federal wants to purchase the The Langley Bell 4-H Center and their 240 acres in Beulah for $3.6 million. Pictured top inset: 4-H Council members tour the proposed 23-acre site of a new Langley Bell 4-H Center on the site of the Escambia County Extension Office in Cantonment. Photos courtesy WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Splits Baseball Games With Washington
February 28, 2012
The Northview Chiefs split a couple of baseball games with Washington High School Monday in Pensacola.
The junior varsity Northview Chiefs defeated Washington 8-5. The win ups the junior varsity’s record to 2-1 on the year.
In varsity action, Washington defeated Northview 6-1.
The varsity Chiefs will open district play Friday night as they travel to Chipley to take on the Tigers at 6 p.m.