Reward Offered In Murder Of Domino’s Pizza Driver
October 7, 2011
A $3,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of the person responsible for the murder of a 19-year old pizza delivery driver outside an Escambia County Domino’s Pizza.
Tyler John Hinkle, a 2010 West Florida High School graduate, was attacked outside the Domino’s Pizza at 27 North Navy Blvd. at around 10:40 p.m. on September 24. Hinkle (pictured) was able to walk into the restaurant to seek help from co-workers before he collapsed. He died a short time later at Baptist Hospital.
Investigators said there were no witnesses at the time of the attack and they have not yet identified a suspect. They believe robbery was a motive in the death of Hinkle. Friends said that Hinkle had just returned to the pizza restaurant after making a delivery.
The Domino’s Corporation is offering a $2,000 reward and the local Domino’s is offering a separate reward of $1,000.
Anyone who may have information related to this case is asked to contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Munson Festival Will Celebrate Community Heritage
October 7, 2011
This weekend’s Munson Community Heritage Festival will take a look back at the way things used to be throughout northern Santa Rosa, Escambia and Okaloosa counties.
Vendors and exhibitors will bring back a life and time gone by with crafts and displays ranging from true Florida Cracker lifestyles, basket making, shoe cobbling and more.
The idea of the Festival is to bring alive the history of the area, demonstrate the old time ways of the Deep South as well as to promote culture. There will be live country, bluegrass and gospel music both days as well as wood-fired stove cooking and other food for sale. There also will be more modern merchants on hand representing the local business community. A working sawmill and live lumberjack competition will touch on tour area’s origins as a logging and timber community.
New for 2011 will be the Heritage Treasure Hunt. Children, adults and families can track clues and answer questions located throughout the Festival grounds to try to win various prizes while learning something about the rich heritage all around them. It’s one part game and one part history lesson.
There is a $5 parking fee per car for the event on Saturday and Sunday at Krul Lake Recreation Area in Munson. For more information, visit www.munsonheritagefestival.com.
Post Oil Spill: Task Force Releases Gulf Coast Restoration Plan
October 6, 2011
A year after its creation, a federal task force on Wednesday released a draft report outlining a strategy to restore the ecosystem along the Gulf Coast, which has been ravaged by years of development and neglect.
The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, chaired by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, is requesting public comment before turning in its final report to the President Barak Obama.
Major areas of concern involve reducing nutrient flows into the Gulf, restoring wetlands and providing economic development options to coastal communities from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.
The task force was formed in response to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The public comment period ends October 26.
Health And Hope: New Clinic Offers Free Medical Care
October 6, 2011
A new clinic is providing health and hope for North Escambia residents unable to afford medical care.
The Health and Hope Clinic has opened in the old health department building at 501 Church Street in Century. It is the second location for the clinic, which was first established in Pensacola back in 2003 by the Pensacola Bay Baptist Association to meet the needs of uninsured and medically underserved in Escambia County. The clinic is entirely volunteer and donor supported.
“It’s a real blessing,” Tammy Lewis of Bratt said on a recent visit to the new Century Health and Hope Clinic. “I found out about it from the church. It’s great to see doctors and people that will see you anyway without insurance.”
Since 2003, the Pensacola Health and Hope Clinic has provided over $8.5 million in healthcare services and 12,000 patient-provider visits as it carries out its mission of “providing health and hope to the hurting”.
Through the primary Pensacola location, the new Health and Hope Clinic offers primary medical care, preventative care, specialty care – including rheumatology, neurology, women’s health, chiropractic services and minor office surgery, full laboratory services, prescription assistance and pharmacy services and referrals to community social services.
The new Health and Hope Clinic in Century is open on Tuesdays from 5-8 p.m. For appointments, call (850) 256-6200 or (850) 479-4456. For more information on the Health and Hope Clinic and services, visit www.healthandhopeclinic.org.
Pictured top: The new Health and Hope Clinic is located in the former Escambia County Health Department building in Century. Pictured top inset: Nurse Michelle Benauer checks the blood pressure of Tammy Lewis of Bratt on a recent visit to the new Health and Hope Clinic in Century. Pictured bottom inset: An exam room at the clinic. Pictured below: Executive Director Rick Hollis discusses clinic details with volunteer Billy R. Ward of Bogia. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
New Senate Districts Will Keep Rural Voice For Panhandle
October 6, 2011
Senate mapmakers will draw legislative districts that run east to west as they carve new political boundaries for the Panhandle, members of the Senate Reapportionment Committee agreed Wednesday.
The bipartisan consensus answers the tricky question of how to divide Northwest Florida, where rural residents from the northern part of the region feared having their votes diluted by more urbanized coastal areas. Some residents at public meetings had pushed for districts that run north to south, only to encounter pushback from rural interests.
The current districts are already horizontal, an arrangement the Senate panel decided to continue with.
“I think it’s our responsibility to do everything we can to respond to the wishes of these people, and draw the district lines horizontally,” said Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla.
But the free-flowing, lengthy discussion about the nature of the compactness required by the new Fair Districts amendments and what it meant for often-sprawling districts in sparsely-populated areas in the Panhandle also showed how tricky it could be for lawmakers to agree on even the least contentious issues.
“There are different definitions of community,” said Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee. “But to me, that’s what’s most important.”
By The News Service of Florida
Update: Lambert Bridge Repairs Expected To Be Complete By Oct. 28
October 6, 2011
Repairs are expected to be completed by the end of the month on the bridge on Lambert Bridge Road.
The bridge was closed September 14 after an inspection revealed decay in support pilings on the 43-year old bridge. Repairs, which began September 28, are now expected to be completed by October 28 at a cost of $34,300, Sonya Daniel, Escambia County public information officer, said Wednesday.
Lambert Bridge Road remains closed from Velor Road to North Pine Barren Road.
Pictured top: The bridge on Lambert Bridge Road is closed for repairs until the last week of October. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Camp Fire Kids Visit Fire Station
October 6, 2011
Students from the Camp Fire USA Century Youth Learning Center visited the Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue Wednesday to learn about fire safety and firefighting.
Pictured: Campfire USA students visited the Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue on Wednesday. Submitted photos byMarion Miller for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
ECAT Set To Strike Again
October 6, 2011
ECAT employees have voted to strike again, but so far there’s no date set for them to walk off the job.
Amalgamated Transit Union members voted for a strike after the union and Veolia Transportation, the company that operates Escambia County Area Transit for the county, were unable to reach an agreement.
ECAT held a one-day strike back on September 21, abruptly leaving about 8,000 bus riders without transportation.
Community Public Safety Day Set For Saturday
October 6, 2011
The fourth annual Community Public Safety Day will be held to give residents a chance to learn about safety issues and see how tax dollars are being spent.
The free event is a combined effort of the City of Pensacola Fire Department, Escambia County Fire Rescue and several other state and county organizations.
It will take place on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Pensacola State College, at the corner of Airport Boulevard and Ninth Avenue.
Activities include demonstrations such as live firefighting, vehicle extrication, patient care and canine searches Residents are encourages to bring their cameras to capture these moments and the special guests in attendance, including Smokey Bear, Sparky the Fire Dog and McGruff the Crime Dog. Hands-on activities will also take place throughout the day.
For more information on any of the Community Public Safety Day activities, contact Daniel Akerman, Escambia County Fire Rescue at (850) 475-5530 or David Allen, City of Pensacola Fire Department at (850) 436-5200.
Local Man Gets Prison Time On Drug Charges
October 6, 2011
A Century man has been sentenced to state prison on drug charges.
Michael Sylvester Brown, age 48 of Elm Street, was found guilty on charges of cocaine possession and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was sentenced by Escambia County Judge Joel Boles to 13.2 months in state prison for the cocaine possession charged and a concurrent 11 months, 15 days on the drug paraphernalia charge. He was given credit for the 81 days he has served since his arrest in March 2011.
His driver’s license was also suspended for two years.