Lightning Sparks Large Brush Fire (With Photo Gallery)
July 2, 2011
Firefighters battled a large brush off Highway 97A near Walnut Hill for hours Saturday afternoon.
The fire consumed at least 40 acres in an area off Lamb Road, near Occie Phillips Road. The fire was believed to have been started by a lightning strike sometime about 3 p.m.
The Walnut Hill and Molino stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the blaze. Two bulldozers from the Florida Division of Forestry worked for nearly two hours to cut a line around the fire before declaring it contained just after 5 p.m.
There were no structures threatened by the fire and no injuries reported.
For more photos from the scene, click here.
Pictured above: Fire rages quickly through brush in an area off Highway 97A near Walnut Hill Saturday afternoon. Pictured inset: Smoke from the fire could be seen for miles. Pictured below: A Division of Forestry bulldozer works to cut a line around the fire. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Afternoon Storms Down Trees, Power Lines, Damage Building
July 2, 2011
Afternoon storms damaged at least one building and downed numerous trees and power lines in Nokomis Saturday afternoon.
In Nokomis, Alabama, a portion of the roof was ripped off a fireworks business at the corner of Pineville Road and Highway 31 by the storms, which also left behind a lot of hail on the ground. Trees and power lines were also downed in the area, shutting down Highway 31 for a period of time.
Just across the state line in Nokomis, Florida, trees and power lines were downed on Jakes and Albritton roads.
There were no injuries reported.
The Nokomis and Walnut Hill fire departments and the Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Department responded to the area.
Pictured top: The roof was ripped from this fireworks business in Nokomis, Alabama, during a Saturday afternoon storm. Pictured below: One of several trees downed in the area. This tree is at a house on Highway 31, not far from the fireworks stand. Photos by Anita Byrd Daniel for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Sanity Evaluation Ordered For Molino Pharmacy Robbery Suspect
July 2, 2011
A judge has ordered a psychiatric evaluation for a Molino man accused of robbing a local pharmacy last year while wearing underwear on his head as his attorney seeks an insanity defense.
Friday, Judge Ronald Swanson ordered the sanity evaluation for Joseph Daniel Flowers, now 57. The evaluation is due by August 10.
Flowers is facing multiple charges for the September 20, 2010, robbery of Scott’s Pharmacy, including robbery with a firearm, possession of a firearm in a pharmacy, aggravated battery and wearing a mask while committing a felony. Multiple drug possession charges were later filed against Flowers in connection with the case.
Flowers allegedly robbed the pharmacy while wearing a bathrobe, slippers, yellow kitchen gloves and underwear on his head. He has remained in the Escambia County Jail after a November 2010 arrest for failure to appear.
For a photo gallery from the robbery scene and Flower’s home, click here.
The getaway car driver in the robbery, 24-year old Krystal Lynn Collins, was found guilty last month of armed robbery with a firearm and a half dozen felony drug charges. She will be sentenced July 26.
Pictured top: Joseph Daniel Flowers is detained by an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy last year. Pictured inset: Deputies investigate the September 20, 2010, robbery of Scott’s Pharmacy in Molino. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge
Settlement Negotiated To End School Religion Dispute
July 2, 2011
A settlement has been reached in an ongoing lawsuit over a consent decree agreement that barred religious activities and teacher-led prayer in Santa Rosa County.
The agreement will end three years of legal fighting between the American Civil Liberties Union, the Santa Rosa County School District and Liberty Counsel, a conservative Christian legal group.
Liberty Counsel will receive $265,000 in legal fees. The group says the deal won’t cost taxpayers with the fees coming from the school district’s insurance company, but the ACLU says taxpayers will foot the bill. The ACLU has agreed to waive their $150,000 legal bill to the school district.
“It’s an unseemly payoff,” said Benjamin James Stevenson, attorney in the ACLU of Florida’s Northwest Regional Office in Pensacola. “They came in after the fact, stirred up some controversy, raised some money on this invented issue, and will leave town likely with $265,000 in taxpayer money that would be better spent on the students in our community.”
“This is a huge step in the right direction and a victory for the citizens in Santa Rosa County,” the Liberty Counsel said.
The battle between the groups started after U.S. District Judge Casey Rodgers signed a consent decree between the ACLU and the school district that required school employees to stop promoting their personal religious beliefs in public schools.
“Our original agreement with the school district was clear and consistent with religious liberty provisions of the Constitution,” said the ACLU’s Stevenson on Friday. “To the extent there was any confusion – real or mostly invented – about what the Constitution requires, we want to be clear and have been even more clear now.”
In September, 2009, the Liberty Counsel rejected an offer by the ACLU and the School District to avoid exposing taxpayers to expensive litigation by making clarifications to the original agreement.
Most of the clarifications to the original agreement were minor, according to the ACLU. Two highlights include new language that makes it clear that although district employees may not lead prayer or religious activities, or allow or direct others to do so, they may remain still and clasp their hands as a show of respect while students pray. And new language gives express permission for employees to say things such as, “God bless” or “Good heavens” to express surprise.
“Despite contrived examples of threats to religious freedom and concocted claims confusion, the original agreement and court order never blocked or interfered with personal religious expression,” Stevenson said. “It was never unclear but now it’s double-clear, you can say “God bless you” when someone sneezes.”
The rules apply only to district employees while they are on the job. The latest agreement states: “As the Court has previously made clear, ‘the plain language of the consent decree simply does not address the conduct of school employees in any context other than in their official capacity.’”
“As a result of this settlement, Liberty Counsel’s clients who are teachers will now be able to pray at school during their break times, pray during school events in a nonofficial capacity, attend and fully participate in baccalaureate services, have a Bible on their desk, wear religious jewelry, and assign readings from the Bible to students when relevant to nonreligious academic assignments. Students will be allowed to voluntarily pray, submit religious answers in homework, and freely participate in private, after-school religious programs,” the Liberty Counsel said in a prepared statement.
Before becoming final, the settlement must be approved by the Santa Rosa School District, which meets on Tuesday, and then be approved the courts.
Pictured: A prayer rally was held in March 2009 at Jay High School. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Taylor Prefiles For District 5 Escambia Commission Seat
July 2, 2011
A third candidate has prefiled for the Escambia County Commission District 5 seat currently held by Kevin White of Molino.
Jim Andrew Taylor of Carmody Hill Road, Cantonment, announced Friday for the job. He will run as a Republican.
Dennis Wiggins of Killam Road, Century, prefiled June 28 for the job. He will run on the 2012 ballot as an independent with no party affiliation. Republican Sam Archer of Cantonment was the first candidate to announce for the seat back on June 15.
The election is in 2012.
John Powell Joins Sheriff’s Race
July 2, 2011
Friday, John Powell became the third candidate to announce his intentions to seek the position of Escambia County Sheriff. He is running as a Republican.
Powell conducted an unsuccessful run as a Democrat against Ron McNesby in 2004. He served as the police chief in Dothan, Alabama, until being appointed Director of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco in August 2009 by Gov. Charlie Crist.
Incumbent Sheriff David Morgan filed his paperwork in May announcing that he will run again as a Republican.
Bill Chavers, who was originally Morgan’s chief deputy before being demoted about year later, prefiled as an independent candidate back in February, 2010.
315 Losing Their Jobs
July 2, 2011
Over 300 employees of a Santa Rosa County call center will be out of work by the end of October.
The employees of TeleTech were notified Friday that they were losing their jobs. The employees were all transitioned from Clearwire to Teletech in early June.
About 120 Clearwire employees were transferred to Teletech and will remain with Clearwire, a wireless Internet service provider. Those employees remaining with Clearwire are responsible for a variety of back office activities, including operations, workforce management, process management and vendor management.
Lighting Sparks Fire, Causes Power Outage
July 2, 2011
Two different lightning strikes sparked a brush fire and caused a power outage for dozens of homes Friday evening in North Escambia.
Brush Fire
The brush fire was reported about 7:15 p.m. about 100 yards into a wooded area off Highway 168 near Wiggins Road. The fire was reported contained about 8:05 p.m. There were no structures damaged by the blaze.
The McDavid, Century and Walnut Hill stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the blaze. The Florida Division of Forestry was also dispatched to create a line around the fire using two bulldozers.
Power Outage
About 75 homes in the area of Gobbler Road in the Oak Grove area were without power Friday night, apparently due to a lightning strike. Escambia River Electric Cooperative restored power to the area within about an hour.
Weekend Gardening: A Red, White And Blue Garden
July 2, 2011
A patriotic flower garden is all about combining dazzling colors of red, white and blue. Red and white flowers are the easiest to find. Flowers that have a dark blue color like the American flag can be more challenging to locate. Generally the blue seen in flowers is a lighter blue, not a navy blue. But feel free to use dark purple flowers for a dark blue effect. Here are some plants that will perform in your garden throughout the summer, not just for the Fourth of July.
Firecracker Plant
Bright red, tubular flowers that resemble little firecrackers hang on this plant during much of the year. Known scientifically as Russelia equisetiformis, this tender small shrub has an unusual look. The rush-like stems are lacking obvious foliage. It has an attractive weeping growth habit with wiry branches that start out erect then fall over to cascade down in lengths as long as four feet.
Firecracker plant grows well in full or broken sun. It will tolerate different soil types but thrives in areas that are well-drained but are regularly watered. This is a must for the butterfly or hummingbird garden.
Bee Balm
Another flower that is a hummingbird and butterfly attractant is this easy-to-grow perennial. Its bright colors and nectar-filled blooms attract a wide variety of “flying jewels.”
The sweet and minty, citrus-scented plant isn’t just for our winged friends, however. Both the leaves and the flowers are perfectly edible-add them to salads or use as garnishes. The dried leaves have been used for centuries to make tea.
Bee balm, or Monarda didyma, comes in many different colors. ‘Jacob Cline’ is an outstanding dark red, powdery mildew-resistant cultivar.
Cat’s Whiskers
Cat’s Whiskers is a member of the mint family and is native to tropical East Asia. Its scientific name is Orthosiphon stamineus. In zone 8, consider this plant an annual since it is tender and will not reliably come back after a freeze.
Cat’s Whiskers has beautiful dark green leaves and unusual white flowers. The flowers consist of an upright spike that contains long flowers and even longer stamens, reminiscent of cat whiskers. Flowering occurs on new growth.
This plant performs best in full sun. It will however grow with several hours of filtered light or spotty direct sun. Cat’s whiskers is a shrub-type plant that will reach heights of two to three feet and spreads three to four feet.
Blue Mist
Caryopteris x clandonensis, sometimes called bluebeard or blue mist shrub, is a cross between two species, and is one of the best small shrubs for late color in the landscape.
It is a low mounding, herbaceous shrub that prefers loose, loamy soil and full sun. It produces sturdy stems with several whorls of blue flowers in the fall. There are several cultivars available. The famous variety ‘Longwood Blue’ has sky blue flowers.
Another popular type, ‘Worcester Gold’, has yellow foliage and blue flowers. Proven Winners has one called ‘Petit Blue’ that is known for its tight, compact growth habit.
Bees and butterflies love them, but deer don’t — a happy combination. The flowers are so attractive to the bees, that the insects aren’t bothered by the presence of people
For more information, contact Theresa Friday at 850-623-3868 or email tlfriday@ufl.edu. Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.
Man Charged With Robbing Grocery Advantage
July 1, 2011
A Cantonment man was jailed Thursday evening after robbing the Grocery Advantage armed with a knife.
Kenneth Lee Purifoy, 45, of 1240 Lake Drive in Cantonment, was arrested at a nearby apartment complex after deputies say he robbed the Grocery Advantage store at knife point.
Deputies responded to the store at 736 North Highway 29 for an armed disturbance just after 6 p.m. Thursday.
According to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, Purifoy entered the store with numerous shopping bags that he placed in an empty buggy. An employee observed Purifoy enter a restroom with the items in the buggy, but they were not visible when he came out of the restroom.
Moments later, Purifoy was carrying a pack of ribs when he approached a store employee and employees noticed a pack of steaks in his rear waistband. When he was confronted, deputies said Purifoy rain toward the exit, and another pack of steaks fell from the front of his pants.
An employee told deputies that he tried to stop Purifoy and detain him and a struggle ensued.
During the struggle Purifoy pulled a small folding pocketknife on the employee and reportedly stated “I will stab you”. Purifoy then ran out of the store.
“One of our K-9 units tracked the suspect to a nearby apartment complex, said sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Chris Welborn. “Our deputies were able to locate him on the complex grounds and arrested him without incident.”
Purifoy was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, petit theft, robbery and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was booked in the Escambia County Jail and held on a $20,000 bond.