Velor Road Brush Fire Quickly Brought Under Control
February 22, 2011
Firefighters were able to quickly bring a brush fire under control near Walnut Hill Tuesday morning.
The fire was reported about 11:30 this morning in the 2800 block of Velor Road. The half acre fire burned mostly grass and small brush. The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the blaze.
There were no structures threatened by the fire, and there were no injuries.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century Takes Step Toward Repairing Gas Leak Under Highway 29
February 22, 2011
The Town of Century is moving forward in an effort to secure over a million dollars to eliminate a “major public safety issue” created by gas leaking under Highway 29 — but the fix is not likely to happen until late in the year.
Monday, the town entered into an engineering agreement with Fabre Engineering to design new gas lines along Highway 29 to replace the leaking pipe. Three other engineering firms applied for the job, but Fabre scored highest on the town’s criteria when proposals were opened.
About 6,515 feet of four-inch steel natural gas line was buried beneath the southbound lanes of Highway 29 when the road was widened. Now, 45 years since the pipe was put into the ground, the town believes the steel is corroding and leaking.
Engineer Dale Long’s latest estimate on new gas lines is $1.19 million, but he warned that number is subject to change.
Long said paperwork should be complete by June to seek USDA Rural Development loan funding for the project. After Rural Development’s review process, Long said it would be fall “at best” before work would actually begin on the project.
“We will proceed as quickly and cautiously as we can,” he said.
The funds will be used to construct new natural gas lines on both sides of Highway, abandoning the decades-old leaking pipe. By installing gas lines on both sides of the highway, it would eliminate the need to bore under the highway for a new service install.
The Florida Public Service Commission has told the town that progress must be made toward eliminating the problem by the end of the year.
Pictured: A portion of Highway 29 in Century. Decades-old natural gas line is buried under the southbound lanes on the left and is leaking somewhere between this location and West Highway 4, over a mile away.
Bank Warns Of Phishing Scam Targeting Debit Card Info
February 22, 2011
An area bank is warning of a phishing scam that may have targeted local residents Monday morning.
“Many customers received robo-calls on their cell phones attempting to gain their account information,” said Al Smith, a United Bank vice president. ” United Bank will never call a customer and ask for their account information.”
Smith said the automated phone calls were a fraudulent phishing scam to obtain customer information that were received by customers of United Bank as well as other financial institutions.
“None of United Banks computer systems have been compromised and no account information has been obtained. The calls were totally random and were received by both customers and non-customers of the bank. These were fraudulent calls attempting to obtain debit card information,” Smith said.
Anyone that may have provide information as a result of one these calls is asked to contact United Bank at (251) 446-6000 or their financial institution.
Century Joins Opposition To Proposed Conecuh Woods Landfill
February 22, 2011
The Town of Century has officially joined the long list of governments opposed to a new 5,100 acre landfill project in Conecuh County, Alabama.
The town passed a resolution Monday expressing opposition to the Conecuh Woods landfill, with copies of the resolution to be sent to Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and the Conecuh County Commission, which has until April 2 to make a decision on the landfill proposal.
“It’s a disaster waiting to happen,” Repton, Alabama, Mayor Terri Carter told the Century Town Council Monday night. The new landfill will be located just outside Repton. “When you hear that, you think in your mind, not in my backyard.
But Carter said the issue is not just Repton or Conecuh County, but everyone downstream from the landfill.
“This issue is not going to effect just us, it will effect everyone in this room,” she said in Century. She said that “rumor” indicates over 750 rail cars of waste would travel through the area each day to the landfill. Conecuh Woods’ landfill, which will include a 1,600 acre “disposal cell” from Range to Repton to near the Big Escambia Creek. Big Escambia Creek flows southward into Escambia County, Alabama, through Flomaton and drains through a North Escambia swamp near Century into the Escambia River and then Escambia Bay.
“Nobody knows more than we do that Florida’s rules on water quality are tougher than Alabama’s,” Century Mayor Freddie McCall said. ““If it comes into our river, Florida is in trouble immediately.”
Carter has vowed to continue her fight against a mega-landfill in Conecuh County. “If I have to live in garbage, I am going to make it as miserable as possible for them,” she said.
She encouraged everyone to attend a public hearing and speak out against the landfill March 10, 9 a.m. at Reid State Technical College in Evergreen, Alabama.
Escambia County, Fla., Escambia County, Ala., Baldwin County, Monroe County, Atmore, Flomaton, Brewton, East Brewton Excel, Frisco City, Excel, Monroeville, Repton and the Poarch Creek Indians have all passed resolutions in opposition to Conecuh Woods.
Pictured top: Repton, Alabama, Mayor Terri Carter addresses the Century Town Council Monday night in opposition to a proposed 5,100 acre landfill in Conecuh County, Alabama. Pictured inset: Century Town Council President Ann Brooks reads a resolution opposing the dump. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Scott Stands Strong Against Rail Cash; Evers Removes Signature From Rail Letter
February 22, 2011
While backers rallied Monday in Tampa and officials in Washington continued working on plans that did not involve state approval, Gov. Rick Scott reiterated his objection to accepting federal money for high speed rail in central Florida, even if the state is not involved. And Senator Greg Evers removed his signature from a letter about the rail funding to the federal transportation boss.
And the effort by lawmakers to go around Scott’s objection was weakened when one of the 26 state senators who signed a letter opposing Scott’s move changed his mind. Twenty-six was a veto-proof number in the Senate, but with the defection of Sen. Greg Evers, that’s no longer the case.
But even so, Scott told reporters Monday in Tallahassee that he was doubtful a plan could emerge that would satisfy his concerns over the long-sought Tampa-to-Orlando project, for which the federal government had offered to pay $2.4 billion of the roughly $2.7 billion projected cost.
“As you know, I’ve said all along I don’t believe that there is anyway the taxpayers of the state should be on the hook for the operational cost of that or for the risks if it gets shut down,” Scott said Monday. “I don’t see any way to do that.”
Over the weekend, rail advocates had hoped that Scott was leaving the door open to the possibility of allowing them to accept the money. A spokesman for U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said the Democrat came away from a joint appearance with Scott at the Daytona 500 convinced the governor would at least look at the plans being crafted.
However, Scott appeared Monday to put the horse back in the barn.
“Despite efforts by many to re-open the door to high speed rail, my position has not changed,” he posted on his Facebook page, on which he has almost 60,000 friends.
Meanwhile, Evers, R-Baker, said he regretted signing the letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood last week that suggested that two statewide rail panels set up by the Legislature could accept the $2.4 billion Scott rejected.
“As a representative of the people of Florida Senate District 2, I do hereby remove my signature on the letter you received on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011, regarding funding for High Speed Rail,” Evers wrote to LaHood. “Let me be very clear. I do not want to spend one dime on High Speed Rail and I absolutely support Gov. Scott sending the money back. I regret signing the letter as I believe it misconstrued my position on High Speed Rail.
“I was trying to send a message to Gov. Scott to bring to the forefront my firm belief that we should not fund any rail projects with state or federal money,” Evers concluded.
Evers also suggested that Scott put the brakes on a separate proposed commuter train in Orlando, SunRail, which the governor has said he is currently reviewing. Without Evers on board, lawmakers in the Florida Senate lose the implied possibility of overriding a veto of any rail legislation or budget line items they pass.
However, another plan emerged Monday that would not involve lawmakers in Tallahassee at all. The plan, which U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor detailed to reporters, would call for the creation of a new independent agency with representatives from the local jurisdictions that would house the proposed 84-mile train.
A separate plan from Orlando Congressman John Mica, the chairman of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure committee, would have called for the first leg of the train to be shortened to 21 miles between the Orlando Airport to the city’s convention center and Disney World to prove the viability of the train to Scott. That plan appeared to never get rolling with U.S. transportation officials, however.
An afternoon “Rally for Rail” in Tampa was said to have drawn about 200 people, though opponents of the project ran a counter-rally to convince Scott to stand firm against the project. The event was co-sponsored by former Tampa City Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena and the Livable Tampa Roundtable group.
Frequent Arrestee Ronald Newton Sentenced To 22 Months In State Prison
February 22, 2011
A Century man arrested over a dozen times in a year was sentenced Monday to almost two years in state prison for stalking.
Ronald Berlan Newton, 49, pleaded no contest to two counts of aggravated stalking by stalking a minor under 16 years of age, once count of stalking and one count of violation of an injunction.
Newton was found guilty by Judge Jan Shackleford and sentenced to 22 months in state prison.
Between September 1, 2009, and June 2, 2010, Newton had repeated illegal contact with two minors and their mother, according to the State Attorney’s Office. The mother of the minor children had an injunction in place forbidding Newton to come onto her property or have any contact with her.
Last year, Newton was found incompetent and remanded into the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families for evaluation. He was later found competent to stand trial.
His arrests since 2007, according to court records, included a long list of charges that were dropped or dismissed included aggravated assault, criminal mischief, battery, lewd and lascivious behavior victim under 18, indecent exposure, disorderly conduct and contempt of court.
Time Is Running Out To Save On Your Escambia Property Taxes
February 22, 2011
Time is running out if you want to save one percent on your property tax bill.
A one percent discount when you pay your real estate and tangible personal property taxes ends on Monday, February 28, according to Janet Holley, Escambia County tax collector. Over $38 million — about 18 percent — of the tax roll remains unpaid.
In addition, payments will receive the one percent discount if:
- mailed with a postmark of February 28
- left in a 24-hour drop box available at all tax collector offices by midnight February 28
- made on the tax collector web site by midnight February 28
- made on the tax collector after-hours automated telephone (800) 601‑1055 by midnight February 28
Drive thru service and 24-hour drop boxes are available at all tax collector locations.
You may check the status of your taxes and pay online at www.escambiataxcollector.com. If you have any questions, please call the tax collector’s office at (850) 438-6500, ext. 252. TTY users for the hearing impaired call (850) 472-0031.
New Prisons Chief Less Interested In Lock Them Up, Throw Away The Key
February 22, 2011
More drug treatment, juvenile intervention and giving judges more flexibility in sentencing are the ways to improve Florida’s correctional system, the state’s newest prisons chief said Monday.
With only 96 hours under his belt, DOC Secretary Ed Buss spoke to reporters for the first time, answering questions on a range of issues he’ll likely face as he leads one of the nation’s largest prison systems during tough budget times.
Buss, 45, was lauded by his former boss, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, as a rising star in a new generation of prison officials when Scott tapped him to replace Walter McNeil.
With 29,000 inmates and a $650 million budget, Indiana’s prison system is much smaller than Florida’s, a sprawling network of facilities and programs overseeing more than 102,000 prisoners at a cost of $2.4 billion.
Scott has called for streamlining the agency and cutting close to 1,700 jobs. Buss, who cut 1,000 jobs while head of Indiana’s system, said Monday he’ll target middle and upper management first before cutting into front line workers.
“We will streamline from the top first,” said Buss, adding that he’s cut a third of his executive staff. “We’ve already done that.”
Buss said he intends to push for more innovative programs and early intervention to reduce the adult prison population. A major focus will be on juvenile justice and replacing “tough love” with job training and substance abuse programs.
“The boot camp model is no longer in vogue,” Buss said. “As it turns out, it hasn’t got us the outcomes we wanted in terms of reducing recidivism. These kids today have substance abuse issues like we never seen before. They need to get back in school and get an education.”
That approach is a sea change from the last couple of decades when getting tough on criminals was the demand from a fed-up populace. A series of minimum mandatory sentencing laws has taken effect over that time, including required minimum sentences for crimes using guns, such as 10-20-Life and a number of minimum mandatories for drug crimes, part of the so-called “war on drugs.”
Buss favors giving judges more discretion in handling cases.
”Florida is using incarceration as its number one form of justice,” “Buss said. “If that is the policy decision, you have to realize you are going to have to pay for it because incarceration costs the most compared to other alternatives.”
In addition, drug rehab, vocational and educational programs have been cut as lawmakers have dealt with increasingly tight budgets.
Buss said he said he thinks he can convince legislators and the governor that a little spent up front on those types of programs pays dividends in the end.
“I’m going to do my best,” Buss said. “This governor likes to measure. I’m going to show the measurements to prove to him that where we’re going is the best practice on where we should be going.”
Scott has talked about closing two prisons and privatizing others. Given the tight budget, Buss is onboard, saying Florida must look at less expensive and more successful programs, especially for non-violent offenders.
Buss’ remarks came Monday as Scott visited the Department of Corrections, one of a series of stops at the agencies he now oversees.
Despite the fact that he is proposing substantial job cuts at the agency, the governor was received cordially. Employees did raise concerns about his plans to require state workers to contribute more to their retirements, and possible cuts to health benefits at a time when they haven’t received a pay raise in several years.
By Michael Peltier
The News Service Florida
Students Headed To Washington On EREC Youth Tour
February 22, 2011
Taylor Byrd from Northview High School and Caristyn Golden from Jay High School have been named winners in the Escambia River Electric Cooperative 2011 Youth Tour to Washington contest.
Students from the EREC service area interviewed with a panel of judges in this competition for a chance to win the opportunity to visit Washington.
Judges from PowerSouth Energy Cooperative in Andalusia, Alabama, and Southern Pine Electric Cooperative in Brewton, Alabama, scored contestants in their interviews based on their knowledge of Escambia River Electric Cooperative and the history of rural electrification. Personal attributes of each candidate such as character, academic ability, personality and leadership abilities were also considered.
Byrd and Golden were chosen to represent EREC on the Washington Youth Tour. While in Washington, the teens will have the opportunity to see the sights, learn about our nation’s capitol, rural electrification and make new friends from across the country.
“EREC is very proud to have these two outstanding students represent them on the Washington Youth Tour this year. Congratulations to each of them on achieving this honor,” said Sabrina Owens, EREC spokesperson.
Pictured top: Taylor Byrd (left) from Northview High School and Caristyn Golden from Jay High School will represent EREC on the Washington Youth Tour. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Opposition Continues To Grow Against Landfill Near North Escambia
February 21, 2011
The list of governments opposed to a new landfill in Conecuh County, Alabama, continues to grow. The new 5,100 acre landfill will be located only about 25 miles north of Century and the North Escambia area.
Worries range from environmental impacts, property values to negative effects on roads, bridges and even tourism.
Escambia County, Fla., Escambia County, Ala., Baldwin County, Monroe County, Atmore, Flomaton, Brewton, East Brewton Excel, Frisco City, Excel, Monroeville, Repton and the Poarch Creek Indians have all passed resolutions in opposition to Conecuh Woods. Monday night, the Town of Century also voted to take a stance against Conecuh Woods.
Conecuh Woods LLC has formally applied for the landfill, which will include a 1,600 acre “disposal cell” from Range to Repton to near the Big Escambia Creek. Big Escambia Creek flows southward into Escambia County, Alabama, through Flomaton and drains through a North Escambia swamp into the Escambia River and then Escambia Bay.
Escambia County (Fla.) commissioners have said the dump could have an indirect environmental impact in Florida.
Conecuh Woods does not call their facility a dump or even a landfill on their website. Instead, they refer to it as a “state of the art waste disposal and green energy facility” that will be “environmentally safe” and “economically sound”.
The Citizens for a Clean Southwest Alabama has hired a law firm to fight the proposed dump. Holding signs that proclaimed “No Dump!”, the protesters gathered as the Conecuh County Commission met last week to discuss plans for public hearing next month on the landfill, which will accept about 15,000 tons of waste per day from across the country.
And even health officials have spoken out against the landfill.
“This project, if enacted, will be one of the mega threats to public health issues today and for generations to come,” said Ruth Harrell of the Coalition for a Healthier Escambia County (Ala.). “This project poses health risks to the entire region, and to the state…not just to Conecuh County.”
A public hearing for the Conecuh County Commission to consider approval for Conecuh Woods is set for March 10, 9 a.m., at Reid State Technical College in Evergreen. The commission has until April 2 to make a decision on the proposal.
Pictured: Residents gather last Monday in Evergreen, Ala., to protest a planned 5,1000 landfill. File photos courtesy WALA FOX 10 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.