New County Boss: Positive Potential Abound In Century
March 21, 2011
There is a lot of positive potential in Century that Escambia County can help promote — that was the word for new Escambia County Administrator Randy Oliver as he toured the town.
“There are a lot of assets here in Century,” Oliver said Friday as he toured Century with Mayor Freddie McCall and District 5 Commissioner Kevin White. “Mayor McCall’s got a lot to work with here.”
Oliver said that be believes the Pensacola Area Chamber of Commerce and Escambia County can help Century locate new business and industry.
Many of Century’s industrial and business properties are complete buildings, and many are move-in, get to work ready. “There’s a huge open door here for us to help Century, Oliver said.
The town’s business incubator, located on East Pond Street, is the former Century High School. Classrooms are converted into individual area for office space or other business uses. There is even a commercial kitchen available. But years after grant funding pair to renovate the buildings, the occupancy rate is exactly zero.
‘There’s potential here,” McCall said. “We just need to get the right people in here.”
Pictured top: Escambia County District 5 Commissioner Kevin White, County Administrator Randy Oliver and Century Mayor Freddie McCall discuss the future of Century while outside Century’s business incubator. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
11 Injured In Nine Mile Road Crash (Updated With Names)
March 21, 2011
Eleven people were injured in a Nine Mile Road Crash Sunday night.
The Florida Highway Patrol says 17-year old Airieale Gibbs of LaPlace, Louisiana, made a left turn into the path of a 2010 SUV driven by 52-year old Jeffery Goins, of Gonzales, Louisiana about 8:30 p.m. at the intersection of Nine Mile and Pine Forest roads.
Gibbs and three passengers in her 2011 Chevrolet receiving minor injuries, including Tremika Warner, 17, of Cantonment, Sherlene Gibbs, 49, and Ashley Gibbs, 12, of Louisiana.
Goins and six passengers received minor injuries, including Valerie Goins, 54; Hannah Goins, 9; Lisa McKinnis, 39; Terry Reese, 15; Cary Reese, 15; and Ebony Gary, 17, all of Louisiana.
Airieale Gibbs was charged with violation of right of way by the FHP.
The eleven injured were transported to West Florida and Sacred Heart hospitals with non-life threatening injuries.
Langley Bell 4-H Center Could Be Sold To Navy Federal Credit Union
March 21, 2011
Escambia County could sell the 240-acre Langley Bell 4-H Center in Beulah to Navy Federal Credit Union to grow its customer service center campus.
Within weeks, Navy Federal will employ over 3,000 people at its facility on Nine Mile Road, directly adjacent to the Langley Bell 4-H Center. To expand, Navy Federal, the largest credit union in the U.S., has begun talks to purchase the 4-H property for $2.5 to $4.5 million.
A public meeting was held Tuesday evening at the Langley Bell 4-H Center with a history of the facility, perspective from the Bell family, the current proposal, a Pensacola Chamber of Commerce/Navy Federal presentation and an open period for comments.
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: Students from Ernest Ward Middle and Northview High schools attend a Forestry Field Day at the Langley Bell 4-H Center in 2009. A construction crane at the Navy Federal campus can been seen in the background behind the lake. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
PBS ‘History Detectives’ Look For Clues In Pensacola
March 21, 2011
Investigators from the popular PBS television series History Detectives followed clues from Illinois to the Pensacola National Naval Aviation Museum over the weekend.
History Detectives host Elyse Luray came to Pensacola with a 1940’s airplane propeller found along a rural airstrip in Illinois, hoping museum experts could help her place the propeller in its proper historical context.
Saturday, Luray interviewed Hill Goodspeed, curator of the museum, and Bob Bothfield who served as an engineer in World War II, about the mystery propeller.
Working beside a rural airstrip, an Illinois man dug up the intriguing find: an eight-foot long wooden airplane propeller. A little research online made him believe that his propeller might be from a TDR-1 plane, a pioneering U.S. assault drone plane from World War II. Various websites say the TDR-1 were the first drones, the prototype of the unmanned assault planes used today in Afghanistan and Iraq.
On the History Detectives episode filmed partially in Pensacola Luray will investigate whether this propeller is an important piece of American military history or simply fell off a local prop plane.
The drone propeller story will air during History Detective’s ninth season during the summer of the year. History Detectives is seen locally on WSRE, channel 23.
Pictured top: Bob Bothfield who served as an engineer in World War II, and History Detectives host Elyse Luray pose in front of a TDR-1 drone on display at the Pensacola National Naval Aviation Museum. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview, Ernest Ward FFA Members Attend Ag On The Hill
March 21, 2011
Students from the FFA chapters at Northview High and Ernest Ward Middle schools attended the annual “Ag On the Hill” event last week in Tallahassee.
The seven students were among about 150 from the state’s 15,000 FFA members chosen to take part in the event that introduces the students to state leaders and the Legislature.
The local FFA members were able to visit with Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam, Sen. Greg Evers and Rep Doug Broxson. They were also introduced on the floor of the Legislature by Broxson.
Students attending from the Northview FFA were Lydia Weaver, Stephanie Solari, Allyson Bullard and Devin Bell, along with student teaching intern Anthony Cannon and FFA Advisor Perry Byars.
Students attending from Ernest Ward Middle School were Haylee Weaver, Allison Woodfin and Bethany Reynolds, with EWMS FFA Advisor Cindy Wilson.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
Ag on the Hill is presented annually by the Florida Association of Agricultural Educators, The University of Florida and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Pictured top: Northvew FFA members Stephanie Solari, Lydia Weaver, Allyson Bullard and Devin Bell; Sen. Greg Evers; Ernest Ward FFA members Allison Woodfin, Haylee Weaver and Bethany Reynolds at “Ag On the Hill. Pictured inset: Bullard and Bell on the floor of the Florida Legislature. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Students Awarded In Century Lions Sawmill Pageant Poster Contest
March 21, 2011
Two Escambia County (Ala.) Enrichment Program students were awarded for taking part in a poster contest to promote the 20th Annual Century Sawmill Pageant sponsored by the Century Lions Club. The winners were Mary Deese and Katelin Salter, both fifth graders at W.S. Neal Middle School.
The 20th Annual Century Sawmill Pageant sponsored by the Century Lions Club will be held Saturday, March 26 at 10 a.m. at the former Carver/Century School.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia SWAT Team Ends Stand-Off
March 20, 2011
The Escambia County Sheriff’s SWAT team arrested an Escambia County man this morning when he barricaded himself in his trailer following a disturbance with his live in girlfriend.
At around 5:44 a.m. Escambia County deputies responded to a disturbance at the Timberlake Mobile Home Park on West Michigan Ave. When they arrived, they found an injured victim outside the suspect’s trailer.
The 55-year old victim told deputies that her boyfriend woke her and accused her of stealing his new cell phone. When the victim denied the accusation, her boyfriend grabbed her and shoved her in a corner; he then began to repeatedly shoot her with a BB gun.
Deputies attempted to speak with the suspect, identified as Henry Paul Martin, 41 (pictured), but Martin refused to open the door to the trailer. He shouted out that if anyone tried to come in he would kill them. The victim had told deputies that Martin had rifles, shotguns and a crossbow in the trailer.
After unsuccessfully trying to communicate with Martin, the SWAT team was called.
“Shortly after our SWAT team’s arrival the suspect was taken into custody quickly and efficiently,” said Sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Chris Welborn. “They were able to make the arrest without injury to the suspect or any member of the team.”
Martin was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and aggravated battery. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail where is was held without bond.
Funeral Services Tuesday For Tate Freshman
March 20, 2011
Funeral services will be held Tuesday for Gabriel “Gabe” Kent Carter, the 15-year Tate High School student who collapsed and died Thursday.
The funeral will be at noon Tuesday at the St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church in Cantonment. Visitation was held Monday night at Faith Chapel North Funeral Home in Cantonment.
Gabe began experiencing a seizure in a classroom and collapsed Thursday. The freshman was transported from the school by LifeFlight to West Florida Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Grief counselors were made available at the school Thursday and Friday for Tate students.
Photo Gallery: NWE Opening Day (With NWE And Molino Game Photos)
March 20, 2011
Saturday was opening day for Northwest Escambia Little League, and NorthEscambia.com was there.
We have over 250 photos in our photo gallery, including action from almost every game with teams from both NWE and Molino.
For the photo gallery, click here.
Don’t forget — we’ll be happy to run your youth sports photos here on NorthEscambia.com all during the season Just email them as soon as possible after the game to news@northescambia.com or contact us on our Facebook page with your Facebook gallery.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Did You See The Saturday Night ‘Super Moon’?
March 20, 2011
The full moon brightened the Saturday night sky as the biggest full moon seen in almost two decades.
The moon was at perigee, its closest point to Earth – only 221,565 miles away. The last time the full moon coincided with an extreme perigee was March 8, 1993.
The moon appeared 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter in the sky than lesser full moons — when the moon is farthest from the Earth. But to the casual observer, it was difficult to tell the difference without comparing the moon to a nearby object as in the top photo.
Pictured top: The moon rises behind the Lincoln Memorial in Washington Saturday night (courtesy NASA). Picture inset: The moon rises in Walnut Hill, NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.