Support The Chiefs: Poster Contest Winners Named
December 3, 2010
Winners were named Thursday in the Support the Chiefs poster contest at Northview High School.
Kara Hardin’s “Let’s Go Chiefs: Get That Ring” was the winner in the non-computer enhanced division. There was a three-way tie for the winning poster in the digital publishing category: between Katie Wieborg’s “I Am A Chief”, Dixie Carnley’s “Show Some Spirit Northview Chiefs” and Heather Barrows’ “Go Chiefs”.
Pictured above: Katie Wieborg, Kara Hardin, Dixie Carnley and Heather Barrows. Winning posters are below. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Above by Heather Barrow.
Above by Dixie Carnley.
Above by Katie Wieborg.
Above by Kara Hardin.
3rd Copper Theft Reported From A Molino Tower
December 3, 2010
For the second time in just over two months, copper wiring was stripped from a county-ownned radio tower in Molino.
The theft was discovered Thursday at the communications tower, which is located behind the Escambia County Health Department on Highway 29. Each time, the thief removed copper wiring that is part of the tower’s grounding equipment. Radio communications using the tower were not interrupted.
In October, a technician for CES Team One Communications, the company that maintains the radio tower for Escambia County, discovered items worth about $3,450 missing from the tower. That theft occurred sometime between September 1 and October 11.
On November 22, technicians discovered hundreds of dollars in copper grounding wire missing from the privately owned communications tower adjacent to the Molino Ballpark on Crabtree Church Road. The wiring was part of that tower’s electrical grounding system. There were no reports that any of the services on the tower were disrupted. At least one cellular telephone company serves the Molino area from the tower.
Anyone with information on the thefts is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Pictured above and below: Copper wiring was discovered missing from this cellular telephone tower on Crabtree Church Road earlier this month. Pictured inset: Wiring was discovered missing from this county owned communications tower in October 11 and again on December 2. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Claimed: Escambia Lottery Ticket Worth $1 Million
December 3, 2010
A Powerball lottery ticket sold on Nine Mile Road is worth $1 million.
Four players matched five numbers in the Wednesday Powerball drawing, with three of the winners adding “Power Play” to their ticket to win the a $1 million prize. A million dollar ticket was sold at the Kangaroo Express at Nine Mile Road and I-10.
The ticket was claimed Friday by Gary Morgan, 43, of Daphne, Ala. Morgan told Lottery officials that he plans to spend a portion of the winnings to buy Christmas presents for his children.
The winning numbers were 05-10-11-12-20 and the Powerball was 02.
Chiefs Spirit Hits The Road
December 3, 2010
Two spirit buses of Chiefs fans pulled out of Northview High School this morning on their way to Jacksonville for tonight’s Region 1-A playoff game. Pictured left: The Chief take over a Cracker Barrel along the way. Pictured below: Decorating a bus.
(This article was originally published prior to Northview’s 49-14 loss December 3 against Trinity Christian.)
Submitted photos by Wayne Holland for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bike Ride To Benefit Toys For Tots
December 3, 2010
The Pensacola Off-Road Cyclists will host a cycling trail ride on December 4 to benefit the Marine Corp’s Toys for Tots program.
The ride will be held at the University of West Florida mountain bike trails. The 50-mile ride begins at 8 a.m.; the 25-mile ride begins at 11 a.m.; and a 10-mile ride begins at 1 p.m. The entry fee is at least one new, unwrapped toy donation for Toys for Tots.
The event will include feeding and mechanic stations, a post-ride meal and prizes.
Check-in begins at 7 a.m. at the trail head. For details, visit, porc.org.
One Injured In Highway 99 Rollover Crash
December 2, 2010
One person was injured in a single vehicle rollover accident Thursday morning on North Highway 99 in Oak Grove.
The driver of a SUV was transported to a local hospital by ambulance with non life-threatening injuries. The female driver apparently lost control while northbound near the Oak Grove Citizen’s Convenience Center, ran off the road, through a fence and overturned into the driveway of a home in the 700 block of North Highway 99.
Firefighters were forced to used the Jaws of Life to free the driver, who was not seriously injured, from the overturned vehicle. There were no passengers in the SUV.
The name of the driver has not been released; the accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Atmore Ambulance also responded to the call.
Pictured above: First responders work from free the driver from the overturned vehicle. Pictured inset: The vehicle came to rest upside down after going through a fence and downing a small tree. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Holds Sendoff Pep Rally For The Chiefs (With Video)
December 2, 2010
Northview High School held a big sendoff pep rally for their Region 1-A Champion Chiefs Thursday morning. The football team departed after the pep rally on their way to Jacksonville for the state semifinal game against Trinity Christian Friday night.
(This article was originally published prior to Northview’s 49-14 loss December 3 against Trinity Christian.)
For a photo gallery from the pep rally, click here.
Pictured: Scenes from a pep rally Thursday morning at Northview High School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Grand Opening Held For $316 Million ECUA Wastewater Plant
December 2, 2010
Thursday was the official grand opening for the largest public works project in the history of Escambia County — the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority’s new Central Water Reclamation Facility in Cantonment, which has been in operation since late August.
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority held community celebration to mark the completion of the new, $316-million CWRF. The public was invited to join ECUA board members and staff, as well as federal, state and local officials, as the state-of-the-art facility officially began operations.
The new plant sits on 2,000 acres on land adjacent to Ascend Performance Materials (formerly Solutia) on Old Chemstrand Road near Cantonment. A full 15 miles north of the existing Main Street Treatment Plant, the facility is well above the flood plain and is built to resist hurricane-force winds. Redundant power and storage systems help to ensure that the facility can remain operational during conditions that crippled the Main Street plant during Hurricane Ivan in 2004.
With the CWRF complete, ECUA plans to demolish the aging Main Street facility, which many believe will help encourage economic development in the area. Another benefit is that reclaimed water from that facility will no longer be discharged into Pensacola Bay. Thanks to innovative partnerships with Gulf Power Company and International Paper, reclaimed water from the CWRF will be reused by those two companies.
The CWRF was funded in large part through grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other federal sources, the State of Florida, Escambia County and the City of Pensacola. Several local firms, employing hundreds of Northwest Florida employees, participated in the design and construction of the facility and its 25 miles of pipeline.
Escambia Meets Class Size Caps, Santa Rosa Does Not
December 2, 2010
The Escambia County School District officially complies with Florida’s class size amendment, but Santa Rosa does not.
In a state report released late Tuesday, Escambia was among 32 of Florida’s 67 school districts that met the mandate that dictates how many students can be in certain classes at each grade level.
Santa Rosa County had a total of 393 classes not in compliance, according to the state report.
In 2002, voters passed a constitutional amendment that capped individual classrooms at 18 students in kindergarten through third grade, 22 in fourth through eighth grade, and 25 in high school. The limits have been phased in since the amendment was passed, with the hard numerical caps going into effect this year. The state has struggled to pay for the constitutional mandate, making it, in turn, difficult for schools to meet the requirement.
Districts not in compliance have until December 17 to file an appeal to the Florida Department of Education. Those still not under the caps have until February 15 to present the state with a plan to meet the mandate.
The districts that remain in of violation of class size standards laid out in the state Constitution potentially face hefty fines. A percentage of the fines will be awarded to those district in compliance. A spokesman for the department said the exact amount in fines has not yet been calculated.
In November, voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have repealed those hard class size caps, allowing class size caps to be calculated at a school-wide average, rather than on a per-classroom basis.
Bid Awarded To Move Carver/Century Covered Play Area To Bratt
December 2, 2010
The Escambia County School District has awarded a contract to move a covered play area from the former Carver/Century School to Bratt Elementary School.
The low bidder on the project was Trammell Construction, Inc. at $48,275 for moving the structure, plus $1,051 for an intercom system for the play area. There were six other bids received in amounts up to $99,000.
Current plans call for the 40 x 60 foot structure to be moved to Bratt Elementary over Christmas break. The 16-foot high cover will be disassembled and re-erected at Bratt with electricity and appropriate lighting.
“The request was made by the school to investigate the feasibility of relocating the covered play structure located at the former Carver/Century K-8 school to Bratt Elementary. The assessment was conducted and the project was commissioned,” said Shawn Dennis, assistant superintendent of operations for the Escambia County School District.
Pictured above: A festival was held under the covered play area at Carver/Century K-8 school in October, 2008. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.