Female Ejected In Highway 97 Crash Sunday Night
October 24, 2010
A female was ejected from her vehicle in a single car crash Sunday night in Molino.
The accident happened on Highway 97 north of Molino Park Elementary School. The female, believed to be in her 50’s, was transported by ambulance to a Pensacola hospital following the 7:20 .m. crash.
She apparently lost control of her vehicle on the wet roadway and entered a ditch were she struck a tree. Further details and the woman’s condition were not immediately available; the accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded to the wreck.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Perfume Leads To Store Evacuation
October 24, 2010
Strong perfume led the evacuation of a Cantonment convenience store Saturday night.
The Cantonment Station of Escambia Fire Rescue was dispatched to the Tom Thumb at Woodbury Circle and Highway 29 about 6 p.m. Saturday for a strange, irritating odor that was bothering customers and employees. The store was evacuated as a precaution.
First responders were able to determine that the odor was a perfume. There were no injuries reported.
Pictured above: This Cantonment Tom Thumb convenience store was evacuated Saturday evening due to a strong, irritating odor that turned out to be perfume. NorthEscambia.com photo by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Unemployment Up In Escambia, Down In Santa Rosa
October 24, 2010
The latest job numbers show a slight increase in the number of unemployed in Escambia County, Fla., while Santa Rosa County had over 800 people return to work during the same monthly period.
Escambia County’s unemployment increased slightly— up from 10.9 percent in August to 11 percent in September. That represented a couple dozen jobs lost in a month for a total county unemployment of 15,696 people. One year ago, unemployment in Escambia County was 9.9 percent.
Santa Rosa County also recorded an a full percentage point drop in unemployment— from 10.7 percent in August to 9.7 percent in September. Santa Rosa County gained 846 jobs during the period, with a total of 6,993 persons still unemployed. The year-ago unemployment rate in Santa Rosa County was 9.5 percent.
The unemployment rate in Escambia County, Ala., held decreased slightly over the month from 10.9 to 10.6 percent, representing 1,533 unemployed. Last year’s unemployment rate for the same period in Escambia County was 13 percent.
Florida’s jobless rate inched up in September to 11.9 percent, an increase blamed on continued sluggishness in housing and credit markets that has idled construction and slowed sales of existing property. September’s rate, released by the Agency for Workforce Innovation, is up slightly from a revised 11.8 percent in August and higher by almost a point from the 11 percent posted in September 2009.
In human terms, the figure translates into 1.1 million Floridians who were unable to find work during the month. The figure does not include those who have stopped looking and others who may have had hours cut back or are working at a part-time positions.
“There are not a lot of bright spots in the employment report,” said Sean Snaith, University of Central Florida economist. “But that should not come as a big surprise. We’ve been forecasting that the unemployment rate would drift up through the end of the year.”
Much the lag has been the result of slow demand growth. In addition, Snaith said many companies have amped up productivity and are bringing existing workers, who may have cut back hours in recent years, to full-time status.
“A lot of firms are being able to handle what increased demand there is with the people they have,” Snaith said. “They don’t need to hire new workers.”
Alabama’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, at 8.9 percent in September, declined from the August rate of 9.2 percent but was above the year-ago rate of 10.7 percent.
Photos: Flomaton’s Great Homecoming
October 24, 2010
Flomaton took part in the statewide Alabama Year of Small Towns and Downtowns Saturday with their first ever Flomaton Great Homecoming.
Arts and crafts vendors, foods and entertainment set the stage for the event. During the Flomaton Great Homecoming, the town opened the doors on their brand new library which will be complete and officially opened in a few weeks.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
Pictured above: The Flomaton Great Homecoming was held Saturday. Pictured below: Residents got a sneak peek of the town’s brand new library. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photos: Williams Station Day
October 24, 2010
Thousands attended the annual Williams Station in Atmore on Saturday.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured above: Crowds at Saturday’s Williams Station Day in Atmore. Pictured below: The reunion of the “Kool Tools” band, a popular local band formed in the 1960’s. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Battle Of The Bench Results
October 24, 2010
The annual “Battle of the Bench” bench press contest was held Saturday at Williams Station Day in Atmore, with two area men bench pressing 415 pounds each.
Results from the event were as follows:
- Alan Bell, first place, 166-181 weight class, 315 bench press
- Robbie Davis, first place, 182-198 weight class, 380 bench press
- Pat Boone, first place, 199-220 weight class, 350 bench press
- Gordon Godwin, 221-242 weight class, 385 bench press
- Brian Richards, 260-275 weight class, 415 bench press
- Carl Ward, 276-308 weight class, 415 bench press
Featured Recipe: Prime Rib – Without The Fear
October 24, 2010
This weekend’s featured recipe from Janet Tharpe is a Simple No Fear Prime Rib. This dish will leave you feeling “gourmet” with tender meat a punch of flavor.
To print today’s “Just a Pinch” recipe column, you can click the image below to load a printable pdf with a recipe card.
Robots Teach Kids; Tate Takes ‘Blood, Sweat And Duct Tape Award’
October 24, 2010
Cheering fans, blaring instruments, and pounding drums — you may think of a football or soccer game. But this is no sports event. It’s a game of the future.
On Saturday morning the University of West Florida Field House buzzed with activity and the Emerald Coast BEST Robotics competition whirred to a start.
The futuristic competition plays out in an arena setting complete with referees, cheerleaders, mascots and cheering students. A deafening din fills the air as 21 area high schools and middle schools compete with their robots, all a part of an initiative to inspire students to pursue careers in engineering, science and technology. Gulf Power Company is the major sponsor of BEST — Boosting, Engineering, Science and Technology.
This year’s theme, “Total Recall,” is a word play on quality control. In the competition, students will control their robots to successfully process and package as much “good” product as possible while striving for Six Sigma quality levels on each production line. Some products may be identified as “defective” and will be “recalled.”
It’s all a part of an initiative to inspire students to pursue careers in engineering, science and technology through participation in a sports-like, science and engineering-based robotics competition each fall. Student teams are judged on robot performance, marketing presentation, team exhibit/interview, project engineering notebook, and spirit and sportsmanship.
Josh King, eleventh grader from Escambia High School, said the competition helped him realize how important science and math are to the real world.
“To get ready for this you have to use the whole engineering design process,” said King. “It starts with brainstorming, then design, then prototype and then final product. We really had fun out there.”
King plans to pursue an Architectural Engineering degree at the University of West Florida.
King’s teacher and lead for the Robotics Club Bob Rainey said BEST helps get the students excited about science and math.
“They have to apply their skills in math and science and engineering,” said Rainey. “This is something really authentic the students can get involved with. BEST Robotics prepares them because everything in life is going to be a project for them, and they’re going to have to overcome problems.”
Max Levesque (pictured left), a sixth grader and part of the team from Workman Middle School that won first place in the robotics competition, said involvement in robotics had given him a greater interest in math.
“This is something different than what I usually do in school,” said Levesque, “I actually kind of like math more now.”
Introduced by two MIT students, BEST — Boosting Engineering Science and Technology — has grown into a nationally recognized competition challenging more than 50,000 participants since its start in 1993.
Area schools have been competing since 2004, when Gulf Power sponsored eight local teams in the regional competition in Mobile. Twenty schools across Northwest Florida participated in the regionals, and the top schools will advance to competition at Auburn University.
Students had six weeks to build their robots and teams were judged on robot performance, oral presentation, table display, project notebook, spirit and sportsmanship.
Four schools in Northwest Florida were among the winners that will advance to the finals at Auburn University on Nov. 18 – 20: Woodlawn Middle School, Bethlehem K-12, Workman Middle and Woodham Middle.
BEST Award
1. Woodham Middle School
2. Woodlawn Beach Middle School
3. Seaside Neighborhood Middle School
Gulf Power- Blood, Sweat and Duct Tape Award
Tate High School
Robotics Award
1. Workman Middle School
2. Bethlehem K-12
3. Milton High School
4. Woodham Middle
Best Team Website
Seaside Neighborhood Middle School
Best T-shirt Design
1. Hobbs Middle School
2. Sims Middle School
3. Woodham Middle School
Founders Award for Creative Design
Seaside Neighborhood Middle School
Most Robust Robot
Workman Middle School
Most Photogenic Robot
Merritt Brown Middle School
Most Elegant Machine
Milton High School
Best Team Exhibit and Interview
1. Holley Navarre Middle School
2. Woodlawn Beach Middle School
3. Merritt Brown Middle School
Best Marketing Presentation
1. Woodham Middle School
2. Holley-Navarre Middle School
3. Woodlawn Beach Middle School
Best Project Engineering Notebook
1. Bethlehem K-12
2. Woodlawn Beach Middle School
3. Seaside Neighborhood Middle School
Best Spirit and Sportsmanship
1. Woodham Middle School
2. Seaside Neighborhood Middle School
3. Sims Middle School
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Video: Northview Vs. Jay
October 24, 2010
Here are video highlights by Keith Garrison from Northview’s win Friday night over Jay.
For game details, click here for the NorthEscambia.com story. For a photo gallery, click here.
Driver Charged After Head-on Molino Wreck (Updated Details, Names)
October 23, 2010
A 19-year old Pensacola woman was charged after a head-on collision Friday night in Molino.
The accident happened about 6:20 at the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 97.
The Florida Highway patrol said Amy Irby, 19, of Pensacola was traveling north on Highway 29 in a 2009 Ford Focus when she attempted a left turn and traveled into the path of a 2003 Kia SUV driven by Theresa Williams, 32, of Pensacola. The vehicles collided head-on in the intersection.
Williams was seriously injured and transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola by LifeFlight. Her passenger, Antwon Smith, 27, of Pensacola was not seriously injured. Irby and her passenger, Muneca Rodriguez, 15, of Pensacola, received minor injuries and were transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola by ambulance.
Irby was charged with violation of right of way by the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Molino, Cantonment and McDavid stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the crash, along with the FHP, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and Escambia County EMS.
Pictured above and below: A two vehicle head-on accident Friday night in Molino. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
