Northview Defeats PCA
October 13, 2010
The Northview Lady Chiefs defeated Pensacola Christian Academy in both varsity and junior varsity volleyball Tuesday.
Varsity
The Chiefs defeated PCA in a five-game match, 25-17, 23-25, 25-20, 22-25, 15-7.
Senior Shawna Montgomery led the Lady Chiefs with 11 kills, six blocks, six digs and seven aces. Sarah Killam added 13 assists, one kill and an ace, while Ashley Digmon had 14 assists, one ace and two digs.
Morgan Payne, a sophomore, recorded four kills, two aces, two blocks and a dig, and Katie Wieborg had three digs, one block, 11 kills and two aces for the Lady Chiefs.
Northview’s varsity improved to 6-14 overall, 4-3 in the district.
The Lady Chiefs have one remaining home match this season as they host Jay on Thursday. The JV plays at 5 p.m., and the varsity takes the court at 6 p.m. for Senior Night.
Junior Varsity
The NHS JV defeated PCA in two straight games, 25-8, 25-20 to improve to 3-0 overall.
The Lady Chiefs had one kill, one ace, five assists and one dig from Madison Arrington, and Danielle Steadham added three kills and one block. Lana Clayton had seven kills and one block, and Paeton Hadley had one kills, six assists and two aces for the JV Lady Chiefs.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Trike-A-Thon Helps Children’s Hospital
October 13, 2010
The Camp Fire USA Century Youth Learning Center recently participated in the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Trike-A-Thon.
The Trike-A-Thon is designed children riding-toy safety lessons while raising money for St. Jude.
“The children discussed all week how to ride a bicycle safely and how they were helping support a cure for cancer research,” said Pam Townson, director of the Camp Fire USA Century Youth Learning Center. “The children had a wonderful time and were very excited about the event.”
The was the second year that the Camp Fire USA Century Youth Learning Center has taken part in the St. Jude’s Trike-A-Thon.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Landfill’s Methane Gas Now Powering 900+ Homes
October 13, 2010
Gulf Power’s Landfill Gas-to-Energy facility is now up and running, producing 3,200 kilowatts — enough renewable energy to power more than 900 homes.
It is the first renewable energy generation facility owned and operated by Gulf Power, and the first landfill gas-to-energy facility by its parent Southern Company. The energy capacity can be expanded as landfill methane gas production expands in the future.
The partnership between Gulf Power and Escambia County was launched officially in February, when Gulf Power broke ground on its $5.3-million facility. Gulf Power has a contract with Escambia County for the purchase of landfill gas and with LFG Technologies Development to build and operate the landfill gas-to-energy facility.
“The project showcases how Gulf Power can partner with Escambia County and other communities to produce affordable renewable energy while providing tremendous benefits for our community and the environment,” said Sandy Sims, manager of Gulf Power Public Affairs. “We will produce renewable electricity that will benefit Gulf Power customers and create revenue for Escambia County. And it gives us an opportunity to teach schoolchildren about renewable energy.”
Landfill methane gas is one of the most cost-effective forms of renewable energy, forming naturally by bacterial decomposition of organic material in landfills, according to Gulf Power.
Municipal solid waste landfills are the second largest human-generated source of methane emissions in the United States and methane is one of the most potent forms of greenhouse gases — 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Escambia County has a collection system in place and pipes the gas to the facility, where it is processed for use by the specially designed Caterpillar 1,600-kilowatt landfill gas generators. Water separated from the landfill gas will be re-used by the Landfill for its leachate system.
While this is the first such facility in Southern Company, Gulf Power has launched other partnerships that the company said benefits communities and the environment:
Gulf Power/Emerald Coast Utilities Authority — Less than a year after the scrubber started reducing emissions by more than 90 percent at Plant Crist, the plant will begin using millions of gallons of reclaimed water from the new ECUA Water Reclamation Facility. The water will be used by the scrubber system and for cooling operations at the plant. This partnership, which helps establish the ECUA plant as a zero-discharge facility to replace the Main Street Wastewater Plant, won a Sustainable Florida Best Practices award.
Gulf Power/Santa Rosa County — Gulf Power partnered with Santa Rosa County to install a meteorological tower on Navarre Beach to test the viability of wind energy. The partnership also provides renewable energy education for Navarre High School.
Pictured: Gulf Power Company’s Landfill Gas-to-Energy facility, including two 1,600-kilowatt landfill gas generators. Submitted photos by Sean Smith, Gulf Power, for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Golfer Makes First Hole-In-One
October 13, 2010
Anna Jackson, a sophomore on the Tate Laddy Aggies Golf Team, made her first hole-in-one at Cypress Lakes.
Jackson, who has been playing golf for just one year, made the Par 3 on Hole 5 from 131 yards. She also had the Pace High School tournament’s lowest score.
Anna is the daughter of Tracy Dortch-Jackson and Johnathan Jackson of Pensacola, granddaughter of Randy and Sue Dortch of Bratt, and the granddaughter of Jarrett and Marcia Jackson of Cantonment.
Pedestrian Struck By Vehicle In Walnut Hill
October 12, 2010
A pedestrian stepped into the path of a vehicle Tuesday evening in Walnut Hill.
Barbara Syria, 65, of Walnut Hill, stepped into the path of a Toyota Sequoia SUV driven by Shnelius Spencer, 35, of Walnut Hill. Spencer was unable to avoid hitting Syria, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The accident happened just before 6 p.m. in the 5700 block of Arthur Brown Road near the Walnut Hill Baptist Church.
Syria, who was struck by the front of the SUV and its passenger side mirror, was transported by ambulance to Atmore Community Hospital. Her injuries were not considered serious, according to the FHP.
Spencer was not charged in connection with the accident.
Pictured above and below: A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle Tuesday evening in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Middle Placed On Lockdown Due To ‘Suspicious’ Item
October 12, 2010
Ernest Ward Middle School was placed on lockdown Tuesday afternoon after suspicions were aroused by an item found in the cafeteria.
“Because of our desire to provide a safe and wholesome learning environment, the school was placed on lockdown,” said Norm Ross, deputy superintendent. The item was not a weapon of any kind, drug related, or a specific threat, according to Ross. “It’s not something we want to get into,” he said.
The school and students were searched as a precaution, he said. “We found absolutely nothing,” Ross said, “in a school of over 500 students.”
Gates to the school were unlocked at 3:40, and parents were allowed to enter the campus for afternoon dismissal. Buses were slightly delayed in leaving campus.
Pictured above: Parents line up outside Ernest Ward Middle School Tuesday afternoon as the gates are opened following a lockdown. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Barrineau Park Construction Zone Wreck Injures One (Updated)
October 12, 2010
One person was injured when a pickup truck collided a sweeper in a construction zone on Barrineau Park Road Tuesday morning.
The accident happened about 7:10 a.m. just west of Schifko Road when a 1996 GMC pickup driven by William Findley, 69, of Molino collided with a street sweeper operated by Jaime Rodriguez, 24, of Pensacola. Both vehicles were eastbound on Barrineau Park Road when Findley struck the rear of the slow-moving construction vehicle, according to the FHP.
Rodriguez was transported to a West Florida Hospital by ambulance with minor injuries; Findley suffered minor injuries but was not transported to the hospital.
Findley was cited with careless driving by the FHP.
The force of the impact pushed the Broce Broom sweeper operated by Roads, Inc. onto the shoulder of Barrineau Park Road. The pickup came to rest in the middle of the roadway, shutting down Barrineau Park Road for about an hour.
The accident was investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol. Engine 1819 from the Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded to the morning crash.
Pictured above and below: A road sweeper driver was injured in this crash with a pickup truck Tuesday morning on Barrineau Park Road. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Little Found During Daily Drug Dog Searches In Escambia Schools
October 12, 2010
Drug dogs have been used daily in Escambia County’s schools since August, and, so far, very few illegal substances have been found.
Each day, at least one middle or high school in the county is randomly visited by a canine officer and his dog. The North Escambia schools — Ernest Ward, Northview, Ransom and Tate — have each had five random searches since the first day of school. Nothing has been found at any of the North Escambia schools, according to data obtained Monday by NorthEscambia.com. (See the complete report at the bottom of this page, click to enlarge.)
Of the 17 schools searched, only three have had positive searches — Escambia High, Washington High and the Judy Andrews Center. At Washington High, the K-9 has alerted on three of five visits, including finds of two grams of marijuana in a men’s bathroom, an empty baggie that smelled of marijuana and a third find of a trace amount of marijuana.
The most searched schools have been Workman Middle and West Florida High School with six canine visits each, while Jim Bailey Middle and Pensacola High School have been searched just twice. The Judy Andrews Center, which provides career, technical and adult programs, has only been searched once.
The Escambia County School Board implemented the random drug dog searches this school year, as part of an aggressive anti-drug and alcohol policy. Only one person at the district office, Manager of Protection Services Steven Sharp, knows which school will be visited in advance. The canine officer reports to the principal’s office upon his or her arrival and is accompanied during the search by an administrator or their designee.
Students are not being searched, and they are removed from any classroom that is searched. Searches also include hallways, lockers, parking lots and other common areas.
The district is spending $36,000 from its general fund over the course of a year for the program. Two dozen off-duty canine officers from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Pensacola Police Department are utilized for the searches.
Pictured above: Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Master Deputy Wayne Gulsby performs a drug dog search late last week at Northview High School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Thief Strips Copper Wiring From County Radio Tower In Molino
October 12, 2010
Copper wiring valued at over $3,000 was reported stolen Monday from a county radio tower in Molino.
A technician for CES Team One Communications, the company that maintains the radio tower for Escambia County, told deputies that the theft occurred sometime between September 1 and his service visit Monday morning.
The technician told Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigators that someone cut a gate lock on the fence surrounding the tower, which is located behind the Escambia County Health Department on Highway 29.
The thief took two copper bars about three feet in length and cut nine, two-foot sections of copper wire; and ten, six-foot sections. The items were valued at $3,450.
According to Escambia County officials, the wiring was part of the tower’s electrical grounding system and no county communications systems were taken off the air by the incident. Spokesperson Cameron Johnson said the missing wiring would place the tower and equipment at a higher risk of damage from lightning, and replacement items are on order.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigation into the incident is continuing.
Sample Ballots Mailed
October 12, 2010
Sample ballots for the upcoming November 2 General Election have been mailed to Escambia County voters, according to Supervisor of Elections David Stafford.
The sample ballot includes an image of both sides of the ballot, the voter’s polling location, instructions on marking their ballot, and information on early voting, absentee voting, and voting at the polls on Election Day. A sample ballot is also available at EscambiaVotes.com.
Escambia County voters have three different ways to cast their ballot:
BY MAIL: Voters may vote by mail via an absentee ballot by contacting the Elections Office by mail, phone (850-595-3900), e-mail (absentee@escambiavotes.com), fax (850-595-3914), or using the online form at EscambiaVotes.com. Absentee requests must include the voter’s date of birth and address, and must be received no later than Wednesday, October 27th. Voted ballots must be received in the Elections Office by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. Absentee voters may now track their ballot status by clicking the Track My Ballot link on EscambiaVotes.com.
EARLY VOTING: Beginning Monday, October 18th, voters may cast their ballot early at any one of four area locations:
Elections Office, 213 Palafox Place, 2nd Floor;
Elections Office Cantonment Annex, 292 Muscogee Road;
Genealogy Branch (formerly Tryon Branch) Library, 5740 North 9th Avenue;
Southwest Branch Library, 12248 Gulf Beach Highway.
Early voting dates and times are as follows:
Monday, October 18 through Friday, October 22: 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 23: 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 24: 11:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
Monday, October 25 through Saturday, October 30: 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
AT YOUR PRECINCT: The third option for voters is to cast their ballot at their precinct from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.