Primary Voting Begins
August 10, 2010
Voters around Escambia and Santa Rosa counties began casting their ballots Monday as two weeks of early voting got underway leading up the August 24 primaries.
There are four early voting locations in Escambia County:.
- Supervisor of Elections Main Office, 213 Palafox Place 2nd Floor
- Supervisor of Elections Annex, 292 Muscogee Road, Cantonment
- Southwest Branch Library, 12248 Gulf Beach Highway
- West Florida Genealogy Library (former Tryon Branch Library), 5740 North 9th Avenue
Early voting in Escambia County will be offered Monday, August 9th through Friday, August 13th from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, August 14th from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.; Sunday, August 15th from 11:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.; and Monday, August 16th through Saturday, August 21st from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Early voters will cast paper ballots through our digital scanners, and may choose any one of the four sites.
And there are two early voting locations for Santa Rosa County residents:
- Elections Office (behind McDonalds on U.S. 90, Milton), 6495 Caroline St., Suite F
- South Service Center (one block east of the zoo on U.S. 98), 5841 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze.
Early voting in Santa Rosa County will held from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. through August 21, with no early voting on Sunday.
Another option for voters is to cast an absentee ballot, which can be obtained by contacting the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections by mail, phone (850-595-3900), e-mail (absentee@escambiavotes.com), fax (850-595-3914), or by using the online form at EscambiaVotes.com. Requests must include the voter’s date of birth and the address where the ballot should be mailed, and must be received no later than Wednesday, August 18th. Voted ballots must be received in the Elections Office no later than 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. Absentee voters may now follow the status of their ballot by clicking “Track My Ballot” on EscambiaVotes.com.
To obtain an absentee ballot in Santa Rosa County, contact the supervisor of electons by mail, phone (850-983-1900), e-mail (bodenstein@santarosa.fl.gov), fax (850-983-1829), or by using the online form at www.santa rosa.fl.gov/elections.
Man Allegedly Assaults Underage Girl At Walmart
August 10, 2010
An Escambia County man was arrested Sunday night at a Pensacola Walmart after being held at gunpoint by the father of an underage girl he allegedly groped.
William Burten Butler, 29, of Pensacola, was charged with battery and lewd and lacivious behavior following the incident.
An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy, already at the Walmart on an unrelated case, was approached by a customer and advised of a fight in the parking lot. The deputy learned that the juvenile’s father, Richard Ferrand, 41, had witnessed Butler approach his juvenile daughter and ask for her phone number. Ferrand approached Butler and asked him to leave her alone, according to deputies.
Ferrand continued to keep close watch over his daughter and two of her friends, also juveniles, when he saw Butler walk into the women’s restroom that his daughter was using. Ferrand, concerned for his daughter’s safety, also entered the restroom. He noticed that while his daughter was attempting to leave Butler followed and slid his hand under the back of her shirt.
Ferrand followed Butler and asked a cashier to call the Sheriff’s Office. He also dialed 911 on his cell phone. Once in the parking lot Butler became aggressive towards Ferrand. Ferrand, fearing for his safety, withdrew a handgun from his waist and held Butler until the deputy arrived. Ferrand was in possession of a concealed carry permit at the time of the incident, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Butler remains in the Escambia County Jail on $70,000 bond.
The incident occurred at the Walmart on Blue Angel Parkway.
Escambia Deputies Investigate Stabbing Death
August 9, 2010
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a stabbing death during a Saturday morning domestic disturbance.
Jose Domingo Velez, 38, died after being stabbed by a 17 year old juvenile, according to a statement released Monday afternoon by the Sheriff’s Office. Investigators are not releasing the juvenile’s name.
Deputies responded to residence in the 1700 block of North 58th Avenue about 5:50 a.m. Saturday and found Velez lying on the front porch. “Deputies performed CPR until EMS arrived and transported him to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead,” according to Chris Wellborn, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Wellborn said the investigation is ongoing and no charges have been filed against the juvenile. Investigators are still awaiting autopsy results and forensic evidence tests. Further details were no available.
Report: 160,000 Acres Of Local Farmland Are Foreign Owned
August 9, 2010
That all-American farm in your area may not be as American as you think.
According to a report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, tens of thousands of acres of farmland — almost 160,000 in all — in the North Escambia area are owned by foreigners.
In Escambia County, there are 56,994 acres of farmland that are foreign-owned — 55,681 of the acres are forestland, 249 acres are classified as other-agricultural uses, and 1,064 are non-ag. Most is owned by interests in the Netherlands (56,745 acres) and Germany (249 acres).
In Santa Rosa County, there are 58,626 acres of farmland that are foreign-owned — 57,414 of the acres are forestland and 1,263 acres are classified as other-agricultural uses.Most is owned by interests in the Netherlands (57,363 acres) and other countries (1,263 acres) not listed in the report.
In Escambia County, Alabama, there are 44,156 acres of farmland that are foreign-owned — 43,191 of the acres are forestland, 947 acres are classified as other-agricultural uses and 18 acres are cropland.Most is owned by interests in the Netherlands (44,138 acres) and Canada (18 acres) not listed in the report.
In Florida, foreigners own 201,213 acres of cropland, 144,353 acres of pasture, 567,825 acres of forest. Over 1,056,681 total acres of farmland are foreign-owned in Florida.
In Alabama, foreigners own of 4,162 cropland, 3,169 acres of pasture, 1,441,911 acres of forest. There are 1,481,520 total acres of farmland that are foreign-owned in Alabama.
Foreign persons held an interest in 22.2 million ares of U.S. agricultural land in the U.S. That represents 1.7 percent of all privately held agricultural land and just under 1 percent of all land in the United States, according to the USDA report.
Pictured top: An American-owned field is cultivated in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
First Day Of School In Alabama; Two Weeks To Go In Florida
August 9, 2010
Monday was the first day of school for students in Escambia County, Alabama, while students in Escambia County, Florida, and Santa Rosa County will return to class on August 23 — just two weeks away.
Click the name of your child’s school district below for a printable calendar.
Century’s Showalter 5-1
August 9, 2010
Around Baltimore, they are all calling the boy that grew up on the little league fields of Century a “comeback kid”.
Century’s Buck Showalter’s record as the new Baltimore Orioles manager stands at 5-1 after a disappointed weekend loss.
Showalter, Nat as the locals like to call him, was handed his first loss Saturday night at Camden Yards as his Baltimore Orioles lost to the White Sox 4-2. But Showalter’s O’s surged Sunday as Baltimore beat the White Sox 4-3.
As the Orioles head into Monday’s finale of a seven-game homestand, the pitching rotation is at a 1.94 ERA.
“We pitch like this with our starting pitching,” Showalter said. “We’ll play with anybody or any club.”
Alzheimer’s Support Group To Meet Wednesday
August 9, 2010
Alzheimer’s Family Services provides monthly support groups for family members or friends coping with a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease.
A support group meeting will take place Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. at Century United Methodist Church at 530 Church Street. The support group is free but registration is required to attend, and respite care is available in most locations.
Support Groups are a means for caregivers and others interested in learning more about Alzheimer’s disease to exchange ideas, gather information and discuss their concerns with others who are dealing or have dealt with the same issues. To register for this support group or for additional information, call (850) 478-7790 or visit www.AlzFamServ.org.
Alzheimer’s Family Services is a not-for-profit organization serving individuals and families in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton counties in Florida as well as Escambia County in Alabama.. Our mission is to provide education and emotional support through a variety of services including: memory screens, support groups, tracking devices for wandering patients, respite, and counseling. AFS is an affiliate of Covenant Hospice.
In Depth: Area School Grades
August 9, 2010
Bratt Elementary, Byrneville Elementary and Jim Allen Elementary all fell from A-rated schools. Molino Park Elementary remained at a B. Ernest Ward Middle and Ransom Middle each remained at an A-rating for the fifth consecutive year.
In Escambia County, there were 23 schools that had declining scores, with 18 remaining the same.
[For a story about school grades from Saturday, click here.]
The school letter grades include a point system. The point total for every North Escambia area school declined, even for those schools that did not drop a letter grade. The total points for each area school are shown below.
BRATT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
2009-2010: 510
2008-2009: 600
2007-2008: 637
BYRNEVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, INC.
2009-2010: 490
2008-2009: 528
2007-2008: 526
ERNEST WARD MIDDLE SCHOOL
2009-2010: 578
2008-2009: 606
2007-2008: 565
JAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
2009-2010: 520
2008-2009: 540
2007-2008: 530
JIM ALLEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
2009-2010: 501
2008-2009: 565
2007-2008: 572
MOLINO PARK ELEMENTARY
2009-2010: 557
2008-2009: 576
2007-2008: 532
RANSOM MIDDLE SCHOOL
2009-2010: 549
2008-2009: 592
2007-2008: 579
$57,770 Lottery Prize Claimed By North Escambia Woman
August 9, 2010
A Cantonment woman is $57,770.12 richer from a Fantasy Five Quick Pick lottery ticket she purchased a local convenience store.
Patricia A. Smillie of Cantonment had one of four tickets sold with the numbers 6-15-19-24-33. Smillie’s purchased her ticket at the Bindu Food Mart #1 at 1239 Muscogee Road.
The other three winning tickets, also worth $57,770.12 each, were sold in West Palm Beach, Pinellas Park and Tampa. There were 368 tickets matching four of five numbers worth $101 each. Anther 9,994 tickets matched three numbers for $10 each, and 99,300 matched two numbers for a free Quick Pick ticket.
Stormy Saturday Night: Lightning Hits House; Sets Off Alarms At School, Nursing Home, 2,000 Lose Power
August 8, 2010
A strong area of thunderstorms moved slowly through the North Escambia area early Saturday evening, with one resident reporting a lightning strike at their home. The storm also left over 2,000 homes and business in the dark in North Escambia.
The resident reported the lightning strike just before 7 p.m. at their home in the 800 block of North Century Boulevard in McDavid, about a mile north of Highway 164. The resident told emergency operators that they smelled smoke.
The McDavid, Century, Walnut Hill and Molino stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the home. Electrical fixtures in the home’s bathroom sustained minor damage.
A short time later, a fire alarm, possible related to lightning, was reported at Byrneville Elementary School. Fire units also responded to a fire alarm at Century Care Center. No fire or damage was reported at either structure.
The storm caused power outages for almost 1,600 Gulf Power customers in Cantonment and 400 in Molino. Many of those customer were still without power as midnight approached Saturday. An unknown number Escambia River Electric Cooperative customers were also left without power by the storms.
Heavy rains were reported in many parts of the area, while other locations received little or no rain. There were no weather warnings issued.
Pictured: The local radar just before 7 p.m.