Unemployment Holds Steady Or Improves In Area Counties
March 29, 2010
For the first time in many months, the unemployment rate in the counties in the North Escambia area either held steady or decreased last month. New figures released Friday shows 26,123 unemployed in the three county area.
In Escambia County, Florida, the unemployment rate for January held steady at 11.8 percent. That compares to 9.2 percent out of work a year ago. February’s 11.8 percent unemployment rates represents 16,581 people without a job.
In Santa Rosa County, January’s unemployment rate was 10.0 percent, a slight decrease from 11.0 percent the previous month. It was 8.5 percent one year ago. There were 7,704 people out of a job in February in Santa Rosa County.
In Escambia County, Alabama, the unemployment rate decreased half a percentage point to 13.2 percent in February. It was 13.9 percent the month prior and 12.3 percent a year ago. There were 1,838 unemployed in Escambia County, Alabama.
Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for February 2010 is 12.2 percent. This represents 1,126,000 jobless out of a labor force of 9,251,000. The unemployment rate is up 0.2 percentage point from the January revised rate of 12.0 percent, and up 3.0 percentage points from the February 2009 rate of 9.2 percent. February’s unemployment rate is the highest in the recorded series and higher than rates recorded in the 1973-1975 recession. Florida’s unemployment rate remained higher than the national average, which was 9.7 percent in February.
Alabama’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, at 11.1 percent in February, remained unchanged from January’s rate of 11.1 percent but was above the year-ago rate of 8.7 percent.
Deadline This Week For Property, Intangible Tax Payments
March 29, 2010
If you have not paid your real estate or tangible personal property taxes yet, you have until Wednesday to avoid late fees.
All unpaid taxes will be delinquent April 1, according to Escambia County Tax Collector Janet Holley. A penalty of three percent for real estate and 1.5 percent for tangible taxes will be assessed on April 1. Over $38 million (approximately 15 percent) of the tax roll remained unpaid as of last week.
Payments will be accepted without penalty if:
- mailed with a postmark by March 31
- left in a 24-hour drop box available at all offices by midnight March 31
- made on the tax collector web site by midnight March 31
- made by phone with credit card on an after-hours automated service at (800) 601‑1055 by midnight March 31 (convenience fee applies)
You may check the status of your taxes and pay online at www.escambiataxcollector.com. If you have any questions, please call the tax collector’s office at (850) 438-6500, ext. 252. (TTY users for the hearing impaired call 472‑0031.)
All Tax Collector offices will be closed Friday, April 2, in observance of Good Friday.
Former Century Citizen Of The Year Passes Away
March 29, 2010
Funeral services were held Sunday a for a former Century Citizen of the Year.
Margherita Swift Jones, 93, of Century, passed away late last week. An Atmore native, she was a resident of Century for nearly 65 years. Jones was names Century’s Outstanding Citizen of the Year in 2003.
Jones gave generously of her time as a volunteer to the community working with groups including the Flomaton Research Club, Alger-Sullivan Historical Society, local schools, Turtle Point Environmental Center, Century Memory Loss Support Group, and Daughters of the American Revolution.
She was a 1938 graduate of the University of Alabama with academic honors, and she recently received her 75 year membership pin from Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority.
For the complete obituary, click here.
School Web Sites Down This Week
March 29, 2010
If you need any information from your child’s school web site or the Escambia County School District web site, you will not be able to access that information this week.
The school district’s web site and individual school district web sites for all Escambia County (Fla.) schools will be taken down for maintenance during Spring Break. The sites are expected to return by Monday, April 5.
Spring Break Travel More Expensive This Year
March 29, 2010
Spring Break travel will cost more this year than last for those hitting the highway.
The average cost for a gallon of regular unleaded in the Pensacola area is $2.81, up from $2.01 a year ago. Gas prices in the North Escambia area were generally in the $2.77 to $2.79 range.
The lowest price in the Pensacola area Sunday night was $2.69 at Sam’s Club on Airport Boulevard, the second lowest priced station in the state according to www.floridastategasprices.com.
Pictured above: A gas delivery at a Century station. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Kitchen Fire In Quintette Community
March 28, 2010
A home in the Quintette community suffered minor damage in a Sunday afternoon stove fire.
The fire was reported in the 2400 block of Pettway Circle, just south of West Quintette Road, about 1 p.m. The fire was reportedly contained to the stove and kitchen. There were no injuries in the blaze.
The Cantonment, Molino, McDavid and Molino stations of Escambia Fire Rescue were dispatched to the call.
Deputies: Walnut Hill Home Invasion Never Happened
March 28, 2010
A home invasion reported March 19 in Walnut Hill never happened, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Instead, deputies said Saturday that it was a case of a mortgage company entering a foreclosed home and resulting accusations by an occupant.
On March 19, the occupant of a house at 6520 Highway 97 in Walnut Hill reported that he met two men, one armed with a handgun, in the hallway of the home after he heard a noise in the back of the house. The man reported that the men turned and ran to a blue truck with a roll bar. Area law enforcement agencies were put on alert, but the truck was not found.
“We believe there was no home invasion,” Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Rudy Brown said Saturday afternoon, following the completion of his investigation. “We believe the men were acting properly on behalf of the mortgage company that had foreclosed on the house.”
The owner of the home is in a local nursing home, he said. The house has no power, no running water, no appliances and no kitchen cabinets. “When you look in the windows, it looks completely unoccupied,” Brown said.
When the subcontractors arrived at the house on March 19 to change the locks, clean the yard and inspect the premises, they believed no one lived in the home. They entered, within their rights, through a back window of the house.
He said they were in a tan truck with a trailer of lawn equipment — not a blue truck as the occupant claimed. The color of the truck has been verified by an independent witness.
The subcontractors for the mortgage company did get into an argument with the occupant inside, according to the Sheriff’s Office, but they quickly left the premises. The home’s occupant told deputies that the men stole a generator from the home, but Brown said there was no evidence to that effect.
The subcontractors have spotless criminal records and work for a reputable company from Gainesville, Brown said.
“There is no probable cause for any criminal charges in the case,” Brown said.
Over 150 Cats Seized From Man’s Home; Nine Dead Cats In Freezer
March 28, 2010
A Pensacola man is facing multiple counts of animal cruelty after deputies and animal control officers seized over 100 cats from his home.
Larry Kruger, 61, is being held in the Escambia County Jail on $41,000 bond after the animals were seized from his home on Bet Mark Road, just north of 10 Mile Road.
There were eight dead cats found in Kruger’s freezer, and most of the more 161 cats seized Saturday will likely be euthanized because they are sick.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Department said Kruger may face additional charges as their investigation continues.
More Charges In $1.43 Million Theft From Sheriff’s Office
March 28, 2010
Additional charges have been filed against the former employee accused of stealing $1.43 million from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Cathy Lister, 58, is now facing 11 money laundering charges, one aggravated white collar crime charge and a charge of grand theft over $100,000.
She remains free on $25,000 bond, but the State Attorney’s Office has filed a motion to increase that bond. Judge Paul Rasmussen will hear that request on Thursday morning.
Lister was first charged in February with stealing $130,000 from the sheriff’s office, but further investigation determined that well over $1 million more was missing. The money was taken over a 10 year period from monies seized as part of investigations that was placed the department’s Evidence Trust Fund.
Lister was a 32-year employee of the department who retired from the finance division just days before her arrest.
Area University Of Alabama Student Responsible For Record Red Cross Donation
March 28, 2010
Thanks to a young man from Atmore, the University of Alabama Community Service Center presented $10,000 to the West Alabama Chapter of the American Red Cross last week.
The donation came from the work of Tray Smith, a UA freshman majoring in economics from Atmore, as part of Haiti outreach efforts on campus.
According to Neal Hardin, emergency services specialist with the American Red Cross, it was the largest donation ever obtained by a single student from a Southeastern Conference school given to a local Red Cross chapter. The West Alabama Chapter of the Red Cross named Smith a superhero for his efforts.
The donation came from The Better Life Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to helping young adults and children in need. The donation will support relief efforts in Haiti and encourage UA students to contribute and fulfill their moral responsibilities, says Smith.
The Better Life Foundation is supported by the popular band 3 Doors Down and named after their first album, The Better Life.
“We secured the funding because of our plan to use it to encourage students to give more and participate in the relief effort,” said Smith. “It is our hope in the Student Government Association that having 3 Door’s Down sponsor our Haiti relief effort will encourage students to be more giving and to follow the band’s example. We also hope this will inspire our student body to be more socially conscious in general and to live lives worthy of our school’s commitment to public service.”