North Escambia Resident Honored As She Turns 103 Years Old
January 30, 2010
North Escambia resident Elmira Gandy Crapps turned 103 this week, with congratulations pouring in from friends, family and political leaders.
Century Mayor Freddie McCall designated an Elmira Gandy Crapps Day in the Town of Century. Florida Governor Charlie Crist offered his congratulations, as did Congressman Jeff Miller.
Crapps was born in Butler County, Alabama, near Georgiana in 1907. Theodore Roosevelt was president. A loaf of bread cost four cents. A gallon of milk was 29 cents. A new Ford? That would set you back 600 bucks.
She moved to a farm with her family in the Gandyville community in 1925, and still lives just down the road from that home.
As of just a few months ago, she was still driving, mostly to three places: the Piggly Wiggly for groceries, her church and her hairdresser. She’s still an active member of Poplar Dell Baptist Church, and very quick to give the Lord all the credit for her age and her health.
When asked her secret for a long life, she quickly replied that there was no secret. “It’s good living and a love of God. I’ve been blessed by the Lord and walk with Him,” she said. “The Lord always takes care of me.”
When asked about the biggest change in her lifetime, she said “the way people wear, or don’t wear clothes”.
She never had children, but has “a ton” of nieces and nephews. Her father, John Oxford Gandy lived to the age of 108. In 1973, the Florida Legislature named Gandyville after him. He, by the way, had a first cousin that also lived to be 108.
Celebrating a 103rd birthday seems like a big deal to everyone — everyone but Elmira Gandy Crapps.”Everybody has birthdays,” she said.
Pictured above: Elmira Gandy Crapps receives a proclamation in her honor from Century Mayor Freddie McCall at Poplar Dell Baptist Church. Pictured inset: North Escambia resident Elmira Gandy Crapps turned 103 Sunday. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
ECUA: UWF Study Affirms Water Is Safe To Drink
January 30, 2010
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority is continuing to rebuke a report that claimed Pensacola’s water to be the worst in the nation among 100 cities with populations over 250,000 people.
According to a University of West Florida report conducted at the Center for Environmental Diagnostics & Bioremediation, “the water provided by the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) is safe for human consumption and did not exceed a single water quality standard established by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Florida”.
“I can sum up in one word the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) report: Bogus,” said Dr. Carl Mohrherr, PhD, co-author of the UWF study. “It was an effective political campaign to raise public awareness, but done at the expense of public confidence in regulation by US EPA, FL DEP, and the ability of the ECUA to provide safe potable water. The EWG report does not present a valid scientific assessment of water toxicity, nor are its comparisons of utility systems statistically valid.”
The EWG, a watchdog nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., released the report on Saturday, December 12, 2009. It placed the ECUA as Number 1 on a list of cities with the worst water in the nation. Stephen Sorrell, ECUA executive director says, “Bottom line: the ECUA’s water is safe to drink and meets every federal and state regulatory guideline. We didn’t have one single health standard violation in five years as clearly indicated in the EWG report.”
The read the recently released UWF report, click here. To see ECUA’s latest water quality report, click here.
Molino Church Still Collecting Supplies For Haiti Quake Victims
January 30, 2010
A Molino church is continuing to work to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake.
Aldersgate United Methodist Church is accepting supply donations from the community to assemble “health kits” for the earthquake victims. . The kits will be shipped to Haiti through UMCOR — the United Methodist Committee on Relief.
Donated items can be dropped off at the church office. There is a box outside of the church office for donations when the office is closed. Aldersgate UMC is located on Highway 29, just south of Highway 97.
The church has already sent about 200 kits to Haiti.
Persons wishing to help can donate any of the items listed below, or assemble complete kits as instructed.
Haiti Health Kits
Place these items inside a sealed one-gallon plastic bag.
- 1 hand towel (15” x 25” up to 17” x 27”, no kitchen towels)
- 1 washcloth
- 1 comb (large and sturdy, not pocket-sized)
- 1 nail file or fingernail clippers (no emery boards or toenail clippers)
- 1 bath-size bar of soap (3 oz. and up)
- 1 toothbrush (single brushes only in original wrapper, no child-size brushes)
- 6 adhesive plastic strip sterile bandages
(NOTE: UMCOR is now purchasing toothpaste in bulk to be added to health kits before shipping to ensure that the product does not expire before it is sent. Please include $1 for each kit you send toward the purchase of toothpaste.)
Important Kit Assembly Information
All items included in kits must be NEW items.
All emergency kits are carefully planned to make them usable in the greatest number of situations. Since strict rules often govern product entry into international countries, it is important that kits contain only the requested items—nothing more.
Do NOT include any personal notes, money or additional materials in the kits. These things must be painstakingly removed and will delay the shipment.
Good Business: Northview FBLA Students Place At District
January 30, 2010
Several Northview High School students placed at the Future Business Leaders of America District I Leadership Conference held at the University of West Florida recently.
The Northview High students that placed in the FBLA competition were:
- Kassandra Lett—2nd in Business Presentation team event
- Courtney Merritt–2nd in Business Presentation team event
- Katie Wieborg–2nd in Business Presentation team event
- Taylor Byrd—2nd in Introduction to Business Communications
- D. J. Robinson—2nd in Introduction to Technology
- Elizabeth Wright—2nd in Public Speaking I
- Brittany Pete—3rd in Business Procedures
- Jessica Bloodsworth—3rd in Job Interview
- Erin Fremin—5th in Business Calculations
- Lindra Street—6th in Business Math
Pictured above: (front, L-R) Courtney Merritt, Erin Fremin, Lindra Street, (back) Katie Wieborg, Jessica Bloodsworth, Elizabeth Wright, D. J. Robinson and Brittany Pete. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Basketball: Jay, Tate; Flomaton’s One Second Loss In Overtime
January 30, 2010
Jay 48 Aletheia Christian 37
Jay improved to 12-9 on the season with a 47-35 defeat on the road against Aletheia Christian.
Jay (12-9) — Ginger Jennings 6, Tessa Hendricks 14, Danielle Skaggs 4, Candace Mulford 2, Shelby Thomas 1, Amber Steadham 8, Taylor Moore 2, Becca Calloway 10.
Catholic 47 Tate 35
Tate — Kelker 8, Lobbs 10, Cobb 4, Hall 4, Olsen 2, Thompson 1, Brown 6.
Catholic 14 9 14 11-47 Tate 10 9 6 10-35
Flomaton 35 W.S. Neal 23
The Flomaton Hurricanes girls beat W.S. Neal 35-23 Friday. Tara Gafford had 15 and Frida Folmar added 14 for Flomaton’s win on the road. The Lady Hurricanes are 24-10.
BOYS BASKETBALL
W.S. Neal 47 Flomaton 46 (OT)
The Flomaton Hurricanes lost by a single point in overtime to W.S. Neal Friday, 47-46. Neal’s win came on a jumper with just one second on the clock in overtime. The ‘Canes were led by Dalvin Craft with 15.
Highway 97 Lane Closures, Road Work Begin Monday
January 29, 2010
Lane closures will begin Monday morning on Highway 97 as a $5.7 million resurfacing project gets underway.
The project will begin with a major clearing of the right of way in select locations, according to Shawn Joseph, project administrator for Panhandle Grading and Paving, Inc. All of the lane closures beginning Monday will be south of Highway 4 and north of Highway 29.
The next major phases of the project will be guardrail replacements, Joseph said.
Once work begins on the actual highway, work crews will restrict traffic to one lane through the work zone. Weather permitting, the project should be completed in September 2010.
“They will maintain accesses to businesses and residences during the process,” according to Tanya Branton, spokesperson for the Florida Department of Transportation.
The entire 22.5 mile length of Highway 97 will be repaved from County Road 95 in Molino across Highway 29 to the Alabama state line.No major drainage changes are expected to the route’s 55 cross drains under the highway, with the exception of changes near the intersection of Highway 97 and Crabtree Church Road. There will also be new and replacement guardrails installed along the state highway.
Existing 12 foot wide travel lanes and five foot paved shoulders will be milled and resurfaced. This project does not include the four-laning of Highway 97. A four lane highway is not in any of the state’s current plans for Highway 97.
During the entire 270 day project, NorthEscambia.com will provide the most current Highway 97 lane closure and construction updates to help you avoid delays.
Pictured above: Highway 97 (running left to right in the photo) in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Pajama-Rama Reading
January 29, 2010
Byrneville Elementary School celebrated Literacy Week in a variety of ways, including a Family Pajama-Rama Night Thursday evening. Parents and students spent the early part of the night at the school with blankets and pillows, bedtime snacks and lots of good bedtime stories.
During the week, guest readers also stopped by the school to read to the students. Thursday morning, NorthEscambia.com visited with Mrs. Thorton’s first grade class to read “If You Take A Mouse To School”.
Pictured above: Mrs. Thorton’s first grade class at Byrneville Elementary School after a Thursday morning story time. NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Investigation Continues Into Fatal Fire (Photos: Inside And Outside Of Home)
January 29, 2010
Fire investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire that claimed the life of Verda Mae Gandy Abrams, 91, early Thursday morning.
Abrams was unable to escape the blaze at her home on Tulip Street, located on the Alabama/Florida state line just west of Flomaton and Century.
Verda Mae’s son Jimmy Abrams told fire investigators that he awoke to the smell of smoke just after 1 a.m.. He left his bedroom and went toward the kitchen of the home, looking for the source of the smoke, according to Alabama Deputy State Fire Marshal Ken Smith. He opened a sliding glass door on the rear of the home to get some air and relief from the smoke.
Jimmy was unable to reenter the home due the smoke. He ran around the outside the home to his son’s window and managed to wake him. The son escape through the window.
However, Smith said, Jimmy Abrams pounded on the windows of Verda Mae’s window, but he was unable to get his mother out of her bedroom located on the rear corner of the house. Unlike the large windows on the front of the home, the windows on Verda Mae’s bedroom were smaller and located higher off the ground. That may have contributed to her inability to escape, Smith said.
“It’s really hard,” Flomaton Fire Chief Steve Stanton said. Flomaton had not had a fire death in at least 34 years.
Smith spent Thursday morning carefully sifting through the remains of the brick home, looking for any evidence that might help him pinpoint the cause of the blaze, documenting everything with photographs.
There no working smoke detectors in the home, according to Jimmy Abrams.
“Please, please let his be encouragement to people that they need good, working smoke detectors,” Smith said.
For our original story, with photos as the home burns, click here.
Pictured top and bottom: The scene of a fatal fire on Tulip Street early Thursday morning. Pictured bottom inset: Deputy Fire Marshal Ken Smith photographs the inside of the home. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
It’s Official: City Does Not Endorse Consolidation Plan
January 29, 2010
With a failed motion, the City of Pensacola reaffirmed a previous workshop committee decision not to support the consolidation plan developed by the Escambia County Consolidation Study Commission.
A motion by Councilwoman Jewel Canada-Wynn to encourage the legislative delegation to schedule a public vote on the plan failed by a 6-4 vote. A seven vote majority was required for passage. Council members Diane Mack, Maren DeWeese, P.C. Wu and Sam Hall voted against.
The vote affirmed a vote taken Monday during a council workshop meeting.
The Escambia County Commission recently voted to ask the legislature to delay any vote on consolidation until at least 2012. The Town of Century has withdrawn all support for the plan.
The consolidation plan is in the hands of the Northwest Florida legislative delegation. They will continue to review the plan until as late as February 25 before potentially submitting it to the legislature to set a referendum vote of the public as early as November 2010.
To read the consolidation plan in its entirety, click here (pdf).
Announcement Next Week: Big Concert Coming To North Escambia
January 29, 2010
Next week on NorthEscambia.com, we will be announcing a big concert coming to North Escambia in about two months.
The headliner artist is a secret until next week, but we can tell you he is the former lead singer of a Vocal Group of the Year, a Grammy Award winner and has had over a dozen number one singles. It’s a show you won’t want to miss.
We will have complete details on the concert next week here on NorthEscambia.com.