Portion Of Lambert Bridge Road Closed
June 25, 2009
Lambert Bridge Road at Pine Barren Creek Bridge is scheduled to close Thursday for bridge repairs. The bridge is scheduled to reopen July 8.
McDonald Promoted At Jay Hospital
June 25, 2009
Monya McDonald, R.N., has been promoted to director of quality improvement at Jay Hospital.
McDonald will work closely with physicians, employees and administration to facilitate compliance of state requirements for infection control, employee health, risk management, utilization review and quality improvement.
McDonald joined the Baptist Health Care affiliate in 2004. She has training as a medical, surgical and emergency department nurse.
Every Child A Readers Honors Many, Including Century Group
June 25, 2009
Outstanding child care center teachers and community supporters were honored Wednesday by the Every Child a Reader in Escambia (ECARE) program, including a Century foundation.
The honors were presented at the first Appleseeds Awards and Recognition Ceremony.
The Teaspoon Foundation of Century, represented by Jack Moran, was honored at the program for their support and contributions as a community partner of ECARE. The Teaspoon Foundation was responsible for bringing the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Escambia County with plans to provide a free book every month for every child under five years old.
The goal of Appleseeds is to acknowledge the excellence of the childcare providers who are teaching our children at the most critical points of their lives: ages newborn – five years old. The goal of ECARE is that all children entering Kindergarten in the Escambia County School District in 2011 will be ready for Kindergarten as measured by then current standards. In turn, the students will test proficient on the reading portion of the FCAT in 2014.
It is proven that strong parenting and high-quality preschool programs lay a solid literacy foundation that helps children learn to read when they get to Kindergarten. This critical skill serves children far beyond elementary school. It also predicts high school graduation based upon a student’s early reading ability, according to ECARE Executive Director Clairen Reese.
Appleseeds is similar to the county school system’s K-12 Teacher of the Year Program. Every Child a Reader’s goal is to shine a light on the “best of the best” child care teachers which will, in turn, reinforce to these teachers how extremely important their work is; will help to recruit other potential child care teachers to the profession; and will share their fine work with the community, Reese said.
The Escambia County Child Care Teacher of the Year was Pamela Broughton of Malena’s Mini School I. Other finalists were Donna Hendrix of O.J. Semmes Elementary Head 
Start, Sharon Law of Jamison Street Preschool, Shannon Nolan of Malena’s Mini School II, Shirley McCants of McCants’ Family Home of Learning, Karen Radford of Blue Angel Early Learning Center, Michelle Smith of WEE Children’s Center – West Pensacola Baptist Church, Terri Odom of Cokesbury Children’s Center and Tammy Warren of Escambia County Head Start.
Other community partners honored at the program were The Studer Group, Barnes and Noble, Leadership Pensacola Class of 2007, Wal-Mart of Navy Boulevard, Wal-Mart of Creighton Road, Wal-Mart of Mobile Highway, Downtown Rotary, The Escambia – Santa Rosa Bar Association, Medline Industries, Bonefish Grill, Margaret Stopp, Diane Hutcherson and Bruce Caton.
Teaspoon Foundation
The Teaspoon Foundation invests in young people. The Teaspoon Foundation is involved in the investigation, locating, authenticating and preserving the artifacts, history, and heritage of Teaspoon as a Pre-Revolutionary period; facilitating and promoting cultural and heritage education in North Escambia County; and improving the quality of life in North Escambia County, especially the Century area.
The Teaspoon Foundation is involved with the Early Learning Coalition of Florida to put free books into the hands of children between the ages of zero and five through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. They found a way to completely sponsor every single child in Century to have these free books delivered right to their doorstep until they start kindergarten.
The group is involved in the Teaspoon Heritage Society where Children’s Heritage Parties are held where the experiences of the elderly are told to children in a “pizza party setting” and video taped during the process. They also host The Imagination Library Reading Party – a monthly reading party where the children bring their favorite Imagination Library books to a party and volunteers read to them, while their parents watch and learn how to read to and engage children in the learning to read process.
Pictured top: Jack Moran (in the mult-colored shirt) stands in the background as guests sign in for ECARE’s official community kickoff in June 2008 at Heritage Hall in Pensacola. Photo courtesy ECARE. Picturd middle inset: The Teaspoon Foundation brought Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Escambia County. Pictured bottom inset: Some of the books that were offered by Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Escambia Prostitution Bust Lands 16 In Jail, Including Mother And Daughter
June 24, 2009
An Escambia County Sheriff’s Department prostitution sweep through the Brownsville community landed 16 people in jail — including a mother and her daughter, and a 14-year old.
The Monday night and early Tuesday morning operation included 10 arrests for solicitation for prostitution, five arrests for procure (offering) for prostitution and one warrant service.
One person additional charges of marijuana possession. Another subject was charged contributing to the delinquency of a minor for having the juvenile, who was also arrested for solicitation, with him during the encounter with undercover deputies. Another was charged with possession of a controlled substance for having Xanax bars.
The Sheriff’s Department also seized one vehicle, Xanax and 57 grams of marijuana.
Pictured below: Those arrested during an Escambia County Sheriff’s Department prostitution sting in Brownsville. Click to enlarge.
Molino Structure Fire
June 24, 2009
The Molino Station of Escambia Fire-Rescue responded to a reported structure fire near the intersection of Duxbury Avenue and Rumford Road about 11:05 Wednesday morning.
The first fire units on scene reported light smoke inside a home but no fire. The smoke was reportedly from a small cooking fire.
There were no injuries reported.
Log Truck, Train Collide On Muscogee Road
June 24, 2009
One person was injured Tuesday afternoon when a log truck collided with a train near Cantonment.
Witnesses said Andrew Davis, 48, of Pace, tried to beat the train in a log truck about 2:15 p.m. at a crossing on Muscogee Road near McQueen Drive — that’s about three miles west of the International Paper plant were the load of logs was to be delivered. Witnesses said the crossing gate was down at the time of the crash.
Davis was taken to West Florida Hospital with serious injuries.
The trailer of the log truck was knocked onto its side in the crash, dumping the load of logs.
Click here for more photos from the scene.
The Cantonment, Ensley, Molino and Century stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the call along with the Florida Highway Patrol, Escambia County Sheriff’s Department and Escambia County EMS.
The engineers on the Alabama-Gulf Coast Railway train were not injured. They were indentified as Howard Keith, 49, of Monroeville, and Danny Picket, 32, of Frisco City.
The accident is still under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The FHP says charges are pending in the accident.
Pictured above and below: The collision between a log truck and train on Muscogee Road Tuesday afternoon. Submitted photos by Kristi Kinnard for NortheEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Deputies Searching For Bank Robbery Suspect
June 24, 2009
Authorities across the area are searching for the man who robbed a Regions Bank in Pensacola Tuesday morning.
The Regions location at 6677 North Davis Highway was robbed at about 11:20 Tuesday morning by a white male about 6-feet tall, 180 pounds. He was wearing blue jeans, blue shirt and brown shoes with dark hat with a skull emblem on it.
The suspect did not display a weapon as he demanded money. He fled the bank with an undisclosed amount of money. It was initially reported that the suspect fled in a silver or white-colored Impala, but that was later ruled out by deputies.
There were no injuries in the robbery.
Anyone with information on this crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 433-STOP or the Escambia Sheriff’s Office at 436-9620.
Century Man Busted On Multiple Cocaine Charges
June 24, 2009
A Century man is behind bars, charged with multiple felony narcotics violations.
Jeffrey Jay, 35, of Pond Street, was arrested by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department and charged with nine different cocaine and controlled substance charges.
Jay is facing two counts of cocaine possession with the intent to sell, two counts of cocaine distribution, one count of selling opium or a derivative, one count selling cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school and one count of cocaine possession within 1,000 feet of a school.
He remains in the Escambia County Jail on $90,000 total bond. Jay’s next scheduled court appearance is an arraignment hearing next month.
Make A Little Magic: Summer Fun At The Library
June 24, 2009
It was a magical Summer Reading Program Tuesday at the Century Branch Library with magician Beau Broomall.
Broomall delighted and amazed with magic tricks galore, and he even shared a few magical secrets.
For a photo gallery from the program, click here.
On Tuesday, July 7 at noon, kids of all ages can meet Tuffy the American Quarter Horse at the Century Branch Library as he teaches teamwork and respect for others.
The free program for children of all ages will be at the Century Branch Library, 7991 North Century Boulevard. For more information, call the library at 256-6217.
Pictured above and below: Magician Beau Broomall performs at the Century Branch Library Tuesday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Battery Charges Dropped Against Century Town Employee
June 23, 2009
Charges have been dropped against a Town of Century employee that reportedly left a state prisoner unattended in a store parking lot while he got into fight inside the store.
The case of Robert Allen Powell, 56, of McDavid was scheduled to be heard Monday in front of an Escambia County jury, but prosecutors dropped battery charges against him.
According to reports filed with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department, Powell allegedly got into a fight with Randall Keith Grimes, 47, of Century at the town’s Dollar General store in late January.
Powell stopped at the Dollar General in a town truck along with a prisoner from the Century Correctional Institution that was on work detail for the town, according to the ECSO report. Powell reportedly went into the store to purchase cold medication, leaving the prisoner unattended in the parking lot. Inside the store, Powell ended up in the altercation with Grimes, the report said.
Their stories differ on what happened. Powell told deputies that Grimes called him names and then punched him. Grimes said Powell called him a “retard” and a “bastard” before Powell punched him in the face. Powell told deputies the entire incident stemmed from Grimes’ involvement with his ex-wife.
The report says store surveillance video shows that Powell threw the first punch, according to the ECSO report. Powell was arrested on a battery warrant, and released on a $2,500 bond.
Powell filed for a restraining order to keep Grimes away from him, but that order was denied by Circuit Judge Kim Skievaski.
The only action the Town of Century took against Powell for leaving the prisoner unattended was a verbal reprimand, according to Mayor Freddie McCall.
The big issue for some members of the Century Town Council was not the fight, but the fact that Powell left the prisoner unattended outside the store.
McCall told the council at a February 16 meeting that the prison would give one of their own employees committing the offense a verbal or written warning the first time. The second offense would bring a written warning. The third offense would be met with three to 10 days suspension, and termination would take place on the fourth offense.
The council was reportedly advised by Matt Danheisser, their attorney, that any employment policy could not be made retroactively to apply to Powell.
“Our working rules call for a verbal reprimand, and I issued one,” McCall said at that February council meeting.
Council President Ann Brooks said that the town would address any possible future similar situations with a policy to be discussed when the town works on a policies and procedures manual.
McCall said Powell will not be able to supervise an inmate until after his court process is complete, but McCall said prison officials had stated that he would be able to supervise prisoners in the future.
McCall said the prison system would “overlook” the fact that Powell stopped to get the cold medicine, and that the prison warden did not consider it a big problem.