Driver Apparently Travels 3.5 Miles On A Rim; Vehicle Destroyed By Fire
April 7, 2009
A driver apparently drove on a tire rim for about 3.5 miles before his or her vehicle caught fire and burned early Tuesday morning.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue was dispatched to a vehicle fire on Rockaway Creek Road just off Nokomis Road about 4:30 Tuesday morning. When they arrived, they found an unidentifiable vehicle full involved in flames. Firefighters were unable to locate the driver of the vehicle, which was completely destroyed.
The vehicle was partially off the roadway in a ditch. It appeared the driver had a flat tire and was driving on very damaged rim on the front driver’s side prior to the fire because of scrape marks on the highway.
NorthEscambia.com was able to follow the scrape marks back the full length of nearby Meadows Road, across Highway 97 and back to the intersection of Greenland Road and Hodges road…a total distance of almost 3.5 miles. Vehicle and tire parts were scattered along the route, and there were at least two places where it appeared the driver ran off the road and into the ditch.
The State Fire Marshal was called to the scene to investigate.
For an exclusive NorthEscambia.com photo gallery, click here.
Pictured above: Firefighters work to extinguish a vehicle fire on Rockaway Creek Road about 4:30 this morning. Pictured below: The remains of the vehicle. Pictured bottom: Scrape marks apparently from the vehicle’s rim on Meadows Road at a railroad crossing, just part of the driver’s 3.5 mile trip on a rim. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Tom Thumb Robbed
April 7, 2009
The Tom Thumb on Highway 29 in Cantonment was robbed about 12:10 this morning.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Department was called to the store after the clerk reported that he was robbed.
The suspect was described as a black male, about 5-foot 8-inches tall wearing a jacket with a hood. The suspect fled the building and headed south, according to the store clerk. It was not known if the suspect had a vehicle.
Multiple deputies were on scene within minutes of the call, setting up a perimeter around the area. A K-9 unit attempted to track the suspect.
A deputy spotted a black male on the railroad tracks near Muscogee Road and gave chase, but the male escaped the area on foot.
The store clerk said the suspect indicated that he was armed with a gun, but the clerk never saw the gun.
There were no injuries. The incident is still under investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department.
Lawyer: Century Can’t Give Free Water To Residents With Bad Service
April 7, 2009
The Century Town Council has rescinded an offer of free water service to residents on Backwoods Road after the town’s attorney advised them it might not be legal.
Back in February, the council voted to waive water charges for residents on Backwoods Road because of poor water pressure, muddy water and sometimes the lack of water because the area is served by a pipe just two inches in diameter. The council had decided to take a wait-and-see approach to find out if they might be eligible for federal stimulus money to fund a water system improvement in the area.
But Town Attorney Matt Dannheisser advised the council in an email that the goodwill gesture was probably not legal due to a town ordinance that states, in part, “No water nor sewer disposal service shall be furnished or rendered free of charge to any person, firm, or corporation whatsoever…”
Dannheisser said in the email he was asked if a “waiver” would be the same as providing free service, and he responded that he believes it would be based upon the definition of the word and the fact the residents would receive free service.
The council could consider rescinding the ordinance prohibiting free service, Dannheisser advised, but there might be restrictions imposed by finance bonds on the water system.
“Do we bill or not bill,” Mayor Freddie McCall asked the council after a discussion. “Right now we are breaking the law.”
Council member Gary Riley said he knew that it would not be popular, but he made a motion to rescind the free water offer. The motion passed 3-1 with councilman Henry Hawkins voting no and councilwoman Sharon Scott absent.
Hawkins said if he were a resident of Backwoods Road, “I would have sued this town. They deserve water like everyone else.”
The town had a potential funding source for the Backwoods water project in the works. Congressman Jeff Miller has requested about $2 million in funding for Century water improvements, as first reported by NorthEscambia.com on Saturday morning (click here to read).
At the request of the mayor, Council President Ann Brooks read the entire NorthEscambia.com article to the council.
“I was excited by that,” McCall said when he learned of Miller’s decision in the NorthEscambia.com article.
Pictured: Century Council President Ann Brooks reads an email from Town Attorney Matt Dannheisser during Monday night’s Century Town Council meeting. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Train Hits Log Truck; Logs Sent Crashing Into Bank
April 7, 2009
A collision between a train and a log truck sent logs crashing into a Brewton bank Monday morning.
The accident happened in downtown Brewton about 11:15 Monday morning when a loaded log truck attempting to cross over the railroad tracks was hit by a freight train.
The crash sent the truck’s trailer spinning around and over toward the First Exchange Bank. The load of logs was spilled, sending a log crashing into the lobby just in front of the bank’s teller windows.
There were no injuries reported in the crash.
Pictured above: A log in the lobby of the First Exchange Bank in Brewton after a Monday morning crash between a truck and a train in the South Alabama town. Pictured below: A look at the truck and train. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Fire Weather Watch, State Getting Tough On Burn Permits
April 7, 2009
A fire weather watch is in effect for today, and state officials are making it harder to get a permit to burn.
The fire weather watch is in effect Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday night. A fire weather watch means critical fire weather conditions will occur. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures will create explosive fire growth potential.
Officials with the Florida Division of Forestry’s Blackwater Forestry Center have announced that due to increased wildfire danger throughout the state more stringent restrictions will be placed upon the district’s issuance of burning authorizations.
Burning authorizations are required for certain types of outdoor burning such as agricultural, commercial and land clearing. Presently no burn bans are in effect in the district; however, citizens are strongly urged to take precautions when conducting legal outdoor burns, according to a release from the Division of Forestry.
For more information on outdoor burning, call 850-957-6145 or visit www.fl-dof.com/wildfire.
Pictured above: Area fire departments battle a brush fire on Lambert Bridge Road Monday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Ag Commissioner Candidate Brings His Message To Molino And Jay
April 7, 2009
Rep. Congressman Adam Putnam brought his campaign for Florida’s Agricultural Commissioner to Molino and Jay Monday afternoon.
Putnam said that many people in Florida do not realize that there is a cabinet level position for agriculture, and that is a problem, he said, because many people just don’t realize what the Florida’s ag commissioner does.
From weapons permits, to regulating the accuracy of gas pumps, to business regulation and much more — the Florida Department of Agriculture performs a wide array of services for Florida’s citizens in addition to regulating agriculture in the state.
Calling himself very pro-agriculture, Putnam told a small gathering of people from across North Escambia at Fran’s Diner in Molino that he is starting his campaign “one glass of sweet tea, one cup of coffee at the time”.
Food safety is a major issue in Florida agriculture, Putnam said, citing the recent recall of Florida tomatoes that were believed by the Food and Drug Administration to be the source of salmonella poising.
“We were not even producing tomatoes in Florida that time of the year,” Putnam said. “They (the FDA) refused to ask the commissioners of agriculture for help.”
Those recalls and mass media stories service to harm an industry like Florida’s tomato producers, he said.
“Each one of those scares is very bad for the producers and the consumers,” Putnam said. He said Florida’s ag industry has a sophisticated system in place that can trace a tomato in a restaurant, for instance, all the way back through the supplier to the date and time it was picked in a particular field.
Putnam has represented the people of Florida’s 12th District in the U.S. House of Representatives since January 2001, when at the age of 26 he became one of the youngest members of Congress in history. He has served in his party’s leadership and is a member of the Committee on Financial Services, which oversees all components of the nation’s housing and financial services sectors.
The election for Florida Commissioner of Agriculture will be in 2010.
Not Alone: Church Praying For Century
April 7, 2009
The First Baptist Church of Century is praying for the Town of Century, and they wanted the Century Town Council to know.
At Monday night’s Century Town Council meeting, the church presented a card to the council to let them know they were holding prayer for the town.
“We are always praying for the town,” council member and First Baptist member Nadine McCaw said.
The church plans to send the council a card about once a month to remind them of the ongoing prayer.
Pictured above: The card signed by members of the First Baptist Church of Century that was presented to the town council. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Lady Chiefs Scalp Walton Braves
April 7, 2009
The Northview Lady Chiefs beat the Walton Braves 7-1 in Walton, adding one to Northview’s district win column.
Miranda Burkett was the winning pitcher for NHS Friday with five strikeouts. Hitters for the Chiefs were Briana Halterman, Shawna Montgomery, Amy Clark, Hayley Simpson, Emily Vickery, Miranda Burkett and Kolby Cobb. Batters earning RBIs were Candice Greenwell with three, Hayley Simpson with one and Kara Hardin with two RBIs.
The game was a makeup for a game previously rained out.
Even though it is Spring Break, the Lady Chiefs will play Catholic this Wednesday to make up another rained out game. The team will travel to Catholic for a 6 p.m. district game.
The game between the Chiefs and Jay will be made up the following Wednesday, April 15 at Northview. In addition to the Jay game, regular scheduled games next week will be played on Tuesday at 5 p.m. against Washington at NHS, and Friday the 17th with NHS traveling to Pine Forest for a 5 p.m. game.
Sandra Greenwell contributed to this report.
Firefighters Respond To Fast Moving Brush Fire Behind Homes
April 6, 2009
Fire units from across the area responded to a fast moving brush fire Monday afternoon near Walnut Hill.
The fire was contained in a wooded area just behind behind several homes on Lambeth Bridge Road. No structures were damaged and there were no injuries.
The Walnut Hill, Century and McDavid stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Florida Division of Forestry responded to the blaze, which was estimated to be about four acres.
Pictured above and below: A brush fire on Lambeth Bridge Road Monday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Shots Fired In Highway 29 Standoff
April 6, 2009
Shots were reportedly fired in a standoff between a man and Escambia County deputies at a Highway 29 bridge Sunday night near McDavid.
Deputies responded to a possible suicide call along Highway 29 about 10 p.m. Sunday. They located the man in a vehicle on the banks of Canoe Creek, just north of Highway 164 and Highway 29. The shots were reportedly fired by the man, not deputies.
After about 45 minutes, the man exited his truck and was taken into custody and transported by ambulance to a Pensacola hospital.
Highway 29 was partially shutdown during the standoff.
Further details were not immediately available. The incident is still under investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department.