Flomaton Community Palm Sunday Service Sunday
April 4, 2009
A community Palm Sunday service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the Flomaton High School Auditorium.
The service will feature a human video, special music and a message from Pastor Ricky Hart from Vision Church in Flomaton.
A nursery and kid’s church will be provided. There will be free t-shirts for visitors and free ice cream for children after the service. Dress is casual, and everyone is welcome.
Call (251) 296-1435 for info.
PNJ Cuts 84 Jobs, Moving Paper Printing To Mobile Press-Register
April 3, 2009
The Pensacola News Journal announced today that they are cutting 84 jobs in their printing operation. The PNJ will outsource the print production of the paper to the Mobile Press-Register.
Other paper operations such as their newsroom, prepress, advertising and marketing departments will remain in Pensacola with about 200 jobs. The newspaper says their delivery schedule will remain the same despite the paper being printed in Mobile.
The PNJ says the transition to printing in Mobile will take 60 days to complete.
You May Not Be A Winner: More Scam Letters Arriving In North Escambia
April 3, 2009
More scam letters promising big prize winnings are arriving in North Escambia area mailboxes, but officials say that the enclosed official looking check to cover fees or taxes in order to claim the prize is fake.
Several North Escambia residents have fallen victim to the scam letters, losing thousands of dollars each in the process.
The latest round of letters appears to be from Publishers Clearing House, claiming that the recipient has won a grand prize drawing of $1 million. Although the letters and checks look official, the recipient is the target of a scam making a nationwide appearance.
“Not surprisingly, the revival of this scam comes on the heels of the real Publishers Clearing House awarding a New Jersey woman $5,000 a week for the rest of her life,” said Norman Wright, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Northwest Florida. “Scammers often take advantage of events in the news, such as Publishers Clearing House giving out a prize, knowing it’ll be on top of people’s minds.”
Victims receive a letter supposedly from Publishers Clearing House claiming that they have won $1 million as the second place winner of a drawing sponsored by Reader’s Digest Magazine. The letter is accompanied by a check for as much as $5,900 with instructions to call a Publishers Clearing House representative. Victims are told that they must cash the check and then wire approximately $4,000 to Publishers Clearing House in order to receive their prize. However, the check is fraudulent and money wired to the scammers cannot be recovered.
Since early March, reports of the Publishers Clearing House scam have come in from 20 states including Florida. Some have also reported receiving phone calls from scammers pretending to be with Publishers Clearing House.
Other scam letters received by North Escambia residents have been from Royal Trust Cooperation and Guardian Financial. The Guardian Financial letters cost at least six North Escambia residents over $3,000 each back in February. Read that story here.
Pictured below: A copy of a scam letter that attempts to convince the recipient that they have won $1 million from Publisher’s Clearing House. Pictured above: Checks like this arriving in North Escambia mailboxes are fake and totally worthless. Submitted graphics for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FEMA Announces $7 Million For New Flood Maps
April 3, 2009
As rivers in North Escambia were flooding, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Thursday that they were awarding nearly $7 million in grants to improve flood maps in Northwest Florida.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is providing $6,954,000 in federal funds toward the total project cost of $9,499,164 million. The resulting maps will be even more reliable, updated and current digital products. These updated Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs), track actual risk more closely and assist new development and rebuilding efforts.
The water management district’s Floodplain Mapping Program will update the the maps for Escambia, Bay Gulf, Leon, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties.
“With these funds, our partners in Florida can update flood risk maps so that they more accurately reflect recent development and natural changes in the environment,” said FEMA Regional Administrator Phil May. “The new maps make communities safer for years to come by helping home and business owners assess their flood risk and make informed decisions about protecting property from the risk of flood loss.”
For information on flooding, flood maps for your location and information on flood insurance, click here.
New Members In Northview’s Beta Club
April 3, 2009
Northview High School has announced new members for the school’s chapter of The National Beta Club.
Tenth grade inductees are:
- Mallory Bell
- Jansen Bodiford
- Allie Bryan
- Allyson Bullard
- Caitlyn Brown
- Hillary Byrd
- Ashley Digmon
- Laneicia Gomez
- Jocelyn Gould
- Sarah Killam
- A.J. Lambert
- Dixie Picheo
- Joshua Scott
- Christina Sepulveda
- Hayley Simpson
- Colton Sims
- Stephanie Solari
- Emily Vickrey
- Allison Vidak
- Katie Wieborg
NHS Baseball, Softball, Track Canceled Due To Weather
April 2, 2009
(Updated 3:19 p.m.) Thursday’s weather canceled all high school sports in Escambia County, including a baseball, softball and track for the Northview Chiefs.
The varsity and junior varsity baseball game sscheduled Thursday against Pensacola High School has been canceled. The games will be made up on Monday, April 6. There will be three games at PHS that day beginning with a varsity game at 1:00. One JV game will follow that game at approximately 3:30. The varsity will play the last game around 6.
Thursday’s softball game against Jay has been rescheduled for April 15.
The Northview track team was scheduled to take part in the Pace Invitational Meet Thursday afternoon. The Pace Invitational will not be rescheduled.
Firefighters Respond When House Is Hit By Lightning
April 2, 2009
A lightning was reported to have struck a house in North Escambia this morning.
Firefighters from several stations responded to Rocky Branch Road, just off Quintette Road, about 9:30 this morning. The first firefighters on scene reported some light smoke inside the structure, but no major fire.
There was no major damage and no injuries reported.
71-Year Old Bratt Man Accused Of Sexually Abusing Two Young Girls Now Free On Bond
April 2, 2009
A Bratt man arrested for allegedly abusing two girls — one just five years old — is now free on bond after an Escambia County Circuit judge reduced his bond.
Jody Posey, 71, of 7100 North Pine Road, was arrested in early March by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department and charged with three felony child sexual abuse charges.
He was originally held without bond on one charge and $200,000 total on two other charges. Circuit Judge Michael Allen approved a bond reduction request in the case, setting bond at $150,000 instead of no bond on the first charge and another $150,000 on the two additional charges. Posey posted bond through a bonding company and was released from the Escambia County Jail. His bond stipulates that he have no contact with his victims or any other children.
A five-year old girl told investigators that Posey had been “massaging her privates”. The molestation allegedly occurred on multiple occasions over some period of time, according to authorities. The most recent molestation reported by the five-year old was January 9. The girl told officials that Posey told her she would go to jail if she told anyone about the incidents.
Posey was also charged for inappropriately touching a now 16-year girl several times over the last few years.
Posey’s court appointed public defender, Andrew Marks, entered a plea of not guilty on all three charges in Escambia County Circuit Court.
Court records show that the ongoing abuse of the now 16-year old occurred from 2002 to 2006 — when the girl was as young as nine years old.
If convicted, Posey faces up to life in prison.
Posey’s residence at 7100 North Pine Barren road is located north of Highway 4, less than one mile from Northview High School.
In Court: Century Employee That Left Prisoner Unattended, Got In Fight
April 2, 2009
A new trial date has been set for the Town of Century employee that reportedly left a state prisoner unattended in a store parking lot while he got into fight inside the store.
Robert Allen Powell, 56, of McDavid appeared before Escambia Circuit Judge David Ackerman this week and officially entered a not guilty plea and a request for a jury trial. That jury trial is scheduled for early May.
Powell reportedly got into a fight with Randall Keith Grimes, 47, of Century at the town’s Dollar General store.
Powell stopped at the Dollar General in a town truck along with a prisoner from the Century Correctional Institute that was on work detail for the town, according an Escambia County Sheriff’s Department 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.
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.
Solutia Plant Sold To New York Company; No Word On Plant’s Future
April 2, 2009
The Solutia plant near Cantonment has been sold to a New York-based private equity capital group. There’s no immediate word on what the future holds for the nylon plant.
Solutia says the $50 million sale of the nylon division, which includes the local plant, is expected to be finalized by the end ofthe year.. The purchaser is SK Capital Partners of New York.
The 55-year old plant near Cantonment was hit hard by layoffs back in November when over 600 Solutia and contract employees were laid off. The future of the plant has not been announced by the new potential owners. The plant currently employs about 800 people.
“This is a good business with solid fundamentals, a strong customer base and top talent that has been significantly impacted by these difficult economic times,” said Barry B. Siadat, a co-founder and managing director of SK Capital Partners. “We are excited about investing in Solutia’s integrated nylon business, partnering with their management team.”
“We are pleased to have reached this agreement with SK Capital Partners,” said Jeffry N. Quinn, chairman, president, and CEO of Solutia Inc. “As the new owner of the nylon business, SK Capital Partners will bring significant industry experience that I strongly believe will help the integrated nylon business in continuing to reach its full potential.”
“With this deal, SK Capital Partners is both identifying an opportunity in the marketplace and getting back to the roots of private investing: skilled operators pooling their talents and resources to create value,” said Clark Winter, SK Capital Partners chief investment officer. “In Solutia’s integrated nylon business, we’ve found a company that we will be able to manage through tough economic times, improving operational execution to realize the benefits of future growth and new product development.”
SK Capital Partners invests in several industries including niche segments of the specialty materials, chemicals and health care sectors.