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.
Residents Watch Funnel Cloud Track Into North Escambia
April 2, 2009
A National Weather Service forecaster says the public played a critical role in tracking a funnel cloud as it tracked into North Escambia last Tuesday afternoon.
“This event illustrates just how essential accurate ‘ground truth’ public reports can be to the operations of the NWS” said Jeffery Medlin, a forecaster at the National Weather Service in Mobile.
About 5:35 Tuesday afternoon, the NWS received several reports of a funnel cloud forming near the landfill in Beulah. Many ordinary citizens and law enforcement officers witnessed the funnel cloud along its path from Beulah to just southeast of Cottage Hill. The weather service immediately issued a tornado warning in the area.
The funnel cloud never touched down, and there were no damage reports.
“Miraculously,” Medlin said, “the rotating funnel cloud never evolved into a tornado along its path.”
As for the official reason why the funnel cloud never formed a tornado, Medlin said “a rain-cooled outflow boundary was observed on radar to have surged south of the I-10 corridor after earlier heavy rains to the north. Although the thunderstorm updraft that produced this funnel formed on this boundary…the stable rain-cooled air essentially undercut the base of The Funnel…and points further to the north…effectively preventing it from contacting the ground as a tornado.”
Pictured above: The radar as a funnel cloud was forming near Beulah Tuesday afternoon.
State Of Emergency Declared
April 2, 2009
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has declared a state of emergency in 19 Florida counties, including Escambia and Santa Rosa, due to flooding.
The declaration allows for officials to coordinate protective actions, emergency services, resources and personnel needed to help protect lives and property during the state of emergency period.
Red Cross Offering Flooding Help; Volunteers Needed Now
April 1, 2009
The American Red Cross is offering assistance to those impacted by the flooding from the heavy rains during the past week.
People who have had damage from flooding but do not have flood insurance can contact Red Cross to discuss emergency disaster caused needs at (800) 773-7620.
Volunteers are needed now to assist the Red Cross in their flood related efforts. For more information visit www.floridaredcross.org and click on “Volunteer”.
Santa Rosa Cuts 121 Support Jobs; 260 Teachers May Be Next
April 1, 2009
The pink slips have been delivered to over 100 educational support personnel in Santa Rosa County, and over 250 teaching positions could be cut next.
A total of 121 non-teaching positions are beign cut in Santa Rosa County due to a multi-million dollar budget shortfall for the district. School officials say that as many as 260 teaching positions may also be eliminated.
The teaching cuts are expected to be mostly non-tenured positions.