Remembering A Dream And Looking To The Future
January 20, 2009
As people across the area gathered to honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, the message in Century was one of both remembrance and hope.
“It is a blessing to see his dream become a reality,” Bishop Johnny Cunningham, pastor of the Beloved AFM Church of God in Selma, Ala., told those gathered to remember Dr. King in Century.
Cunningham (pictured left), a Century native, said that the community should strive to use their talents to serve before death.
“Dr. King had the dream, but we have to run with the dream,” the pastor said, adding that Dr. King’s words were for people any race, not just black Americans. “Don’t go to the cemetery with what God has deposited in you. Don’t die with the talent laying dormant inside of you.”
“What God has placed inside of you is not just for you; it is for somebody else,” he added.
Cunningham told the gathering sponsored by the Century-Flomaton Improvement Association that there is great importance in guiding young people to succeed.
“Some people have not realized that they can live above and beyond their circumstances,” the pastor said. “We can see what a great, great responsibility we have to push this generation forward…There must be something down inside of us that says ‘I can make a change’.”
“He paved the way for a lot of us,” Century Mayor Freddie McCall said of Dr. King’s legacy. King also, the mayor said, paved the way for Barack Obama to be the first black man elected president.
“We need to get behind our new president, Mr. Obama,” McCall said. “The Bible teaches us that we should honor our leaders.”
The day’s events celebrating Dr. King in Century included the presentation of award winners in Century-Flomaton Improvement Association essay contest.
First place in the essay contest went to Charles Houston, 17. Second place was awarded to Ernest Ward Middle School student Natalie Suggs, 13. Third place was given to Kassandra Lett, 17, a junior at Northview High School. Carver/Century student Azeen Grissett, 13, received an honorable mention for his essay “What Dr. King Means to Me”.
Click here for a complete photo gallery from the commemorative ceremony.
Pictured top: Participants in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Celebration join hands while singing “We Shall Overcome”. Pictured below: Essay contest winners: Azeen Grissett, honorable mention; Kassandra Lett, third place; Natasha Suggs, second place; and Charles Houston, first place. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Inauguration Diary: Reports From Washington
January 20, 2009
NorthEscambia.com will have updates on this Inauguration Day from Washington, with behind the scenes look at the sights and sounds from Washington.
In cooperation with the Pensacola Independent News, we will have reports during the day from IN staff members Sean Boone and Joani Delzen from the streets of the capital.
In their first report back from Washington last night, Boone reported it took three hours in the cold to pickup the tickets to the inaugural ceremonies from Representative Jeff Miller’s office. The two had a relative easy and calm trip to Washington, but they are expecting that to change as the day goes on.
Join us for more updates during the day here on NorthEscambia.com.
How North Escambia Voted For President
January 20, 2009
On this Inauguration Day, we thought we would look back at how the precincts in North Escambia voted in the presidential election. Of the eight precincts in North Escambia, only one — Century — had the majority of people voting for President-elect Barack Obama.
At those eight precincts in North Escambia, there were 6,311 votes cast for Republican John McCain and 2,202 cast for Democrat Obama in November.
The Century precinct at the Century Town Hall voted for Obama by a two-to-one margin. Obama received 525 votes in Century, while McCain received 320.
McCain received the vast majority of votes at the Walnut Hill precinct, 793 to 188 for Obama.
The McDavid precinct voted McCain 363 to 68 for Obama.
At the Barrineau Park Community Center, where the vast majority of Molino votes, the precinct overwhelmingly supported McCain with 2,230 to 638 for Obama.
At the Byrneville precinct, McCain recieved 500 votes while 91 people voted for Obama.
At the Quintette Community Center, there were 1,455 votes for McCain and 601 for Obama.
At the Oak Grove precinct, 297 voted for McCain and just 35 voted for Obama.
At the Bratt precinct, there were 353 votes for McCain and 56 for Obama.
NorthEscambia.com graphic.
the road to the crown Part One
January 20, 2009
Join NorthEscambia.com today through Saturday for a five part series “the road to the crown”, brought to you by Tammie’s Cuttin’ Loose and Kay Brown Photography.
We will follow 32 young ladies at Northview High School in their quest for the crown and the title of “Miss Northview High School” for 2009. We’ll introduce you to each girl and go behind the scenes for a look at a Northview High School pageant like you have never seen before.
A new installment of “the road to the crown” will be posted each morning beginning today and continuing until Saturday. Then, on Sunday morning, we’ll introduce you to the new Miss Northview High School.
The annual Miss Northview High School Pageant will be held on Saturday, January 24 at 7:00 in the school auditorium.
The pageant is sponsored by the Northview High Varsity Cheerleaders. Tickets for the pageant are sold out.
Today, we begin with a group photo of all the young ladies participating. Scroll down below the photo for their names. Click the photograph to enlarge.
“the road to the crown” is brought to you by Kay Brown Photography and Senior Portraits and Tammie’s Cuttin’ Loose Salon in Atmore.
Front row (L-R): Allie Bryan, Haley Knapp, Magen Weekley, Amber McMillan, Miss Northview High School 2008 Chelsea Sims, Kayla Hall, Deniece Jordan, Ande Gideons, and Sarah Killam. Second row: Patricia Boughner, Courtney Merritt, Lauren Cloud, Charleigh McPherson, Ashley McGhee, Ashley Snow and Courtney Cooper. Third row: Samantha Macks, Brooke Tullis, Kristina Nellums, Oliva Bryan, Amanda Sellars, Ashley White and Felicia Settle. Back row: Tabitha Steege, Heather Ward, Kolbi Cobb, Lauren Wilson, Katie Mann, Amber Holland, Summer Sanders and Caitlin Roley. Not pictured: Allison Spence and Mallory Bell. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Century Parade Honors King
January 20, 2009
The annual Century-Flomaton Improvement Association Martin Luther King Jr. Parade rolled through Century Monday morning.
The parade, honoring the late Dr. King, included about a dozen vehicles and wound through the streets of the town.
The parade ended at the Century Community Center on Highway 4 where a community service in honor of Dr. King was held.
In nearby Atmore, the Concerned Citizens of Atmore held their annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade Monday morning. Dozens of units were decorated to honor the slain civil rights leader.
A parade was also held in Flomaton to honor Dr. King on the national holiday in his honor.
Pictured above and below: Photos from the Century-Flomaton Improvement Association Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade Monday morning as it traveled through Century. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Where Are The Kids? A Look At The Numbers
January 19, 2009
Most students that live in the Carver/Century K-8 School district do not attend the school, and that’s one reason it is now slated for closure. Instead, they take advantage of the fact that the school did not make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) to attend a neighboring school or they attend the Byrneville Charter School.
The Escambia County School Board will consider moving toward the final step in closing Carver/Century at their meeting Tuesday night. One of the reasons cited by Superintendent Malcolm Thomas for closing the school is the declining enrollment.
There are 473 students zoned to attend Carver/Century. Just 210 — 44 percent –attend the school. (See the complete breakdown at the bottom of this article.)
Of elementary age children, there are 307 zoned to attend Carver/Century, but only 41 percent — 126 children — are at the Century school. More Carver/Century zoned students actually attend the Byrneville Elementary charter school, with 130 enrolled from the geographic district. Another 32 attend Bratt Elementary and six are at Molino Park. Three attend Jim Allen Elementary, and one each attend Cook Elementary, Holm Elementary and Longleaf Elementary. Another six are homeschooled.
Just a fraction over half the middle school children in the geographic Carver/Century district attend the school. Of the 166 middle school children in the zone, 84 attend Carver/Century. Another 68 are at Ernest Ward, three are at Ransom and two are at Clubbs. There is one middle school child from the district at each: Workman, Brown Barge and Oasis. One child is hospital/homebound, one is under a McKay Scholarship that allows a student with disabilities to attend a private school and four are homeschooled.
“I have no authority to restrict a parent’s choice to send their children elsewhere,” Thomas said. “They are making choices for their children.” Federal law allows students in the Carver/Century district to send their children to other schools like Bratt and Ernest Ward due to Carver/Century’s failure to meet “AYP” — adequate yearly progress. As a charter school, Byrneville Elementary has an open enrollment policy that allows almost any child to attend.
If the school board approves Thomas’ plan to redistrict Carver/Century, the school will close and the students will be in the Bratt Elementary and Ernest Ward Middle School districts.
Three Northview Cheerleaders Continue To Recover After Serious Crash
January 19, 2009
Three Northview High School cheerleaders injured in a single vehicle accident on January 7 continue to recover. Two of them are expected to head back to school this week, and one will miss the rest of the school year.
Troopers say Victoria Chavers, 16, was eastbound on the dirt portion of Greenland Road when she missed a 90 degree curve, struck a ditch and power pole, and overturned her Volkswagon Beetle. The vehicle came to rest upside down. Tori and her passenger and sister, Tiffany Chavers, 14, were both wearing their seatbelts. The backseat passenger, Blaze Green, 15, was not wearing her seatbelt. It took firefighters several minutes to extricate her from the vehicle. Blaze was transported from the scene by LifeFlight.
Blaze suffered a fractured vertebra in her neck, a fractured pelvis and a lacerated liver — injuries that doctors say could have been fatal.
Blaze was released from the hospital last Thursday night. She will remain in a halo cast to hold her head immobile for three months as she recovers from a neck fracture. Mom Marty Green says that Blaze is now up and walking with a walker, taking her first steps last Wednesday. She still tires easily, but is working to regain her strength.
Blaze is not expected to be able to return to Northview this year.
“I thank everyone for the prayers and concern,” Marty Green said, “that the community has shown for not only Blaze but for all the girls involved. Prayers were definitely answered for these girls. We are so thankful.”
Tori and Tiffany continue to recover from their injuries. Tiffany suffered a collapsed lung. Mom Melissa Chavers says the girls missed school last week under orders from their doctor so they could rest and heal. They are expected to return to Northview this week.
“They are on their way to a full recovery,” Melissa said. “Thanks for everyone for caring and praying for our girls. We could have never made it without you and most importantly God.”
The girls were returning home after attending church at the First Assembly of God in Atmore. The Florida Highway Patrol says the vehicle was traveling about 40 to 45 mph at the time of the accident. The 90 degree curve is not marked in any manner on the North Escambia dirt road.
Pictured above: Firefighters work to free Northview student Blaze Green from this overturned vehicle on January 7. Pictured below: Three Northview cheerleaders were injured in this single vehicle accident on Greenland Road near Davisville. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
207 In North Escambia Get Recycling Cans…So Far
January 19, 2009
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority continues to deliver recycling containers in North Escambia, with a couple of hundred delivered at last count.
Larry Walker, ECUA District 5 member, says that 207 cans were delivered on 78 roads in North Escambia as of January 13. Those are the latest numbers from Otto Container Management, the contract company in charge of delivering the containers.
Former Allied Waste customers in North Escambia can sign up for the free reycling container by calling 476-0480, emailing support@ecua.org, or downloading a signup form from ecua.org.
The new trash and recycling day for most former Allied Waste customers in North Escambia is Tuesday. A few former Allied customers east of Highway 29 and south of Kingsfield Road have Friday as their new pick-up day.
The collection service includes weekly garbage pickup, weekly pickup of recyclables, and weekly yard waste pickup. All services are provided on the same day of the week. In addition, bulky waste pickup service is available once each calendar month at no additional charge.
Trash pick-up in Century continues to be provided by Allied Waste under a contract with the town.
For complete information on the recycling program and ECUA service, click here (pdf).
Man Shot By Off-Duty Foley Officer Dies
January 19, 2009
The man who was shot by an off-duty Foley police officer in late December at a Pensacola bar in an apparent racial altercation has died.Johnny Cloud, 37, was shot once in the abdomen by off-duty Foley officer Maurice Wiley at Boomerzzz Lounge on New Warrington Road in Pensacola about 2:30 a.m. on December 27. Officials originally identified Cloud as being from Century; however, family members said he is from Pensacola.
Wiley, who is black, entered the lounge about 2:30 a.m., and three white men began making racial slurs, according to a news release from the Foley Police Department. Wiley decided to leave bar after one of the three men said he was going to get a pistol, but he was confronted by the three men in the parking lot, according to the Foley release.
Cloud allegedly tried to sneak up behind Wiley with a knife. That’s when Wiley identified himself as a police officer, and ordered Cloud to drop the knife. When Cloud continued toward Wiley, Wiley fired a single shot that hit Cloud in the abdomen, according to authorities.
Escambia authorities say several witnesses confirmed Wiley’s story.
Wiley was placed on paid administrative leave by the Foley Police Department. He was later cleared by the Foley Police Department of any wrongdoing.
Switch To Digital TV Less Than A Month Away; 3,152 DTV Coupons Went To North Escambia
January 18, 2009
The upcoming switch to digital television is less than a month away. In North Escambia, 3,152 free $40 coupons for converter boxes to prepare for the February 17 switch have been ordered.
If you do not have a digital ready television and have not installed a digital converter box, your TV will stop working on February 17 if you do not have cable or satellite. The government was handing out $40 coupons to anyone that asks to help purchase the converter box, but they are gone for now. The best you can do now is get on a waiting list for a coupon.
In Century’s 32535 zip code, 1,146 coupons had been requested as of last week. That’s up from 974 total coupons requested by the second week of December.
In the McDavid/Walnut Hill 32568 zip, 966 coupons had been requested as of last week. That up from 862 coupons that had been requested by the second week of December.
A total of 1,040 coupons had been requested in the Molino 32577 zip by the end of last week. There had been 899 requested by the second week of December.
While those watching satellite or cable television, or those with digital tuner TV will not be required to connect a converter box in order to continue watching their favorite broadcast stations, a converter box would be required in order to watch TV when the satellite or cable system was not working.If you do have cable or satellite television, having a DTV converter box may open up programs that you are unable to watch on local stations. WKRG channel 5 is currently running classic television programs . Channel 15, WPMI, is running a weather station “WeatherPlus” on station 15-2. If you like public television, a converter box will get you not only the normal public TV stations 23 and 42, but also five additional public TV stations on the subchannels for WSRE and WEIQ. (Each digital station may have more than one channel. For instance, WSRE 23 on a normal analog TV become three stations…23-1, 23-2 and 23-3… with different programming on a digital box).
In order to get on the waiting list for a $40 converter box coupon from the government, visit dtv2009.org or call 1-888-DTV-2009. The boxes sell at retail from about $40 to $70.
Here is more information from the dtv2009 web site:
On February 17, 2009, all full-powered television stations will begin broadcasting only in digital, as required by law. To assist U.S. households with this historic transition, the National Telecommunication and Information Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, created the TV Converter Box Coupon Program to help Americans continue receiving over-the-air television after February 17, 2009.
Why is television going from analog broadcasting to digital?
The Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005 requires broadcasters to broadcast only in digital after February 17, 2009. Digital television promises to provide a clearer picture and more programming options and will free up some of the nation’s airwaves for use by emergency responders.
What is the significance of the February 17, 2009 digital TV transition date?
If households receive television programs over-the-air using “rabbit ears” or a rooftop antenna, they must take action to continue using their analog TVs after February 17, 2009. Consumers have three options, which include 1) buying a converter box that will plug into their current analog TV, 2) buying a TV with a digital tuner or 3) connecting their analog TV to cable, satellite or other pay service.
How can the public obtain a $40 coupon toward purchasing an eligible converter box?
From now through March 31, 2009, all U.S. households are able to request, on a first-come, first-served basis, up to two, $40 coupons to help pay for the cost of a certified converter box. Converter boxes are expected to cost between $40 and $70, however, it is a one-time cost with no monthly service charges. Coupons will expire 90 days after they are mailed and cannot be replaced.
For more information about the TV Converter Box Coupon Program, or to apply for coupons, visit www.DTV2009.gov or call toll free 1-888-388-2009 (1-888-DTV-2009). The hearing impaired may call the TTY number 1-877-530-2634 for information in English, and for information in Spanish, consumers can call TTY number 1-866-495-1161. Consumers can also request and submit a coupon application by mailing PO Box 2000, Portland, OR 97208 or by faxing 1-877-DTV-4ME2 (1-877-388-4632).
Where can the public buy a coupon-eligible converter?
Coupon-eligible converter boxes are only available at certified stores and online retailers where televisions and other consumer electronics are sold, as well as by mail-order. When the coupon is mailed to you, it will include an insert with a list of nearby, participating retailers. You can also go online at www.DTV2009.gov, enter your zip code, and locate participating retailers on a map.
What can the public do to plan for the transition?
Now is the time to identify whether any TV in your home is analog and receives over-the-air programming through “rabbit ears” or a rooftop antenna. Television viewers with these sets that are not connected to a pay TV service will need to take action before February 17, 2009, to ensure their TV sets continue to work. It is important to know your options and make sure your family, friends and neighbors are aware of whether they need to take action before the transition date. The important thing is that no one is left in the dark on February 17, 2009.