One Person Injured In Pine Barren Creek Bridge Accident
August 27, 2008
One person was injured in a close call with a North Escambia bridge late Tuesday afternoon.
A female was transported to the hospital from the scene of the one vehicle accident on Highway 168. The driver of the vehicle struck the guardrail and concrete side of the Pine Barren Creek Bridge on Highway 168, near the intersection of Pine Barren Road. The vehicle came to a stop several hundred feet west of the bridge. The accident happened at 6:00 p.m.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The female’s injuries were not believed to be life threatening.
The Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department, Escambia County Sheriff’s Department, Atmore Ambulance and the Florida Highway Patrol all responded to the accident.
Pictured above and below: A one vehicle accident Tuesday afternoon on Highway 168 at Pine Barren Creek. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Whitehead Slammed By Robertson
August 27, 2008
Former District 5 Commissioner Wilson Robertson may be headed back to the Escambia County Commission, this time in District 1. Robertson crushed incumbent Mike Whitehead in Tuesday’s Republican primary. Robertson will face Democrat Stephen Davidson on the November 4 ballot
In the county’s biggest upset Tuesday, Robertson received a commanding 80.8 percent of the votes cast in the Republican District 1 Commission race. Robertson, who’s campaign slogan was “bring back the sanity”, received 4,744 votes to Whitehead’s 1,126.
School Superintendent: Brown-Curry To Face Thomas In November
August 27, 2008
Democrat Claudia Brown-Curry will face Republican Malcolm Thomas in November for the job of Escambia County School Superintendent.
Brown-Curry, a current school board member, won the Democratic primary Tuesday with 9,242 (54.8%) of the vote. Cary Stidam received 4,738 (28.1%) of the vote, and Myra Simmons received 2,878 (17.1%).
Thomas did not have a Republican challenger Tuesday, so he automatically advanced to the November 4 ballot.
Current Superintendent Jim Paul dropped out of the race after being arrested on a drunk driving charge in Pinellas County, Florida.
Baptist Purchase Of West Florida Gets Go Ahead
August 27, 2008
The Federal Trade Commission has given the go ahead to Baptist Health Care in their planned purchase of West Florida Hospital.
After announcing plans to acquire West Florida Hospital in June, Baptist Health Care filed notice of the transaction with the FTC on July 25, as required by the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act. BHC has worked closely with the FTC to provide it with the information required to conduct its review. The passing of 30 days since the HSR filing with no further action by the FTC means that BHC has been cleared to proceed with plans to acquire West Florida Hospital.
“We are pleased that, after thorough investigations, the FTC has cleared Baptist’s plans to acquire West Florida Hospital,” stated Al Stubblefield, president and CEO of Baptist Health Care. “We are currently performing due diligence reviews and developing plans for the transition and consolidation of West Florida Hospital, anticipated to be completed before the end of 2008.”
Stubblefield continued, “From the time we close, we anticipate it will take 12 – 18 months to fully implement the consolidation of the two hospitals. Throughout the process, we will continue to outline and communicate milestones along the way to keep you informed.”
Closer to North Escambia, Baptist operates Atmore Community Hospital, Jay Hospital, Century Family Practice and Lakeview Center in Century.
Pictured above: Artist rendering of the new cancer center to be located at the new locations of Baptist Hospital on Davis Highway.
Escambia Voter Turnout Was Low
August 27, 2008
Voter turnout was low Tuesday in Escambia County, with only about 25 percent of eligible voters casting their ballot.
The overall voter turnout across the county was at 25.3 percent of registered voters. Split down party lines, 30 percent of Republicans voted and about 24 percent of Democrats cast their ballots.
Specific precinct by precinct numbers were not available Tuesday night. When those numbers become available from the Escambia Supervisor of Elections Office, NorthEscambia.com will let you know how many of your friends and neighbors voted at your precinct.
Complete Escambia Election Results
August 27, 2008
Here are the complete, unofficial elections results from Tuesday’s primaries in Escambia County.
Shell Reelected Mayor Of Atmore
August 27, 2008
To the north of North Escambia, Atmore Mayor Howard Shell has been elected to his fifth term as mayor, defeating Gil Bonner 733 votes to 463 votes.
On the Atmore City Council, Webb Nall and Eldred Prichet were reelected. Chris Walker will be joining the council after winning an open seat.
For more Atmore election coverage, visit AtmoreNews.com
Best Two Out Of Three In Jay Council Race
August 27, 2008
It’s a game of the best two out of three in Jay for town council. There were three contenders, with the top two headed toward a council seat.
The top two vote getters, and new town council members, are Maxine M. Ivey with 62 votes and Louise Freels with 60 votes. Ed Johnson took third, and no council seat, with 46 votes.
Flomaton Election Results
August 27, 2008
It was a good Tuesday for incumbent city council members in Flomaton, with two headed back to city hall and one headed toward a runoff.
Incumbent John Samson will return to Flomaton City Council after defeating Doyle Lee 25 votes to 20 in District 1.
In the District 3 race, incumbent Jim Johnson returns to the council with 40 votes to 12 for Adam L. Johnson.
A runoff is in the works in District 4. First place went to C.E. Crapps with 26 votes. Incumbent Gary M. Sibernagel was second with 24 votes. Wesley Allen had 11 votes, and nine people voted for Tracy Owens. Since neither Crapps or Sibernagel had 50 percent of the vote for a clear winner, they will face each other in a runoff.
Mayor Dewey Bondurant, Jr. and council member Clementine Brooks won by default; no one ran against them.
Ray’s Chapel Member Deploys To Iraq
August 26, 2008
A member of Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church in Bogia left Sunday for training before being deployed to Kuwait or Iraq.
US Air Force Sgt. John Weaver departed Sunday for specialized training at Camp Bullis, Texas. He will be at Camp Bullis for six weeks before being deployed overseas for at least six months.
Sgt. Weaver is originally from Jay and currently lives in Pensacola with his wife Lisa and three girls, Krista 12, Randi, 10, and Starla, 7. He is stationed at Hurlbert Field.
He and his family are very active and faithful members of Ray’s Chapel, they make the drive several times a week to the church.
The church held a social in his honor to have extra fellowship with him before deployment. Church members made special items for John’s troop of nine members, such as inspirational bracelets and note pads. The church will continue in their support of Sgt. Weaver and his family with prayers and care boxes in the months to come.
Pictured top: Starla, Lisa, John, Randi and Krista Weaver. Pictured middle: Sgt. Weaver presents the flag during a service at Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church. Pictured below: A church social at Ray’s Chapel in honor of Sgt. Weaver. Submitted photos by Ramona Preston for NorthEscambia.com.
Ramona Preston contributed to this article.
