Book Signing Held
August 2, 2008
A book signing was held Friday for the The Flomaton Centennial Scrapbook at the Escambia County Bank.
“It’s what its name implies: a scrapbook mixture of topics presented in pictures, text and old newspaper clippings,” said author Jerry Simmons.
Compiled by Simmons, the book has a history of Flomaton’s first 100 years and 346 plus pages with pictures. “But it’s not a history book,” he said. “It’s not a picture book.”
The book also contains information and pictures from South Flomaton on the Florida side. South Flomaton became Century in 1980.
“It depicts Flomaton as a tiny little settlement which grew because of the railroad. Due to the nature of its people and the people of the surrounding area it has lasted these 100 hundred years even though the importance of the railroad to its existence has diminished,” Simmons said.
The book can be purchased for $40 at the Escambia County Bank in Flomaton.
It can also be purchased through the Escambia County Historical Society with a portion of the sales price going toward the society’s scholarship fund. To order, call Simmons at (251) 765-2629 or (251)867-7332. Or, stop by the Thomas E. McMillan Museum at Jefferson Davis Community College in Brewton on Tuesdays or Thursdays from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.
PDF samples of the book may be found at http://www.escohis.org/flcent/flc_ent_preview.html
Pictured above: Members of the Centennial Book Committee at the Escambia County Bank Friday were (standing, L-R) Lunette Weaver Ptomey, Dot Weaver Ptomey, Beverly Simpson and Jerry Fisher. Seated is Jerry Simmons. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge. Pictured below: The Big “R” Drive-In located in South Flomaton (present day Century) in 1962.. It later became Garrett’s Drive-In, pictured bottom in 1970. Today, it is the Sandwich Deli in Century. Pictures from the Flomaton Centennial Scrapbook.
Reward Now Offered For Info On Jail Escapees
August 2, 2008
It’s been a week since two men escaped from the Santa Rosa County Jail. They are still on the run, and Crimestoppers is now offering cash for information that leads to their capture.
Santa Rosa Crimestoppers is offering a $2,500 reward for information that leads to the arrest of either man.
The first escapee is Ricky Dale Spears, 43. He was in the county jail on charges that included kidnapping and aggravated battery. The second is David Chappell Dixon, 20, whois was awaiting trial on armed robbery, aggravated battery and escape charges.
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Department launch a massive search last weekend after the two were discovered missing. Authorities say they escaped due to a design flaw in the jail that had a 12 inch by 12 inch opening that the two crawled through to the roof.
Anyone with information on the two can call Crimestoppers at (850) 437-STOP.
Pictured above: Santa Rosa Jail escapees David Dixon (left) and Ricky Spears. Submitted photos.
Minor Injuries In Gravel Truck, Van Accident
August 1, 2008
A wreck involving a van and gravel truck in Century left one person with minor injuries Friday morning.
The accident happened about 11:30 on North Century Boulevard just north of East Highway 4, in front of the Panhandle Restaurant.
One person in the van was treated for minor injuries.
The front of the tractor trailer rig struck the driver’s front corner of the van. The van remained across the northbound lanes of Highway 29, slowing traffic for about a half an hour. The truck driver pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant.
It was raining at the time of the accident; however, it was not immediately clear if the rain contributed to the cause of the accident.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Century Volunteer Fire Department, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department, Escambia County EMS and the FHP all responded to the accident.
Pictured above: NorthEscambia.com was there as the first fire truck arrived on scene. Pictured below (scroll down): Emergency personnel check the driver and passenger of the van. Picture bottom: The front of the truck that struck the van. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Lots Of Area People Have Money Waiting For Them; Local Governments Too
August 1, 2008
You may have money waiting for you and not even know it. Hundreds of North Escambia residents do, as do most area governments.
The Florida Department of Financial Services holds unclaimed accounts valued at more than $1 billion, mostly from dormant accounts in financial institutions, insurance and utility companies, securities and trust holdings. Unclaimed Property also includes tangible property such as jewelry, coins, currency, stamps, historical items and other miscellaneous articles from safe deposit boxes. But most of the time, it is good old American cash (well, really checks).
In spending just a few minutes searching the site, it is easy to see that hundreds of North Escambia residents are owed money. Money that they can claim simply by asking for it.
For some random examples, there are 40 people in the Century zip code with a last name beginning with “S’ that have money for the asking. Names like Smith, Stewart, and Stallworth. There are 13 people with last names that being with “M” in the Molino zip code with unclaimed money…people with last names like Miller, Milstead and Morgan. In the McDavid zip code, 21 people with last names that start with “B” have unclaimed funds. There are last names like Blanton, Burkett and Burgess on the list.
How do you find out if you have unclaimed money waiting for you in Florida? It’s a free and simple process. Visit www.fltreasurehunt.org and search for your name. Then you fill out a few simple forms to claim your money. The whole process is free; there are no fees involved.
If you are an Alabama resident, or believe you might have unclaimed property in Alabama, you can visit the Alabama State Treasurer’s website.
NorthEscambia.com also discovered that many local governments have funds owed to them that they have not claimed. The Town of Century, Escambia County, the Escambia Sheriff’s Department, the Walnut Hill and Century volunteer fire departments and even the Byrneville Community Center all have unclaimed property.
Here’s a partial list of government entities around the area with unclaimed property being held by the State of Florida:
- Town of Century, cash from Axa Saaxa Financial, Inc.
- Town of Century, cash in lieu of fraction share from Axa Saaxa Financial, Inc.
- Town of Century, unexchanged stock of successor from Axa Saaxa Financial, Inc.
- Town of Century, other certificates of stock from Axa Saaxa Financial, Inc.
- Escambia County, check from Ford Motor Credit Co.
- Escambia County, refund from American Family Life Assurance Co.
- Escambia County, miscellaneous checks from Ford Motor Credit Co.
- Escambia Sheriff’s Department, accounts payable from Hilton Hotels
- Escambia County Clerk, cashier’s check from Bank of New Orleans
- Escambia County Clerk, multiple expense checks from American General Finance
- Escambia County Tax Collector, accounts payable from ADT Security
- Escambia County, official checks from Regions Bank
- Escambia County Jail, refunds from Dept. Of Attorney General
- Escambia County, vendor checks from International City/County Mgmt. Association
- Escambia County One Stop, vendor check from T-Mobile
- Escambia County Road Bonds, bearer bond interest from State Board of Administration
- Escambia County Schools, amount due under policy from comptroller
- Escambia County Schools, multiple refunds from West Florida Regional Medical Center
- Escambia County Schools, accounts payable from Sacred Heart Hospital
- Escambia County Sheriff, warrants (checks) from the judicial administration
- Escambia County Sheriff, accounts payable from AT&T Wireless
- Escambia County Tax Collector, vendor checks from Wayne Dalton
- Escambia County Tax Collector, vendor checks from Ford Motor Credit
- Escambia County Tax Collector, accounts payable from Illinois Tools Works
- Escambia County Tax Collector, official checks from Barnett Bank
- Escambia County Tax Collector, cashier’s check from Whitney Bank of New Orleans
- Escambia County Tax Collector, vendor check from Escambia County Clerk of Court
- Escambia County Tax Collector, official checks from Suntrust Mortgage
- Escambia County Tax Collector, official checks from Cellco Partnership
- Escambia County Tax Collector, checks written off from Riechold Chemical
- Escambia County Tax Collector, cashier’s checks from Beach Community Bank
- Escambia County Utilities Authority, vendor checks from National Fire Protection
- Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department, refund from Continental Insurance
- Century Volunteer Fire Department, credit checks from Insurance Co. of North America
- Byrneville Community Center, checks from Escambia County Clerk of Circuit Court
Downtown Flomaton Evacuated Following Major Gas Leak; One Injured
July 31, 2008
A gas leak Thursday forced the evacuation of much of downtown Flomaton, and it sent one gas company employee to the hospital.
Flomaton Fire Chief Steve Stanton says the Town of Flomaton was doing a routine movement of a water line when a gas line was damaged. An evacuation followed, emptying a large area of downtown Flomaton. It took authorities about an hour to cap off the leak on Palafox Street.
The timeline goes like this: A temporary repair to the pipe was made about 10:35 a.m. A repair crew capable of making a more permanent repair to the pipe arrived about 11:50 a.m. from South Alabama Gas. That repair was declared complete at 12:37 p.m..
After the “all clear” was given , people in the area were allowed to return to their homes and businesses.
Most downtown businesses were closed during the two plus hour event.. Many reopened, but the Escambia County Bank and the Post Office remained closed the rest of the day.
One person, identified as a South Alabama Gas employee, was transported to D.W. McMillan Hospital in Brewton with minor injuries.
A temporary shelter was setup by the American Red Cross at the First Baptist Church for the evacuees. Several household pets were also evacuated from the area by the Escambia County Humane Society.
The Flomaton Fire Department, the Flomaton Police Department, the Friendship Volunteer Fire Department, the Century Volunteer Fire Department, the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Department and Escambia County (FL) EMS all responded to the scene. Flomaton Mayor Dewey Bondurant and Escambia County (AL) Emergency Management Agency Director David Adams were also on scene.
More photos will be posted shortly.
Alisa Hart photos for NorthEscambia.com. Click here for more photos from the scene.
Pictured above: A member of the Flomaton Fire Department surveys the scene. Pictured below: A temporary repair was made to the gas line. Alisa Hart photos for NorthEscambia.com.
Community Supports Horse Rescue Group; Three Kids Help Raise Funds
July 31, 2008
A local horse rescue group’s financial situation has improved, partially thanks to three children that took it upon themselves to raise money for the group.
After an article on NorthEscambia.com and a report on a Mobile television station, donations began to arrive for Panhandle Equine Rescue, a non-profit horse rescue group located in the Molino area.
PER has received several donations from the community totaling about $3,000, including $231.31 from three Pace kids.
Hannah Richards, 11, Emily Richards, 8, and Michael Abendan, 10, of Pace learned of PER’s plight and hit a neighborhood street with a bucket and a sign that read “Help Save the Abused Horse Shelter”. Over six days for up to two and a half hours per day, the three took a stand for PER. Emily, Hannah and Michael (L-R) are pictured above with rescued horse Jasmine.
“It made me feel really, really bad about the horses,” Hannah told NorthEscambia.com. “I asked my friend, and we help up our sign to help.”
While Hannah and her sister Emily do not have a horse at their home in the Woodbine Springs area, their grandfather does have horses that they ride.
“I love horses, and I just wanted to do something to help the abused horses,” she said.
After spending three years helping horses in Escambia County, Panhandle Equine rescue turned to the community for help about two weeks ago. PER has investigated cases involving 466 horses and rescued 54 horses since 2005.
Along with their ordinary operation expenses, PER is facing huge medical bills for a horse named Raven. In less than 10 days, her medical bills have hit $1,200, and she will spending 30 days on an expensive medication.
(article continues below photos)
Raven and her colt Racer were rescued April 11 from Highway 168 near Century. The horses were reported to be running freely around the area on at least two occasions, and they were not being properly fed, according to PER. Their owner voluntarily surrendered them to PER. The photos above left shows their living conditions in January, and the photo on the right shows Raven in early December. Click the photos to enlarge (some readers may find the enlarged photos disturbing).
The following was submitted by Diane Lowery, president of PER:
Panhandle Equine Rescue is in desperate need of donations to help pay the vet bills on a rescued Arabian mare.
Raven, along with her colt, Racer, were rescued in April. Both were adopted out, but Raven was returned to us because of her health issues.
Since July 8th, her expenses have added up to almost $1,200.00. She had to be admitted into the vet clinic again for the second time Thursday night due to regular bouts of colic. She has been diagnosed with “Grade 2 Ulcers” and experiences pain on a daily basis.
She has been started on an oral paste that must be given daily. One tube costs $33.00. She must receive this medicine for 28 days.
Panhandle Equine Rescue has a total of 17 horses in foster care and very little in donations has been coming in. We’re planning some fund raisers to try to compensate for our losses, but it may be too late.
We are really frustrated at this point, because we know that our services are needed in this county. We rely solely on donations. We do not receive county or state funding, nor have we received any federal grants. In 2005, three of us were approved by a judge to do equine investigations in Escambia County and since then, we have worked 111 cases involving 466 horses. We have rescued 54 horses.
In addition, we are in great need of foster homes. We are at full capacity and cannot take in any more rescues until we have more space and can raise the funds to support them.
If anyone would like to sponsor Raven to help get her through this horrible ordeal in her life, we would appreciate it.
A monthly sponsor receives a picture and a quarterly update or you can be a one time sponsor. To read about her rescue, go to www.panhandleequinerescue.org
Donations can be sent to PER, P.O. Box 777, Cantonment, FL 32533
Pesky Critter? County Animal Control Will No Longer Help
July 31, 2008
If you have a wildlife problem, you can’t call Escambia County Animal Control anymore.
Escambia County Animal Control has announced that they will no longer handle wildlife calls. Any orphaned animals should be referred to the Wildlife Sanctuary or a private pest control agencies.
The Wildlife Sanctuary is located at 105 North “S” Street in Pensacola and is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There phone number is (850) 433-9453.
The sanctuary is a non-profit organization that accepts orphaned and injured indigenous wildlife…animals that natural call our our area home. While their primary objective is rehabilitation and release, they also provide a sanctuary for non-releasable animals.
Wildlife nuisance issues, including raiding raccoons, crafty coyotes and aggressive alligators, should be handled by local private pest control companies.
For more information on how you can better handle wildlife/human conflict, visit the Escambia County UF/IFAS Extension Office web site by clicking here.
Some tips offered by the extension service include:
- Keep garbage in a garbage can with a raccoon-proof lid.
- Do not leave pet food outdoors.
- Consider fencing garden areas if repeated digging occurs.
- Install screens over window, doors, and chimney flues to prevent entry.
- Caulk any openings or crevices that animals may crawl through.
State Farm, Farm Bureau Want To Raise Insurance Rates
July 31, 2008
Two of the major property insurers in North Escambia have asked the state to raise insurance rates as much as nearly 50 percent.
Florida Farm Bureau became the latest insurer to ask for a rate increase when they went before the state’s Office of Insurance Regulation in Tallahassee on Wednesday. Farm Bureau is seeking to raise property insurance rates by 28 percent.
Farm Bureau, which has over 100,000 property policy holders in the state, says it needs the rate increase to be able to pay claims in the event of a major hurricane hitting their insured in the state.
The state’s second largest property insurer, State Farm, has asked for a 47 percent rate increase. A public hearing on that request will be held on August 12. State farm insures about one million Florida homes.
Trial Of Molino Man Accused In Young Daughter’s Death Delayed Until September
July 31, 2008
Another continuance has been granted in the trial of a Molino man accused of killing his infant daughter in 2006.
The continuance was granted Monday; he will now be back in court for a jury trial September 2.
Christopher Paterson, 28, was scheduled to stand trail July 14 for the death of his one year old daughter Ali Jean Paterson. But Assistant Public Defender Fred Carmody requested that the trial be postponed so an expert witness could prepare for the trial. The continuance request was granted by Circuit Judge Michael Allen until July 28.
Paterson’s trial had previously been set to begin on May 12, but was postponed after the defense announced a new witness in the case.
The girl died on November 26, 2006, from burns she received two weeks earlier when she was left unattended in a hot bath, according to authorities. Paterson told deputies he placed the child in shower that just felt warm and went to another room to get a towel. He said that when he returned, Ali was screaming, and there was steam rising from the shower. He then called 911 after noticing red sores on the child.
Ali survived at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham for two weeks before she died.
This was not Paterson’s first involvement with authorities over Ali. The Department of Children and Families investigated a broken leg she suffered in May 2006. Paterson and Brittany Knapp, Ali’s mother, took Ali to the hospital with a broken leg. They said her leg was broken when it became trapped in a slot in her crib. DCF did not find that the incident was abuse at that time.
Paterson was indicted by a grand jury on second degree manslaughter charges in February of 2007. He was arrested on May 1, 2007, near Gainesville. He has remained in jail since his arrest.
Solutia, Monsanto Retirees Reunion Planned
July 31, 2008
Retirees from Chemstrand, Monsanto and Solutia will meet for a reunion of all departments on August 23 at the Community Life Center at the Gonzalez United Methodist Church.
As many as 400 retirees and their spouses are expected to attend.
Solutia has contributed to the cost of the food. Retirees will pay $7.50 each ($4 for children under 12) for a meal of smoked chicken, beef brisket, Boston Butt pork and all the trimmings. Drinks and desserts are included.
Door prizes will be awarded at 11 a.m. The lunch will be served at noon. The meeting time is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A grand prize, donated by Gulf Winds Credit Union, will be awarded.
The deadline to register to attend is August 2.
To RSVP, send a check to Sherry Smith, 2656 Broome Circle, Cantonment, Fl 32533 or call her at (850) 478-7330.