If You Can Read This Headline, You Should Read This Story
July 23, 2008
Why should you read this story? Because about one in five people in North Escambia are unable to read and comprehend this story, or a story they might try to read in a printed newspaper. And those people need your help.
But Learn to Read of Northwest Florida is working to change that. Right now, there are four people in the North Escambia area that are ready to learn to read, but there are no tutors to teach them.
Learn to Read executives and volunteers meet with community leaders Tuesday in Century to ask for…almost beg for…help in finding tutors.
During the year that Learn to Read has operated a Century office, only six tutors have volunteered. That’s a number that Learn to Read leaders are not happy with.
“We are committed to the program and to making it work,” Tom Allen (pictured left), president of Learn to Read, said. “We desperately, desperately need volunteers, especially volunteers that are willing to tutor.”
Allen cited statistics that about one in five Escambia residents are either unable to read at all, or they read at a low, non-functioning level.
“These people can’t function in society,” he said.
Learn to Read volunteer tutors typically meet with their students one on one for about an hour and a half two times per week, according to tutor trainer Georgia Brazzell. Complete training and materials are provided at no charge.
Edna Earle Barnes (pictured left), the Century coordinator for Learn to Read, said she would like to have found more than six tutors out of two workshops held in Century. “But it is six more than we had when we started,” she said.
Volunteer tutors must be 18 years old and have a high school diploma. A degree or teaching experience is not needed.
An orientation session for potential tutors will be held on Thursday, August 14 from 10:00 until 11:30 a.m. at the old Century hospital. The next tutoring workshop in Century will be held on Saturday, August 23. Registration is required. To register, call 256-0880 or 473-4347.
Tutors and students do not have to reside in Century or Escambia County, Florida. Everyone is welcome.
Where Are The Century Town Limits? The Town Does Not Know
July 22, 2008
Where exactly is the Town of Century? The town council has determined that it does not exactly know, and they may eventually turn to an engineering firm to find out.
The town limit discussion at Monday night’s meeting of the town council started over a trash can. The council voted to forgive a past due garbage bill for a resident on Pleasant Hill Road who has not had a can for years but has run up a $446 garbage bill. The council also voted to require the resident to pay a garbage bill from now forward.
“If we are going to exempt him from this point on,” Mayor Freddie McCall said, “are we going to be able to do this for the rest of the citizens?”
“If you are live in the city limits, you have to have garbage,” council member Nadine McCaw said. “The only thing to do is deliver him a can.”
“When did I get in the city limits?” the man asked. “I’ve been on that hill for 36 years.”
“Your dad voted for years,” McCall said of the father that had lived in the home. Only residents in the town limits can vote in Century elections.
Several residents said that the east side of Pleasant Hill Road is in the town and the west side is not. And that is exactly what several popular internet mapping services indicate, including Google Maps. But those maps are not legal.
When asked exactly where the town limits are, the mayor said the town really did not have an accurate map.
“I’ve got no earthly idea,” McCall said of exactly where the town limits lie.
The council voted 5-0 to have the mayor attempt to find an accurate survey or map depicting the town limits. If he is unable to locate one, the town may end up paying an engineering firm for a survey.
Pictured above: A 1990 map from Century’s Comprehensive Plan. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
A Rocky Road: Dump Truck Overturns, Blocks Hwy. 31 Near Flomaton
July 22, 2008
Morning traffic came to a standstill on Highway 31 east of Flomaton Tuesday after a dump truck full of small rocks overturned.
The accident happened a little after 7:00 at the intersection of Highway 31 and Fannie Road, about a mile and a half outside Flomaton. The driver of the truck and a passenger were injured and transported by ambulance to D.W. McMillan Hospital in Brewton. LifeFlight was originally called to the scene, but was unable to respond due to poor visibility.
Preliminary reports indicate that the truck overturned when the driver entered a curve too fast, causing the load to shift.
When the dump truck overturned, its load was spilled across Highway 31. The resulting pile of gravel took heavy equipment and about an hour to cleanup.
The Flomaton Fire Department, the Century Volunteer Fire Department, the Flomaton Police Department, the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Department and others reponded to the accident.
The accident is under investigation by the Alabama State Troopers.
Photos and information by Alisa Hart for NorthEscambia.com
For more photos from the scene, click here.
Town Council Votes To Post Public Notices On NorthEscambia.com
July 22, 2008
The Century Town Council voted Monday night to post all future town public notices on NorthEscambia.com.
Currently, the town’s public notices are posted on the door of the town hall, at the Century Post Office, at the library and at the Piggly Wiggly.
“The best place I know to post public notices would be NorthEscambia.com,” council member Ann Brooks said. “NorthEscambia.com has quite a readership right now.”
The council unanimously approved posting all future public notices on NorthEscambia.com in addition to the paper notices posted on bulletin boards around town and the door of town hall.
NorthEscambia.com will be posting the public notices at no charge to the Town of Century.
Council Talks Backwoods Water Again; Denies Funding For Trip
July 22, 2008
Improved water service for Backwoods Road was once again a topic of discussion for the Century Town Council at their Monday night meeting.
The council recently voted to include Backwoods Road in a $1.7 million project to be funded with a USDA Rural Development loan.
The fee for the town’s engineer company Fabre Engineering was not included in the original loan amount, according to Dale Long from Fabre. Engineering design and permitting fees associated with Backwoods Road will be $26,588, he said. The council approved payment in that amount.
Long said additional cost will be incurred if Fabre must work to obtain right of way easements along the road. Obtaining the right of way has delayed any water improvements along Backwoods Road for years.
But Long said he recently was told that the right of way easement may already exist without the need to obtain additional easements.
“I’d like to think that at the end of the day we’d have enought right of way,” he said.
“There just seems to be a hangup between the county and the city,” Backwoods Road resident Elbert Dixon told the council. While Backwoods Road is served by the Town of Century water system, it is actually not in the city but in the county.
“We as a neighborhood out there are tired of being bounced around,” Dixon said. “It’s time to do something. We are fed up with it. It is time to do something.”
In other business, the council refused to accept their meeting minutes from a council meeting and Community Development Block Grant public hearing on July 7.
“I found so many errors that I’m not willing to vote on this tonight,” council member Ann Brooks said. “I don’t feel like I need to be the proofreader.”
- The council voted to deny fund for Brooks to attend a league of cities training session in October. Brooks requested that the funding be denied, by the league actually offers a scholarship for city officials denied funding.
- The council decided to approve a bill list twice per month rather than just once per month.
- The council was informed by Mayor Freddie McCall that he did not have any new information about the status of Helicopter Technologies in the Century Industrial Park.
The council’s next meeting will be August 4 at 7:00 p.m.
Gulf Power Tops In Customer Satisfaction
July 22, 2008
Gulf Power Company and all other Southern Company utilities have been rated highest in customer satisfaction among all electric utilities in the nation by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ASCI).
The ASCI is based on interviews with residential customers across a number of industries. Companies are ranked based on customer responses in six areas: perceived quality, expectations, perceived value, satisfaction, complaints and loyalty.
“Great customer satisfaction is part of our mission,” said John Hutchinson, Gulf Power’s general manager of Public Affairs, “and part of every employee’s focus. To be ranked number one in the nation by our customers is quite an honor and a recognition we very much appreciate.”
Southern Company scored 81 out of a possible 100, putting it on top of the electric utilities, and seven points above the industry average of 74.
“We thank our customers for this high ranking and our promise is that we will continue to look for innovative ways to raise our level of service and customer care,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson said having the lowest rates in the state among major utilities, responding quickly to power outages and the many energy management programs Gulf Power offers are part of the reasons for high customer satisfaction.
“Online payment options, free energy audits, surge protection options and our award-winning Good Cents Select program all give customers choices and opportunities to be more satisfied with their electric service,” he said. “But the bottom line is good old-fashioned customer service and our employees work hard at meeting customer needs.”
The ACSI is produced in partnership by the University of Michigan Business School, American Society for Quality (ASQ), and the international consulting firm, Claes Fornell International (CFI Group).
A Treasure Chest Of Sorts Donated To Local Museum
July 21, 2008
It’s more than some people can bear to go to the dentist and see the assortment of tools that a modern dentist uses. But a complete dentist kit in a box donated to a Century museum makes modern dentistry seem a bit more pleasant. It’s a treasure chest of dental history.
An antique dental kit was recently donated to the Alger-Sullivan Historical Society. The complete kit in a multiple compartment wooden box contains every imaginable dental item from the early 1900’s. Every item except pain killers.
There is what appears to be billing notes on a patient handwritten on the back of a box lid. Mrs. Clarence Johnson appears to have had charges of $8.00 and $5.50 for a total bill of $13.50. It looks like she paid $1.50 toward her bill, for a balance due of $12.00. (Click the photo to the left to enlarge.)
NorthEscambia.com was there as Don Sales from the Alger-Sullivan Historical Society explored the contents of the box for the first time.
Some of the items found were:
- X-IT “A Scientific Preparation having three specific functions: Kills germs in the mouth, stimulates circulation…promotes healing”
- Many bottles of fillers and enamels
- Several suture kits (that would be needles and thread for stitches)
- Many tools, including mirrors, picks and hooks
- An item that appears to be an atomizer or sprayer
- X-IT “for mouth and gum application…promotes healing”. It is labeled as “Not-injurious”
- A free sample metal container of Wilson’s Co-Re-Ga that “holds dental plates firmly and comfortably in the mouth”
- Dr. Trey’s Synthetic Porcelain from the L.D. Caulk Co.
- Kant-Leek syringes, patented July 13, 1926. “No unsanitary leather, felt or soft metal washers”
- Aseptic Absorbent Points “for drying pulp canals”
If you are squeamish and are cringing from the whole dental tool thing, this is the paragraph you’ll want to skip. The kit contain several drill bits…all powered by a foot pump and pulley system. A true variable speed drill for the teeth. There is also a large amount of cotton packing material, and a well worn spit cup.
There are dental appointment books from 1931 and 1932 with the kit, but there are no appointments entered, just a few nondescript notes.
The items were donated to the Alger-Sullivan Historical Society by Dr. Harvey Kelly of Jay. The museum plans to research and inventory the items prior to put them on display in their Century museum.
For more photos from the antique dental kit, click here.
Pictured top: An antique dental kit donated to the Alger-Sullivan Historical Society. Pictured above, small photo: Billing notes that showed Mrs. Clarence Johnson paid $1.50 toward her $13.50 bill. Pictured below: Dental drill bits that were powered by a foot pedal and pulley system. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Focus Group Looks For Input On Local Government
July 21, 2008
If you think you have ideas how to improve the way Escambia County does business, there’s a meeting for you Wednesday.
The Florida Benchmarking Consortium (FBC) needs citizens to give their opinions on local government service delivery and satisfaction at a focus group hosted by Escambia County. The event will be held at Escambia County Extensions Services, 3470 Stefani Road in Cantonment, Wednesday from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m.
Residents of Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties are invited to attend – especially those interested in performance measurement and active in local organizations such as advocacy groups and neighborhood associations. Service categories needing citizen input include: law enforcement, fire-rescue, code enforcement, road repair, storm water/drainage, parks and recreation, planning and growth management, and water. Seating is limited to 50 people. To register, call Marlene Dennis at (850) 595-4933.
The FBC is a group of Florida local governments that are collaborating on finding ways to make government more efficient. Information from the focus group will be shared with each FBC service category committee and ultimately help improve services. For more information on FBC, visit www.flbenchmark.org.
North Escambia Entries Place In Atmore Fiddler’s Convention
July 20, 2008
Two North Escambia entries walked away winners in the 29th Annual Atmore Fiddlers’ Convention Saturday.
Northview High music teacher Scott Slay placed second in the guitar category and third in the mandolin division. A total of nine people competed in the guitar category and eight entered in the mandolin divison.
The Highway 99 Bluegrass Band from the Walnut Hill area placed second in both the string band and vocal band categories.
In the guitar category, Slay took first place in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007.
In the mandolin category, Slay won third place in 2003, first place in 2005 and 2005, second place in 2006, and first place in 2007.
There were five entries in the vocal band category, three in dobro, five in banjo and 10 on the fiddle.
The event was sponsored by the Atmore Rotary Club, with proceeds going toward the club’s Academic All-Stars Program that honors high school students that maintain A and B averages during the school year. The awards are presented to students from Northview High School, Escambia County (AL) High School, Escambia Academy and Atmore Christian School. Last year, 36 Northview students were honored.
For more photos and a winner’s list from the Atmore Fiddlers’ Convention, see the Wednesday edition of the Atmore News or AtmoreNews.com.
Pictured above: Northview teacher Scott Slay on the mandolin Saturday at the Atmore Fiddlers’ Convention. Pictured below: Scott Slay on the guitar. Pictured bottom: Scott Slay poses wiht his father Tracy Slay. Photos courtesy the Atmore News, click to enlarge.
Congress Needs To Act To Lower Our Energy Costs
July 20, 2008
By Congressman Jeff Miller for NorthEscambia.com
Turn on the TV or open any newspaper and you are immediately bombarded with news of high gas prices and dozens of theories of who is to blame. Oil companies, commodities traders, OPEC, Dick Cheney, and SUV’s are all among the favorite targets.
But the fact is Congress has done nothing to relieve any of the pressure on working Americans by failing to come up with meaningful solution to the energy crunch. Instead, politicians and bureaucrats would rather point fingers and try to maneuver for a political advantage in an election year.
Earlier this year, Speaker Pelosi famously said “Democrats have a commonsense plan to help bring down skyrocketing gas prices;” however, since the Democrats took over the Congress, gas prices increased from $2.29 to $4.10. Congressional Democrats have fought efforts to open up new domestic areas to drilling and they have refused to allow new oil refineries to be built in the U.S. for the last quarter century.
Deep down, many Democrats in Washington seem to think that high gas prices will be blamed on President Bush. The higher gas prices are in November, the more blame will be placed on Bush, and the more likely Barack Obama is to become our 44th president.
Republicans for their part have been equally bad on energy issues. For the twelve years they controlled the House of Representatives, Republicans ignored the need for fuel diversity and neglected to ensure energy independence by investing in alternative fuel technologies. Republicans did not push hard enough to open ANWR and other U.S. properties known to contain petroleum reserves. Some Republicans are even naïve enough to believe that Speaker Pelosi and Congressional Democrats will suffer the brunt of the blame come November.
The truth is when energy prices are used as a political football, no solutions will be found and nobody wins — especially working American families who will continue to bear the burden of spiking fuel costs.
I call on my colleagues in both parties to drop the partisan bickering and political posturing and do what is right for all Americans. I submit we should pass the following measures as part of a comprehensive energy package that will actually lower fuel costs.
- We need to increase DOMESTIC production of oil and natural gas now. This is a national security risk as well as a flawed energy policy. I support drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). We also need to immediately open up leases for oil and gas exploration in areas of the Gulf of Mexico that do not interfere with the mission of the military.
- I believe the next step towards lowering consumer gas prices is for the U.S. to invest in new oil refineries. In 1982, there were 324 oil refineries around the U.S. and today there are only 132. Because of this cumbersome permitting process and high capital investment we have not invested in new refinery construction since 1976. It is simple supply and demand economics and our ability to refine petroleum has not kept up with our demands. We need new oil refineries now.
- We need to invest in proven alternative technologies, like biodiesel, by creating additional tax incentives to facilities that produce non-petroleum-based fuel.
- We need to invest in long-term energy alternatives including but not limited to solar, wind, hydrogen, geothermal, nuclear, and hydroelectric technologies.
The time has come for Congress to drop the partisan games and to develop a comprehensive national energy policy that recognizes the importance of petroleum while at the same time attempts to balance and stabilize other sources of energy. We must also continue to explore ways to reduce demand through new energy efficiency technologies and alternative fuels.
I’m Jeff Miller and that’s what I think, what do you think? Email me through my website at www.house.gov/jeffmiller