Two Children Were Left Alone Without Adequate Food In Unsafe Cantonment Shed, ESCO Says
December 2, 2021
Two children were left alone without adequate food in unsafe conditions in a Cantonment shed, leading to an arrest, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Hanna Elizabeth Blocker, 30, was charged with two felony counts of child neglect.
Deputies said she left two minors alone with insufficient food and in unsafe living conditions.
Blocker and the minors were living in a shed in Cantonment. The shed had a “very unkept small living space with only a few cans of food available for the children”, according to an arrest report. Deputies said there was a “an opened chicken” with no ice in a cooler on the front porch of the shed.
The report notes Blocker showed deputies an online Walmart food order placed the same day for $280.
A toilet was mounted on a wooden platform covered with a tarp on the side of the shed, and it was draining into the front yard, the report states. A gas generator was being used for electricity.
Blocker was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $5,000 bond.
First Four Bulbs Placed On Fire Safety Wreath After Apartment Fire
December 2, 2021
Escambia County Fire Rescue has placed has placed four red bulbs on the “Keep the Wreath” fire safety wreath for residential structure fire which occurred on Wednesday, the first day of the annual December campaign.
At 5:55 Wednesday morning, Escambia Fire Rescue responded to a multi-unit residential fire at the Aspen Village Apartments on East Johnson Avenue. Firefighters arrived to find flames coming from the two story complex. Six adults were displaced and are being assisted by the American Red Cross. There were no injuries in the fire, which was sparked from a fireplace inside one of the units.
During the month-long Keep the Wreath Green campaign, five-foot wreaths are on display at county fire stations and other locations. Each time firefighters respond to a residential fire with damage, a green light bulb is replaced with a red one to remind citizens of the dangers posed by fires in residential homes.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Inks New Utility Contract With Prison System, Expects $180K Revenue Increase
December 2, 2021
The Town of Century has inked a new utility agreement for the Florida Department of Corrections’ Century Correctional Institution. The new contract is expected to boost the town’s bottom line by over $180,000 annually.
“I’m excited to say that the agreement has been finalized,” Century Mayor Ben Boutwell told NorthEscambia.com late Wednesday afternoon. “This is a really good thing for our town.”
Century has provided water, sewer and natural gas to the prison under a 2008 agreement. It’s estimated the town underbilled over $330,000 due to a faulty gas meter and the town’s failure to adjust the contract annually to match the Consumer Price Index (CPI). However, most of the underbilling is beyond a contractual two-year limitation. The town has agreed to forgive the full amount.
Billings under the new five year contract, which has a three year renewal option, are anticipated to total nearly $615,181 plus the actual cost of gas each year — $181,121 more than the 2008 contract. The new rates will be applied retroactively to March 2021.
Going forward, annual CPI increases will be added each March.
FDOC has also agreed to pay $1,120 per month to cover expenses if the town installs a “bar screen” – machinery that will keep large items like sheets out of the town’s pumps and wastewater treatment plant.
Tuesday night, the Century Town Council discussed the new contract for over two hours during a special meeting. After a sometimes heated discussion between council members, they voted 3-1 to allow Boutwell to finalize the contract. Council member Luis Gomez voted no, and Leonard White abstained from voting on the contract because he is employed by the FDOC.
The Florida Department of Corrections is Century’s largest utility customer.
Pictured top: Council member Leonard White is employed by the Florida Department of Corrections and abstained from voting on the new contract. Pictured below: Mayor Ben Boutwell listens to a lengthy council discussion. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century’s Only Financial Institution Has Now Closed
December 2, 2021
The Pen Air Federal Credit Union branch in Century has closed, leaving Century without a financial institution.
The lobby of the Pen Air location closed permanently this week. “Pen Air LIVE” interactive video ATMs will remain open.
“Thank you for letting us be a part of your community all these years. We look forward to serving your banking needs, today and for many more years to come,” Pen Air Century Branch Manager Angie White said in an email to members last month.
“I hate they are closing,” Sandra McMurray-Jackson recently told NorthEscambia.com. She is a longtime Pen Air member, a Century business owner and member of the Century Town Council. She joined Pen Air in the late 1990s with her late husband, with both of her sons becoming members as they grew older.
“I consider Pen Air to be part of my family,” Jackson said. “We need Pen Air in Century.”
In their email to members, Pen Air said banking behavior has changed, with a dramatic shift in the past year. The credit union said an “overwhelming majority” of members now use online banking, a mobile app and other digital services when possible.
Pictured: The Pen Air Federal Credit Union branch in Century. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Escambia (AL) Correctional Officer Accused Of Smuggling Contraband
December 2, 2021
A correctional officer at the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center is facing charges for allegedly smuggling contraband into the facility.
Taylor Boatright was charged with promoting prison contraband and use of an official position for personal gain.
“Boatright received money from the inmate to purchase the phone and to bring it inside the facility,” Escambia County (AL) Sheriff Heath Jackson said.
The phone was round during a routine search of employees entering the jail.
Boatwright was released on a $30,000 bond.
2021 Active Hurricane Season Has Ended With 21 Storms
December 2, 2021
An active 2021 hurricane season came to an end this week, having produced 21 named storms, including seven hurricanes of which four were major hurricanes with winds over 111 mph.
This year was the third most active year on record in terms of named storms, it marks the sixth consecutive above-normal Atlantic hurricane season, and this was the first time on record that two consecutive hurricane seasons exhausted the list of 21 storm names.
The 2022 hurricane season will officially begin on June 1. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center will issue its initial seasonal outlook in May.
Pictured: Hurricane Ida on August 29, 2021. (NOAA)
ECSO Steps Up Speed Enforcement On Highway 97 Following Triple Fatal Crash
December 1, 2021
Following a triple fatal crash an other injury wrecks on Highway 97 last weekend, has area residents are calling for an increased law enforcement presence on the state highway.
“We have had more personnel out there and have heard the complaints recently,” Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Commander Andrew Hobbs told NorthEscambia.com Tuesday. “We will continue to address the complaints from the community.”
He said the ECSO has conducted over 130 traffic stops in the last five months on Highway 97. That number jumps to nearly 200 when including vehicle stops on nearby roads just off the 22 miles of Highway 97.
The Sheriff’s Office has placed speed-checking trailers along Highway 97. The units collect anonymous data on vehicle speeds, which Hobbs said allows the ECSO to work smarter.
The data from the trailers can be used to determine the peak time for speeding on Highway 97.
“We can use that information to put our resources from the Century and Molino precincts out there during those times.”
Florida Highway Patrol Lieutenant Jason King said it is difficult for FHP to patrol all of the state’s roadway.
“It’s extremely difficult, so we try to partner with all the local police departments and the sheriff’s offices and kind of work together,” King said. “We have a lot of crashes…throughout the day. We only have a certain number of staff that work the roads within a shift,” King said.
The FHP has not released the cause of the three weekend crashes, so it’s not yet known if speed was to blame.
Pictured top: This crash on Highway 97 Saturday afternoon claimed three lives. Pictured below: Seven people were involved in this two vehicle crash Sunday morning on Highway 97. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century Rehires Leslie Howington As Town Clerk; Fills Admin Clerk, Water And Street Jobs
December 1, 2021
The Century Town Council voted Tuesday night to rehire former town clerk Leslie Howington along with an administrative clerk, water operator trainee and a street worker.
Town Clerk
Howington was Century town clerk from 2010-2018. She then worked in sales for a new upscale apartment complex in Pensacola and managed the new Best Western in Brewton. In July 2021, she became deputy city clerk at the City of Palm Coast, FL, a city of nearly 90,000 people.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in public administration and an Associate of Arts degree in paralegal studies, is a certified municipal clerk, and is completing certification as a master municipal clerk.
Howington (pictured above) will be paid $24.55 per hour. Her start date, while in the near future, has not been finalized.
Current Town Clerk Kim Godwin is stepping aside from the position to attend nursing school.
Administrative Clerk
The council voted to hire Brianna Waldrop as an administrative clerk for $12.50 per hour. She worked for the town from 2019 until she moved away in 2021. Mayor Ben Boutwell said she left employment with the town on good terms. Her other experience includes a daycare caregiver and a waitress at a Pensacola pizza restaurant.
Water Operator Trainee
The council voted to hire Christopher “Scotty” Herndon as a water operator trainee at $13 per hour. His experience includes employment at the McCall Water System and a maintenance company. Once receiving his water operator certifications, he will be eligible for a raise.
Street Maintenance Worker
The council voted 3-2 to hire Dennis Mathis as a street maintenance worker for $12 per hour. He has nine years experience as a millwright at a lumber mill, five years in maintenance at a chemical plant, and six years in home construction.
Council members Dynette Lewis and James Smith voted against hiring Mathis.
Mathis has been up for consideration several times in the past year but was never hired by the council as they rejected or failed to act on employee recommendations by the mayor.
Town Manager
The council took no action Monday night on a town manager. Click here for more information on who applied for the position.
Editor’s note: Details on each individual are taken from their resumes and/or applications as submitted to the Town of Century.
Pictured top: Leslie Howington. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Portion Of Bridlewood Road In Beulah To Close Tuesday
December 1, 2021
A portion of Bridlewood Road in Beulah will be closed beginning Tuesday.
Bridlewood Road will be closed beginning at 8 a.m. December 7 between Fort Deposit Road and Bridlewood Lane (map below) for utility work.
Traffic will be detoured along Frank Reeder Road, Rebel Road and Suwanee Road. The roadway is expected to reopen by Thursday, December 11.
NorthEscambia.com graphic.
Tate’s Aaliyah Jordan Signs To Play Softball At Coastal Alabama East
December 1, 2021
Tate High School senior Aaliyah Jordan has signed to play softball at Coastal Alabama East in Brewton. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
