Large Shed Used As Residence Destroyed By Fire In Cantonment (With Photo Gallery)
December 3, 2021
Fire destroyed a large shed being used as a residence behind a home in Cantonment Friday morning.
Flames were high above the roof of the structure when the fire was reported just after 10 a.m. in the 200 block of Louis Street. The shed was a total loss. After the fire was extinguished, it was determined that the structure was being used as a residence.
There was no significant damage reported to the brick home on the same lot, and there were no injuries.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
For a photo gallery, click or tap here.
Pictured above: Flames rage above a structure in Cantonment Friday morning before the arrival of firefighters. Pictured below: The building was a complete loss. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Century Charter Review Committee Reverses Course; Decides Mayor, Not Town Manager Should Have Power
December 3, 2021
The Century Charter Review Committee is reversing course on a proposal to delegate most authority for running the municipality to a hired town manager.
Earlier this year, the committee decided it would be best for Century to make the elected mayor a weak position, perhaps mostly a figurehead. In October, they voted to make the mayor a council member.
But now, the committee has completely reversed directions, deciding that the mayor should be at the head of Century’s government rather than a town manager.
A draft charter also calls for term limits — no more than two terms for the mayor or council members.
The Century Charter Review Committee will continue their work in January. If they complete a rewrite, the changes would go to the town council to decide if the recommendation will go on the ballot for a citizen vote.
The committee is tasked with updating the charter — the document that legally establishes the town, outlines its powers and spells out how it should operate. The committee has meet periodically for over two years.
Pictured: Century Charter Review Committee member Brenda Spencer reviews her notes during a meeting Thursday night. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Two IP Employees Retire With Over 75 Years Combined Service
December 3, 2021
Two longtime International Paper Pensacola Mill employees retired this week with over 75 years combined service.
Mark Lockridge, Electrical and Instrumentation Safety and Training Coordinator, retired December 1. He has over 42 years at the International Paper Pensacola Mill.
Garry Hendrix, Finished Products Safety Coordinator, retired December 1 with more than 33 at the International Paper Pensacola Mill.
Pictured: Mark Lockridge (left) and Garry Hendrix. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Body Of Slain Alabama Deputy Escorted Home (With Photo Gallery)
December 3, 2021
The body of a slain Alabama sheriff’s deputy was escorted through North Escambia Thursday afternoon on the way back home to Wilcox County, Alabama.
The chief deputy in Wilcox County and retired Deputy Madison “Skip” Nicholson, who was working as a constable/process server, responded to a domestic disturbance in Yellow Bluff, Alabama, a town of less than 200 people Wednesday evening. They were met with gunfire, and both were shot.
Nicholson was airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola where he succumbed to his injuries. The chief deputy was injured and taken to an Alabama hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The suspect was also killed, according to AL.com.
Pensacola Police Department officers and Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies stood watch over the fallen deputy throughout Wednesday night into Thursday.
Thursday afternoon, Nicholson’s body was escorted north from Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola through Escambia County. After passing through North Escambia on Highway 97, the procession was met in Atmore by Alabama law enforcement. A giant American flag flew from an Atmore Fire Department truck just across the state line.
For more photos, click or tap here.
“My home county of Wilcox tragically lost retired Sheriff’s Deputy Madison “Skip” Nicholson who was shot and killed in the line of duty,” Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said. “We are reminded far too often the grave sacrifice our men and women in blue face each day to protect our communities. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is actively leading the investigation on this tragic situation. My prayers go out to his family and colleagues.”
Pictured: The procession for a fallen Wilcox County, Alabama, deputy crosses the Florida-Alabama state line Thursday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photo of retired Deputy Madison “Skip” Nicholson courtesy AL.com.
Tate High’s Kennedy Turner Signs With Coastal Alabama South Softball
December 3, 2021
Tate High School’s Kennedy Turner has signed to play softball with the Coastal Alabama South Sun Chiefs. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
DeSantis Proposes $100 Million For Florida National Guard, Establish Florida State Guard
December 3, 2021
In Escambia County Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced more than $100 million in funding proposals to support Florida’s National Guard and establish the Florida State Guard, a civilian volunteer force that will assist the National Guard in state-specific emergencies
The Governor’s budget proposal includes:
- $87.5 million to expand the existing readiness center in Miramar and to establish three new armories in Homestead, Gainesville and Malabar;
- $8.9 million for existing armory maintenance;
- $2.2 million for a new headquarters for the National Guard Counter Drug Program;
- $5.1 million to support Florida National Guardsmen seeking higher-education degrees; and
- $3.5 million to establish the Florida State Guard.
“We are proud of our veterans and active-duty military members and proud of what our communities do to support them,” DeSantis said at the Pensacola National Guard Armory. “Florida is one of the most veteran friendly states and I think there are very few places that you would rather be on duty than in the state of Florida. As a veteran, I really appreciate what everyone who wears the uniform does in our state and am excited about these proposals – they will go a long way and have a meaningful impact. In Florida, we are going to continue our momentum of supporting our military, supporting our veterans and being good stewards of our military installations.”
The military spending budget for the Florida National Guard supports emergency response services that the National Guard provides.
The establishment of the Florida State Guard will further support those emergency response efforts in the event of a hurricane, natural disasters and other state emergencies. The $3.5 million to establish the Florida State Guard will enable civilians to be trained in the best emergency response techniques. By establishing the Florida State Guard, Florida will become the 23rd state with a state guard recognized by the federal government.
The budget proposal also includes $12.2 million in scholarships for children and spouses of deceased or disabled veterans, and $3.6 million to improve base infrastructure and support projects that keep our military installations among the best in the nation.
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.