Molino Man Recovering From Rattlesnake Bite
January 10, 2022
An adult male suffered an apparent bite from a rattlesnake Sunday in Molino.
The bite was reported to Escambia County EMS about 11 a.m. The man was transported by ambulance from North Barth Road to a Pensacola hospital.
The victim was reportedly released from the hospital on Monday and is expected to make a full recovery. The snake was encountered as the person was raking a pile of leaves.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
How Do You Say Thanks On Law Enforcement Appreciation Day? In Molino, You Deliver Doughnuts. In A Fire Truck.
January 10, 2022
Sunday was National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, and one local fire station took the time to say thanks to their brothers and sisters in blue.
Volunteers from the Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue dropped off doughnuts Sunday afternoon at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Molino Substation.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ransom Middle School Names Winter Students Of The Month
January 10, 2022
Ransom Middle School has named their Winter Students of the Month for November and December. They are Kylee Middleton and Aaron Holt. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Dustin Brenton Named Lipscomb Elementary Teacher Of The Year
January 10, 2022
Dustin Brenton has been named the Lipscomb Elementary School Teacher of the Year. Coach Benton is a physical education teacher at the school. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Gas Prices Slip Another Penny; Many Finding Much Deeper Discounts At The Pump
January 10, 2022
Florida gas prices dropped another penny last week, with some drivers finding much deeper discounts at the pump.
Although the state average was $3.20 per gallon on Sunday, 7% of Florida gas stations had pump prices below $3 a gallon. The average per gallon in Escambia County was $3.13 Sunday night.
A North Escambia low of $2.95 could be found at a Highway 29 station in Cantonment Sunday night, and a handful of Pensacola gas stations were also at $2.95.
“January gas prices are often driven down by lower fuel demand. Unfortunately, that downward trend at the pump may soon come to an end,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Oil prices shot up last week and that could restore upward pressure in prices at the pump.”
Pictured: Regular unleaded gas at $2.95 a gallon at a Cantonment station. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Nearly 20,000 Boxes And Pallets Turned Into Mulch At McDavid Solar Energy Site
January 9, 2022
There were nearly 10,000 refrigerator-sized boxes and the same number of wooden pallets that needed disposal after solar panels were installed off Bogia Road in Escambia County.
The solar panels were installed at Florida Power & Light’s large-scale Cotton Creek Solar Energy Center in McDavid.
Always on the hunt for solutions, FPL Senior Project Manager Matt McCord came up with an environmentally friendly, cost-saving way to deal with the mountain of refuse by repurposing it and returning the materials back to the Earth.
After some 200,000 to 250,000 solar panels were bolted into their frames at Cotton Creek Solar Energy Center, a large grinder chewed up the wooden pallets and cardboard boxes, spitting out the nails into a container. A steady spray of finely chewed-up cardboard and wood spewed out of a conveyor belt, creating a mound of ready-to-spread mulch that is said to be perfect for supporting the growth of grass and wildflower seeds.
“The mulch is a great stabilizer and promotes the grass to grow, which causes the mulch to decompose even faster,” he said. “The wildflowers and other vegetation are planted to transform the solar energy sites into stewardship sites that support wildlife and pollinators.”
Mulching replaces the costlier and less eco-friendly methods of discarding the tons of packaging into landfills and legally burning the wooden pallets. That, McCord said, would have cost about $180,000 for the McDavid site.
“All of that takes manpower and trucks,” McCord remarked. “The new method costs about $50,000 per solar site. Plus, we’re not burning or sending this material to the landfill. We’re working to reduce our carbon footprint through our 30-by-30 solar plan and the retirement of coal. By the time we’ve completed the 30-by-30 plan, you’re talking in the ballpark of $10 million in savings. This is good for the environment and saves our customers money.”
The 30-by-30 plan calls for the installation of 30 million solar panels statewide by 2030 to reduce carbon emissions and create a more sustainable energy future while meeting the growing electricity needs of customers.
Initially, McCord looked into different options – composting offsite and selling the compost and composting on the solar sites and hauling waste off.
“That’s when I thought, what if we mulch it on-site and never move it?” he said. “Let it compost and go back to nature. All we have to do is spread the mulch out. And in a few days, we put seed down and we have grass growing, and we have a very cheap and environmentally friendly solution. After a year’s time, you can’t see the mulch anymore because it goes back to nature.”
FPL’s environmental team vetted and advised on the process based on federal and state regulations. McCord said all boxes and pallets verified to be free of paint and chemicals in accordance with the US Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program regulations can be mulched.
FPL says the same mulching process will be used later this year at the First City Solar Energy Center, a second solar site to build in North Escambia off Holland, Cox and Roach roads in McDavid.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Stream Escambia Middle School Symposium Monday Night
January 9, 2022
The Escambia County School District will host a Middle School Symposium on Monday, January 10.
This symposium will be held at Booker T. Washington High School in the Theodore B.D. Bennett Auditorium from 6-8 p.m. All middle schools in the county will be represented.
“As a district, we realize the transition to middle school can be stressful to families,” said ECSD Director of Middle School Education Dr. Michael Roberts. “Our goal, through hosting this symposium, is to provide information and answer questions in order to help our local community get the most possible out of the middle school experience.”
The symposium will be an opportunity for parents to hear important information about various topics related to local middle schools.
The in-person panel will consist of all county middle school administrators. In addition, school board members, local county and city officials, elementary and middle school PTSA officers, and school advisory council members have been invited to attend in person.
The public is invited to join a live stream via the Escambia County School District Facebook page.
NorthEscambia.com graphic.
Man Charged With Attempted Murder After Shooting In Perdido, Alabama
January 9, 2022
One person was shot in Perdido, Alabama, Saturday, and a relative of the victim has been charged.
The shooting happened on Lonnie Hadley Road off Lottie Road, about 3.5 miles northwest of the Florida state line. The victim was airlifted to a Pensacola hospital, and an update on their condition was not available.
The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man described as a “family member” of the victim. Dillon Kirk Johnson, age 24 of Lonnie Hadley Road in Perdido, was booked into the Baldwin County Corrections Center in Bay Minette without bond.
Sheriff’s Office Warns About Scam Phone Calls
January 9, 2022
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning on Saturday about a scam.
Someone called a potential victim claiming to be a member of the ECSO administration. The scammer claimed the person had a current warrant but could choose to make a payment instead of being arrested, according to ECSO.
“The ECSO will never contact you to collect money,” the agency said in a release. “The recipient became suspicious and contacted the ECSO – which is exactly what they should have done.”
Deputies said there are multiple versions of the scam currently where fraudsters claim to be sworn law enforcement officers or other employees of the sheriff’s office.
The ECSO offered the following safety tips:
- Always be suspicious of any threatening calls claiming to be from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
- A legitimate business will not resort to threats as a first response to a late or missed payment.
- Always be suspicious when asked to send an electronic payment, Green Dot card payment, or wire transfer.
- Trust your instinct. If you feel that something “just isn’t right”, don’t give any personal or banking information to anyone over the phone. Hang up and contact your local law enforcement agency and report it.
“It is much easier to prevent fraud in the first place than to recover your money after the fact,” ECSO said.
West Florida High School Named Laura Rainey As Teacher Of The Year
January 9, 2022
West Florida High School named Laura Rainey as their teacher of the year. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.