Longtime North Escambia Educator Pens Spiritual Poetry Collection Book
March 9, 2008
Longtime North Escambia teacher Mary Alice Thomas has published a personal spiritual poetry collection called “Battle of the Soul”, a title that has connections with her early days as a Teens for Christ sponsor while teaching in North Escambia.
Thomas used her Christian educational background to author and publish to the collection. Thomas said that she is “writing from the heart and not from the head”, and she adds that she took the seeds that were planted in her life at Southern Normal and transplanted them when she ended up at Stillman College, where she earned her undergraduate degree.
In her Bible classes at Stillman, these seeds grew into small plants. This basis has allowed her to draw deeply into her inner being and urged her to find her calling in the teaching profession.
Florida’s Escambia County School District opened the doors for her to become an educator, creating an opportunity for Thomas to combine her spiritual training with her love for writing.
“All my life I had wanted to minister to the needs of people, students and peers,” Thomas says. And Escambia County offered this to her until she retired 35 years later after teaching both English and social studies.
Thomas began teaching at Ernest Ward Middle School then transferred to Carver/Century K-8 School, where she remained for 22 years.
“Century, Florida, is as much as home to me as Brewton, Alabama,” she says. “I hold both of these towns close to my heart.” Thomas retired from Northview High School in 2004 and followed that year with a year on the West coast where her daughter and grandchildren resided at that time.
After a year out of the classroom, Thomas found herself restless and missing the faces of young people, so in 2005 she returned to the same district. She is presently employed at Carver/Century.
When asked why she wanted to come out of retirement, Thomas replied, “My love for teaching, trying to change lives, trying to encourage the broken-hearted, trying to get students ready for learning and trying to massage the brain, to change the mind and heart and the directions of the innocent.”
Thomas said that her superior fulfillment comes when she learns of the success of one of her former students. “I invested my life in every student who sat in a classroom under my teaching.” She adds that her favorite success was the day that she started working with a group of young people who would sacrifice their early morning peer social time for Bible study and pray before school.
She ended up sponsoring the Teens for Christ group for 24 years. She said that her commitment to that group and those students stemmed from the fact that “the battle of the soul is in a changing society”.
From this comment comes the title of her book, “Battle of the Soul”. Thomas believes that teaching is a ministry that one must be called into. It should never be a choice one makes just to have a job.
“I write to honor the Creator of all life,” Thomas adds, and her collection of over 35 spiritual poems is a testament to her endeavors. She currently has a religious-based drama and other various poetry collections that are awaiting publication.
To order a copy of her religious poems, write to Mary Alice Thomas, P.O. Box 163, Brewton, AL 36427. All books are $10 each.
Submitted story and photos by Vicki Baggett. Click photo to enlarge.
Spring Forward; Change Battery In Your Fire Alarms
March 8, 2008
As you “spring forward” with the change to daylight-saving time, Escambia County Fire Rescue wants to remind residents to make another change that could save their lives — changing the batteries in their smoke alarms.
“The peak time for home fire fatalities is between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. when most families are sleeping,” says Fire Chief Ken Perkins. “Smoke alarm maintenance is a simple, effective way to reduce home fire deaths. Children and senior citizens are most at risk, and a working smoke alarm can give them the extra seconds they need to get out safely.”
In addition, Perkins also recommends residents test smoke alarms by pushing the test button, planning “two ways out” and practicing escape routes with the entire family. Families should also prepare a fire safety kit that includes working flashlights and fresh batteries.
Communities nationwide witness tragic home fire deaths each year. An average of three children per day die in home fires and 80 percent of those occur in homes without working smoke alarms. Non-working smoke alarms rob residents of the protective benefits home fire safety devices were designed to provide. The most commonly cited cause of non-working smoke alarms: worn or missing batteries.
Tragically, fire can kill selectively. Those most at risk include:
- Children — Approximately 1,000 children under the age of 20 die each year in home fires. Children under age five are at twice the risk of dying in a home fire. Eighty percent of fatal home fire victims who were children were killed in homes without working smoke alarms.
- Seniors — Adults over age 75 are three times more likely to die in home fires than the rest of the population; those over 85 are 4.5 times more likely to die in a home fire. Many seniors are unable to escape quickly.
- Low-Income Households — Many low-income families are unable to afford batteries for their smoke alarms. These same households often rely on poorly installed, maintained or misused portable or area heating equipment — a main cause of fatal home fires.
Changing smoke alarm batteries at least once a year is one of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce these tragic deaths and injuries. In fact, working smoke alarms nearly cut in half the risk of dying in a home fire. Additionally, the International Association of Fire Chiefs recommends replacing your smoke alarms every ten years.
For more information about fire safety, call Escambia County Fire Rescue at 850-475-5530 or visit our web site at www.myescambia.com
For information about obtaining a free home smoke alarm call 850-595-HERO (4376).
Snow Tonight Or Saturday AM? Maybe, But It Will Be Colder
March 7, 2008
The National Weather Service says there is an ever so slight chance of snow across the North Escambia area tonight. Yes…snow. But most likely, it will be a light, scattered rain event. If it does snow, only just a little accumulation is possible, the weather service says. But further to our north, say Evergreen to Montgomery, the chance of snow with some accumulation is much more likely.
Here is our official National Weather Service forecast:
Tonight
A chance of rain, mixing with snow after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 35. West wind between 10 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.Saturday
A slight chance of rain and snow before 8am. Partly cloudy, with a high near 51. Northwest wind between 5 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 28. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 62. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
A freeze warning is in effect for tonight and a freeze watch for Saturday night. That freeze watch is likely to be upgraded to a freeze warning for Saturday night.
The above graphic from the National Weather Service shows the snow potential area for tonight.
Family Says Three-Year-Old Girl Is A Hero, “She Saved All Of Our Lives”
March 7, 2008
Three-year-old Elizabeth White is being called a hero by her family. Her mom credits Elizabeth for saving their lives.
Last Saturday afternoon was an ordinary one around the White household on Campbell Road in Century. Lunch was over. Mom Tiffany White had just loaded the dishwasher. She was home with her three kids, three year old Elizabeth, five year old Alicyn and two year old Landon. Dad Jason White had just left the house for a short trip.
“Then Elizabeth told me that she saw smoke,” Tiffany said. “I thought she had just seen the steam from the dishwasher. At first I didn’t think anything about what she was saying. Then I thought maybe I did see smoke cross outside the window. I went over and opened the back door. I saw fire everywhere.”
The utility room, located just outside the kitchen, was filled with a raging fire, Tiffany said. She grabbed the children and headed across the road to safety.
“If Elizabeth hadn’t seen the smoke when she did, we would have all got burned up in there,” Tiffany told NorthEscambia.com Thursday, standing outside the burned out shell of her home. “She saved all of our lives. She is our little hero. I’m proud of her.”
Elizabeth, who will celebrate her fourth birthday on Tuesday, was a bit shy about being interviewed by a stranger. But she did say she was not a hero. And she said she was not scared.
When NorthEscambia.com arrived Thursday, Jason and Tiffany were sifting through the burned out home, looking for anything they could salvage. Tiffany had just found a small photo album containing just handful of family photos. There’s a glimmer of hope in her eyes and she picks up the album and opens it for the first time. But her hope quickly turns to disappointment. The plastic on the album is melted to most of the photos. Others are a bit charred, or falling apart from becoming wet.
“These are about the only pictures I have left of my kids,” Tiffany said. “Most of my pictures were in frames on the walls. I’m going to miss my pictures of my babies.”
But she’s very thankful that she still has her babies and continues to praise Elizabeth has a hero.
Elizabeth, meanwhile, grows bored with the whole interview as one might expect from a three-year-old. She runs around the yard, which still contains several of the children’s outside play toys. She runs around excited and playful, hiding from our camera as much as she can. She’s turned avoid the NorthEscambia.com camera into a game of sorts.
Then she stops by the front corner of the house and points up toward the burned out window.
“I want to see my room,” she says. “Take me in there.”
Tiffany explains that she can’t take her inside because it is not safe.
“But I want to see,” she says. “Daddy, hold me up to the window so I can see my room. I want my toys.”
Jason tells her maybe later.
She does not seem to understand that her favorite toys — her Beanie Babies, her My Little Ponies and her stuffed animals — are not just inside that window anymore. They, like all the family’s possessions, are gone.
The family had no insurance, Jason said. They are currently crowded in the home of his parents, Kenneth and Ruby White in Flomaton, while they figure out what they will do next.
In the meantime, the community continues to pull together to help the Whites. Many have donated clothes and other items; some have donated money. If you would like help the family, email news@northescambia.com and we will put you in touch with family . Their primary need right now is for a house to rent in the area. Once they find that house, they will need household items, toys for the children and clothes.
Pictured top of page: Three year old Elizabeth White stands in front of her burned out home. Pictured below: Elizabeth points toward her room. Pictured bottom of page: Tiffany White looks at the only family photos that she could find. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos. Click to enlarge.
To read NorthEscambia.com’s story about the fire, click here.
To view a photo album from Saturday’s fire, click here.
Sheriff Candidate Has Plan To Increase Patrols In North Escambia
March 7, 2008
Larry Scapecchi has a plan to increase law enforcement patrols in areas of North Escambia. The Democratic candidate for Escambia County Sheriff said the department currently has two many supervisors.
Scapecchi told the Walnut Hill Ruritan Club Thursday night that incumbent Sheriff Ron McNesby has “over promoted” supervisors with his department having one supervisor for every three deputies on the streets.
“The amount we are overpaying some supervisors would put more deputies on the steets,” he said. “If were are putting all your money into his (McNesby’s) kingdom, then there is no money for deputies in the precincts.”
“We need staff, but we don’t need more adminstration,” Scapecchi said. “Everybody is asking me ‘where’s the deputies?’”
The sheriff’s department helicopter needs to go, he told the Ruritan Club. “It is wasted money,” he said. “The response time for the helicopter can be as much as 25 to 40 minutes. By the time they get there, the incident is over.”
However, he added that perhaps a single helicopter for use by all county departments, not just the sheriff’s department, would split the cost to the point it would be feasible.
When asked if Escambia County should round up illegal aliens as has been done in Santa Rosa County recently, Scapecchi said he does not think an actual round up would make economic sense. But he was not promoting a free ride for illegals.
“If they are not here legally, they need to go because they are a drain on society,” he said. “But we don’t need a task force rounding them up when those deputies could be out answering calls. But we will pursue any and all violations.”
Scapecchi spent 25 years in law enforcement, retiring as a lieutenant with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department. He said he decided to run for Escambia’s top cop because “I just could not stay in retirement. I felt that whoever was sheriff of Escambia County should be a person of integrity.”
“We need a good, strong sheriff,” Scapecchi said.
Habitat For Humanity Looking For North Escambia Volunteers
March 7, 2008
Pensacola’s Habitat for Humanity is look for some North Escambia volunteers to help make six homes in the Molino a reality. Janet Westlake from Habitat’s told the Walnut Hill Ruritan Club Thursday night she needs them and other community groups.
“A lot of the labor to build our homes comes from groups in the community,” she said.
During the construction of the typical home, constructions supervisors lead volunteers in the framing on the house. Then students from the George Stone Area Vocational-Tech Center for the electrical, plumbing and heating/cooling because George Stone instructions are licensed contractors. Then volunteers return to paint and do landscaping.
A Habitat home is not a free handout; home recipients must have the ability to repay a small mortgage payment, typically in the $400-$450 range, each month. That money goes into the program to build future Habitat homes. In addition, the residents must provide 300 hours of “sweat equity”, working on their own home.
Volunteers do not need construction knowledge, although those with construction knowledge can be extremely helpful in the construction of a Habitat home, Westlake said.
The six Molino Habitat homes will be constructed on Schaag Road in Molino.
For more information on Habitat for Humanity’s plans to build six homes in North Escambia, click here for a previous NorthEscambia.com story.
County To Nonprofits: The Check Is NOT In The Mail
March 7, 2008
The Escambia County Commission voted Thursday night to send a letter to nonprofit agencies that currently receive funding from the county telling them not to expect any county dollars this year.
The commission voted 5-0 to send letters to 18 nonprofits that received county funds this year. Those letters will inform them that due to being $15 million in the hole for the next fiscal year, the county won’t be sending a check this year.
Those groups include the Sertoma Club, West Florida Regional Planning Council, Gulf Coast African American Chamber, Pensacola’s Promise, Junior Achievement, First Call for Help, the Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida and the Council on Aging.
With the passage of Amendment 1, Escambia County is facing a budget shortfall of about $12 million beginning with the new fiscal year that starts October 1.
In addition to the $12 million shortfall, Director of Administrative Services Jean Kassab says in a county memo that the county is facing a $1 million subsidy requirement for the county’s emergency medical services department, another $1 million needed next year to keep ECAT’s public transportation afloat and a loss estimated at $900,000 in sales tax revenue due to a declining economy.
County Molino Tornado Debris Pickup Completed
March 7, 2008
Friday was the last day Escambia County was scheduled to pickup tornado debris in the Molino area.. The debris had to be placed the public right of way for the county road department to remove it since the county cannot work on private land.
The area from which debris was picked up was an area bordered from Highway 29 at Fran’s Diner, north to Molino Road, east to the Escambia River and south to Cedertown Road, and continuing southwest to Fran’s Diner.
The right of way requirement posed a particular problem for residents of Crest Lane and its side streets because they are private roads.
Debris pick up by county crews began in the Molino area back on February 25.
Pictured above: A tornado debris pile about a week ago at the corner of Molino Road and Katie Road in Molino. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
CrossFaith Steeple Goes Up On New Church Building
March 6, 2008
The steeple was raised at the new CrossFaith Church building on Highway 29 in Molino Wednesday morning.
“It is a huge blessing,” Pastor Rob Hines said as he watched the steeple settle onto the roof of the new building.
There is a big missions conference scheduled for the church in mid April, and Hines fully expects to be in the building by then. He hopes that the congregation will be meeting in the new sanctuary by the end of this month, if all goes as planned.
The building includes a 300 seat sanctuary, a fellowship hall area that will double as a youth meeting room, classroom space and offices.
The church is currently located on Molino Road. That building has been put up for sale.
For a complete photo gallery of the steeple going up and from the inside of the church, click here.
Carver/Century Students Celebrate Dr. Seuss Birthday This Week
March 6, 2008
It has been a week of green eggs and ham, one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish and a fellow named Horton hearing a a Who this week at Carver/Century K-8 School.
The Carver students, from Pre-K to eighth grade, have been busy celebrating the birthday week of Theodor Seuss Geisel — better known as Dr. Seuss.
Students have enjoyed a nice snack of green eggs and ham and dressed up as characters such as the Cat in the Hat. The middle schools students have read Dr. Seuss classics to the elementary students. And first grade students even made bags of oobleck.
(Oobleck, by the way, is from Bartholomew and the Oobleck which follows the further adventures of the young royal page Bartholomew Cubbins of the kingdom of Didd as he tries to clean up after King Derwin orders an ill-advised magical spell cast to create something new coming from the sky, an extremely sticky green substance known as oobleck.)
For a photo gallery from this week’s Dr. Seuss birthday celebrations at Carver/Century, click here.