Downed Power Lines On 29 Tie Up Traffic, Leave Bogia Homes In The Dark
October 28, 2008
Traffic was backed up and dozens of homes lost power in the Bogia area Tuesday morning when strong wings brought down a dead tree and caused power lines to fall across Highway 29.
It happened about 11:00 on Highway 29, about a mile south of Bogia Road. The dead tree broke a power pole in half, sending power lines across both lines of Highway 29. One vehicle struck a power line in the southbound lane of Highway 29. The driver was not injured, and there was no damage to the car.
Both the north and south bound lanes of Highway 29 were closed for about 45 minutes while crews from Escambia River Electric Cooperative worked to clear the lines from the roadway.
Highway 29 was open again by about 11:45. It was closed a few more times during the afternoon as power crews pulled new lines across the roadway. Powere was restored to most homes by 2:30.
The McDavid Station of Escambia Fire-Rescue, the Florida Highway Patrol and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department all responded to the call.
Pictured above: The driver of this car had a minor collision with a downed power line on Highway 29 just south of Bogia Road late Tuesday morning. Pictured below: Traffic backs up as crews work to clear the power lines. Pictured bottom: The downed pole. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Residents Report Ground Shaking; Most Likely Sonic Boom
October 28, 2008
Residents across the area are reporting a “rumble” or a “shaking” about 9:00 this morning.
We’ve received numerous calls and emails from across the area reporting rumbling walls and shaking windows. But it was not an earthquake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. No seismic activity was reported within 1,000 miles of North Escambia.
Officials say it was likely a sonic boom…cold temperatures and low humidity can often lead to sonic booms traveling great distances.
Good Morning! Cold Enough For You?
October 28, 2008
A cold start to Tuesday here in North Escambia, with morning lows in the 30’s, will lead to a cool afternoon with a high of just 60. It’s going to be windy today too, with winds around 15 mph.
Tonight, a few low lying areas could the hit the freezing mark. The official low tonight is forecast to be 33 with a north wind around 10 mph. Wednesday will sunny with a high expected to be 65. Wednesday night will be cold again at 35 degrees
The remainder of the week looks sunny and cool, with daytime highs in the 70’s and overnight lows in the 40’s.
From Wheelchair To Saddle 24 Years After Car Accident; Molino Ranch Makes It Possible
October 28, 2008
Debbie Thompson Dawson spent hours riding horses around Barinneau Park. Up and down roads. In the woods. In the river. From sun-up to sundown, she would ride with her friend Patricia Rigel. It was the passion in Debbie’s life.
But in July 1984 that passion to ride her horse hour upon hour came to a crashing end in a major automobile accident. In the blink of an eye, Debbie went from saddle to wheelchair. She could could no longer walk, and she could no longer ride horses around the Barinneau Park countryside.
But recently, Debbie was back in the saddle again for the first time in 24 years, thanks for her friend Patricia and the caring volunteers of The Leaning Post Ranch in Molino.
“I enjoyed being back on the horse,” Debbie said, her speech slow and slurred from a brain injury she suffered in the wreck. But through the speech difficulty, there was a smile in her voice. “It had been a long time. I did not thing I would ever get back on a horse. But I did. It was the best thing that happened to me in a long time. I love being on the horse.”
Twenty-four years after the accident, Debbie now spend her time confined to a wheelchair at her home in Gonzalez, someone assisting her with everyday life. Patricia is now the librarian at the Century Branch Library and a volunteer at The Leaning Post. The Leaning Post brought the two childhood friends back together.
“It felt like we had gone back to being 16 year olds,” Patricia said. “She was back in the saddle, back holding the reigns. That was probably one of the happiest moments in her life.”
“Pat is a good friend,” Debbie said. “We loved to ride horses together.” I love the horse.”
The horse that Debbie rode for the first time after all those years? It was Patricia’s horse Minnie, a registered Appaloosa that she had donated to The Leaning Post.
Debbie’s ride almost two and half decades after her accident was made possible by The Leaning Post, directors Fran and Newman Gersin and a host of volunteers at the Molino’s Leaning Post Ranch, a state-licensed facility and prevention program for developmentally disabled and at-risk young people.
The facility was established in 1992 by Fran and Newman Gersin. They started with one horse, and a dream to use that horse to encourage kids and keep them off drugs.
Now The Leaning Post Ranch has 40 acres, a barn, a new open-air arena, a multipurpose facility, a house, 16 horses and a pony…thanks to generosity of several local organizations. And the Gersins are quick to thank God for what happens at The Leaning Post.
Above all to God by the glory,” Fran Gersin said at a dedication ceremony in May. “There is no way two people could do all of this. Only God could do this.”
Debbie is now scheduled for her third session and her doctor is thrilled and has told her to keep it up. It not only is good for healthy bones but the therapeutic riding helps move all of the muscles in the body, Patricia said.
The Leaning Post is in need of Certified NARHA Instructors (North American Riding for the Handicapped Association) and volunteers who can work Monday through Friday.
The Leaning Post Ranch is located at 4150 Cedar Springs Road in Molino. For more information, visit http://www.theleaningpostranch.com.
About 25 Percent Of District 5 Voters Have Already Voted
October 28, 2008
Election Day is a week away, but about 25 percent of registered voters in District 5 have already voted in the November 4 General Election.
As of Monday afternoon, 8,455 District 5voters had cast absentee or early ballots for the General Election. That represents about 21.4% of the district’s 39,538 registered voters.
Broken down by party, 3,557 Democrats, or about 24.4%, of District 5’s 14,545 registered voters have already cast their ballot. On the Republic side, about 25% — 4,898 voters — have already voted.
Early voting continues until Saturday, and absentee ballots can be requested by mail through Wednesday. Click here for a story with more details on those early voting options.
Monday Brush Fire
October 28, 2008
Gusty winds Monday afternoon led to the rapid spread of a fire in a Walnut Hill hayfield.
The fire was reported about 4:00 in a field on Kansas Road, just off Arthur Brown Road in Walnut Hill. A roll of hay in a hay baler caught fire. The farmer dumped the roll of hay into the field to save the baler, and that set about a half acre of the field on fire.
There were no structures threatened or damaged, and there were no injuries.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire-Rescue responded to the call. It took about an hour to extinguish the fire.
Pictured above and below: Firefighters from Escambia Fire-Rescue’s Walnut Hill Station fight a brush fire on Kansas Road Monday afternoon.
Annual Walnut Hill Fish Fry To Benefit Retired Chief
October 28, 2008
The Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department has announced that all proceeds from their annual Catfish Fry on Saturday will go to benefit retired chief Robert Stewart.Stewart retired recently after 30 years of service to the Bratt and Walnut Hill volunteer fire departments. He is currently battling cancer.
The fish fry will be Saturday at the Walnut Hill Fire Station on Highway 97. Plates will be $7 and will include catfish fillets or grilled chicken, hush puppies, baked beans, coleslaw, homemade bread, cake and a drink.
A drawing for door prizes will be held at 1:00. Arts and crafts and baked goods will also be sold.
The Northwest Florida Blood Center Bloodmobile will be on site for blood donations.
The catfish fry will be held from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Saturday. Anyone wishing to make a donation now to Robert Stewart can do so by making the donation to any member of the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department.
Students Of The Month Named
October 28, 2008
Students of the month have been named by the Escambia Associations for Administrators in Education. The following were named from North Escambia schools:
- Bratt Elementary: Allison M. Rice, second grade; Austin T. Campbell, fifth grade.
- Carver/Century K-8 School: Janay S. Page, sixth grade ; Mildred T. Jackson, seventh grade.
- Molino Park Elementary: Brandon E. Korinchak, fourth grade; Kayleigh G. Linam, fourth grade.
- Ernest Ward Middle: Logan J. Lee, sixthgrade; Jennifer N. Spears, seventhgrade.
- Northview High: Hunter R. Black, ninthgrade; Michelle D. Bellamy, 12th grade.
Pictured above: Hunter R. Black (left) and Michelle D. Bellamy were named as Northview High School’s Students of the Month for October. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com.
Wednesday Is Last Day To Request Absentee Ballot
October 28, 2008
Wednesday is the last day to request an absentee ballot in Escambia County, and early voting will continue through Saturday.
Voters that wish to be mailed an absentee ballot for the November 4 General Election must request their ballot no later than the close of business on Wednesday.Voters can make their request by contacting the Supervisor of Elections by mail, phone (850-595-3900), e-mail (absentee@escambiavotes.com), fax (850-595-3914), or by using the
online form at www.EscambiaVotes.com. Requests must include the voter’s date of birth and the address where the ballot should be mailed.
A voter will still have the ability after Wednesday to pick up an absentee ballot in person from the Elections Office. Voted absentee ballots must be received in the Elections Office no later han 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 4th.
Early voting continues in Escambia County Monday through Saturday, November 1 from 8:30 until 4:30 each. There are four early voting locations, all located in Pensacola:
- Supervisor of Elections Office, 213 Palafox Place, second floor.
- Supervisor of Elections branch office, 292 Muscogee Road, Cantonment.
- Lucia M. Tryon Branch Library, 5740 N. Ninth Ave.
- Southwest Branch Library, 12248 Gulf Beach Highway.
For more information on early voting in Escambia County, visit www.escambiavotes.com.
Local Man Wins Crusade To Prevent More Deaths At Highway 29 And Byrneville, Bluff Springs Roads
October 27, 2008
A local man took on the state highway department and won…caution lights are up and the speed limit will soon be lowered at Highway 29 and Byrneville Road.
Leroy White (left) lost his granddaughter on Thanksgiving day 2005 at the intersection of Byrneville Road/Bluff Springs Road and Highway 29. It’s a tragedy that he says could have been prevented with a traffic signal, and he went on a mission to have the Florida Department of Transportation make some changes.
That crusade include a petition with 450 signatures requesting improvements at the intersection and an August 15 article on NorthEscambia.com.
Tommie Speights, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Transporation, said that petition and the news coverage on NorthEscambia.com led the DOT to study the intersection.
Flashing yellow lights have been installed on “intersection ahead” signs both north and southbound as Highway 29 approaches the intersection. If all goes as planned, new speed limit signs will be posted Friday, lowering the Highway 29 speed limit near the intersection from 65 to 55 mph, Speights said. Additionally, he said, the state had recommended that the county install solar powered flashing lights and signs on both Byrneville Road and Bluff Springs Road as they approach Highway 29.
“Hopefully it will do some good,” White told NorthEscambia.com. “There’s been too many wrecks there. I’m glad they are finally doing something about it.”
Callista LeEtta White died November 27, 2003, at the intersection. She was returning to Pensacola after spending time on Thanksgiving with her family. It was raining, and she approached Highway 29 too fast, apparently not realizing that she was near the intersection. She missed the stop sign and hydroplaned into the path of of a tractor trailer truck on Highway 29 about 7:35 p.m. The 2003 Northview High School graduate died a short time later at West Florida Hospital.
The most recent fatality at the intersection was on June 23 when Carolyn Hightower, 60, of Pensacola died as a result of injuries she sustained in a two vehicle accident there. Her husband, Richard Hightower, 63, was seriously injured in the crash. The Florida Highway Patrol said that Floyd D. Calloway, 65, pulled into the intersection from Bluff Springs into the path of the Hightower’s SUV.
“I just didn’t want to see it happen to another family,” White said.
Pictured above: The new caution light on Highway 29 looking south toward Byrneville Road.. Pictured below: The accident at the intersection that claimed the life of a Pensacola woman on June 23. NorthEscambia.com photos.
