Holiday Closings Continue, Trash Days Changed
December 26, 2008
Trash pickups have changed and several offices remain closed today for the long Christmas holiday weekend.
The following are closed today:
- All Jay city offices.
- All Escambia and Santa Rosa County offices.
- All State of Florida offices.
- Some post offices will close at noon, but there will be regular mail delivery.
Century town offices will be open today. All branches of the West Florida Library will be open, and ECAT bus service will run as normal.
Allied Waste routes from Thursday will be picked up today, and Friday routes will be picked up on Saturday.
Merry Christmas! The Story Of The Greatest Gift Of All
December 25, 2008
It’s the greatest story we have ever reported here on NorthEscambia.com, and it is the greatest story that we will ever report. It’s a story that happened over 2,000 years ago today, but it is also a story that impacts each of our lives each and every day here in North Escambia.
Our lead story today is one that was first delivered by an angelic choir. It was the news that changed the world…a Savior had been born in a little town called Bethlehem. It was a humble scene. A little baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
It was the world’s first ever Christmas gift on that very first Christmas morning, the gift of a Savior so that we might all have eternal life.
It’s good news for all of us on this Christmas. Good news that Emmanuel, the Lord Jesus, was born. It’s story that was reported by Luke in the New Testament. It’s reprinted below for you to read, and for you to share the Good News with someone you care about this Christmas.
From our NorthEscambia.com family to you and yours, Merry Christmas!
1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Recycle That Wrapping Paper In North Escambia
December 25, 2008
You can “go green” with those piles of Christmas wrapping paper and recycle at one of several drop-off locations around North Escambia.
Christmas wrapping paper, along with other household paper, plastics, steel and aluminum can be recycled at the drop-off collection containers.
In North Escambia, those containers are located at the Century Courthouse, the Oak Grove Citizen’s Convenience Center on North Highway 99, and behind the Molino Volunteer Fire Department.
To learn more about reycling in Escambia County visit www.escambiarecycles.com.
Rotary Helps Needy Families
December 25, 2008
The Tri-Cities Rotary Club provided Christmas meals and help to Santa Claus for four families across the area.
The club, which includes Century, Flomaton and Jay in its membership, provided financial assistance and boxes of Christmas food to the deserving families. The club also provided a variety of staple foods to help them with their grocery budgets.
Pictured above: Tri-City Rotary Club members (L-R) Don Ripley, Bo Brantley, Bill Cox, Terri Sanders and Dietrich Bondurant prepare food boxes for needy families in Century, Flomaton and Jay. NorthEscambia.com photo.
Christmas Eve Wreck Causes Injuries
December 25, 2008
One person was seriously injured in a Christmas Eve afternoon crash in the Gandyville community.
The accident happened at Highway 4A and Tulip Road about 12:25 Wednesday afternoon. The driver of the car was westbound on Highway 4A, missed a curve and hit ditch on Tulip Street. A female in the car was transported by LifeFlight to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. The male in the car was walking around the scene after the accident.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, Engine 519, the Flomaton Fire Department, Escambia County Sheriff’s Department, Flomaton Police Department and Atmore Ambulance all responded to the crash.
Pictured above: One person was seriously injured in this accident on Tulip Road at Highway 4A Wednesday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
North Escambia Fire Departments Respond To Fire; Eleventh Bulb In Wreath
December 24, 2008
The eleventh bulb in the county “Keep the Wreath Green” campaign was added after a Tuesday fire just off Quintette Road.
a fire was reported in the 2200 block of Welcome Rd. When firefighters arrived they found smoke coming from the home and a fire in one of the rooms. The fire was quickly extinguished, and the house sustained fire damage to one room and smoke damage throughout the rest of the home. There were no injuries reported at the scene. Firefighters from Cantonment, Molino, Ensley, and Beulah responded to the fire.
About 2:08 Tuesday afternoon, a fire was reported in the 2200 block of Welcome Road, just south of Quintette Road.
When firefighters arrived they found smoke coming from the home and a fire in one of the rooms. The fire was quickly extinguished, and the house sustained fire damage to one room and smoke damage throughout the rest of the home. There were no injuries reported at the scene. Firefighters from Molino, Cantonment, Molino, Ensley, and Beulah responded to the fire.
Escambia County Fire-Rescue and the City of Pensacola Fire Department will continue the “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign throughout the holiday season. This year, the fifth year of the campaign, five-foot wreaths will be on display at 22 different locations throughout the holiday season. These sites are the Old Escambia County Courthouse on Palafox Place, the Public Safety Building on W Street, all 18 primary county fire stations, and two fire stations within the City of Pensacola. Every time firefighters respond to a residential fire a green light bulb is replaced with a red one to remind citizens of the dangers posed by holiday decorations.
Escambia County Commissioners In Christmas Barn Dance, Disco Videos
December 24, 2008
It seems that even the Escambia County Commission can get into the Christmas spirit. We ran across a couple of videos online showing commissioners dressed as elves at a Christmas barn dance and at a Christmas disco party.
We were not able to verify the authenticity of the videos, but if you’ll pay attention to District 5 Commissioner Kevin white in the disco video, it looks like he’s done that before.
The videos are below. (If don’t see them, it is because your employer is blocking them.)
Pictured above: Commissioners Gene Valentino and Marie Young as dancing disco elves in a YouTube video spoof.
Deputy, Prisoner Suffer Minor Injuries In Collision With Cow; Second Cow Accident Hours Later
December 24, 2008
An Escambia County Deputy and a prisoner suffered minor injuries in a collision with a cow about 8:30 Tuesday night in Molino. About 12:30 Wednesday morning, another accident with a cow injured a woman a few feet away.
Deputy Steve Kay was southbound on Highway 29 when he struck the black cow in front of Aldersgate Methodist Church, just south of the Highway 97 intersection. Kay was transporting Brenton Kelley, 45, of Bogia to the Escambia County Jail at the time of the accident.
About 12:30 Wednesday morning, a woman who was identified as being about 60 years old suffered a head injury when she struck a cow near Highway 29 and Bet Raines Road. She was transported to the hospital by ambulance. LifeFlight was originally called to the scene, but the helicopter was canceled.
In the first crash, Deputy Kay suffered minor cuts as a result of his airbag deploying. He was not transported to the hospital.
Kelley, who was in the backseat caged area of the cruiser, complained of minor injuries and was transported to a Baptist Hospital in Pensacola by Escambia County EMS. Kelley (pictured left in his booking photo) was treated and released before being booked into the county jail. The cow did not survive the collision with the marked cruiser.
Kelley was arrested earlier in the evening at a home in the 500 block of Bogia Road after he allegedly threatened to kill his wife with a loaded shotgun. He was taken into custody without incident.
Sgt. Steve Smith said Kelley was charged with domestic violence related battery and three counts of aggravated assault in the connection with the altercation on Bogia Road. Smith said Kay was transporting Kelley to the jail to book him on the charges at the time of the accident.
A crime scene unit from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department was called to the scene to photograph the car and cow, a common practice when a county owned vehicle is damaged.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Molino Station of Escambia County Fire Rescue also responded to the call.
For photos of the cow, click here. Some readers may find these photographs disturbing.
Pictured above and below: An Escambia County Deputy struck a cow in his cruiser while traveling on Highway 29 just south of Highway 97 Monday night. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Exclusive Interview: Santa Talks About Tonight’s Visit To North Escambia
December 24, 2008
Tonight’s the big night for the jolly old elf, with Santa Claus expected to visit all the good little boys and girls in North Escambia tonight.
NorthEscambia.com spoke to Santa Claus himself by phone from the North Pole, and we learned that he has a long list of girls and boys to visit tonight in area.
“There have been a lot of good boys and girls in North Escambia this year,” Santa Claus told us. “I’m going to be making a lot of deliveries. Let’s see…Molino, Century, Walnut Hill, Bratt, McDavid, Bogia, Christian Home, Davisville, Barinneau Park, Dogwood Park, Gandyville…they are all on my list tonight.”
“The boys and girls at Bratt Elementary, Molino Park Elementary, Byrneville Elementary, Carver/Century K-8 and Ernest Ward have been so good in school this year. Even most of the big kids at Northview have been good this year,” Santa said with a chuckle.
What kind of toys will Santa have in his sleigh this year? Most everything he said.
“Wii, Wii, Wii. Ho, Ho, Ho,” Santa said with a grin. “There will be a few of those on the sleigh. “Star Wars toys, Webkinz, Barbie, mp3 players, toy trucks and tractors, makeup and even a few clothes will be on the sleigh tonight. But, best of all, there will be a lot of surprises!”
Santa’s funniest request from North Escambia this year came from a lady in Dogwood Park. She asked for a rich husband.
“I won’t have any rich husbands on the sleigh tonight,” Santa Claus said. “I emailed her request over to Cupid. I think he might fix her up for Valentine’s Day.”
Santa said he won’t be able to bring everything that every boy and girl asked for this year, but he’ll do his best.
“Sometimes kids ask for things I just can’t bring to them,” Santa Claus said. “But I always try to surprise them with something I know they will enjoy. I know the boys and girls will enjoy Christmas morning.”
Santa spent a lot of time in North Escambia this year. From riding fire trucks around neighborhoods, to the ballpark in Molino, to the library in Century, to the parades all around, Santa said he enjoyed meeting all the boys and girls in person.
In our exclusive interview, Santa let NorthEscambia.com into a little secret. That red light you see blinking in the sky around here might not be a big radio tower. It might be Santa’s most famous reindeer of them all.
“I really enjoy visiting down there in the summer,” Santa Claus said. “I like to take the reindeer down there to enjoy the warm weather. I have a buddy in Walnut Hill. We fly down, and the reindeer get to run around the woods there in Walnut Hill. Then we head over to Bluff Springs and do a little fishing. I like to visit the diner in Molino for lunch, in a disguise of course, and then head up to Century and get some ice cream.”
The most important thing for all the children in North Escambia to remember tonight is to get to bed early. Santa said he expects to be in North Escambia pretty early this year.
NORAD will track Santa around the world again this year. The kid-friendly site will follow Santa as he makes his deliveries at: www.noradsanta.org/en/home.html
If you have Google Maps on your cell phone, you can track Santa by searching for “norad santa”.
Deputy’s Cruiser Hits Cow Photos
December 24, 2008
Pictured above and below: An Escambia County deputy and a prisoner he was transporting suffered minor injuries when the deputy’s cruiser struck this cow in front of Aldersgate Methodist Church in Molino Tuesday night. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
For the story and pictures of the deputy’s cruiser, click here.
