County Approves Fire Department Unification Plan
September 26, 2008
The Escambia County Commission approved the final plan to unify the county’s fire departments at a Thursday morning meeting.
The county’s 15 separate departments will be joined together as one unified department on October 1.
The revised plan allow firefighters without Firefighter I certification, the state’s most basic course level, to continue in their current positions until April 1, 2009, with exemption letters signed by their chiefs. The first draft of the plan would have demoted those firefighters to the level of firefighter trainee on October 1 and kept them from entering a fire zone. After April 1, firefighters will be required to complete a Firefighter I training course.
The plan also allows firefighter officers that do not meet the minimum job requirements for the position they hold to continue in that position for up to three years, giving them time to meet those certification and training requirements.
“We’ve come together on a good unification plan that involves both the career and volunteer side,” Troy Johnson, chief of the Bellview Fire Department said. Johnson was one of several firefighters from the south half of Escambia County to encourage the commission to pass the unification plan.
“I think this is good for the citizens to see the spirit of what we can do,” Commissioner Grover Robinson said, “to improve services and the efficiency of those services…I’m excited about the future of fire services in Escambia County.”
“I do believe too that it is time for a celebration,” Commissioner Marie Young said. “We look forward to having a celebration of one fire department in Escambia County.”
The plan passed 4-0, with Commissioner Gene Valentino absent. The approval was followed by a standing ovation from commissioners and audience members.
Escambia County Eagles Over Ernest Ward Golden Eagles, 26-6
September 26, 2008
The Escambia County Middle School Eagles downed the Ernest Ward Middle School Golden Eagles Thursday evening in Walnut Hill.
The Big Green ended the game with a 26-6 win over EWMS in a hard fought battle of the Eagles.
Atmore hit the score board first early in the first quarter, returning a Ernest Ward punt for a touchdown. Kevin Bell stopped the two point conversion in the backfield for the Golden Eagles.
Escambia County added another half dozen with 5:46 in the second quarter of play on a long pass, and they made the two point conversion for a 14-0 lead.
In the third, the Golden Eagles recovered an Atmore fumble on their 40 yard line, but the Golden Eagles fumbled on the very next play. Atmore regained possession on the Golden Eagle’s 45 yard line.
Atmore then completed about a 40 yard pass to about the two yard line, but a frustrated Escambia County player realized he had caught the ball while standing out of bounds.
But Escambia County scored on a quarterback keeper on the next play. They missed another two pointer, holding a 20-0 advantage with 4:52 to go in the third.
With 45 seconds on the clock in the third, Escambia County crossed the goal line on an almost 90 yard quarterback keeper. But the TD was not good, and it was back to the 20 yard line for Atmore’s Eagles with a holding flag on the play.
Early in the fourth, LaDerious Franklin hit pay dirt for Ernest Ward, putting them on the scoreboard for the first time. The Golden Eagles missed a two point attempt, making the score 20-6.
Escambia County went on to add another half dozen to the board, making the final 26-6.
In a seventh grade single quarter scrimmage prior to the regular game, Escambia County downed Ernest Ward 6-0.
For a complete photo gallery from both games, including the band and cheerleaders, click here.
Pictured above and below: Action from Ernest Ward versus Escambia County in Thursday evening middle school football action in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Beats South Walton In District Volleyball
September 26, 2008
Northview’s varsity volleyball team picked up its first district win Thursday night, taking three from South Walton on the road.
The Chiefs downed South Walton 25-15, 26-24, 25-12.
Sophomore Shawna Montgomery had four kills, five aces and dig for the Northview. Senior Brittney Thompson had 10 kills and three aces. Junior Angela Rodriguez had four kills and an ace for the Chiefs, and Caitlin Hall, also a junior, had 19 assists, a couple of aces and a couple of blocks.
The Chiefs are now 5-5, 1-2 in the district.
Youth Rally Tonight In Molino
September 26, 2008
A youth rally will be held tonight at Victory Assembly of God in Molino.
The event will take place from 7:00 until 10:00 at the Victory Assembly of God on Highway 29. There will be live music, giveaways, food and more.
For more information, email youth@victorycan.org or call 587-2295.
West Nile Case Confirmed
September 26, 2008
A confirmed case of West Nile virus has been diagnosed in Escambia County, Alabama, Alabama’s Department of Public Health said Thursday. Two cases of the virus had previously been reported in Escambia County, Florida.
That, health officials say, means that residents in North Escambia should be especially careful not to be bit by mosquitoes that could be carrying the virus.
The Escambia County (FL) Health Department says everyone in North Escambia and surrounding areas should follow the “5 D’s of prevention”.
The 5 D’s of Prevention
• Dusk and Dawn: Do not go outdoors when mosquitoes are seeking blood during the
twilight hours of dusk and at dawn.
• Dress: Wear clothing that covers most of your skin.
• DEET: When the potential exists for exposure to mosquitoes, repellents containing
DEET are recommended. Check labels before using a product on infants and children. If
an infant is too young to wear repellent and must be outdoors, a parent should place
mosquito netting over the infant’s carrier. Picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus are other
repellent options for individuals who cannot wear DEET.
• Drainage: Check around your home to rid the area of standing water, which is where
mosquitoes can lay their eggs. Elimination of breeding sites is one of the keys to
prevention.
• Screens: Make sure window and door screens are in good condition, without any tears
or holes that allow mosquitoes to enter your home. Place screens on open windows.
Eliminate Mosquito Breeding Sites
• Clean out eaves, troughs and gutters.
• Remove old tires or drill holes in those used in playgrounds to drain.
• Turn over or remove empty plastic pots.
• Pick up all beverage containers and cups.
• Check tarps on boats or other equipment that may collect water.
• Pump out bilges on boats.
• Replace water in birdbaths and pet or other animal feeding dishes at least once a week.
• Change water in plant trays, including hanging plants, at least once a week.
• Remove vegetation or obstructions in drainage ditches that prevent the flow of water.
What is West Nile Virus?
• West Nile virus is a potentially serious illness – about one in 150 people infected with
WNV will develop severe illness.
• The severe symptoms can include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor,
disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness
and paralysis. These symptoms may last several weeks, and neurological effects may
be permanent.
• Mild Symptoms in Some: Up to 20 percent of the people who become infected have
symptoms such as fever, headache, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes
swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. Symptoms can last
for as short as a few days, though even healthy people have become sick for several
weeks.
• No Symptoms in Most People: Approximately 80 percent of people (about 4 out of 5)
who are infected with WNV will not show any symptoms at all.
Blog: NorthEscambia.com Readers Can Rent Movies For Free
September 25, 2008
You can rent movies for FREE with a two week free trial of Netflix and help us at NorthEscambia.com at the same time.
We asked you to try this several months ago, and many of you did. Many people are still happily enjoying their subscription to Netfix, and we made a little money in the process.
So how does this online rental thing work? It’s easy. You sign up for a free trial to make sure Netflix is going to work for you. Then you pay a monthly fee, currently from $4.99 to $16.99 per month for Netflix, for UNLIMITED video rentals, up to a certain number at a time in your hands. You mail the movies back for free (no stamps or postage needed). Then within about a, new movies show up in your mailbox. There are never any late fees, and you can cancel anytime. No contracts, no strings, no small print.
Why are we telling you this…for a few good reasons. One…gas is expensive for trips to the video store. Two…we got tired of the nearest rental store to us being out of their two copies of the movie we wanted to see for weeks. Three…we tried Netflix and it worked as advertised. Four…if you will try the Netflix FREE two week trial, NorthEscambia.com will make a little commission to support the work we do.
Understand this: You sign up for the free two weeks. They are FREE, no charge on your credit card. You can cancel prior to the end of the two weeks, and you are NEVER charged a dime. You do not have to continue beyond the FREE two weeks. If you will take the FREE two week trial, NorthEscambia.com makes a commission on day one of your trial, whether or not you keep the service. But we think you’ll like it, and those plans do begin at just $4.99 a month.
NorthEscambia.com has arranged for our readers to try Netflix, with unlimited three at a time rentals, for FREE for two weeks. If you watch your movies and send them right back, you could probably watch 15 or more movies for free during the two weeks. From old movies that you’d never find at the rental store, to the latest releases on the day of the release, Netflix has thousands of movies to choose from.
So here’s the bottom line deal…you can try Netflix for FREE for two weeks, and you’ll be supporting what we do here at NorthEscambia.com at the same time. You can cancel at the end of the two weeks and pay nothing and be under no obligation. We think, however, that you’ll probably want to stick around longer than two weeks. (Just to be clear…we don’t make anymore money if you do keep using Netflix, but we think you’ll like it!)
It’s our little gift to you…you get to try renting Netflix movies for FREE for two weeks, and you help NorthEscambia.com at the same time.
To try Netflix for free for two weeks, click on the Netflix ad on the front page of NorthEscambia.com; the ad is on the right side of the page. We do ask that you sign up for the service before midnight Monday for us to receive the maximum commission.
NorthEscambia.com only receives the commission if you click the ad on the front page of our site for the free trial..
Enjoy your movies, and thanks for help us here at NorthEscambia.com!
—William
Molino Man Found Guilty Of Killing His Infant Daughter
September 25, 2008
A Molino man has been found guilty of manslaughter for killing his infant daughter in 2006.
Christopher Paterson, 28, was found guilty of the death of his one year old daughter Ali Jean Paterson. A jury deliberated for only about two hours before returning the guilty verdict.
Ali Jean Paterson died on November 26, 2006, from burns she received two weeks earlier when she was left unattended in a hot bath, according to authorities. Paterson told deputies he placed the child in shower that just felt warm and went to another room to get a towel. He said that when he returned, Ali was screaming, and there was steam rising from the shower. He then called 911 after noticing red sores on the child.Ali survived at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham for two weeks before she died.
This was not Paterson’s first involvement with authorities over Ali. The Department of Children and Families investigated a broken leg she suffered in May 2006. Paterson and Brittany Knapp, Ali’s mother, took Ali to the hospital with a broken leg. They said her leg was broken when it became trapped in a slot in her crib. DCF did not find that the incident was abuse at that time.
Paterson was indicted by a grand jury on second degree manslaughter charges in February of 2007. He was arrested on May 1, 2007, near Gainesville. He has remained in jail since his arrest.
Paterson could be sentenced to up to 15 years in state prison.
Deer Season? Deputy Hits Deer
September 25, 2008
An Escambia County deputy’s car suffered minor damage Wednesday night when he hit a deer near Walnut Hill.
The deputy was not injured; the doe was killed.
The accident happened on South Highway 99 just south of Tungoil Road. The deputy was driving the speed limit at the time of the collision and was not responding to a call.
As is standard practice with any accident involving a deputy’s car, a crime scene unit was called to the location to photograph the damage.
Pictured above: An Escambia County deputy’s car after a collision with a deer Wednesday night near Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photo.
Annual See You At The Pole Held
September 25, 2008
The annual See You at the Pole rally was held Wednesday morning at Northview High School.
About 75 NHS students gathered at the flagpole as school began to pray in the non-denominational event.
See You at the Pole is a student-initiated, student organized, and student-led event. That means this is all about students meeting at their school flagpole to pray—for their school, friends teachers, government, and their nation.
“Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening!” from 1 Samuel 3:9b was theme verse for the See You at the Pole event at thousands of schools across the nation Wednesday morning.
“It’s tough being a Christian student today, isn’t it? You have to make a lot of choices about who you are—and who you’re not. You have to try and follow God in a world that misunderstands Christianity and tolerates its principles less and less all the time,” according to the See You at the Pole website.
See You at the Pole is scheduled annually on the fourth Wednesday in September.
Pictured above and below: The annual See You at the Pole event was held Wednesday morning at Northview High School and schools across the country. Scroll down and click the thumbnails at the bottom for more photos. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escaped Alabama Inmates Spotted In Walnut Hill; Arrested In Pensacola
September 24, 2008
Two escaped state prisoners from Atmore were captured Tuesday in Pensacola, just days after they were spotted in Walnut Hill.
An anonymous tip to Crimestoppers led to the capture of Charles Bales, 33, and John Rice, 42, Tuesday morning at the Palm Court Motel on Highway 29 in Pensacola. The pair escaped from a work detail in Atmore last Wednesday.
On Thursday, a Walnut Hill resident, Tracy Benner, found the two men walking down Arthur Brown Road and gave them a ride. He said they stated that they were hungry. The local resident drove them to the Walnut Hill Farm Supply to buy food. When he left them at the business on Highway 97, he had no idea he had just given a ride to two escaped prisoners.
The clerk at the farm supply, who did not wish to be identified, did not know the two were wanted by authorities when they came into the store Thursday.
“They said they were looking for a telephone and for food,” she told NorthEscambia.com. “They got about $20 worth of food, snacks and stuff, and they never did ask to use the phone.”
She said she asked the men were they were headed, and they responded “Mississippi”. She said they were wearing “regular street clothes”, and that they were nice.
The clerk said they were in the store for about five minutes and they left on foot, walking south on South Highway 99, away from Highway 97.
Both Benner and the clerk said they immediately recognized the pair as Bales and Rice Sunday when they saw a story on NorthEscambia.com. They reported their contact with the prisoners to the Escambia County Sheriff’ Department.
“If it wasn’t for the story on NorthEscambia, I would have not known they were wanted,” Benner said.
Sgt. David Preston with the sheriff’s department said there were no other reported sightings of the two men in the North Escambia area.
Rice was serving a life sentence for a 1997 Baldwin County burglary. Bales was serving a 10 year sentence in connection with a 2002 robbery. Bales could have been eligible for parole as early as June of 2010.
A third person, Wendy Sweeney, was also arrested at the motel Tuesday on outstanding local warrants,” Sheriff’ spokesman Glenn Austin said. It was not immediately known if she had any connection to Rice or Bales, or is she had any part in the their escape. No further details on her arrest were available from the sheriff’s department.
Pictured above: Escaped Alabama inmates Charles Bales (left) and John Rice were arrested in Pensacola Tuesday, just days after being spotted in Walnut Hill. Wendy Sweeney (left) was also arrested along with the two men. Submitted photos.