Byrneville Boil Water Notice Lifted
July 11, 2009
The precautionary boil water notice for parts of Central Water Works has been lifted as of noon Saturday, July 11.
Central Water Works has submitted water tests for the past two days and all testing has been cleared by the Escambia County Health Department. Thank you for your patience during this precautionary notice.
Blue Angels Fly Today At Pensacola Beach
July 11, 2009
Over 100,000 people are expected to watch the Blue Angels today at Pensacola Beach.
Here is a complete schedule, along with parking and safety tips for those headed to see the Blues:
Noon: Water in front of show area is cleared for safety precautions.
- 12:30 pm: Julian MacQueen’s Grumman Widgeon G44.
- 12:35 pm: U.S. Coast Guard Search and Rescue demonstration in an HH-65 Dolphin.
- 12:45 pm: Skip Stewart’s Modified Pitts Special.
- 12:55 pm: Gary Ward’s MX2 sport aircraft.
- 1:05 pm: Aeroshell Acrobatics Team, World War II North American AT-6 Texans.
- 1:20 pm: Swimmers are allowed back into the water.
- 1:40 pm: Water is cleared again for the main event.
- 1:50 pm: Fat Albert, a C-130 Hercules.
- 2:00 pm: Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornets.
Emergency tips and warnings
- Call 911 in case of an emergency.
- Choose a landmark to meet family and friends in case of an emergency.
- No kites can be flown during the air show.
- No glass containers are allowed.
- No pets on the beach or left in vehicles.
Traffic safety tips
- Tune in to local radio stations for traffic updates.
- Traffic to the event from the Navarre to Gulf Breeze area will be directed to the far right lane. The left lane is for local traffic.
- Be sure to have plenty of gas.
- Don’t drink and drive.
- Have a designated driver.
- Plan to stay later after an event is over to avoid traffic jams.
- Be courteous to other drivers.
- Parking: To avoid questionable parking spaces and heavy traffic, arrive at the beach before 8 a.m.
- Do not block emergency access locations, bike paths, sidewalks or medians. Park in a marked spot or off the roadway.
Water safety
- Get out of the water immediately after being asked to do so. The air shows can not begin until all people are out of the water within the performance zone
- Boats can only enter and exit the water at Little Sabine.
- Always dive in feet first.
- Boaters should be on the lookout for swimmers.
Health tips
- Have at least a gallon of water for each person to drink.
- Wear loose-fitting, tightly-woven clothes.
- Take an umbrella that can be properly secured in the sand to protect you from the sun’s rays.
- Take plenty of sunscreen that is SPF 30 or greater.
Teen Mustang Driver Not Injured In Highway 97 Crash
July 11, 2009
A 16-year old driver escaped injury in a single vehicle accident Friday night on Highway 97.
The accident happened shortly after 9 p.m. when the driver of a Ford Mustang apparently failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of Tungoil Road and Highway 97. The Mustang crossed Highway 97, coming to rest in an opening in a wooded area off the highway.
The male driver was evaluated by Atmore Ambulance but was not transported to the hospital.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Florida Highway Patrol also responded to the accident.
Pictured above: The driver of this Mustang was not injured in an accident on Highway 97 Friday night. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Bratt Man Pleads Not Guilty To Charges He Abused Four Year Old Girl
July 11, 2009
A local man has entered a not guilty plea on charges that he molested a four-year girl back in 2000.
Perry Leonard Gibbs, 52, of 5451 Still Road Lot 5 in Bratt, was arrested in June and charged with molesting a child under the age of 12. He was due in court for an arraignment hearing this week, but he waived arraignment, entering a not guilty plea. He is now scheduled for a jury trial in early November.
Gibbs remains in the Escambia County Jail on $25,000 bond. If he makes bond, Gibbs was ordered to have no direct or indirect contact with the victim and to wear a GPS monitor.
A female told the investigators under oath that Gibbs molested her in 2000 when she was four and five years old, according to Sgt. Ted Roy with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department. The victim told investigators that the molestation occurred in the Walnut Hill area.
The female made the allegations in May of this year, according to Roy.
The felony molestation charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
NWE Football Registration Begins Today
July 11, 2009
Football is just around the corner, and registration for the 2009 season of Northwest Escambia Football begins Saturday.
Football registration will be held Saturday and continues July 18 and July 25 at the Ernest Ward football field.
Charles Williams, NWE president, said that it is important for all age groups to register before August.
“With all the preparation involved for the upcoming season, we must know how many kids to provide equipment and uniforms for prior to August 6th,” Williams said. “NWE will being playing games earlier this year.”
The first NWE Football practice will be August 3. The Jamboree is August 22, and the first game is August 29.
For more information about NWE Football, call Charles Williams at 327-4603.
Escambia Landfill Gas To Be Used To Generate Power
July 11, 2009
More renewable energy will be produced in Northwest Florida soon. Gulf Power’s agreement to build a facility to convert landfill gas to energy at the Perdido Landfill has been approved by the Escambia County Commission.
Initially, landfill gas generators will produce 3,200 kilowatts of renewable energy — enough to power about 1,500 homes. The energy capacity can be increased as the landfill produces more methane in the future. Gulf Power will invest about $6 million in the project.
Escambia County will sell the landfill gas to Gulf Power at a rate of $2.47 per million BTU’s with an escalation clause of three percent per year for 20 years. The contract is expected to net about $850,000 in the first year for Escambia County. The plant should be operational in about a year.
“This partnership with Escambia County will produce tremendous benefits for our community,” said Sandy Sims, manager of Gulf Power Public Affairs. “The process will eliminate a source of greenhouse gas by capturing and using the methane that is already escaping into the atmosphere. And this project will bring more clean energy to Northwest Florida.”
Gulf Power has a contract with Escambia County for the purchase of landfill gas and with LFG Technologies Development to design, build and operate the Landfill Gas to Energy facility at the Perdido Landfill.
The purchase is subject to approval of a land lease for the facility, permitting by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and approval by the Florida Public Service Commission.
Once approved by the FPSC, the facility will take about six months to build and is tentatively scheduled to go into commercial operation on May 31, 2010.
Landfill methane gas is one of the most cost-effective forms of renewable energy. Municipal solid waste landfills are the second largest human-generated source of methane emissions in the United States and methane is one of the most potent forms of greenhouse gases — 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection ncy.
“This project shows Gulf Power’s commitment to pursue affordable renewable energy options and promote energy conservation projects while continuing to reduce emissions,” Sims said. “We’re pursuing a more diverse mix of fuel sources to benefit our customers.”
Get Your Car Washed And Benefit The NHS Band
July 11, 2009
The Northview High School Band Boosters will hold a car wash Saturday morning in Atmore.
The car wash will be held at Advance Auto Parts on South Main Street from 8 a.m. until noon. All proceeds will benefit the Northview High School Tribal Beat Band.
Pelican’s Winning Streak Comes To An End
July 11, 2009
The El Paso Diablos tied their series with the Pensacola Pelicans at two on Friday, defeating Pensacola 5-3.
Pensacola scored first in the bottom of the second when Adam Darby reached on a fielder’s choice and moved to second on a wild pitch. Darby moved up to third when Luis Guance singled. Kyle LaMotta hit a ground ball that scored Darby and the Pelicans led by one.
El Paso roared back in the top of the fourth. With one out Eddy Rodriguez singled, and Jeff Vincent hit a double, pushing Rodriguez to third. David Washington hit a single that scored Rodriguez and Vincent advanced to third base. When Hector Bernal reached on a fielder’s choice, Vincent scored on the play and the Diablos took a 2-1 lead. They added insurance in the fifth inning, scoring Juan Camacho from third base when the Pelicans’ third baseman made a throwing error.
Pensacola tied it at three in the bottom of the seventh when Lester Contreras started the frame with a single. Darby put down a sacrifice bunt and Contreras moved into scoring position. Luis Gaunce followed with a RBI double, and came in to score when Antoin Gray hit a single.
Tied at three in the top of the ninth, El Paso made a push for the lead: Mike Provencher reached on a fielder’s choice, then advanced to third when Tyler Johnson picked up a base hit. Eddy Rodriguez collected the game-winner on a single up the middle that plated Provencher. Johnson also scored on an error by the first baseman. Mike Cervera made the 5-3 lead held up in the bottom half, picking up his second save.
Yury Santana earned his second win of the year, and Hunter Davis took his first loss. Adam Brandenburg started the game for Pensacola, pitching five innings, allowing eight hits that scored three runs, of which two were earned. He walked four and struck out four. Joseph Wedner made his Pelicans debut on the night, pitching three solid innings, allowing only one baserunner via walk, and striking out four. Hunter Davis pitched a shaky ninth that allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits, walking one and striking out one.
The Pelicans were decent at the plate, as Burch, Rodriguez, Contreras, and Guance all had two hits. Guance had a RBI double, and Kyle LaMotta picked up his first hit in the American Association.
The Pelicans and Diablos will play the fifth game in this six-game series on Saturday at 6:05 p.m.
Allie Strength
July 10, 2009
Allie B. Strength, 86, of Atmore, AL died Tuesday, July 7, 2009 in Mobile, AL.
She was a seamstress, retired from Vanity Fair Mills, Born in Okaloosa County, FL on June 18, 1923 to the late Dewey and Addie Fuqua King. She attended Brooks Memorial Baptist Church, loved her family, fishing and flowers.
She is preceded in death by two brother, Ivan King and Dewey King, Jr.; two sisters, Madelyn Minchew and Jenelle Moye.
Survivors are: her husband, Ollie J. Strength; daughter, Jean Strenght, both of Atmore, AL; one brother, Shelby King of Flomaton, AL; one sister, Joyce Braswell and a special sister-in-law, Ethel Strength, both of Atmore, AL; and a number of nieces and nephews.
Services will be Friday, July 10, 2009 at 2PM from Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. James Boyd officiating. Interment will follow in Oak Hill Cemetery. Active Pallbearers are Jed Dukes, Russell Braswell, Don Moye, Tim Ball, Rodney Ball and Tim Strength.
Family will receive friends, Thursday evening, July 9, 2009 at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home from 6PM to 8PM.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home, Inc. in charge of all arrangements.
Dawn Yoder Funeral To Be Streamed Online
July 10, 2009
Saturday’s funeral services for Dawn Yoder, the Atmore woman who died following a lightning strike, will be streamed live on the Internet.
Funeral services will be held Saturday afternoon at 2:00 at the First Assembly of God in Atmore. Funeral services will be streamed live on the Internet at www.streamflood.net.
Visitation will be Friday from 4 until 9 p.m. at Mennonite Christian Fellowship in Atmore.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to Atmore Christian School, 245 Tennant Drive, Atmore, AL 36502.