All Smiles At EWMS: Somer Bridges Named A Teacher Of The Year
May 27, 2009
Ernest Ward Middle School teacher Somer Bridges was all smiles Tuesday as she learned that she had been selected as the Teacher of the Year in a contest sponsored by a local orthodontist.
Brooks Orthodontics, which has locations in Pensacola, Pace and Jay, sponsors a contest in which patients are asked to nominate their favorite teacher for the Teacher of the Year contest. Of the hundreds of entries, Ernest Ward’s Somer Bridges was the only teacher nominated twice.
She was nominated by eighth grade students and classmates, Stephanie Roach and Chad Smith.
“She has always been there for me. She is more than my teacher, she is my friend. When my dad passed away she brought cards from my class and checked on me everyday,” Smith wrote about Bridges.
“She inspires me and all her students to do their best. She treats us as she would her own children. She does whatever she can to help us learn,” Roach wrote in her essay. “She even goes out of her way to talk to us if we need someone to talk to. She listens and talks us through our problem. She is a wonderful person and deserves this after all she’s done for me and my classmates.”
Ernest Ward Principal Nancy Gindl-Perry noted that she was proud of Bridges, having encouraged her when she was in the eleventh grade to become a teacher.
“I taught her in high school,” Perry said. “I told her in her eleventh grade anatomy and physiology class that she would make a good teacher. Then I ended up being the one to hire her.”
Pictured above (L-R): EWMS student Stephanie Roach, Teacher of the Year Somer Bridges, student Chad Smith and Stacey Peaden from Brooks Orthodontics. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Thomas: Schools Won’t Lease Old Century High To Church For $1 Per Year Anymore
May 27, 2009
(Updated 9:00 a.m.) Escambia School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas does not intend to allow New Life Baptist Church to continue to lease the old Century High School for $1 per year. He’s offering to lease the building to the church for as much as just over $150,000 per year.
Over the past years, New Life has paid just $5 — at $1 per year — to lease the 30,327 square foot building under a lease executed by former Superintendent Jim Paul.
“One dollar per year is just unacceptable,” Thomas told NorthEscambia.com. “I can tell you that we will not be leasing buildings for $1 per year. It’s not right to the taxpayers.”
In a recent letter to the pastor of New Life Baptist Church, Rev. Irvin Stallworth (pictured left), Thomas details the options he is offering the church.
Thomas has offered to rent the building to New Life for $5 per square foot, far below the $10 to $15 per square foot he says similar buildings would cost in monthly rent. The reduced rate, his letter says, is because of the “location, age and configuration of the facility.” At $5 per square foot, the 30,327 square foot building would cost the church $12,636.25 per month, or $151,635 per year of a five year lease.
“Of course, if you are able to adapt your program to use less square footage, the rent would go down accordingly,” the letter says. “We would be glad to work with you to determine a combination of square footage and rent that can accommodate your needs. Whatever the church decides, a new agreement is to be in effect by October 1. If they remain in the building, they will not have to pay a deposit since they are existing tenants, the letters says.
“We are exploring this now to give him plenty of time to consider his options,” Thomas said.
Stallworth told NorthEscambia.com that the church is exploring its options and will discuss them in an upcoming church business meeting.
“We have not finished our discussions or reached a decision at this point,” the pastor said. “We want to look at all of our options.”
Besides the increased $5 per square foot rent, New Life Baptist has one other option to remain in the building — purchase it. Thomas told NorthEscambia.com that he would be happy to sell the building to the church at a fair price that would be determined by an appraisal.
“I would like to get out of the landlord business,” Thomas said. “I would rather sell it.”
“All of this is to protect the taxpayers’ investment,” he added.
Pictured above: The old Century High School building that New Life Baptist Church has leased for $1 per year for the last five year. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Firefighters Rescue ‘Victim’ From Burning McDavid Building
May 27, 2009
Firefighters entered a burning building in McDavid Tuesday night to search on their hands and knees for a person trapped inside.
That was the scenerio that played out again and again at the old McDavid School on Highway 29 as firefighters from the McDavid and Walnut Hill stations of Escambia Fire Rescue conducted a training exercise.
A simulated “victim” was placed inside an interior room of the abandoned building. Firefighters were forced to crawl on their hands and knees in full gear, searching a room filled with smoke created by a smoke machine. It was not possible to see directly in front of one’s face in the room due to the thick smoke.
Each time, the groups of firefighters were able to rescue the victim, dragging him to safety.
Outside the building, firefighters received a refresher course in safety and rescue techniques.
Pictured top: Firefighters prepare to enter a smoke filled room. Pictured below: Firefighters locate the “victim” in a simulated McDavid building fire Tuesday night. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Highway 97 Accident Injures Three Tuesday Morning
May 26, 2009
(Updated 2:00 p.m.) A single vehicle accident on Highway 97 sent three people to the hospital Tuesday morning.
The accident happened on Highway 97 north of White Ash Road about 9:15 Tuesday morning. Three people were in a 2004 Chevrolet Blazer when the driver lost control, hit a mailbox then a utility pole knocking it to the ground. The Chevy then overturned and slammed into a fence. Bystanders were working to pull a passenger from the smoking vehicle as the first emergency personnel arrived on scene. The Blazer then burst into flames.
The Florida Highway Patrol identified the driver as Barbara Jean McConico, 61 of Pensacola. Passengers in the Blazer were her husband, Gilbert McConico, 50, and Jaquita Allen, 17. All three are from Pensacola and suffered minor injuries in the crash, according to the FHP. They were transported by ambulance to a Pensacola hospital.
Barbara Jean McConico was charged with careless driving, troopers said.
A downed pole and power lines left many in the area without power and kept Highway 97 blocked for over an hour as Gulf Power worked to rebuild the downed lines.
Click here for a complete NorthEscambia.com exclusive gallery of photos that shows the sequence of events as the Blazer bursts into flames, the first fire truck arrives and the fire is extinguished.
The accident is still under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Walnut Hill, McDavid and Molino stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, Atmore Ambulance, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department all responded to the call.
Pictured above: Three people were injured in this accident on Highway 97 Tuesday morning. The Blazer burst into flames shortly after the last passenger was pulled from the wreckage. Pictured below: The first firefighters on scene about to extinguish the flames. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Man Shot By Atmore Police Dies
May 26, 2009
The man shot by Atmore Police early Sunday morning in Walnut Hill has died, according to friends and family members.
Danny Ray Williams, 33, passed away Monday evening at the USA Medical Center in Mobile. Hospital officials confirm that Williams is no longer a patient at their facility, and Atmore Police have also confirmed the death.
Atmore Police say they chased Williams out of Atmore and into Florida about 1:30 Sunday morning after he was seen speeding away from an Atmore neighborhood where police had just received a call of shots fired.
Glenn Carlee, Atmore’s director of public safety, says Williams apparently tried to hit an Atmore Police Department cruiser head-on. Once he stopped and officers approached the car with weapons drawn, Carlee says Williams accelerated toward an officer in an attempt to hit him. That prompted at least two officers to fire at Williams.
Florida authories told NorthEscambia.com Sunday morning at the scene that Williams had been shot at least once in the head.
For a statement released earlier Monday by the Atmore Police Department, click here.
For NorthEscambia.com’s original story from early Sunday morning, click here.
For a complete gallery of exclusive photos from the scene that you will see only on NorthEscambia.com, click here.
Pictured above: Investigators from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement process the car driven Sunday morning by Danny Ray Williams. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photo, click to enlarge.
Suspect Shot By Police Had Prior Florida Traffic Offenses And Warrant For Hunting Violation
May 26, 2009
Court records in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties show that Danny Ray Williams has an outstanding warrant for failure to appear on a misdemeanor hunting violation, and his criminal past included a few traffic violations.
Williams, who was shot in the head following an Atmore Police Department chase into Walnut Hill early Sunday morning, was charged with failing to produce a hunting or fishing license in April 2000. Escambia County (Fla.) Circuit Court records show a misdemeanor failure to appear warrant was issued for his arrest on June 6, 2000, because he failed to pay a fine in connection with the original charge.
If Williams had been arrested on the charge, court records indicate the bond would have been $100.
Escambia court records also show that Williams had a conviction in 2000 for an expired registration.
Santa Rosa County court records indicate that Williams had a 1997 conviction for careless driving, and 1999 convictions for running a stop sign, driving while his driver’s license was suspended, disregard for a passing zone and an improper tag.
Any Escambia County, Ala., court records for Williams were not available, and it was unknown if he had every faced any charges in that county.
$20 Million Approved To Repave Highway 97, Part Of Highway 29
May 26, 2009
The recently approved Florida budget includes nearly $20 million to resurface Highway 97 and a stretch of Highway 29 north of Molino.
The Legislature appropriated $4,609,499 to resurface a stretch of Highway 29 from Molino north to near Pine Barren Road.
Lawmakers also approved $1,513,090 for engineering and inspection on Highway 97 and another $13,690,094 to resurface Highway 97.
The contract on the Highway 97 project is set for letting on August 26, and construction will begin as early as December 17 of this year. The complete Highway 97 repaving project is scheduled to be complete by early October 2010.’
The entire 22.5 mile length of Highway 97 will be repaved from County Road 95 in Molino across Highway 29 to the Alabama state line. No major drainage changes are expected to the route’s 55 cross drains under the highway, with the exception of some possible changes near the intersection of Highway 97 and Crabtree Church Road.
Existing 12 foot wide travel lanes and five foot paved shoulders will be milled and resurfaced. This project does not include the four-laning of Highway 97. A four lane highway is not in any of the state’s current plans for Highway 97.
The Highway 29 resurfacing project includes 4.55 miles of the four lane highway from near Highway 97 to just north of Pine Barren Road. The contract on the project is expect to be awarded on August 26 of this year, with construction slated to begin as early as December 17. The repaving project is scheduled to be completed by early August, 2010.
Couple Appears In Court On Bratt Mobile Home Meth Lab Charges
May 26, 2009
The Bratt residents accused of operating a meth lab out of a Bratt mobile home remain in jail following their initial court appearance.
Daniel Wayne Sheets, 29, and Mary Elaine Sheets, 28, were arrested on multiple drug charges after deputies located the meth lab at 3740 Highway 168 near Wiggins Road last Wednesday.
Escambia County Circuit Court Judge Joyce Williams officially ordered bond at $45,000 each after their first court appearance. The two had not made bond and both remained in the Escambia County Jail early Tuesday morning.
A public defender was appointed for both, and their next court appearance was set for mid-June.
Daniel Wayne Sheets and Mary Elaine Sheets were each charged with a narcotics violation, the production of methamphetamine, use and possession of drug paraphernalia and the possession of chemicals used to manufacture a controlled substance.
For the original story about their arrest, click here.
Register Tomorrow For Pre-Kindergarten Summer Program
May 26, 2009
A free pre-kindergarten program will be offered at Bratt Elementary School this summer, and a chance to register at the school is coming up tomorrow.
Children participating in the program must be four-years old on or before September 1, 2009, to be eligible for the free program.
The free voluntary pre-kindergarten program will be held from June 8 to August 6 at Bratt Elementary, the only Head Start program in North Escambia. The program will run from 7:45 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. each day.
Parents can sign their children up daily in the front office at Bratt with a birth certificate, proof of residency, proof of income, immunization records, a physical exam and a photo identification for the parent. Parents must also obtain a certificate of eligibility from the Early Learning Coalition at 3636 D North L Street in Pensacola. Contact Kitty McKenzie at 595-5439.
There will be a meeting at Bratt Elementary on Wednesday morning at 7:45. Children may be registered at this meeting without the need to visit the Early Learning Coalition in Pensacola. For more information, call 327-6137.
Class Of 2009 Graduations; With Flomaton Photos
May 26, 2009
Several North Escambia area schools held graduation exercises this weekend, and other area schools will hold commencements over the next week.
Graduation was held Friday night at Flomaton High and Escambia County High School in Atmore.
Northview High School’s graduation will be at 4:00 Saturday afternoon in the school gymnasium.
Tate High School will hold graduation services at 1:00 Thursday afternoon in the Pensacola Civic Center.
Jay High School’s graduation will be at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, June 2.
For more photos from Flomaton High School, click here.
Pictured above: Graduation for the Flomaton High School Class of 2009. Submitted photo by Alisa Hart for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.