Flood Warning Continues For Escambia River
April 8, 2009
The flood warning continues for the Escambia River at Century with the river expected to remain above flood stage until Friday evening.
Wedesday night, the Escambia River was at 18.3 feet; flood state is 17 feet. Minor flooding is occurring and minor flooding is forecast as the river continues to fall.
Free Vendor Spaces At Upcoming Event
April 8, 2009
The Alger-Sullivan Historical Society is looking for vendors to display and sell their wares at Century’s 108th Birthday Bash on Saturday, April 18.
Vendor spaces are free to businesses, those that wish to display old items and those with a product to sell.
“As long as it’s not illegal or immoral it might just be okay to promote,” joked Jerry Fischer from the Alger-Sullivan Historical Society. “We have a good slate of folks lined up as it is, but the more the merrier.”
The historical society is also looking at entertainment acts for the the event. Whether you’re a picker, singer, dancer, reenactor….there is a space for you at the annual birthday bash.
For more information, contact Fischer at 256-3980.
The Alger-Sullivan Historical Society’s 108th Birthday Bash for Century will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 18 at the historical park on Jefferson Avenue.
Deputies Arrest Bank Robbery Suspect After He’s Bitten By K-9
April 7, 2009
Escambia County Sheriff’s Department arrested a bank robbery suspect this afternoon, but only after he was bitten by K-9 in the neck
At about 12:15 this afternoon, the Escambia Sheriff’s Office received an alarm from the Regions Bank located at 235 West Nine Mile Rd.
While deputies were enroute, bank employees called in advising that a white male had just robbed them. The suspect was described as a white male, dark shirt, blue jeans, 5-foot 10 wearing a skull cap or bandana. Units arrived almost immediately and were told by witnesses that the suspect had fled west and was just seen in a vacant lot.
A K-9 was deployed and a track led to an overgrown drainage ditch where the suspect was located hiding under a concrete slab by the dog. The suspect refused to exit the ditch and the K-9 was deployed biting the suspect in the neck. The wound was non-life threatening and upon being treated for the K-9 apprehension and released from the hospital, the suspect will be booked into the county jail.
The suspect gave the name of Frank Owens, born in 1968 but investigators are still confirming the suspect’s identity at this time.
No one was injured in the robbery other than the suspect.
Freeze Warning For Tonight
April 7, 2009
The National Weather Service has issued a freeze warning for tonight with tonight’s low expected to fall to an average of 28 across the North Escambia area.
After a cool day with a high of just 58, temperatures are forecast to fall rapidly after sunset reaching the freezing mark by 1 a.m. The freeze warning will remain in effect until 8 a.m. Wednesday.
Here is the rest of you official North Escambia forecast:
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 68. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 45. Southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. South wind between 5 and 15 mph.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. South wind around 10 mph.
Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. South wind between 10 and 15 mph.
Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. Southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. West wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56.
Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73.
Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62.
Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79.
Driver Apparently Travels 3.5 Miles On A Rim; Vehicle Destroyed By Fire
April 7, 2009
A driver apparently drove on a tire rim for about 3.5 miles before his or her vehicle caught fire and burned early Tuesday morning.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue was dispatched to a vehicle fire on Rockaway Creek Road just off Nokomis Road about 4:30 Tuesday morning. When they arrived, they found an unidentifiable vehicle full involved in flames. Firefighters were unable to locate the driver of the vehicle, which was completely destroyed.
The vehicle was partially off the roadway in a ditch. It appeared the driver had a flat tire and was driving on very damaged rim on the front driver’s side prior to the fire because of scrape marks on the highway.
NorthEscambia.com was able to follow the scrape marks back the full length of nearby Meadows Road, across Highway 97 and back to the intersection of Greenland Road and Hodges road…a total distance of almost 3.5 miles. Vehicle and tire parts were scattered along the route, and there were at least two places where it appeared the driver ran off the road and into the ditch.
The State Fire Marshal was called to the scene to investigate.
For an exclusive NorthEscambia.com photo gallery, click here.
Pictured above: Firefighters work to extinguish a vehicle fire on Rockaway Creek Road about 4:30 this morning. Pictured below: The remains of the vehicle. Pictured bottom: Scrape marks apparently from the vehicle’s rim on Meadows Road at a railroad crossing, just part of the driver’s 3.5 mile trip on a rim. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Tom Thumb Robbed
April 7, 2009
The Tom Thumb on Highway 29 in Cantonment was robbed about 12:10 this morning.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Department was called to the store after the clerk reported that he was robbed.
The suspect was described as a black male, about 5-foot 8-inches tall wearing a jacket with a hood. The suspect fled the building and headed south, according to the store clerk. It was not known if the suspect had a vehicle.
Multiple deputies were on scene within minutes of the call, setting up a perimeter around the area. A K-9 unit attempted to track the suspect.
A deputy spotted a black male on the railroad tracks near Muscogee Road and gave chase, but the male escaped the area on foot.
The store clerk said the suspect indicated that he was armed with a gun, but the clerk never saw the gun.
There were no injuries. The incident is still under investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department.
Lawyer: Century Can’t Give Free Water To Residents With Bad Service
April 7, 2009
The Century Town Council has rescinded an offer of free water service to residents on Backwoods Road after the town’s attorney advised them it might not be legal.
Back in February, the council voted to waive water charges for residents on Backwoods Road because of poor water pressure, muddy water and sometimes the lack of water because the area is served by a pipe just two inches in diameter. The council had decided to take a wait-and-see approach to find out if they might be eligible for federal stimulus money to fund a water system improvement in the area.
But Town Attorney Matt Dannheisser advised the council in an email that the goodwill gesture was probably not legal due to a town ordinance that states, in part, “No water nor sewer disposal service shall be furnished or rendered free of charge to any person, firm, or corporation whatsoever…”
Dannheisser said in the email he was asked if a “waiver” would be the same as providing free service, and he responded that he believes it would be based upon the definition of the word and the fact the residents would receive free service.
The council could consider rescinding the ordinance prohibiting free service, Dannheisser advised, but there might be restrictions imposed by finance bonds on the water system.
“Do we bill or not bill,” Mayor Freddie McCall asked the council after a discussion. “Right now we are breaking the law.”
Council member Gary Riley said he knew that it would not be popular, but he made a motion to rescind the free water offer. The motion passed 3-1 with councilman Henry Hawkins voting no and councilwoman Sharon Scott absent.
Hawkins said if he were a resident of Backwoods Road, “I would have sued this town. They deserve water like everyone else.”
The town had a potential funding source for the Backwoods water project in the works. Congressman Jeff Miller has requested about $2 million in funding for Century water improvements, as first reported by NorthEscambia.com on Saturday morning (click here to read).
At the request of the mayor, Council President Ann Brooks read the entire NorthEscambia.com article to the council.
“I was excited by that,” McCall said when he learned of Miller’s decision in the NorthEscambia.com article.
Pictured: Century Council President Ann Brooks reads an email from Town Attorney Matt Dannheisser during Monday night’s Century Town Council meeting. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Train Hits Log Truck; Logs Sent Crashing Into Bank
April 7, 2009
A collision between a train and a log truck sent logs crashing into a Brewton bank Monday morning.
The accident happened in downtown Brewton about 11:15 Monday morning when a loaded log truck attempting to cross over the railroad tracks was hit by a freight train.
The crash sent the truck’s trailer spinning around and over toward the First Exchange Bank. The load of logs was spilled, sending a log crashing into the lobby just in front of the bank’s teller windows.
There were no injuries reported in the crash.
Pictured above: A log in the lobby of the First Exchange Bank in Brewton after a Monday morning crash between a truck and a train in the South Alabama town. Pictured below: A look at the truck and train. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Fire Weather Watch, State Getting Tough On Burn Permits
April 7, 2009
A fire weather watch is in effect for today, and state officials are making it harder to get a permit to burn.
The fire weather watch is in effect Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday night. A fire weather watch means critical fire weather conditions will occur. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures will create explosive fire growth potential.
Officials with the Florida Division of Forestry’s Blackwater Forestry Center have announced that due to increased wildfire danger throughout the state more stringent restrictions will be placed upon the district’s issuance of burning authorizations.
Burning authorizations are required for certain types of outdoor burning such as agricultural, commercial and land clearing. Presently no burn bans are in effect in the district; however, citizens are strongly urged to take precautions when conducting legal outdoor burns, according to a release from the Division of Forestry.
For more information on outdoor burning, call 850-957-6145 or visit www.fl-dof.com/wildfire.
Pictured above: Area fire departments battle a brush fire on Lambert Bridge Road Monday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Ag Commissioner Candidate Brings His Message To Molino And Jay
April 7, 2009
Rep. Congressman Adam Putnam brought his campaign for Florida’s Agricultural Commissioner to Molino and Jay Monday afternoon.
Putnam said that many people in Florida do not realize that there is a cabinet level position for agriculture, and that is a problem, he said, because many people just don’t realize what the Florida’s ag commissioner does.
From weapons permits, to regulating the accuracy of gas pumps, to business regulation and much more — the Florida Department of Agriculture performs a wide array of services for Florida’s citizens in addition to regulating agriculture in the state.
Calling himself very pro-agriculture, Putnam told a small gathering of people from across North Escambia at Fran’s Diner in Molino that he is starting his campaign “one glass of sweet tea, one cup of coffee at the time”.
Food safety is a major issue in Florida agriculture, Putnam said, citing the recent recall of Florida tomatoes that were believed by the Food and Drug Administration to be the source of salmonella poising.
“We were not even producing tomatoes in Florida that time of the year,” Putnam said. “They (the FDA) refused to ask the commissioners of agriculture for help.”
Those recalls and mass media stories service to harm an industry like Florida’s tomato producers, he said.
“Each one of those scares is very bad for the producers and the consumers,” Putnam said. He said Florida’s ag industry has a sophisticated system in place that can trace a tomato in a restaurant, for instance, all the way back through the supplier to the date and time it was picked in a particular field.
Putnam has represented the people of Florida’s 12th District in the U.S. House of Representatives since January 2001, when at the age of 26 he became one of the youngest members of Congress in history. He has served in his party’s leadership and is a member of the Committee on Financial Services, which oversees all components of the nation’s housing and financial services sectors.
The election for Florida Commissioner of Agriculture will be in 2010.