Rain Mostly Gone; Tornado Watch Canceled
April 2, 2009
(Updated 5:55 p.m.) The National Weather Service has canceled the Tornado Watch for North Escambia and the surrounding area. There is a slight chance of a shower for the remainder of your Thursday.
Tonight’s rain chance is at 30 percent, with a low of 54 and breezy conditions.
Friday and Saturday will be sunny and warm with highs in the 70’s.
RiversThe flood warning continues until further notice for the Escambia River near Century. Thursday afternoon, the river was at 18.48 feet Thursday afternoon. Flood stage is 17 feet. Minor flooding is occurring and is forecast to continue. The river will continue to rise to near 18.8 feet by early Saturday morning. At 19 feet, low lying pastures will flood and cattle should be moved to higher ground.
The flood warning continues for the Perdido River near Barrineau Park. Thursday afternoon the river was at 13.6 feet; flood stage is 13 feet. The river is forecast to continue to fall to below flood stage by Thursday afternoon.
Pictured below: The boardwalk at Molino Fairgrounds Park was flooded by the Escambia River Wednesday afternoon. Submitted photo by Deni Deron for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Walnut Hill Baptist Spring Fling; Egg Drop & Egg Hunt
April 2, 2009
Walnut Hill Baptist Church will be hosting our annual Spring Fling on Sunday, April 5 from 2pm – until. We will have an Easter egg hunt for toddlers – 5th grade. Students in the 3rd grade – twelfth grade can participate in an Egg Drop if they choose (guidelines for the Egg Drop are below). There will be relay races, food and a church wide softball game. Bring lawn chairs, blankets, ball gloves and Easter baskets for the little ones. The event will be held at the Ruritan Club on Hwy. 97. (Please, no sandals, flip-flops or barefeet in the races or ball game…tennis shoes only.)
Guidelines for the Egg Drop:
The goal of this challenge is to have a raw chicken egg fall approximately 8 feet or higher onto a hard surface and survive the impact uncracked. You must design a container that will protect your egg!
Guidelines for designing containers:
1) The design can not involve liquids, helium, or any other lighter-than-air gasses.
2) The design can not involve glass in any way! (or any other shattering type of material….ceramics, baked clay, etc.)
3) The egg “container” can not exceed one foot in length or width (winged designs need to fall within this dimension).
4) You must be able to place the egg in the container just prior to the drop. (If you need to tape your container closed after placing the egg inside, make sure you supply the tape or material needed to close your container before and after each drop made…we may have to increase the height and drop more than once.)
5) Use of parachutes is allowed, but the chute must deploy itself after the container is dropped. (Dropping with an open parachute will almost certainly result in successful landing. Using other methods within the guidelines will make for a more interesting challenge.)
Eggs will be provided at the time of the drop!
NHS Baseball, Softball, Track Canceled Due To Weather
April 2, 2009
(Updated 3:19 p.m.) Thursday’s weather canceled all high school sports in Escambia County, including a baseball, softball and track for the Northview Chiefs.
The varsity and junior varsity baseball game sscheduled Thursday against Pensacola High School has been canceled. The games will be made up on Monday, April 6. There will be three games at PHS that day beginning with a varsity game at 1:00. One JV game will follow that game at approximately 3:30. The varsity will play the last game around 6.
Thursday’s softball game against Jay has been rescheduled for April 15.
The Northview track team was scheduled to take part in the Pace Invitational Meet Thursday afternoon. The Pace Invitational will not be rescheduled.
Firefighters Respond When House Is Hit By Lightning
April 2, 2009
A lightning was reported to have struck a house in North Escambia this morning.
Firefighters from several stations responded to Rocky Branch Road, just off Quintette Road, about 9:30 this morning. The first firefighters on scene reported some light smoke inside the structure, but no major fire.
There was no major damage and no injuries reported.
71-Year Old Bratt Man Accused Of Sexually Abusing Two Young Girls Now Free On Bond
April 2, 2009
A Bratt man arrested for allegedly abusing two girls — one just five years old — is now free on bond after an Escambia County Circuit judge reduced his bond.
Jody Posey, 71, of 7100 North Pine Road, was arrested in early March by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department and charged with three felony child sexual abuse charges.
He was originally held without bond on one charge and $200,000 total on two other charges. Circuit Judge Michael Allen approved a bond reduction request in the case, setting bond at $150,000 instead of no bond on the first charge and another $150,000 on the two additional charges. Posey posted bond through a bonding company and was released from the Escambia County Jail. His bond stipulates that he have no contact with his victims or any other children.
A five-year old girl told investigators that Posey had been “massaging her privates”. The molestation allegedly occurred on multiple occasions over some period of time, according to authorities. The most recent molestation reported by the five-year old was January 9. The girl told officials that Posey told her she would go to jail if she told anyone about the incidents.
Posey was also charged for inappropriately touching a now 16-year girl several times over the last few years.
Posey’s court appointed public defender, Andrew Marks, entered a plea of not guilty on all three charges in Escambia County Circuit Court.
Court records show that the ongoing abuse of the now 16-year old occurred from 2002 to 2006 — when the girl was as young as nine years old.
If convicted, Posey faces up to life in prison.
Posey’s residence at 7100 North Pine Barren road is located north of Highway 4, less than one mile from Northview High School.
In Court: Century Employee That Left Prisoner Unattended, Got In Fight
April 2, 2009
A new trial date has been set for the Town of Century employee that reportedly left a state prisoner unattended in a store parking lot while he got into fight inside the store.
Robert Allen Powell, 56, of McDavid appeared before Escambia Circuit Judge David Ackerman this week and officially entered a not guilty plea and a request for a jury trial. That jury trial is scheduled for early May.
Powell reportedly got into a fight with Randall Keith Grimes, 47, of Century at the town’s Dollar General store.
Powell stopped at the Dollar General in a town truck along with a prisoner from the Century Correctional Institute that was on work detail for the town, according an Escambia County Sheriff’s Department report. Powell reportedly went into the store to purchase cold medication, leaving the prisoner unattended in the parking lot. Inside the store, Powell ended up in the altercation with Grimes.
Their stories differ on what happened. Powell told deputies that Grimes called him names and then punched him. Grimes said Powell called him a “retard” and a “bastard” before Powell punched him in the face. Powell told deputies the entire incident stemmed from Grimes’ involvement with his ex-wife.
The report says store surveillance video shows that Powell threw the first punch, according to the ECSO report. Powell was arrested on a battery warrant, and released on a $2,500 bond.
Powell filed for a restraining order to keep Grimes away from him, but that order was denied by Circuit Judge Kim Skievaski.
The only action the Town of Century took against Powell for leaving the prisoner unattended was a verbal reprimand, according to Mayor Freddie McCall.
Possible Severe Storms Today; Rivers Rising
April 2, 2009
More rain and thunderstorms are possible today across North Escambia, with some storms possibly becoming severe with damaging winds. The weather service says that fast moving squall lines are expected to dump another two plus inches of rain on already saturated ground.
But the primary threat from today’s weather with be strong winds and perhaps an isolated tornado, forecasters say. Today’s rain chance is 60 percent, with a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms, especially between 2 p.m and 11 p.m. Winds will increase to 25 mph with higher gusts.
The rain chance continues at 60 percent for tonight, with most storms before 11 p.m. Storms may be severe with high winds.
Friday and Saturday are forecast to be sunny with highs in the low to mid 70’s.
Rivers
The flood warning continues until further notice for the Escambia River near Century. Wednesday night, the stage was at 18.4 feet. Flood state is 17 feet. Minor flooding is occurring and is forecast to continue. The river will continue to rise to about 18.8 feet by Thursday afternoon and remain at that level until Friday morning before beginning to fall.
The flood warning continues for the Perdido River near Barrineau Park. Wednesday night, the river was at 15.3 feet; flood state is 13 feet. The river is forecast to continue to fall to below flood stage by Thursday afternoon.
Roads
Escambia County lists the following roads as problem areas: Poplar Dell Road, Arena Road, Eastman Lane, Nine and a Half Mile Road at Sunday Road, and Cottage Hill near Williams Ditch. Many other North Escambia roads, especially dirt roads, have problem areas.
Santa Rosa County’s problem roads include: Donald Jerinigan at Munson Highway, Chumuckla Highway at Brooks Forest Way, Allentown Road from 89 to Central School Road, Munson Highway near Coldwater Flats, Chumuckla Highway Howell Pitt, Highway 87 at Bullard Road.
Pictured above: The boardwalk at Molino Fairgrounds Park was flooded by the Escambia River Wednesday afternoon. Pictured below: The boat ramp was also underwater. Submitted photos by Deni Deron for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Solutia Plant Sold To New York Company; No Word On Plant’s Future
April 2, 2009
The Solutia plant near Cantonment has been sold to a New York-based private equity capital group. There’s no immediate word on what the future holds for the nylon plant.
Solutia says the $50 million sale of the nylon division, which includes the local plant, is expected to be finalized by the end ofthe year.. The purchaser is SK Capital Partners of New York.
The 55-year old plant near Cantonment was hit hard by layoffs back in November when over 600 Solutia and contract employees were laid off. The future of the plant has not been announced by the new potential owners. The plant currently employs about 800 people.
“This is a good business with solid fundamentals, a strong customer base and top talent that has been significantly impacted by these difficult economic times,” said Barry B. Siadat, a co-founder and managing director of SK Capital Partners. “We are excited about investing in Solutia’s integrated nylon business, partnering with their management team.”
“We are pleased to have reached this agreement with SK Capital Partners,” said Jeffry N. Quinn, chairman, president, and CEO of Solutia Inc. “As the new owner of the nylon business, SK Capital Partners will bring significant industry experience that I strongly believe will help the integrated nylon business in continuing to reach its full potential.”
“With this deal, SK Capital Partners is both identifying an opportunity in the marketplace and getting back to the roots of private investing: skilled operators pooling their talents and resources to create value,” said Clark Winter, SK Capital Partners chief investment officer. “In Solutia’s integrated nylon business, we’ve found a company that we will be able to manage through tough economic times, improving operational execution to realize the benefits of future growth and new product development.”
SK Capital Partners invests in several industries including niche segments of the specialty materials, chemicals and health care sectors.
Residents Watch Funnel Cloud Track Into North Escambia
April 2, 2009
A National Weather Service forecaster says the public played a critical role in tracking a funnel cloud as it tracked into North Escambia last Tuesday afternoon.
“This event illustrates just how essential accurate ‘ground truth’ public reports can be to the operations of the NWS” said Jeffery Medlin, a forecaster at the National Weather Service in Mobile.
About 5:35 Tuesday afternoon, the NWS received several reports of a funnel cloud forming near the landfill in Beulah. Many ordinary citizens and law enforcement officers witnessed the funnel cloud along its path from Beulah to just southeast of Cottage Hill. The weather service immediately issued a tornado warning in the area.
The funnel cloud never touched down, and there were no damage reports.
“Miraculously,” Medlin said, “the rotating funnel cloud never evolved into a tornado along its path.”
As for the official reason why the funnel cloud never formed a tornado, Medlin said “a rain-cooled outflow boundary was observed on radar to have surged south of the I-10 corridor after earlier heavy rains to the north. Although the thunderstorm updraft that produced this funnel formed on this boundary…the stable rain-cooled air essentially undercut the base of The Funnel…and points further to the north…effectively preventing it from contacting the ground as a tornado.”
Pictured above: The radar as a funnel cloud was forming near Beulah Tuesday afternoon.
Big Read: To Kill A Mockingbird At Century Library Tonight
April 2, 2009
Escambia County’s Big Read is coming to the Century Branch Library tonight, and you are invited to join in a discussion of “To Kill A Mockingbird”.
The West Florida Literary Federation, the Pensacola Little Theatre and the West Florida Public Library are presenting Escambia County’s Big Read. The groups are encouraging everyone to read this year’s Big Read book, “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, as a way to promote reading and to encourage discussions in the community.
The movie and a discussion will be presented at 6:00 tonight at the Century Branch Library at 7995 North Century Boulevard.
The Big Read culminates with a stage production of “To Kill A Mockingbird” at the Pensacola Little Theatre at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 3. For more information on that show, visit www.PensacolaLittleTheatre.com.
For more information on the Big Read tonight at the Century Branch Library, call 256-6217.