Rough Night On The Court For Northview Boys And Girls
January 31, 2009
Friday night was not kind to the varsity boys and girls basketball teams from Northview.
The Northview boys lost to Jay, 75-50.
The Northview girls ended their regular season with a loss to East Hill, 53-43.
The Northview varsity boys have two regular games to go this season – Tuesday at home against Escambia Charter and Thursday on the road at Baker.
Jay 75, Northview 50 (boys)
Northview—Lance Bushaw 18, Jody Levins 12,Aaron Bellamy 7, Colton Sims 4, Luke Killiam 4, LaDarion White 4, Dabney Langhorne 2, Jocqus Lett 2.
Jay — Dale Barlow 10, Hunter Boutwell 12, Rush Hendricks 5, Bugg Fischer 2, Steven Brabham 1, Luke Rowell 4, Greg Nelson 41.
Northview 14 14 9 16—50
Jay 23 8 19 25—75
East Hill 53, Northview 43 (girls)
Northview — Gabe Wesley 14, Shaniqua Jones 11, Laneicia Gomez 10, Shakeria White 4, Angela Roddriguez 4.
NV 9 8 12 14—43
EHS 10 16 7 20—53
Reported Vehicle Fire In Century
January 30, 2009
The Century station of Escambia Fire-Rescue was dispatched to a reported vehicle fire on North Century Boulevard about 9:30 Friday morning.
An 18-wheel truck was reported to be on fire with smoke coming from under the hood. It was in the median on North Century Boulevard near Hecker Road.
The first fire units on the scene reported that there was no fire. The smoke was apparently caused by a broken belt under the hood.
The truck was hauling stadium seats.
Highway 4 Crash Injures One
January 30, 2009
One person was injured in a two vehicle accident Friday morning on Highway 4 near Highway 97.
The accident, which involved a car and a pickup truck, happened about 7:30 Friday morning at the intersection of Pine Barren Church Road and Highway 4 in Davisville. The female driver of a car was transported from the scene by ambulance. The driver and passenger of a pickup truck were not injured.
The car driver’s injuries were not believed to be extremely serious.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Walnut Hill station of Escambia Fire-Rescue and Atmore Ambulance responded to the call.
Pictured above: The driver of this car was injured in a two vehicle accident on Highway 4 near Highway 97 Friday morning. Pictured inset: The pickup truck involved in the crash. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Federal Probe Of Escambia Sheriff’s Department, County Jail
January 30, 2009
A federal investigation has been launched into the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department and the Escambia County Jail.
New Sheriff David Morgan held a press conference Thursday afternoon to announce that the U.S. Department of Justice was beginning the probe into his department. Morgan received word of the probe on January 9, three days after he was sworn into office.
The letter says the DOJ “investigation will focus on use of excessive force by deputies of the ECSO”.
“The…investigation will focus on protection of inmates from harm, including providing adequate medical care, mental health care, protection from inmate violence, and sanitation conditions, as well as use of excessive forces against inmates.” the letter from Acting Assistant Attorney General Grace Chung Becker said.
While the DOJ has not been specific about the target of its investigation, it is believed to center around the deaths of three inmates during the administration of previous Sheriff Ron McNesby:
- Robert Boggon, 65, died at the jail in August of 2005. He was strapped into a restaint chair, and had been shocked by a stun gun. Records indicate that he had struggled with several deputies. The ECSO acted properly in its treatment of Boggon, according to a judge’s ruling.
- Hosea Bell, 55, died after being arrested for public urination in December 2006.
- Jerry Preyer, 45, died at the jail after being hit twice by a Taser stun gun in a struggle with detention staff. Preyer claimed he was Jesus. Deputies were cleared of any wrongdoing in the case.
The Department of Justice did not reveal who made the complaints that led to their investigation, and they did not reveal complete details about the complaints.
Officials from the DOJ are expected to set up at the Sheriff’s Department, where they will be provided with office space, phones and computers. Sheriff Morgan says he plans to fully cooperate with the investigation, which may not begin for several weeks.
Century Movie Night: Watch Wall-E, Iron Man Tonight, Help Relay For Life
January 30, 2009
Friday night, the Town of Century and the Century Library Relay for Life team will hold a Cinema Night with Wall-E and Iron Man.
The first move, Wall-E, will begin at 6:00. The second movie, Iron Man, will begin at 7:45. There is a suggested donation of $2 per person for one movie or $3 per person to see both movies.. Cinema Night will be held at the Century Ag Building at Highway 4 and Industrial Boulevard.
All proceeds go toward Relay for Life. For more information, contact Angel or Denise at 256-3208. The Relay for Life team plans to hold more movie nights in the near future.
Wall-E (rated G) follows the story of a robot named WALL-E who is designed to clean up a polluted Earth far in the future. He eventually falls in love with another robot named EVE, and follows her into outer space on an adventure.
Iron Man (rated PG-13) follows wealthy industrialist Tony Stark as he is forced to build an armored suit after a life-threatening incident, and he ultimately decides to use its technology to fight against evil.
Overturned Dump Truck Slows Traffic For Hours; Driver Critically Injured
January 30, 2009
An overturned dump truck delayed southbound traffic on Highway 29 in McDavid for hours Thursday and left the truck driver in critical condition.
The Florida Highway Patrol says Cynthia D. Kinney, 42, of Cantonment was eastbound on Highway 164 about 10:10 Thursday morning when she “disregarded” the stop sign while attempting to make a right turn onto southbound Highway 29. The truck overturned onto the driver’s side. Kinney suffered critical injuries and was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital by LifeFlight.
The truck’s load of dirt was spilled across the southbound lanes of Highway 29. The southbound traffic was diverted to the northbound side of Highway 29 for several hours.. The roadway was reopened just before 1:00 Thursday afternoon.
The FHP says charges are pending in the accident.
There were no other vehicles involved in the crash, and no other injuries.
Experts From Across The Southeast Attend Annual Farm Day In Walnut Hill
January 30, 2009
The 2009 Farm Day was held Thursday at the Walnut Hill Community Center.
The day-long event featured a variety of expert speakers from the University of Florida, Auburn University, Louisiana State University and the University of Georgia.
Topics discussed included “nematode and disease control in soybeans”, “soybean Insect Control”, “weed Control in soybeans”, “soybean management practices”, “corn management strategies” and “high yielding wheat and minimizing inputs while maximizing yields”.
There were also industry booths, product demonstrations and a free lunch for attendees.
The event was sponsored by the University of Florida IFAS Extension and the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service.
Molino’s Travis Fryman, Former MLB Player, To Speak At Olive Baptist
January 30, 2009
Molino resident Travis Fryman, former third baseman for the Cleveland Indians, will be the guest speaker in both morning services on Sunday at Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola.
Fryman is speaking on the church’s “Bring a Friend Day”, where church members are encouraged to bring a friend that day to hear his evangelistic message.
Sunday night, Olive will gather in Passmore Hall to watch the Super Bowl after the evening service. Light refreshments will be available to enjoy as church members and guests kick back in the newly renovated building and watch some football on a larger-than-life screen.
“I am trusting God to give us a great day of harvest. Bring your friends to church this weekend,” Olive Pastor Ted Traylor wrote on his blog.
Sunday morning services at Olive Baptist are at 9:30 and 11:00. Evening services are at 6:00. The church is located at the corner of Olive Road and Davis Highway in Pensacola, near West Florida Hospital.
Fryman was a starting third baseman with the Detroit Tigers from 1990 to 1997. He was trade to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1997 and was traded two weeks later to the Cleveland Indians. He played for the Indians from 1998 to 2002.
He made a total of five trips to the annual All Star Game and won a Gold Glove Award with a 60-game errorless streak.
Gulf Power Crews Headed To Restore Power After Ice Storm
January 30, 2009
Gulf Power employees from our area will leave Pensacola on Thursday morning to help with restoration efforts in the wake of widespread damages from the ice storm that passed through the Midwest earlier this week.
Thousands of Entergy-Arkansas customers have lost power because of the heavy ice on lines and poles. The storm caused outages to more than 1 million people from Texas to Kentucky.
The restoration team of 46 Gulf Power employees from throughout Northwest Florida includes line crews and support personnel. They are headed to north Arkansas and expect to be on assignment for about two weeks.
“We are always more than willing to help other utilities in need,” said Sandy Sims, Gulf Power Company Public Affairs manager. “We’ve been recognized nationally as experts in getting the power back on quickly.”
More County Tax Liens Filed Against Backers Of Century Electric Car Plant
January 29, 2009
Two tax liens totaling $11,302.92 have been filed against the Pensacola hotel owners that want to open an electric assembly plant in Century for delinquent tourist development taxes, one of several tax liens filed against their companies in the past year. Those liens total over $82,000.
A $5,548.28 lien was filed this month in Escambia County Circuit Court against LHS Pensacola 4, Inc. and Howard Johnson. And another $5,754.64 lien was filed against LHS Pensacola, Inc. and the Ramada Inn. Both liens were for unpaid tourist development taxes. The LHS Pensacola companies are owned by brothers Jay and Nash Patel, who own a total of six motels in Pensacola and Gulf Shores.
In November, the Patels sought the assistance of Escambia County to apply for a $2.5 million state grant for their LHS EV, Inc. to construct an electric vehicle assembly plant in Century. The Patels and LHS EV have promised hundreds — even up to 1100 — jobs will eventually come with the plant.
Attempts to reach the Patels for comment were unsuccessful Wednesday afternoon. They have repeatedly declined to speak to local media since their plan was original presented to the Escambia County Commission back on October 16.
A few days after the state grant application was filed with the assistance of Escambia County in late November, it was revealed that the Patels’ motel company, LHS Pensacola, Inc., owed the Florida Department of Revenue $65,747.83 in unpaid sales and use taxes on four different Florida properties. There were four pending liens on the properties that were for $21,127.28; $20,339.76; $16,794.21 and $7,486.58.
County court records still showed the state tax liens to be outstanding as of January 28.
Those were not the only tax liens filed against the companies in 2008. Last May, Escambia County filed a $2,001.86 tax warrant against the Ramada Inn and LHS Pensacola for failing to pay county tourist development taxes. That tax lien was satisfied by the company in July. Another $1,548.63 lien for unpaid tourist taxes by LHS for their Days Inn was filed in May by Escambia County and satisfied in July. Another $2,185.15 tourist tax lien was filed by Escambia County against LHS and their Howard Johnson in May and also satisfied in July.
Tax liens on file with the Escambia Clerk of the Court are not limited to the Patel hotels. The Internal Revenue Service filed a federal tax lien of $39,168 against the spokesman for the electric car company. Escambia County Clerk of Courts records show the IRS filed the $39,168 federal lien against Arthur Rocker on August 25 of this year. The lien was filed by the IRS Wage and Investment Area. County court records still indicate that the lien is outstanding.
A search of the Escambia County Clerk of the Courts records also shows that Beach Community Bank filed foreclosure against two Rocker owned properties in the Norwood Subdivision in May. Those properties were foreclosed upon and sold by the clerk of the court at public auction. They were repurchased by Beach Community Bank.
Rocker is the man that asked the Escambia County Commission for $2.5 million cash on November 12 on behalf of LHS EV, Inc. to build the electric car plant in Century. He later told the commission that he really just wanted assistance filing for a state grant, which lead to the county’s assistance with filing for the $2.5 million grant from the state.
The Patel’s $2.5 million grant application with the state is still pending. The state is expected to announce their decision on the grant within the next month.