Updated: Local Veterans On Today’s Emerald Coast Honor Flight
October 21, 2009
(Updated 4:40 p.m.) The Emerald Coast Honor Flight departed Washington’s Reagan National Airport at 4:40 this afternoon and returned to Pensacola a little before 7:00.,
Veterans on today’s Emerald Coast Honor Flight visited the Vietnam and Korean war memorials this afternoon.
The World War II veterans on the Honor Flight arrived in Washington at 9:18 this morning. They headed to the World War II Memorial. At noon our time, Billy G. Ward of Walnut Hill said they enjoyed a nice lunch at the World War II Memorial. Afternoon events include a visit to the Korean and Vietnam war memorials.
This afternoon, the veterans visited with former U.S. Senator Bob Dole of Kansas. Dole was severely injured during his World War II service, thanked the veterans for their service to the country.
“It’s real nice,” Ward said from Washington about today’s trip. “They are treating us very well.”
Veteran Billy G. Ward of Walnut Hill has a NorthEscambia.com camera on today’s Emerald Coast Honor Flight to Washington. We will have exclusive photos from the trip to share with our readers Thursday morning. Below is an earlier story about the Honor Flight.
Billy G. Ward thought he would be building bridges across Europe as an engineer during World War II. Uncle Sam had different plans for the young man from Walnut Hill.
Drafted in July 1943, Ward was shipped off to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for basic training. He had hoped to spend time in combat engineer school. Instead, he had a one week crash course on building bridges. Then it was off to Europe and battles at Omaha Beach, Paris and Berlin.
“It was two years, six months, 29 days and 30 seconds,” he said.
He returned with his wife of more than 50 years, Lois, to Europe in 2001. He and Lois have been to Washington, but their trip was prior to the opening of the World War II Memorial.
Today, that will all change for Ward. He is one of about 100 WWII veterans on the Fifth Annual Emerald Coast Honor Flight headed to Washington. The flight will take the veterans from across Northwest Florida to their memorial in Washington and return this evening.
“I’m so excited, I don’t think I will sleep tonight,” Ward said Tuesday afternoon.
Ward, who served as Escambia County’s probate judge from 1973 to 1989, said he is looking forward to the trip and reminiscing with other veterans. And he is looking forward to seeing the War War II Memorial.
Other North Escambia area veterans expected to be on today’s Emerald Coast Honor Flight include Robert Joiner of Molino, John Clarence Smith of Jay, James Ward of Jay, and Morris Clarence Ward of Jay.
Driver Charged With DUI After Wild Wreck Cuts Power To 300
October 21, 2009
A Cantonment man is facing several charges after an early morning accident near the Cottage Hill community left nearly 300 customers without power.
Joseph Paul Mathis, 28, of Cantonment, was charged with DUI with personal injury, DUI with property damage and careless driving after the 3:38 a.m. accident at McKenzie Road and Eastman Lane.
The Florida Highway Patrol says Mathis was westbound on McKenzie Road when he accelerated rapidly, lost control and fishtailed, leaving over 300 feet of acceleration and skid marks. He then hit about 90 feet of chain link fence at a home in the 2100 block of Eastman Lane while his 1997 Ford Crown Victoria was rotating clockwise. His car then struck and broke a utility pole, and continued another 45 feet across Eastman Lane were he hit the railroad crossing signal on the east side of the railroad tracks. After the Crown Vic came to a stop, it caught fire.
Mathis and his passenger, John W. Casey, 29, of Cantonment, exited the vehicle with only minor injuries, according to the FHP.
The power outage caused by the downed pole left 289 Gulf Power customers without power, some as long as eight hours.
Mathis was released from Escambia County Jail Wednesday on $2,500 bond.
Aerospace Announcement Coming; Could Benefit Our Area
October 21, 2009
(Updated) Governors from two states will make a major aerospace announcement Monday that will impact the Gulf Coast Corridor — an area from the Mississippi Gulf Coast, through Alabama and into Northwest Florida along I-10.
NorthEscambia.com has learned that Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour will make the announcement Monday in Bay Minette, an announcement that is expected to have a future economic impact in North Escambia. Barbour will appear via satellite.
Officials with the State of Alabama confirmed Wednesday morning that the meeting would also include economic development officials from Florida. They termed the announcement “a new aerospace marketing effort”. The event will also include an update on the KC-45 Tanker Project that may be located at Brookley Field in Mobile. The final decision on that project won’t be made until the summer of 2010.
“I can honestly say I don’t know that the announcement is about,” Jim Kellen, executive director of the Southwest Alabama Workforce Development Council, said Tuesday. The SAWDC is a regional workforce planning agency serving Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke Conecuh, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe and Washington counties. But Kellen did confirm that the two governors would be in Bay Minette Monday afternoon for a joint announcement.
“I am excited about the possibility of regional collaboration and growth,” Kellen said of a regional Aerospace Corridor project including Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. “That is a real positive thing.”
Even if the corridor announcement made Monday does not specifically include Florida, Kellen acknowledged it could still have a great impact in North Escambia due to the reasonable driving distance from the area to Escambia, Baldwin or even Mobile counties.
“Over time, we will continue to see the entire region prosper,” he said, as industry changes. A large part of the economy in the eight counties served by SAWDC revolved around timber for decades. With the faltering economy, the timber industry was hit hard, he said, and more technological growth in areas like aerospace could be the entire area’s saving grace.
The I-10 Aerospace Corridor, Kellen said, begins with the NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and continues across Alabama and places like Brookley Field in Mobile and Goodrich Aerospace in Foley, and continues into Northwest Florida toward Eglin Air Force Base.
NorthEscambia.com was the first to report his story, and we will continue to follow it and report any new information.
H1N1 Vaccine Arrives; Eventual Plans For North Escambia Vaccinations
October 21, 2009
The H1N1 vaccine has arrived in Escambia County and the limited supply is available at limited locations. Public health officials say they plan to make voluntary H1N1 vaccinations available in North Escambia as soon as possible.
For now, the vaccine is available only at private physician offices and at the Escambia County Health Department’s main location on Fairfield Drive in Pensacola. But there are plans in place that will bring the H1N1 vaccine to North Escambia residents.
“We have identified several locations in North Escambia for vaccination clinics,” Eric Gilmore, Escambia County’s director of public health preparedness, said. Those locations, he said, include Century, Walnut Hill, Bratt and Molino.
“We hope to make it feasible for anyone to receive the vaccine,” he said.
In addition to vaccination clinics for the public, the health department is also making the vaccine available at K-12 schools in the county. Gilmore said that he could not provide a timetable for vaccinations at North Escambia schools due to a short supply of the vaccine. He said that students would be given vaccination permission forms about a week prior to the vaccination date at their individual school.
For now, Escambia County plans to make its limited supply of H1N1 vaccine available to pregnant women, children, and caregivers of infants less than six months — groups that have been identified as “high risk” by the Centers for Disease Control.
Gilmore said it would likely be December before the vaccine will be available to the general population.
“We are asking the public to be patient as H1N1 vaccine arrives over the next two to three months,” said Health Department Director Dr. John Lanza. “Our focus in Escambia will be to first provide vaccine to children and adolescents, pregnant women, and caregivers of infants who are less than six months old. We know that children spread the disease more readily than adults.”
As more vaccine becomes available in the upcoming weeks, the health department will offer it to the remaining priority groups which include 18-24 year olds, healthcare/EMS workers with direct patient care responsibilities, and people ages 25 through 64 years of age who are at higher risk for 2009 H1N1 because of chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems.
Because the majority of vaccine is being shipped to physicians, residents should first call their pediatrician, obstetrician and/or family practice physician to find out if the vaccine has arrived at their office yet.
The vaccine is available to pregnant women, caregivers and those who live with infants under six months, and children ages 6 months-18 years old at the Escambia County Health Department at 1295 West Fairfield Drive. It is available on a walk-in basis from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Friday. There is no charge for H1N1 vaccine administered at the health department .
Autopsy Released In Area Tree Stand Hunting Death
October 21, 2009
An Escambia County (Ala.) man died Sunday evening when he fell out of a tree stand.
Autopsy results released Tuesday confirmed that Todd Burgess, 39, of Brewton, died from blunt force trauma when he fell from the tree stand and struck the ground. The accident happened about 7 p.m. Sunday on Hoomesville Road in the Damascus community of Escambia County, Ala.
Burgess, a native of Jay, had killed a deer with a bow and arrow from the stand. He called his wife, who was hunting on a nearby food plot, to let her know that he was headed down to retrieve the deer, according to Mike Lambert, Escambia County (Ala.) chief deputy. When he did not arrive at the wife’s location, his brothers began to look for him and found him dead, Lambert said. He had apparently fallen about 15 feet.
Lambert said it appeared that a pin that secured the tree stand to the tree had come loose. He said the pin was found unbroken and undamaged at the base of the tree.
“It appeared that it had worked itself out, and when he started down, it fell,” Lambert said. “It was all a tragic accident.”
Lambert said that hunters should use a safety harness when using a tree stand for added safety. The harnesses, he said, sell for as little as about $80.
“That $80 is a cheap insurance policy,” he said.
Burgess is survived by his wife Carrie Burgess and two daughters, Katherine Brynn, 7, and Emily Nicole, 16 months.Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at the Jay First Assembly of God Church.
A fund for the children has been established at the Santa Rosa Federal Credit Union.
Northview Volleyball Versus Catholic
October 21, 2009
Northview’s varsity and junior varsity volleyball teams traveled to Pensacola Tuesday night to take on the Catholic Crusaders.
Here are the results and stats from those games:
Northview Vs Catholic – Varsity
9-25 13-25 12-25
**Catholic Winning**
Shawna Montgomery 11 M Kills-5, Digs-2
Caitlin Hall 12 Setter Assists-8, Digs-1
Ashley Digmon 11 DS Digs – 5
Raylin Spence 10 LS Aces- 3, Digs – 2
Shaniqua Jones 11 M Kills-3, Digs-1
Record – Overall – 8 -16; District 4 -4
Northview Vs Catholic- JV
8-25 16-25
**Catholic Winning**
Trestine Dean 11 Setter Aces-1
Jordan Satterwhite 09 Libero Digs-1
Josie Doucette 10 Middle Aces-1
Cheyanne Garnett 09 RS Digs-1
Make Your Plans: Parachute Jump Still Planned For October 30 Northview Game
October 21, 2009
The Northview High School Senior Night football game slated for Friday, October 30, will begin like no other game during this season. The United States Army’s parachute demonstration team, the Silver Wings, from Fort Benning, Georgia are scheduled to jump from a fixed wing aircraft at least 5,000 feet over the Northview High School stadium before the start of the game.
The demonstration team plans to bring down with them a United States flag, a POW/MIA flag, and Army flag and the official game ball. One jumper will land on the 50-yard line to deliver the game ball for the game against Sneads High School.
The jump should occur about 6:15 p.m., but spectators are asked to arrive early as a large crowd is expected. The kickoff is 7 p.m.
The Silver Wings team is comprised of soldiers from throughout the Fort Benning airborne community. They have diverse backgrounds and various military specialties. The average age of a Silver Wings team member is 33 and the average number of free fall jumps ranges between 200 to 2,500 for the team. The team represents specially trained soldiers who are products of the United States Army Infantry Center and Schools to include Airborne, Pathfinders, and the Army Elite Rangers.
No Line, No Waiting: New Lottery Vending Machines
October 21, 2009
Buying a lottery ticket at some locations in Northwest Florida became a little easier this week with the installation of 48 instant lottery ticket vending machines, including two in North Escambia.
The automated vending machines allow customers to buy scratch-off tickets without a wait at a store’s counter.
In North Escambia, instant ticket vending machines are located at State Line O-Yes Lotto on Highway 97 at the Alabama/Florida line in Davisville and Moye’s Stateline Food Mart on North Century Boulevard in Century.
The instant ticket vending machines can contain up to 24 different scratch-off games. There will eventually be 1,000 of the machines across the state.
Parents Invited To TIPS At Ernest Ward Middle School
October 21, 2009
Ernest Ward Middle School parents and students are invited to attend a TIPS — Teachers Informing Parents and Students — meeting next week.
The TIPS meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 27 from 4 until 6 p.m. The after-school hours program will provide parents and students the opportunity to meet with a faculty member to discuss the student’s Spring 2009 FCAT results. Some students also have a Progress Monitoring Plan (PMP) to discuss as well. Teachers will not discuss student’s grades during this time; report cards will be distributed to students on Monday, November 2.
EWMS students were given a memo on Monday, October 19 with more information for parents. Parents of Ernest Ward Middle Schools students that did not receive the memo can call the school at (850) 327-4283 to schedule a time to attend the TIPS meeting next Tuesday between 4 and 6 p.m.
Poarch Creeks Receive Hazmat Grant
October 21, 2009
The Poarch Creek Indians are among seven American Indian tribes to receive hazardous materials response funding from grants announced Monday by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The Poarch Creeks will receive $13,760 to improve their response to transportation incidents involving hazardous materials. The state of Florida will receive about $775,000, and Alabama will receive almost $400,000. Overall, the transportation department is awarding more than $20.9 million to states, territories and Native American tribes.
“This program strengthens local emergency response capabilities and serves a vital role in a comprehensive hazmat safety program,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Although prevention is our first priority, preparing communities to respond effectively to incidents that do occur is essential to protecting the safety of all Americans.”
Pictured top: A two-man Poarch Creek Indian Hazmat crew undergoes decontamination procedures after cleaning up an acid spill at an Atmore gas station in early September. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.