Charlotta “Lottie” Rhodes
March 2, 2010
Charlotta “Lottie” Rhodes, age 74, formerly of the Beulah community, now living in Baker, passed away Friday, February 26, 2010 peacefully at home with her family and friends by her side. Charlotta was born July 18, 1935 in Las Vegas, Nevada. She graduated from Pensacola High School in 1954. She retired from the naval aviation beauty salon after 22 years. She loved to cook for her family and friends and loved horseback riding.
Lottie was preceded in death by her parents, two sisters, Lou Gafford and Thelma Romeo, and great granddaughter, Nevaeh Harvell.
Survivors include her husband of 56 years, Lloyd “Dusty” Rhodes, daughters, Tina (Jack) Martin, and Tammy Kagarise, grandchildren, Nicole Campbell (Damian), William (Mercedes) Kagarise, Trey Campbell (Alesha), Mariah Wright, Theresa Martin and Russell Rhodes, great grandchildren, Serenity Harvell and Kailyn Kagarise and many nieces, nephews and friends.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North-Cantonment Pastor Jim Vail officiating. Private burial will follow at Bayview Cemetery.
Serving, as honorary pallbearers will be, Mack Gafford, Mike Gafford, Anthony Romeo, Tal Gray, William Kagarise and Trey Campbell.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home one hour prior to service time.
A special thank you to Renee Bullard a dear family friend, and Emerald Coast Hospice nurses and staff for their loving and caring support.
Flowers will be accepted but donations can be made to Emerald Coast Hospice
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North-Cantonment is in charge of arrangements.
Floye E. Brewton
March 2, 2010
Floye E. Brewton, age 77 of Marianna, FL passed away on Saturday, February 27, 2010 in Marianna.
He was born February 9, 1933 in McDavid, Florida.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Roy E. Brewton and Jeanette Brewton, and his brother, Roy E. Brewton, Jr.
He is survived by his sister, Frances Brewton Edwards, his brother, Billy G Brewton, both of Pensacola, Florida and several nieces and nephews.
He graduated from Century High School, Century Florida. He attended Pensacola Junior College and graduated from Florida State University. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict.
He was employed as a St. Joe Paper Company Plant Manager before moving to Marianna, Florida, he was partner and President of Marianna Hospitality, Inc. and Marianna Developers, Inc. He was named Jackson County Florida Citizen of the year 2006 in recognition of his restoration of a number of historical buildings in Marianna.
The family will receive friends from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at James & Sikes Maddox Chapel, 4278 Lafayette Street, Marianna, Florida.
A funeral service will be held following the visitation at James & Sikes Maddox Chapel.
Interment will be at 10:30am Wednesday, March 3, 2010 in Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church Cemetery in McDavid, FL with James & Sikes Funeral Home Maddox Chapel directing.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Ray ’s Chapel Cemetery Fund, 170 Bogia Road, McDavid, Florida 32568.
Harry Fowler
March 2, 2010
Harry Fowler, age 83, of Cantonment, Florida passed away Thursday, February 25 surrounded by his loving family. He was born on August 18, 1926 in Munson, Florida. He retired from Monsanto. He served the Lord faithfully for 71 years and was a member of the Assembly of God Church.
He is preceded in death by his parents; Rev. Riley and Virgie Fowler, son, Clyde, his sister Hazel and his brother James.
Survivors include his wife of 64 years; Geraldine, sons; Donald (Donna) and Glenn, daughter; Regina (Ronnie) Golloher, grandchildren; Riley, Jeremy and Brannon Fowler, Krista Spears, Jonathan and Nicholas Golloher, 9 great grandchildren and brothers; David, Sidney, Lloyd and Jack Fowler.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Monday, March 1, 2010 at First Assembly of God Church with Rev. Larry McKeehan and Rev. Avon Fowler officiating. Interment will follow at Pensacola Memorial Gardens.
Serving, as pallbearers will be his grandsons and great grandsons.
The family will receive friends at Faith Chapel North-Cantonment on Sunday, February 28, 2010 from 3:00 pm until 5:00 pm.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North-Cantonment is in charge of arrangements.
Good News For Kids: No Snow Day Make Up During Spring Break
March 2, 2010
Good news for Spring Break — students in Escambia County, Florida, will not be required to make up their recent snow day or two days missed back in November due to tropical weather.
This afternoon, the Escambia County School Board is set to approve an amended school year calendar that does not require the days to be made up.
“Even with the snow day and the hurricane days, we still meet the 900 hours of instruction required per year,” said Linda English, spokesperson for the district. Even without the three days in class, elementary students in the county will have 1032.5 hours of instruction this year; middle school 1014.8 hours and high school 988.25 hours.
Students missed November 9 and 10 due to Hurricane/Tropical Storm Ida, and February 12 for a snow day.
Spring Break and Good Friday holidays will be March 29-April 2 for students in Escambia County, Florida.
Consultant: Century’s Gas Department Fair To Customers
March 2, 2010
The Town of Century’s gas consultant told the town council that the town is being a good steward of its gas department, despite recent claims of faulty equipment leading to abnormally high bills.
“I think you are doing exactly what you were elected to do,” Bobby Boyd, a consultant for the company City Services, said. “I do not think you are gypping the customers.”
Boyd spoke to the council Monday night after several residents complained last month that they thought their gas bills were inaccurate and because one council member, Henry Hawkins, said two weeks ago that he thought residents were being over-billed as a result of faulty equipment.
Two weeks ago, Hawkins asserted that in a recent month the town sold more gas that it actually purchased. Boyd said that while a report does show that the town sold 56,000 units of gas while purchasing 52,000, the numbers have to do with the rate structure, not the actual gas sold.
“It does not mean that you physically sold more,” he said.
Boyd said that many of the high gas bill complaints could be explained by “common sense” — January was one of the coldest in the past few decades.
Town Clerk Dorothy Sims said that fewer than 50 of the town’s 593 residential customers complained about unusually high bills, and that almost all manual meter re-readings had confirmed that the town’s electronic gas meters were read correct.
“That don’t explain people getting bills that don’t have gas,” Hawkins said, citing one resident that he did not name. He said that shed had gas bills of $98 and $140 during a two month period when she was not home.
Sims said she had spoken to the person that she believe to be the customer, and the customer had agreed that her daily usage did match the days she was at home using gas. “She agreed she was wrong, and she did use it (gas).”
“It’s usually when we have real, real cold weather and bills go sky high — that’s when we get complaints,” Sims said.
“You can justify bad info all day long,” Hawkins said. “This is what we are shoving down people’s throats.”
As part of its contract with City Services, Boyd said the town had access to a gas expert one day per month that could help assist with troubleshooting any potential customer billing problems — at no extra charge to the twon. He also said his company would provide Century with a recommended customer service policy that would, if adopted by the town, provide a set of standards for dealing with customer oriented issues in the town’s gas department.
Pictured top: This graph shows the daily gas usage of one Century resident who claimed a problem with her gas bill. Century’s mayor says the high usage on the account coincides with low temperatures. The mayor has written the overnight low temperatures on the top of the graph over the days of highest usage, showing that most usage occurred on the days with the lowest temperatures. Submitted for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
High Winds Cause Few Problems; Cold And Windy For Tuesday
March 2, 2010
Winds gusting in excess of 60 mph caused a few minor problems across the North Escambia area late Monday night and early Tuesday morning.
The high winds behind a passing storm system caused scattered power outages and few downed power lines. No major damage was reported.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. Northwest wind around 10 mph.
- Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 53. Wind chill values between 25 and 35 early. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 29. North wind around 5 mph.
- Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 56. Wind chill values between 25 and 35 early. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 29. North wind around 5 mph.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 60. North wind around 5 mph.
- Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 32. North wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 62. North wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 37. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 67.
- Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45.
- Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70.
- Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51.
- Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71.
Pictured above: Wind tossed this gazebo, which was anchored down, into a pool. Other lawn furniture was tossed about in the neighborhood near Flomaton. Submitted photo by Alisa Hart for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Albritton Announces Candidacy For Escambia Ala. Sheriff
March 2, 2010
Lloyd Albritton of Atmore has announced his candidacy for sheriff of Escambia County, Alabama. Albritton currently serves on the Escambia County Republican Executive Committee and as a delegate to the Alabama Republican State Executive Committee.
He issued the following statement:
“The office of Sheriff is an elective office, which means that the people get an opportunity every four years to take a fresh look at things, reevaluate, and make needed changes. The Sheriff does not put forth or vote on legislation, and his office is considered by many to be a non-partisan job. He is, nevertheless, a highly visible standard-bearer for his party’s politics. And to put it simply, Democratic politics are liberal politics. I believe in the conservative principles and values best exemplified by the Republican perspective. I also believe that most of the voting citizens of Escambia County share these values with me. Consequently, I have accepted my party’s challenge to step forward because I have a strong desire to serve my fellow man. Further, I believe I am qualified to perform the duties of County Sheriff to the highest standards.
“As a fully credentialed Criminal Investigator during my 8 ½ years of military service, I acquired a solid and comprehensive understanding of law enforcement issues and procedures. In addition, I have over 30 years of experience in various business executive positions. I have led men, organized manufacturing and training systems, and developed national sales organizations. I am confident that I have the skills and talents to serve the people of this county well as your Sheriff. This is what I bring to the table.
“What I do not bring to the table are the biases and attitudes of the status quo; that is, I am not a clone of the old regime. I represent the new, not the old. The people have given our current Sheriff two terms in office. Isn’t eight years enough? Elective political offices were never intended to be long-term career jobs, and that includes the office of Sheriff. Over the coming months as the campaign trail heats up, I will be asking the voters of Escambia County to give Lloyd Albritton a try. I hope you will.”
For more information, contact Albritton at (251)368-7063 or e-mail at LloydAlbritton2003@yahoo.com.
Navy Times: Pensacola NAS Commander Fired
March 2, 2010
The commanding officer of Naval Air Station Pensacola, Capt. William P. Reavey, has been fired — according to an article published in the Navy Times.
“The skipper of Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., was fired Friday for ‘inappropriate conduct,’ Navy officials said,” the newspaper published Monday.
A statement released Friday by Pensacola Naval Air Station said Peavy “has been temporarily removed from his position by Commander Navy Region Southeast Rear Adm. Tim Alexander, pending the results of an inquiry into inappropriate conduct”.
The Navy Times and the prepared Navy statement did not elaborate further on the alleged misconduct. According to the newspaper, Reavey was the sixth commanding offier to be fired this year. Read more…
Reavey, 51, of Manchester, Conn., entered the Navy in 1984 and took command of NAS Pensacola in June 2008.
This updates a story we first posted on Saturday.
Free Computer Classes At The Library
March 2, 2010
Free computer classes will be held during March at the Century Branch Library.
Classes include:
March 24
- 9:15 – 10:30 Google
- 10:45 – 12:00 Facebook
Space is limited; sign up now by calling the Century Branch Library at (850) 256-6217.
911 Caller: Firefighters Deserve Recognition For Saving Woman In Bridge Accident
March 2, 2010
Fearless– that’s the term used by the man who witnessed three Cantonment firefighters jump into the cold waters of Jacks Branch to save a woman from a submerged vehicle last week. And now he’s calling for the men to recognized as heroes.
Jack Rainey of Cantonment was headed home late the night of Monday, February 23. He called 911 to report that a vehicle had gone off a bridge on Jacks Branch Road and into the water.
When Cantonment volunteer firefighters A. Fails, Shay McCarro and Coy McKenna arrived just minutes later, they found that a vehicle had gone through the guardrail, over the bridge and fallen about 25 feet to the water below. The vehicle was completely submerged in the branch, the tail lights barely visible. A woman, Denise Ann Holden, 47, of Cantonment, had climbed out of the vehicle and was calling for help.
McCarro and McKenna shed their heavy firefighter bunker gear and went into the creek to save Holden.
Rainey is asking the county to recognize firefighters McCarro, McKenna, and Fails. The following is an email he sent to Escambia Fire-Rescue Lt. Daniel Akerman:
Dear Lt. Daniel Akerman,My name is Jack Rainey, my Wife and I was on our way home from work, and I was the 911 caller on Monday Feb 23rd,
concerning the Lady who went off the Bridge on Jack’s Branch Road.That was the first time I was involved with 911 where I was able to witness Fire Fighters in action other than a fire. They did not talk much,
and every movement or word seemed to have a purpose, seemed all 3 Young Men knew their jobs, and the jobs of the other 2 as well.Even when I was younger, I am not sure I could have done the kind of things these Young Men do. They put the publics safety above their own.
And to me, that says an awful lot about the Integrity and Character that these Young Men possess.I do not recall to many times, seeing in the news, or paper, where Recognition is given to our Emergency personnel, and I feel in my heart,
that this incident should be praised. I would like to nominate those 3 Men for an Award, medal, or Citation. I am not sure of the Fire Department’s
policy on this, and would appreciate if you could look into this for me. I will assist in any way that I can.
I live on Perdido Lake Road, which is just up the street from the scene, and if 911 is ever called to my House for me or my family, and the if
Crew that arrives are as Professional as those 3, then I feel VERY confident and assured of their abilities to save a life.
This is what I posted on NorthEscambia.com,
*30 Responses to “Firefighters Rescue Woman From Submerged Vehicle After It Plummets Off Bridge”*
1. Jack Rainey on February 25th, 2010 6:16 pm
4 min and 14 seconds, that’s the time it took our Cantonment Boys
to reach the scene. That’s pretty fast to me. When that truck
stopped, they were out and going like ants. No hesitation from any
of them. One man was breaking out equipment and the other 2 headed
down to the creek and coming out of their fire suites. That water
is cold even in the summer. Watching all 3, the only word that
came to my mind was “Fearless” I asked the 2 taking off their
suites if I could help, one of them said”No Sir, but thank you”
Some of the Best Teamwork I have ever witnessed. They earned my
Respect 10 times over that night. I talked to the man breaking out
equipment, and he said “Thank you for calling and allowing us to
do our job” I also talked to the first one in the water, on the
phone last night at the Station, very respectful. When I asked him
could my wife and I order them Pizza he hesitated, funny as how on
scene he did not. Ordered them 3 large ones. Never had a son, if I
did, hope he would be as Honorable as those 3 young men are!
Jack Rainey
Cantonment, Fl. 32533
Pictured above: A Cantonment driver crashed through the guardrail on this bridge over Jacks Branch last week, crashing about 25 feet into the water below. Pictured below: In this digitally enhanced photo, the tail lights and outline of the vehicle are barely visible in an estimated 12-15 feet of water. NorthEscambia.com exclusive file photos, click to enlarge.
