New Bratt Community Park To Be Almost Complete In About A Month
April 12, 2010
Work in continuing on the the new Bratt Community Park on West Highway 4, with most of the park scheduled for completion by mid-May.
The next major project at the park with the paving of the 8-foot wide, eight-tenths of a mile walking track around the perimeter of the 13-acre park, according to Joy Jones, director of Escambia County’s Parks and Recreation Department.
“There will be a lot of the items done with the next month,” Jones said. Work will soon begin, she said, to construct two softball fields and the associated fencing. Two large picnic pavilions are almost complete, and the park’s playgrounds have been in place since last August.
The park will also include two softball fields, a full basketball court and exercise and rest stations positioned along the track. The softball fields will not be lit for night play; in fact, the park’s hours will follow that of other county parks — sunrise to sunset.
The park is the realization of a 10-year dream for Clark Caraway. Caraway and several other Bratt residents even formed Bratt Community Park, Inc. back in 2001 to work toward the park.
The park is being funded with $200,000 in LOST (local option sales tax) monies set aside for the park’s construction.
Editor’s note: While the playground is complete, the surrounding park is not. Walkways and parking areas are still under construction, and can become very muddy.
Pictured top: One of two pavilions recently installed at the new Bratt park. Pictured inset: Clark Caraway of Bratt reviews park plans with Joy Jones, Escambia’s Parks and Recreation Department director. Pictured below: The playground at the new Bratt Community Park on West Highway 4 near the First Baptist Church of Bratt. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Florida Discount Drug Card Available To All Residents
April 12, 2010
The Florida Discount Drug Card, initially offered to qualifying seniors or low-income families and individuals beginning in December 2007, is now available to all Florida residents.
“Florida remains committed to increasing access to affordable health care and finding innovative solutions to achieve this goal,” said Governor Charlie Crist. “The Florida Discount Drug Card has been proven to be a low-cost solution for families and seniors in need of affordable prescription drugs, and now we are rightly extending the savings to all Florida residents. I urge Floridians to sign up to begin receiving discounts on their prescription drugs.”
All Florida residents now qualify: no age limit, no income requirements. There are no waiting periods to receive the card, no pre-existing condition restrictions, no membership fees and the card instantly activates. Previously, to sign up for the program, participants had to be age 60 to 64 and without prescription drug coverage; or individuals, families and seniors under age 60, without prescription-drug coverage, and have an annual income of less than 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level to qualify. These participants are still eligible and can now receive additional savings when purchasing their prescription drugs with the card. For participants under age 60, qualifying annual incomes for the additional savings are as follows:
- $32,490 for an individual
- $43,710 for a family of two
- $66,150 for a family of four
- Income limits for other family sizes are published at www.FloridaDiscountDrugCard.com
Participants who qualify for additional savings will be able to download a temporary card directly from the Florida Discount Drug Card Web site and will receive a physical card by mail for a small, one-time $1.50 activation fee which is only added to the cost of the first prescription. The temporary downloaded card activates within three hours.
Requesting a Florida Discount Drug Card is easy, and there is no sign-up fee for the card. Printable cards can be downloaded for free directly from the Florida Discount Drug Card Web site upon sign-up. Participants have the option of requesting a physical card to be mailed directly to a home or office for a small, one-time $1.50 activation fee which is assessed when purchasing the first prescription. Floridians can request a Florida Discount Drug Card by visiting www.FloridaDiscountDrugCard.com or by calling 1-866-341-8894 or TTY 1-866-763-9630. Information on the Web site is available in English, Spanish and a Creole version will be available soon. Multilingual drug card service representatives are available by calling the toll-free number.
More than 60,000 pharmacies are participating nationwide. If the pharmacy’s usual and customary price is lower than the Florida Discount Drug price, the customer will pay the lower price. Additionally, if the customer qualifies for any other prescription discounts, they will always pay the lowest price. If a consumer learns a pharmacy is not enrolled in the program, it can be enrolled on a temporary basis, so the consumer can immediately take advantage of the discount. A 24-hour pharmacy helpline is available to assist with pharmacy enrollment. Once the pharmacy has signed a contract, it can permanently join the program. The Florida Discount Drug Card Web site provides an easy-to-use pharmacy locator tool, as well as a drug pricing index.
No tax dollars are used to make the Florida Discount Drug Card available. A public-private partnership with Envision Pharmaceutical Services (EPS) makes the discounts possible. EPS pharmacy benefits manager secures volume discounts on prescription drugs, passing savings onto consumers. Participating pharmacies must agree to the negotiated prices.
As of March 2010, prior to the expansion, Governor Charlie Crist announced that more than 135,000 Floridians had signed up for the Florida Discount Drug Card since its launch on December 20, 2007. With over 61,000 prescriptions filled, participants saved $6 million in prescription-drug costs.
It’s Report Card Day
April 12, 2010
Moms and dads…check the book bags and binders tonight. Today is report card day in Escambia County, Florida.
The third nine-weeks report cards from Escambia County Schools will be sent home today.
The last day of school is June 4. The only remaining school holiday is Memorial Day on May 31.
Free Basic Computer Classes Offered At The Library
April 12, 2010
Free computer classes will be offered on Wednesdays at the Century Branch Library.
Classes include:
April 14
- 9:15-10:30 Mouse Skills
- 10:45 -12:00 Intro to Keyboard
April 21
- 9:15-10:30 Intro to Keyboard
- 10:45 -12:00 Intro to Windows
April 28
- 9:15-10:30 Intro to Windows
- 10:45 -12:00 Microsoft Word I
Space is limited; sign up now by calling the Century Branch Library at (850) 256-6217.
EREC Schedules Annual Meeting
April 12, 2010
Mark your calendar — Escambia River Electric Cooperative’s 71st Annual Meeting will be held Saturday, April 24 at Northview High School. EREC members that attend will have the chance to win a variety of door prizes, including a $500 credit on the member’s electric bill.
Registration begins at 11:00 a.m., and the business meeting takes place at 1:00 p.m..
Jay Hospital will sponsor a health fair with free blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar checks.
Entertainment will be provided by the Northend Stompers and the Calloways. Luncheon plates will be available from the Northview High School FFA.
There will be gifts for every EREC member, and for the kids, there will be games and prizes.
11th Grade Core Value Award Recipients Named
April 12, 2010
Several Escambia County 11th grade students were recently named Core Value Award Recipients based up their demonstration of the Core Values of equality, integrity, patriotism, honesty, responsibility and respect. They each received a $100 award check from Sub West Rotary Club.
Core Value Award Recipients were:
- James “Tyler” Garrett – Northview High School
- Emily Danforth — Tate High School
- Dominic Johnson — West Florida High school
- Krista MacMurry — Pine Forest High School
- Ashley Vanstraten — Escambia High School
- Dieu Huynh — Washington High School
- Benjamin Sellers — Pensacola High School
Pictured above: James “Tyler” Garrett was the Core Value Award Recipient from the Sub West Rotary Club. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Pictured: James “Tyler” Garrett from Northview High School was recently named a Core Value Award Recipient by the Sub West Rotary Club. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Sunny Skies, No Rain This Week
April 12, 2010
Our seasonable and dry weather pattern will continue for the next week, with lows in the 50’s and highs around 80.
There is not rain in the forecast — perfect weather for the Escambia, Alabama, students on Spring Break this week.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 50. East wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 79. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
- Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 80. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south.
- Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east.
- Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 81. Southeast wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 82.
- Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 80.
- Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56.
- Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 80.
Sunny All Week; No Chance Of Rain
April 11, 2010
We are in for sunny and dry weather the next week, with daytime highs around 80 and overnight lows in the 50’s.
Here’s your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 50. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
- Monday: Sunny, with a high near 79. East wind around 5 mph.
- Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 52. East wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 79. East wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
- Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 80. East wind around 5 mph.
- Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53. East wind around 5 mph.
- Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 81. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
- Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 82.
- Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 80.
$244,208 Lottery Ticket Sold In Walnut Hill
April 11, 2010
One person will collect $244,208 for a “Fantasy 5″ winning ticket sold Friday night in Walnut Hill, according to the Florida Lottery.
Only one ticket matched the winning numbers: 13-21-25-28-36.
There were 287 tickets with four matching numbers worth $137 each. There were 9,650 tickets matching three numbers that were worth $11 each, and 100,219 had two numbers for a free Quick Pick ticket.
The ticket was sold at the O’Yes Lotto at 11331 Highway 97.
Teen Injured In Freak Speedway Accident
April 11, 2010
A teen was severely injured in a freak accident Saturday night at the Flomaton Speedway. Authorities said the young teen male was struck in the face by an object flung from the dirt raceway about 10:15 p.m. A “trauma alert” was initially called on the victim.
The victim was transported by LifeFlight to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. Further details were not available.