• Home
• News
• Events
• Features
• Sports
• About
• Contact
• Advertise

Free Classifieds | Obituaries |

Gulf Power: Ready For Bonnie’s Winds

Gulf Power says it is ready for Tropical Storm Bonnie this weekend. Before Bonnie was even a drizzle, Gulf Power was preparing for the 2010 storm season with annual drills and training.

The utility urges its customers to be prepared, too. Storms that enter the Gulf of Mexico can develop quickly which makes it vital that residents start preparing now.

“Living on the Gulf Coast, you always keep your guard up,” said Jeff Rogers, Gulf Power spokesperson. “We prepare year-round for the unexpected, and our crews are among the best in the nation to restore electricity, safely and quickly. But we urge everyone to be prepared and plan wisely.”

One way to help prepare for hurricanes is to visit Gulf Power’s Storm Center website, which contains information on how to prepare for hurricane season, along with some safety and other tips. At GulfPower.com, click on the

Gulf Power conducts an annual hurricane drill to test its response system. Gulf Power employees review and test contingencies, stockpile critical materials and have established contacts with numerous electric utility companies to summon if help is needed to restore power. Gulf Power checks critical points in the power grid to make sure equipment is in top shape and trees are trimmed.

The company follows a detailed plan to rebuild the electrical system following a hurricane and works closely with county Emergency Management personnel. Every Gulf Power employee has a storm assignment and if needed, the company brings in thousands of outside utility workers to help — often pre-positioning them to speed response.

When a storm threatens, Gulf Power readies its Emergency Management Center to support advance preparation, damage assessment and power restoration. Despite this, a direct strike from a tropical storm or hurricane can result in lengthy outages. Residents should also be prepared with critical supplies to help see them through this period.

“Gulf Power and Southern Company crews are very experienced and prepared for storm restoration, but it’s important that note that if we’re hit with a major storm, residents need to be prepared to go without electricity for a number of days or even weeks,” Rogers said. “We also urge residents to follow safety guidelines and to be patient. We want everyone to know we’re ready to help our community recover quickly.”

The Gulf Power Storm Center website covers such subjects as Preparation and Safety, Restoration Process, Meter Box Damage, Generator Safety, Power Outage FAQs and General Storm Tips.

Some of the most critical issues are generator safety and power line safety.

Here are some power line and generator safety tips from the Gulf Power Storm Center site:

• Treat any downed wire as if it is energized. You can’t tell by looking if a downed wire is live or not. Telephone or cable television wires that are touching a power line could become energized and should also be avoided. Notify Gulf Power, your local emergency agency, or call 911 to report the location of any downed lines.
• Don’t attempt to repair the electrical system or pull tree limbs off lines. Let trained work crews perform this potentially dangerous work.
• Stay clear of areas where there is a lot of debris or downed trees because it could conceal an energized power line. Also stay clear of chain link fences which may be energized if touching a downed line.
• Wait a reasonable time before calling customer service if your entire neighborhood is without power.
• If you have an electric generator, please ensure that you have isolated your home or business from the utility electrical service lines by opening main breakers or other devices.
• Do not connect portable generators to your household electrical wiring. This can cause serious injury to you and to our employees working on the lines in your neighborhood.
  • Connect only essential appliances — such as freezers and refrigerators — directly to the generator.
  • NEVER use a generator in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces. Generators can produce high levels of carbon monoxide very quickly. When you use a portable generator, remember that you cannot smell or see carbon monoxide.
  • NEVER try to power the house wiring by plugging the generator into a wall outlet, a practice known as “back-feeding.” This is an extremely dangerous practice that presents an electrocution risk to utility workers and neighbors served by the same utility transformer. It also bypasses some of the built-in household circuit-protection devices.

Here are some more storm tips from the Gulf Power Storm Center site:

• Turn your air conditioning down to cool down your house. If you keep the doors and windows closed you can keep your house relatively cool for about 48 hours after the storm.
• Charge up your cell phone before the storm — and anything else that needs to be charged up.
• Keep freezer doors closed and sealed. Well-filled freezers keep most foods frozen two to three days if the door is kept closed.
• Be prepared to disconnect or shut off any appliances that will turn on automatically when power is restored. When power is restored, appliances may overload your circuits or pose fire hazards.
• Leave a porch light switched on so that utility crews will be able to determine immediately the success of specific repairs.

Escambia Firefighter’s Wife Injured In Townhouse Fire

An Escambia County firefighter’s wife was injured as the family’s townhouse burned.

Escambia County Fire responded to 630 Fairfield Drive just before 8:00 Monday morning.  Units arrived in four minutes, but the end townhouse unit was a total loss and anadjacent unit sustained smoke damage.  It is believed that the fire started on the second floor of the townhouse.  The state fire marshal was called to investigate and determine the cause of the fire.  The American Red Cross was called to assist the family with a temporary place to stay.

Myrtle Grove Volunteer Firefighter Cliff Long lived at the residence, according to Escambia County Public Information Manager Sonya Daniel. Long was at work but his wife and two children were at home when the fire broke out.  The children and family pets were not injured.  Long’s wife was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation and was later transferred to University of South Alabama Regional Burn Center.  The children are staying with family members and the Westside Animal Hospital is caring for the pets until they can be reunited with the Long family.

Escambia County Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene along with units from Myrtle Grove, West Pensacola, Warrington, Navy Fire, Pleasant Grove, Osceola, Bellview and Ensley.

Escambia Master Gardeners Tips For July

The Escambia County Master Gardeners offer the following tips for July:

YARD

• Plant: Seeds of late cosmos, gaillardia, portulaca, zinnia, marigolds, bulbs, and native iris.

VEGETABLES

• Plant: Seeds of okra, Southern peas, cherry-type tomatoes. Blooms drop if temperature stays high at night, so water regularly and apply at least 3″ of mulch.
• Start: Broccoli, cauliflower, collards and cabbage for fall transplants. Late in the month plant tomato plants rooted from spring suckers or purchased at a garden center. Remember to get the ones marked VFFNT.

MISCELLANEOUS

• Check mulch in flower beds and under trees and shrubs. Reapply to bring it up to three inches to discourage weeds and conserve moisture. Pull mulch back from plant trunks to prevent rot.
• Remove spent vegetable and flower plants. Destroy those infected with disease or insects, and place remainder in compost heap.
• Fertilize annuals early this month if you didn’t do it in June.
• Apply mole cricket bait on moist soil in the afternoon when it is not likely to rain. However, it is essential to read and understand the insecticide label carefully for application directions.
• Keep azaleas and camellias well watered because they are setting next season’s flower buds. Remember that they are shallow rooted. Feed with an azalea fertilizer according to directions, or apply about 1/8 cup of 10-10-10 per foot of plant height after a good rain and water it in.
• Continue to monitor rose bushes each week for signs of insects or disease. Feed regularly with rose fertilizer or use 1/4 cup of 10-10-10 per plant.
• Prune roses late this month or until the middle of August to encourage a good crop of fall flowers. Remove four to six inches of each main stem.
• Lawn pests can be a problem this time of year. Before treating, find out if an insect is the culprit and treat only the affected area.
• Blossom-end rot on tomatoes or similar rot on peppers is frequently caused by a calcium deficiency and fluctuations in soil moisture. Discard rotting fruit. Keep plants evenly moist. Next season have soil tested and amend according to recommendations.
• Watch for yellowing leaves on plants. It may be a sign of chlorosis (iron deficiency), a common condition of sandy soil. Apply liquid iron or minor elements according to label  directions.
• Crape myrtles susceptible to powdery mildew should be placed in locations that allow air movement to help avoid potential problems with this unsightly disease.
• Cut back poinsettias, wisteria (cut to two or three  buds), chrysanthemums, dahlias and other fall blooming plants to encourage formation of more flowers.
• Pinch off salvia and marigold blooms as soon as they fade. Cut back zinnias, portulacas and verbena by several inches. Feed with 1/4 pound of 10-10-10 per square foot of planted area.
• If you still have blooming cannas, remove flower stalks to right above the uppermost leaf as soon as the blossoms fade. A new flower stalk will sprout.
• Take geranium cuttings for winter color. Start new plants from cuttings or by layering side shoots of oleander, gardenia, abelia, pittosporum, and verbena.
• Time to order cool weather vegetable and flower seeds! Calendula, larkspur, pansies, snapdragons, alyssum, candytuft, dianthus, Shasta daisy, California poppy, gaillardia, baby’s breath, nasturtium, petunias, phlox, verbena, lettuce, radishes, turnips, broccoli, beans, carrots, squash, cucumbers, cauliflower, collards (or milder tasting rape), Swiss chard, and Brussels sprouts. Store seeds in the refrigerator in airtight containers until you are ready to plant.

Crist Extends Benefits For Florida’s Long-Term Unemployed

Not content to wait for lawmakers to act later this year, Gov. Charlie Crist issued an executive order on Friday that will make nearly a quarter million Floridians who have been out of work for a long time eligible for additional benefits.

Congress passed and President Obama signed legislation this week that extends federal jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed for another six months.

Florida’s extended benefit program, which pays up to 20 weeks of additional jobless benefits to people who have used up their regular benefits, which typically last up to 79 weeks. But that program expired in June in Florida when lawmakers declined to extend it during the regular session, leaving the state unable to take advantage of the new federal dollars being made available to the long-term unemployed.

Florida had an unemployment rate of 11.4 percent last month. In addition to about 250,000 people who will now be eligible for extended benefits between now and December because of Crist’s executive order, about 900,000 other unemployed Floridians already were set to get additional help because of the new law approved in Washington this week.

The cost of the supplemental benefits is paid by the federal government.

Democrats in Florida had urged Crist to either call the Legislature into another special session – lawmakers were in session one day this week but didn’t address the issue – or to issue an executive order to change the law to make the extra benefits available.

“Unemployed Floridians are struggling in this challenging economic climate, trying to figure out how to pay their bills and support their families,” said Crist, an independent. “We simply cannot desert the 250,000 Floridians who qualify for the extended federal assistance signed into law yesterday.”

Crist had been unsure earlier in the week whether he could unilaterally make the change or whether the Legislature’s approval was needed. House Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, said Thursday that lawmakers would probably try to address the issue when they return for a special session next month or in September.

But Crist, who is running for U.S. Senate, said Friday he had determined he had a “constitutional duty” to authorize the use of available federal funds.

Advocates for the unemployed said they were pleased the governor acted, rather than waiting for lawmakers to return. People who have been out of work for months, and without unemployment benefits since June, will not only benefit, said Karen Woodall, an advocate for the unempoyed. “It’s businesses too – because that money gets spent and put into the economy,” Woodall said.

Crist’s executive order made the benefits retroactive to June 5 when the state law expired. They’ll continue through Dec. 4.

Agency for Workforce Innovation Secretary Cynthia Lorenzo said the state still needs guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor on some issues related to the newly approved benefits, but that the state should begin issuing checks within a couple weeks. The agency is mailing notices of the new eligibility dates to beneficiaries, Lorenzo said.

NWE Football Registration Continues Today

Registration will take place today for Northwest Escambia football in Walnut Hill.

Registration will continue each Saturday in July at Ernest Ward Middle School from 10 a.m. until noon.

The cost is $70 for the first child, $35 for the second child and free for additional children in the same family.  Teams are available for children 5 to 13 years old. Birth certificates and social security cards are needed for each child for registration.

Winnie Irene McGowan Bryant

Winnie Irene McGowan Bryant, 92 of Atmore, Ala. died Thursday July 22, 2010, in Atmore. She was a homemaker, born in Pine Mountain, Ala. on January 8, 1918, to the late Francis and Josephine Billingsley McGowan.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Rev. Cameron E. Bryant E. Bryant, her youngest daughter, Jessie Ruth Bryant Bruner, five sisters and one brother.

Survivors are her children, Cameron E. Bryant (Mary) of Winfield, Ala., Ronald L. Bryant (Virginia) of Prattville, Al. Frances J. Bryan (Robert) of Benton, La., Mary B. Jernigan (Glenn) of Atmore, Ala., Alvin H. Bryant (Theresa) of Autaugaville, Ala. A son-in-law, Thomas Bruner of Tuscaloosa, Ala., 14 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

Services will be Saturday July 24, 2010, at noon from the First Baptist Church of Atmore with Rev. Jerry Caylor officiating, Interment will follow in Serenity Gardens. Active pallbearers will be Ty Bryan, Steve Jernigan, Damon Jernigan, Thom Bruner, Jr, Richard Bryant and Damon Glenn “Tab” Jernigan.

Family will receive friends, Saturday July 24, 2010, at the First Baptist Church of Atmore from 10 a.m. until service time. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the R.& R. Fund at the First Baptist church of Atmore.

Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home, Inc. in charge of all arrangements.

NorthEscambia.com Will Be Unavailable At Times

NorthEscambia.com will be unavailable for brief moments this evening.

We are moving the site to a much more powerful web server that will allow us to provide a better user experience and increase our offerings. During the upgrades, NorthEscambia.com will be down for very short periods.  Simply wait a few moments and try again if you are unable to reach our site.

The upgrades are necessary due to record growth in the number of people that read NorthEscambia.com each day.

Bonnie Is No More; Fizzles South Of Pensacola

The storm formerly known as Bonnie fizzled over the Gulf of Mexico south of Pensacola Saturday afternoon, downgraded from a tropical depression to just a disorganized area of low pressure with associated showers and thunderstorms.

The remnants of Bonnie will move into southern Louisiana Saturday night, possible bringing a few showers Saturday night and Sunday to the North Escambia area. The last National Hurricane Center update on Bonnie was issued at 4 p.m. Saturday, with winds in the storm barely at 30 m.p.h. Forecasters do not anticipate any strengthening in the system.

The latest specific information on  Bonnie can be found in the graphic at the top of the page.

Here is your complete NorthEscambia area forecast:

• Tonight: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 76. South wind between 5 and 10 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
• Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming south between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
• Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind between 5 and 10 mph becoming calm.
• Monday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 91. Southeast wind between 5 and 10 mph.
• Monday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. South wind between 5 and 10 mph.
• Tuesday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 93. South wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
• Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
• Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 94. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.
• Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75.
• Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a high near 95.
• Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75.

Escambia Considering Red Light Cameras, Could Net $3 Million Per Year

Escambia County is considering the installation of red light cameras in anticipation of adding up to $3 million per year to the county’s coffers.

“Escambia County is interested in pursuing installation of red light cameras at locations exhibiting substantial incidences of red light violations to improve enforcement capabilities,” Interim County Administrator Larry Newsom said in his written recommendation to the county commission.

The Florida Legislature approved the use of red light cameras earlier this year, with the law taking effect on July 1. According to Newsom, Sheriff David Morgan is interested in pursuing installation at problem intersections, and the idea is supported by the county’s traffic operations staff.

The automated cameras snap a photo of the car and license plate of alleged red light runners, and the driver receives a $158 citation in the mail — along with a photo of the violation. Of the $158 fine, Escambia County would retain $75. With 20 camera locations, Escambia County would earn as estimated $2-3 million per year.

The Sheriff’s Department would be responsible for providing trained traffic enforcement officer to review the photos and other evidence prior to a citation being issued. A portion of the county’s revenue would be transferred to the sheriff for increased personnel costs.

The county will hold a public hearing on August 19 at 5:30 prior to a commission meeting on a proposed red light camera ordinance.

New Over-The-Air TV Station Available

There’s a new viewing choice in the local television market. WFGX MyTV 35 is now broadcasting from WEAR TV 3’s tower in Baldwin County, providing a strong over-the-air signal in the North Escambia area.

WFGX offers MyNetworkTV programming from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. with such popular programs as “WWE: Smackdown”, “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?”, “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and “The Unit”.

The station also airs movies from ThisTV throughout the day and  with the programs “Jerry Springer”, “Maury Povich”, “Inside Edition” and “Extra” on weekdays. During the weekend, WFGX airs “Desperate Housewives”, “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Bones”.

The station is available over-the-air as channel 35.1 (physically on channel 50) in standard definition.

“Sometime in early August we will be changing to a High-Definition signal only,” said Joe Smith, WEAR/WFGX operations manager.  In the near future, the station will add “TheCoolTV”,  a music station, on a second digital channel.

In order to view WFGX, viewers using an antenna to receive over-the-air TV should use the “re-scan” feature on their digital TV or DTV converter box.  WFGX is also carried on Cox Cable in Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach, and Mediacom in Gulf Breeze and Milton. WFGX is not currently carried on other area cable systems or satellite services.

“Viewers with cable or satellite should contact those companies asking them to provide WFGX MyTV 35,” Smith said.

WFGX has been on the air since 1987, but was previously available to viewers in the Fort Walton Beach area. With the move to WEAR’s tower near Robertsdale, the station is now available in the entire Mobile-Pensacola television market.

« Previous Page — Next Page »

Copyright © 2007-2019 NorthEscambia.com · P.O. Box 1207 · Century, FL 32535 · All Rights Reserved.