Dispose Of Unused Prescription Drugs At Roundup Event
September 16, 2010
The Escambia County Sheriff’s and the Drug Enforcement Administration have planned a prescription drug round-up for September 25.
Law enforcement officials will be at two locations in Escambia County on September 25th to collect potentially dangerous prescription drugs from citizens.
This event will provide the community with an opportunity to surrender expired, unwanted, or unused pharmaceutical controlled substances and other medication to law enforcement for destruction.
“Prescription drug abuse is not uncommon in our community and this is an opportunity for members of our community to get rid of their unwanted drugs before they fall into the hands of someone who may misuse them,” Sheriff David Morgan said.
Escambia County deputies will collect the prescription drugs from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m at the Walgreen’s at 4497 Mobile Highway and at CVS at 2090 South Highway 29.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will also be available at these locations with information on the environmental benefits and ways citizens should dispose of prescription drugs properly. DEP will also be collecting retail plastic bags. Citizens who bring in 25 or more plastic bags for recycling will receive a reusable shopping bag, a microfiber cloth or a day pass to any Florida State Park, while supplies last.
This event is a part of a national take-back effort. For more information concerning the prescription drug round-up, please contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Community Oriented Policing Unit at (850)436-9496.
Council On Aging Caregiver Meeting Tonight
September 16, 2010
The Council on Aging of West Florida will host a Century Caregiver Support Group Meeting at 6:00 Thursday evening.
There is no cost and the public is invited. Reservations are not required. The meeting will be held at Century Care Center at 6020 Industrial Blvd. The group meets on the third Thursday of each month at the same time and location. County residency is not required to attend.
The support group is part of Council on Aging of West Florida programs designed to reduce stress, increase coping skills, provide strategies for effective management of care giving tasks and enable caregivers to provide high quality care in the home. The programs are sponsored by Council on Aging of West Florida, the State of Florida Department of Elder Affairs and the Northwest Florida Area Agency on Aging. For more information, call (850) 432-1475.
The Council on Aging of West Florida is a local, independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that has served seniors and their families since 1972. Council on Aging of West Florida helps seniors in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties live healthy, safe and independent lives in their own familiar surroundings by providing community based, in-home programs and services such as Meals on Wheels and Alzheimer’s respite care.
Cantonment Woman Seriously Injured In Pensacola Crash
September 15, 2010
A Cantonment woman was seriously injured in a two vehicle accident Wednesday morning near University Mall in Pensacola.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Janice R. Lister, 41, was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in serious condition following the crash at 10:11 a.m. on Creighton Road just east of Plantation Boulevard.
Candace L Moyers, 37, attempted to pull her 1995 Chevrolet out of a business onto Creighton Road turned into the path of Lister’s 2005 Toyota, the FHP said. Lister’s vehicle overturned multiple times while rotating over a distance of 86 feet, according to the FHP.
Moyers was not injured. Moyers was charged with failing to yield right of way by the FHP.
Cantonment Motorcyclist Seriously Injured In Pensacola Wreck
September 15, 2010
A Cantonment man is in serious condition after being thrown from his motorcycle in a Pensacola wreck this morning.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Hayward B. Roberts, 53, was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in serious condition following the crash at 7:31 a.m. at Pine Forest Road and Chellie Road, near the I-10 intersection with Pine Forest Road.
According to the FHP, Nathan Jay Marsh, 27, of Austin, Texas, pulled his 2006 Mazda pickup out of a business drive into the path of Roberts’ 2003 Harley motorcycle. Roberts, the FHP said, was thrown from his motorcycle into the southbound lanes of Pine Forest Road. Troopers said Roberts was wearing his helmet.
Marsh and his passenger, Benjamin J. Sullivan, 27, of Austin, Texas, were not injured. Marsh was charged with failing to yield right of way by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Escambia Asserting Right Of Way On Privately Owned Portion Of Fairground Road
September 15, 2010
Escambia County is asserting ownership of a right of way along a one-third of a mile stretch of Fairground Road in Molino that is privately owned.
A maintenance map to be adopted by the county shows the the 1600-foot section of Fairground Road runs south of Wilder Branch Creek to just south of Fillingim Lane. By adopting the maintenance map and certifying that the county has maintained the private road for over seven years, Florida law dictates that the county will have right of way on the portion of the road that has been maintained.
Pictured: This map, provided by Escambia County, shows the portion of the privately owned Fairground Road that has been maintained continuously by the county for more than seven years.
Arrest Warrant Issued For Suspect In Sunday Manhunt
September 15, 2010
An arrest warrant has now been issued for the man that was the focus of manhunt Sunday night in Century.
David Michael Mathis, 30, of Century, is wanted on a battery charge following a domestic violence incident on Shady Lane near Stateline Road about 7:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Mathis fled the area on foot before law enforcement arrived.
Deputies surrounded the area, while a K-9 unit from the Century Correctional Institution searched for Mathis. Officers from the Flomaton Police Department were on the lookout for Mathis in their city, less than one-tenth of mile away. The manhunt was called off about 9:25 p.m.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, a female got into an argument with Mathis, her husband of nine months. The argument turned physical, with Mathis pushing her to the ground and attempting to drag her back inside their apartment. A witness approached Mathis with an ax handle and ordered him to leave the victim alone, according to the incident report.
When Mathis fled the area, it is believed he had taken the victim’s cell phone and had been calling friends and relatives asking for help to the get out of the area, the Sheriff’s Office report states.
Mathis is described as a white male, hazel eyes, 170 pounds, 5-foot 8-inches tall, with a bald or nearly bald head.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Mathis should call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9650 or their local police department.
Pictured: David Michael Mathis in an Escambia County Jail booking photo from earlier this year.
Century Purchases $137K Water Meters, Expects To Increase Billing
September 15, 2010
The Town of Century has approved the $137,386 purchase of nearly 1,000 new automated water meters to eliminate billing problems and lost revenue.
The purchase of 941 meters from Datamatic, Ltd. will be financed for two years interest free with the first payment due next year. Datamatic has told the town that they will recoup much of the purchase price in additional billings due to increased meter efficiency.
The purchase, which was already in the town’s budget, was approved 3-0 with council members Henry Hawkins and Gary Riley absent from the meeting.
“We were doing the best we could do,” Mayor Freddie McCall said recently of the town’s current automated water meters, “but what we ended up doing was throwing Band-Aids on a situation that required more.”
The current automated meters have been plagued by misreads, billing mishaps and continual customers complaints.
“We have been fighting this for years now,” McCall said at a meeting with a Datamatic official last month. He said that the current system will correctly run only about one of every 10-15 billing profiles. A billing profile is essentially a long-term account history. “It’s a headache.”
“The problems with that product start snowballing and it becomes very inaccurate,” Dan Devane, regional sales manager for meter equipment Datamatic, Ltd., said at a special council workshop August 24. Datamatic manufactured the current, problematic meters, which were installed about five years ago. They also manufacture the new “Mosaic Firefly” equipment the town may purchase.
In trading in the old system for the new, Datamatic will provide the town about $140,000 in discounts.
With the new Mosaic Firefly system, the town’s meter reader will never leave his vehicle. He will simply drive block to block as the meters automatically report their readings. For an estimated $30,000 in upgrades at a later date, the new system wold be capable of automatically reporting water meter readings from across the town without human intervention.
With the completely automated “mesh” system, each meter would communicate with neighboring meters, eventually relaying a report from each meter back to city hall. That method, Devane said, is much more cost effective than sending out a human meter reader. In addition, daily reports could pinpoint customers with leaks, backflows, usage on inactive accounts and fraud.
Datamatic also manufactured the current gas meter reading system for the Town of Century. McCall said there is no plan to replace that equipment at this point, but it would eventually be phased out for a newer system like that proposed for the water meters.
The new water meters would have a 10 year guarantee, including an internal battery. Each meter would store hourly information for 320 days. The new meters will also be lead-free, a standard required of new meters in Florida by 2012.
The $137,386 purchase will pay for itself in less than two years, according to estimates by Devane. He estimated the town would realize an additional $83,125 in additional billings due to increased meter efficiency and about $2,200 per year in labor savings.
Pictured top: Datamatic Regional Sales Manager Dan Devane describes a new water meter system as Century Mayor Freddie McCall and Council President Ann Brooks look on. Pictured below: This PowerPoint slide details the no cost items the Datamatic company promises to provide to the Town of Century with a water meter system upgrade. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Mixed Beginnings: Ernest Ward Opens Volleyball Season (With Photo Gallery)
September 15, 2010
The Ernest Ward Middle School volleyball team opened their season with a win Monday over Flomaton. On Tuesday afternoon, the Lady Eagles fell to the Escambia Academy Cougars.
Monday afternoon, EWMS took a double header from the Flomaton Hurricanes, winning both sets 25-13, 21-25, 15-7 and 25-6, 25-10 and 15-4. Tuesday afternoon, EWMS dropped a double header to Escambia Academy, 10-25, 23-25 and 25-22, 15-25 and 16-18.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery, click here.
The Ernest Ward Lady Eagles’ short season wraps up with games Monday, September 20 at Ernest Ward and Thursday, September 23 at Escambia Academy. Games begin at 4:30.
Pictured: Action from Ernest Ward Middle School versus Escambia Academy Tuesday afternoon in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Report To Be Released Soon On FHP Shooting Of Cottage Hill Man
September 15, 2010
The State Attorney’s Office is now reviewing the case of the shooting death of a Cottage Hill man during a July traffic stop.
Clifton Salter, 59, was shot multiple times during a Florida Highway Patrol traffic stop on Pine Forest Road. Salter also suffered at least one self-inflicted gunshot wood, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The FDLE has turned the results of their investigation over to the State Attorney’s Office. It is expected that the State Attorney’s Office could release the findings of its case review in the next few days.
Salter suffered from post traumatic stress disorder, according to his brother, Santa Rosa County Commissioner Don Salter. He was a retired BellSouth customer service supervisor and a Vietnam veteran.
The shooting happened at 8:27 a.m. on July 14 on Pine Forest Road just north of Longleaf Drive, about a mile from the Pensacola Interstate Fairgrounds.
Pictured above: Officials investigate the officer-involved shooting of Clifton Salter of Cottage Hill in July. NorthEscambia.com file photo click to enlarge.
Baldwin County, Murphy Defeat Northview Lady Chiefs
September 15, 2010
Baldwin County and Murphy high schools defeated Northview Tuesday in a tri-match.
“We have some work that we need to focus on tomorrow at practice after tonight’s game against Baldwin County High School and Murphy High School. We need to focus on getting our serve receive where it needs to be,” Northview Head Coach Betty Heaton said. “I hope that Thursday against Baker we will show ourselves to be a more complete team.”
Northview Vs. Murphy –Varsity
The Lady Chiefs (1-1) fell to Murphy in two games—5-25, 11-25.
Northview Vs. Baldwin County –Varsity
The Chiefs also lost to Baldwin County in three games — 25-23, 20-25, 11-15.
Northview varsity combined tri-match stats:
Shawn Montgomery — Kills-12, Aces-6, Digs-2, Blocks-3
Raylin Spence — Aces-2, Assists-7, Digs – 2
Sarah Killiam – Digs-1, Aces -1, Assists-2
Northview Vs. Murphy – JV
Northview Vs. Baldwin County – JV
Both Murphy and Baldwin County defeated Northview in JV play. Scores were not available.
Northview JV combined tri-match stats:
Madison Arrington 9 – Assists-3, Aces-2
Taylor Roberson – Aces-1, Kills-2, Digs – 1
Danielle Steadham – Blocks-1, Kills -4