School Board Adopts Tentative Budget, Tax Rate
July 30, 2010
The Escambia County School Board adopted a tentative budget and set a property tax rate at a Thursday night meeting.
The board gave preliminary approval to an almost $613 million budget for 2010-2011 and a 7.86 mill property tax rate — $786 per $100,000 of taxable property value. The millage rate is unchanged the current year.
Due to declining property values, many Escambia residents will see a property tax decrease with the unchanged millage rate.
A second public hearing on the budget and millage rate will be held September 13 at 5:30 p.m. with both set for approval at the board meeting to follow.
Escambia Ala. Hires New Assistant Principals, Retired Northview Coach
July 30, 2010
Assistant principals were hired and a former Northview teacher and coach was hired to replace a new assistant principal during a special meeting Thursday afternoon of the Escambia County (Ala.) Board of Education.
Sarah Watkins was hired as a new assistant principal at Escambia County High School. The former teacher joins new ECHS Principal Zickeyous Byrd, the former principal at Escambia County Middle School.
Jason Petro was named the new assistant principal at Escambia County Middle School.
Lorenzo Jones (pictured) was hired as a history teacher at Escambia County Middle School to replace Forrest Dale Jones, who moved into an assistant principal position at Escambia County High School. Jones retired following the last school year from Northview High School where he taught history and served as a football and basketball coach.
Suspected Murderer Jailed
July 30, 2010
A suspect in Escambia County’s 13th murder of the year is behind bars.
Jermain Cook, 24, is facing murder and grand theft charges in connection with the early Sunday morning murder at the Mayfair Motel on Mobile Highway. The victim has been identified by Escambia County Sheriff’s Department investigators as 44-year old Son Tu.
“Tu was found unresponsive in one of the motel rooms with obvious trauma,” according Melissa Aiken Rawson, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office. Further details about Tu’s death have not been released.
Cook is currently in the Santa Rosa County Jail on unrelated traffic offenses. He will face extradition back to Escambia County.
Back To School Savings: Sales Tax Holidays In Alabama And Florida
July 30, 2010
Both Alabama and Florida have upcoming school sales tax holidays with back to school tax savings on school supplies and clothing.
Alabama — August 6-8
Alabama’s sales tax holiday will be August 6-8. However, Escambia County, Atmore and Brewton will not be participating. In Atmore and Brewton, shoppers will save the state’s four percent tax, but still pay the county and city tax rate. Flomaton will participate, with back to school purchases in Flomaton exempt from the state and city tax, but not the one percent county tax.
For complete details on exempt items in Alabama,click here (pdf).
Florida — August 13-15
In Florida, the school sales tax holiday will be the following weekend, August 13-15. It will be the first school sales tax holiday in the Sunshine State since 2007.
In general, Florida’s sales tax holiday will apply to “the sale of books, clothing, wallets, or bags, including handbags, backpacks, fanny packs, and diaper bags, but excluding briefcases, suitcases, and other garment bags, having a sales price of $50 or less, or on sales of certain school supplies having a sales price of $10 or less for the period beginning 12:01 a.m., August 13, 2010, and ending at midnight, August 15, 2010,” according to the Florida Department of Revenue.
For complete details on exempt items in Florida, click here (pdf).
Florida defines books as “a set of printed sheets bound together and published in a volume.” Newspapers, magazines, other periodicals and audio books are not books and will be taxable during the holiday.
Clothing is defined as any article of wearing apparel, including all footwear (except skis, swim fins, roller blades and skates) intended to be worn on or about the body. Clothing does not include watches, watchbands, jewelry, umbrellas, handkerchiefs or sporting equipment.
School supplies include pens, pencils, erasers, crayons, notebooks, notebook filler paper, legal pads, binders, lunch boxes, construction paper, markers, folders, poster board, composition books, poster paper, scissors, cellophane tape, glue, paste, rulers, computer disks, protractors, compasses and calculators.
The state also has a rule about where purchases can be made or, more importantly, where they can’t be made.
For example, eligible items are not exempt from sales tax if purchased at a theme park or entertainment complex. So, a T-shirt with a cartoon character on the front purchased at Disney World would be taxable, although a similar T-shirt purchased at a department store would be exempt.
Eligible items also lose their tax-exempt status if purchased at a public lodging establishment, aka a hotel, motel, resort, beach cottage, or airport.
Marie Wooten
July 29, 2010
Marie Wooten, 71, of Atmore died Thursday, July 29, 2010, at her residence.
She was a homemaker, born in McCullough on February 27, 1939, to the late Ed and Adar Langham Drew.
Survivors include her husband, Billy Wooten of Atmore; three sons, Drew Wooten and wife, Alicia, of Pensacola; Robert Wooten and wife, Tina, of Uriah and Ed Wooten and wife, Melissa, of Atmore; two brothers, Edson Drew of Mobile and Edward Drew of Tennessee; six grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Services will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 31, 2010, from Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel. Interment will follow in McCullough Cemetery.
Active Pallbearers include Ashley Buck, Mark Lewis, Wayne Drew, Todd Booker, Eddie Booker and Jamie Booker.
Family will receive friends from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Friday evening, July 30, 2010, at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home, Inc in charge of all arrangements.
County Driver Charged After Being Trapped Nearly Two Hours In 9 Mile Crash
July 29, 2010
An Escambia County Road Department work truck driver has been charged following a wreck on Nine Mile Road in which he was trapped for nearly two hours Thursday afternoon.
The Florida Highway Patrol says Robert J. Harvey, 59, of Pensacola, was eastbound on Nine Mile Road at 2:05 p.m. when he attempted to stop for a red light at Guidy Lane, near Hillcrest Baptist Church. The trailer on Harvey’s truck jackknifed, pulling the 1998 Ford truck into a traffic signal pole. A bobcat on the trailer broke loose and came to rest in a nearby ditch.
Harvey was seriously injured in the crash, according to the FHP. Firefighters worked until about 3:45 to free him from the cab of the truck. He was airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital.
The Florida Highway Patrol charged Harvey with careless driving.
For more pictures from the scene, click here.
Pictured above and below: An Escambia County employee was trapped for nearly two hours Thursday afternoon in a crash at Nine Mile Road at Guidy Lane near Hillcrest Baptist Church. Pictured inset: Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan directs traffic. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Six People Involved In McDavid Crash, One Injured
July 29, 2010
One person was injured in a two vehicle crash in McDavid Thursday afternoon.
The driver of a pickup truck apparently pulled from the median into the path of an SUV about 1:45. The pickup driver received minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital by ambulance. There were no passengers in the truck. Five people in the SUV were uninjured.
The accident happened near the Highway 29 and Highway 164 intersection at the McDavid Mini Mart. The store’s band new sign was also damaged in the crash.
The accident is still under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Atmore Ambulance and the McDavid Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded to the crash.
Pictured top: Five people in this SUV escaped injured in a Thursday afternoon crash at the McDavid Mini Mart on Highway 29 near Highway 164. Pictured below: The driver of this pickup truck received minor injuries. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century’s Showalter Named Baltimore Orioles Manager
July 29, 2010
After lengthy negotiations, former Century resident Buck Showalter has been named the new manager of the Baltimore Orioles.
“Buck Showalter’s proven track record makes him the right choice for manager of the Orioles and we are thrilled to add a two-time Manager of the Year to our organization,” president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said in a press release.
“We believe Buck’s extensive experience and expertise will be a major benefit to us as we look towards a more successful future.”
Showalter, 54,will officially introduced as the Baltimore Oriole’s manager on Monday, and his first game will be Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels.
“Buck Showalter’s proven track record makes him the right choice for manager of the Orioles and we are thrilled to add a two-time Manager of the Year to our organization,” president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said in a press release. “We believe Buck’s extensive experience and expertise will be a major benefit to us as we look towards a more successful future.”
The Orioles dismissed Dave Trebley as their manager back on June 4.
Showalter, who now lives in Dallas, had three different managerial stints in the majors with the New York Yankees, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Texas Rangers. Showalter first managed the Yankees from 1992-1995 for 581 games posting a 313-268 record finishing 45 games over .500 with a .539 win/loss percentage. He was voted 1994 AL Manager of the Year after the Yankees finished first in the AL East going 70-43. Unfortunately, there would be no post-season in 1994 due to the strike. He made it to his first post-season appearance in 1995, losing the divisional series 3-2 to the Seattle Mariners.
He moved on to the Arizona Diamondbacks where he managed 486 games from 1998-2000 with a 250-236 record. His best season with the Diamondbacks came in 1999 when they finished first in the NL West going 100-62 and eventually losing in the divisional series 3-1 to the NY Mets. Showalter took over as Texas Rangers skipper in 2003-2006 posting a 319-329 record in 648 games. He was selected 2004 AL Manager of the Year with the Texas Rangers going 89-73 with a .549 win/loss percentage.
His father was a high school coach and principal, moving to Century in the late 1950’s. Showalter played Little League ball in Century in a thriving program. Century’s modern day Showalter Park is named after his family.
Susan J. Mura
July 29, 2010
Susan J. Mura, 63, of Atmore died Tuesday July 27, 2010 at her residence. She was a registered nurse, born in Centrailia, Illinois on April 23, 1947, to the late
Hewitt J. and Lucy Carpenter Cook..
Survivors are husband of of 46 years, Joseph Mura, Jr. of Atmore; one son, Joseph Mura III and wife, Ranae of Atmore; two daughters, Tammy Boon and
husband John of LaGrange, KY; Deborah Mura of Atmore; seven grandchildren, Heather, Brittany, Russell, Alexandra, Brittany, Taylor and Landon; one great-grandchild, Brentli.
Services will be Saturday July 31, 2010, at 10 a.m. from Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel. Interment will follow in Oak Hill cemetery. Active pallbearers will
be the grandchildren and honorary pallbearers will be Brentli and Landon.
Family will receive friends Friday evening July 30, 2010, at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home, Inc is in charge of all arrangements.
Man Indicted For Pregnant Woman’s Murder; Could Face Charges For Baby
July 29, 2010
An Escambia Count Grand Jury has indicted the man accused of the the stabbing death of a pregnant mother and her unborn child July 5 in Cantonment.
On Wednesday, the Grand Jury returned a first degree premeditated murder indictment against Phillip Arnold for the murder of Angela Castella Brown, according to State Attorney Bill Eddins. He faced Judge Ron Swanson in an arraignment hearing on Thursday.
Arnold, 65, of 349 South Chipper Road, fatally stabbed Brown in the chest, according to the State Attorney’s Office. Brown was about six months pregnant at the time. Doctors performed an emergency C-section to deliver the baby, which died about seven hours later, prosecutors said. The State Attorney’s Office is continuing to consult with the medical examiner’s office to determine whether any additional charges will be filed.
Arnold and Brown were neighbors, and that was their only known connection, according to Sgt. Ted Roy, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were dispatched to the stabbing at a mobile home at 349 South Chipper Road about 8:35 p.m only July 5. When they arrived, witnesses told deputies that Arnold fled into a nearby wooded area. As deputies were arriving in the area, EMS personnel advised they had seen a black male running down the railroad tracks on South Chipper Road.
Witnesses at the scene reported observing a black male known to them as Arnold running from the scene moments before they discovered the victim, according to the Sheriff’s Office. K-9 officers attempting to track Arnold discovered a knife that was believed to be the murder weapon. As deputies were surrounding the area to search for Arnold, he called sheriff’s dispatchers about 9:10 p.m. Arnold said he was at a home at 2473 Stacey Road and that he wanted to turn himself in. He was taken into custody without incident.
Brown was the mother of seven other children.