Rain Decreasing; Heat Increasing
July 7, 2010
Our wet weather patter is coming a gradual end, and summer’s heat is returning.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers before 1pm. Partly cloudy, with a high near 95. East southeast wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 70. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Thursday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Calm wind becoming east southeast around 5 mph.
- Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 71. South southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph.
- Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a high near 94. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Calm wind.
- Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 93.
- Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74.
- Monday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 92.
- Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74.
- Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 93.
Post Office Wants To Raise Stamp Prices
July 7, 2010
The U.S. Postal Service announced Tuesday that it wants to raise the price of first class postage by two cents.
The price of a first class stamp would jump two cents from 44 to 46 cents. The price of a postcard would increase 2 cents to 30 cents, as the price for other services would jump an average of 5 percent.
The Postal Regulatory Commission must approve the recommended price changes. The increases would not go into effect until January 2, 2011. It would be the first stamp price increase in almost two years.
Faced with plummeting mail volume traced to the recession and increased use of the Internet, the Postal Service is projecting a deficit of nearly $7 billion for the next fiscal year. Despite eliminating millions work hours and reducing expenses by more than $1 billion every year since 2001, a budget gap remains.
The proposed price changes, if approved, will raise about $2.3 billion for the first nine months of 2011. Postmaster General John E. Potter said he does not want customers to bear the burden of dramatic price increases. Instead, Potter announced in March that pricing would be one in a series of solutions the Postal Service is pursuing to become financially sound.
“There is no one single solution to the dire financial situation that the Postal Service faces,” Potter said. “These proposed rate adjustments are moderate and part of a fair and balanced approach to insuring mail service for all Americans well into the future.”
The Post Office has also outlined plans to cut Saturday mail delivery.
Other actions outlined in March included the restructuring prepayments of retiree health benefits, creating a more flexible workforce and expanding access to products and services to places more convenient to customers.
Pictured: The Simpsons were honored a new 44 cent stamp introduced in May, 2009.
Wednesday Escambia Oil Update
July 7, 2010
Here is the latest BP oil spill information specific to Escambia County for Wednesday, July 7:
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Important Phone Numbers For Citizens
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Century Resident Completes 500 Mile Hike Across Spain (With Photo Gallery)
July 7, 2010
Over the past month, we have followed the journals of Century resident Terri Sanders as she hikes 500 miles across Spain this summer.
As Terri hiked from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, she filed dispatches from her journal and sent pictures when possible for NorthEscambia.com as she hiked the Camino de Santiago — the Way of St. James — to the Atlantic Ocean.
To read the complete series from day one, click here. For a photo gallery from her trip, click here.
Today, we bring you Terri’s final journal entry as she finishes her pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.
June 30, 2010
Start: Arca
Destination: Santiago De Compostela
It was just before 6:00 a.m. when someone snagged the chair at the head of my bunk with their leg and went sprawling. Needless to say I was awake then. I even beat John out of bed. Throughout the morning all I wanted to do was walk slow and drink in every detail of this last day of the Camino. The path was lined with the ever present stands of eucalyptus trees and the shade they provided was very welcome. Then as we grew closer to the city the woodsy path was replaced by asphalt and more and more people crowded the trail.
It was 10:45 am when we crossed into the city limits of Santiago. We came down an incline and could see the city spread out before us. We had done it! We had hiked 800 kilometers across Spain! It took us another hour to get through the city to the cathedral square where we stood in line for another 45 minutes to turn in our credentials and get our compostela, our certificate of completion.
We had planned to say in Cathedral Square in the oldest hostel in the world that is in constant use. We thought it would be a nice ending for our walk. We had planned on it being higher than our usual alburque but the price of 275 Euros a night changed our mind. We were approached by a lady on the street offering pilgrims places to stay for a reasonable price.
At first we were a bit concerned but when we saw the room we were grateful. It is one room with three twin beds, a common shower and bath. It cost us 15 Euros each and we are virtually in the middle of cathedral square. We found a quaint cafe with great food and had lunch, then walked around the square taking pictures acting like common tourists. There was a group of camera men taking pictures and interviewing some guy who must have been important and we were right in the middle of all of it. He kept walking and talking, the cameras kept rolling and we stayed in back of the group the whole time. Someone later said it was some famous rock singer.
There are several quotes from our guide book that I would like to quote here. One of the most potent aspects of the pilgrimage is the extended time it requires away from the familiar. This allows an opportunity for the inner alchemy of spirit to start its work of transformation. It is not just the physical body that needs to sweat off the excess baggage, the mind needs purifying also. Our world is a mess and we are not going to fix it with more of the same. We need a fresh approach and a different mindset to the one that created the chaos in the first place. Hopefully this re-ordering of the way we see the world will quicken apace as we open to lessons presented to us along the Camino and begin to understand that life itself is a classroom.
A purpose of pilgrimage is to allow time for old belief systems and outworn truths to fall away so new and higher perspectives can arise. Collectively we live in a spiritual vacuum of our own making where the mystical and sacred have been relegated to the delusional or escapist. Accordingly we live in a three dimensional world and refuse to open the door to higher dimensions of reality. We have impoverished ourselves in the process, severely limiting our potential. We are terrorized by the chaotic world we have manifested around us and we have become ensnared in its dark forms. We have become so preoccupied with these fearful images we fail to notice that we hold the key to the door of our self made prison. We can walk out any time we choose!
It was months before I realized the changes that hiking the AT had made in me. Still today there are times that another change is brought to mind. I suppose it will be the same with my Camino hike. The only noticeable difference I have seen is the fact that about halfway through this hike I began to write poetry. I have always written but never poetry. It is like these poems were inside me all the time just waiting for me to open a door to let them out. The problem was I didn’t know that door even existed much less needed to be opened. Tomorrow we become tourists for a few days before we journey back to the states.
Miles 12.8
The End.
Larry Stephen “Steve” Moseley
July 6, 2010
Mr. Larry Stephen “Steve” Moseley, 54, passed away on Sunday, July 4, 2010 at a Pensacola, FL hospital.
Mr. Moseley was a native and lifelong resident of Atmore, AL and attended the Brook’s Memorial Baptist Church.
Survivors include: his Son, Denver Moseley of Atmore, AL; three Daughters, Blaire and Chris Singleton of Atmore, AL, Gina and Jonathan Wetzel of Crestview, FL, and Miranda Moseley of Atmore, AL; his Parents, J.T. and Laurie Moseley of Bay Minette, AL; 6 Grandchildren, Hunter Moseley, Talerie Singleton, Jaxon Singleton, and Cole Singleton, all of Atmore, AL, Chesnea Moseley Wetzel and Brody Wetzel, both of Crestview, FL; and the Mother of his children, Janet McLeod of Atmore, AL.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 2:00 P.M. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with the Rev. Jack Persee and the Rev. Mike Wetzel officiating.
Burial will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery.
Visitation will be held Wednesday, July 7, 2010 between 6:00 and 8:00 P.M .at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be John Turberville, Bo Bryars, Scott Bryars, Jeffrey Gibbs, Jimmy Campbell and Ken McLeod.
Evelyn Inez White
July 6, 2010
Evelyn Inez White, 71, of Century passed away July 4, 2010, in Jay.
Mrs. Inez was born March 23, 1939, in Enon.
Her husband, Joe Ivey White; a son, Carl Joe White; two infant children and a granddaughter, Jolene Hiebert preceded her in death.
Survivors include two daughters, Sandra (Donnie) Victor and Londy (Ray) Himes; two sisters, Emogene Mitchell of Pace, Fla. and Mildred (Bennie) Pugh of Thomasville, N.C.; a host of grandchildren; great grandchildren and family and friends.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, July 8, 2010, from Atmore Memorial Chapel Funeral Home with Sister Kathy Stophel and Pastor J.T. Guyton officiating. Burial will follow in Byrneville United Methodist Church Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. July 7, 2010, from Atmore Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.
Active pallbearers will be Cody Joe Fowler, James Victor, Ronnie Merchant, Michael Seagers, Eli Himes and Lee Waller. Honorary pallbearers will be John Fowler, Jason Victor, John Victor and Bennie Pugh.
Man Faces 2 Counts Of Murder In Death Of Pregnant Woman, Child
July 6, 2010
A Cantonment man will be charged with two counts of murder after the stabbing death of a pregnant woman and her unborn child Monday night in North Escambia.
Phillip Arnold, 65, of 349 South Chipper Road, Cantonment, was booked into the Escambia County Jail early Tuesday morning on an open count of murder in connection with the incident. He was being held without bond.
According to Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigators, Arnold will be charged with two counts of murder due to the unborn child not surviving.
The victim has been identified as Angela C. Brown, 44, of Pensacola. A motive for the murder has not been established at this time, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Witnesses said Brown and Arnold lived at the same address but rented different rooms in the complex, according to deputies.
“The suspect and victim’s only tie to each other is that of neighbors as far as investigators can establish,” 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. When they arrived, witnesses told deputies that Arnold fled into a nearby wooded area.
The woman was reportedly stabbed very near her heart. 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.
The first deputy on scene discovered a pregnant female lying on the floor of the mobile home and started CPR. Brown was transported by LifeFlight to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola where the victim and her unborn child were pronounced dead.
Witnesses at the scene reported observing a black male known to the 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.
Pictured below: A stabbing was reported about 8:40 p.m. Monday in the 300 block of Chipper Road. The suspect, Phillip Arnold of Cantonment, turned himself in about 30 minutes later on Stacey Road.
Mail A Check To Citizens Insurance? Someone Diverted Their Mail
July 6, 2010
If you are a Citizens Property Insurance customer that mailed a check or other correspondence to the company last month, it may have been diverted to someone else.
The state’s public insurance company says mail from June 24 to June 29 was fraudulently diverted to an unauthorized location. Citizens became aware of the situation last week after receiving a change of address notification from the U.S. Postal Service. The company said someone changed the company’s physical address at the Post Office. A second attempt to divert the company’s post office box mail failed.
Citizens is advising anyone that send a check or other correspondence to the company during the June 24 to June 29 time period to contact the company at (888) 685-1555. The affected address was 6676 Corporate Center Parkway, Jacksonville.
Century Council Denies Zoning Change To Allow ‘Junkyard’ To Operate
July 6, 2010
A Century Front Street property will not be rezoned from residential to commercial so what a town consultant says is “junkyard” can operate.
The council voted 4-1 Monday night to deny the rezoning request by George William Philyaw on a recommendation from the town’s land use consultant, Debbie Nickles. Nickles said Century’s future land use plans and ordinances do not allow for “spot zoning” a single piece of property unless it is for the overall public good.
Council President Ann Brooks said that the town’s attorney advised against approving the spot rezoning request because it would likely be overturned in court.
“If we change it, we are certain to get a lawsuit,” Mayor Freddie McCall told the council prior to the 4-1 vote. Council member Henry Hawkins voted against the motion to deny the request.
A week ago, the council held a public workshop as they work to decide if Philyaw was operating a junkyard on his residential property and if what he claims to do for a living was or was not a business.
Philyaw has been cited by Escambia County Code Enforcement for his property at 120 Front Street because it is zoned residential which does not allow his type of business to operate. He has told the town council that he simply collects metal for recycling until he has a “load” and then it is sold. Nickles maintained that the property was a junkyard under the town’s ordinances.
“This is not a home occupation,” Nickles said at public hearing on June 28. “Based on my site visit, I consider this a junkyard…junkyards refer to storage of materials.”
Numerous residents spoke against the rezoning at that public hearing, and the council was presented a petition with signatures from about three dozen residents in opposition.
According to town records, Philyaw applied for a business license to operate about three years ago, but the application was denied because the property was zoned residential.
Philyaw was required to deposit $600 with the town for his rezoning request. With the denial, he will forfeit the actual costs incurred by the town.
Pictured top: The street view of the property at 120 Front Street, Century as seen June 28. NorthEscambaia.com file photo, click the enlarge.
Reader Submitted: One Vacation Oil Spill Photo Really Stands Out
July 6, 2010
The following was submitted by a NorthEscambia.com reader:
I was in Pensacola the week of June 26-July 2. We stayed on the beach and was able to see the work and oil. I made several pictures; however, one stands out….With rain, thunder, lightning, strong winds, and the oil spill, it is nice to know that God is still in control.
Judy Earnhart
Rocky Face, Ga. 30740
Do you have photos or a story you would like to share? Email news@northescambia.com