Man, Children Rescued After 3 Days On River
August 9, 2011
A Pensacola man and his two children were rescued in good condition Monday in North Escambia after three days on the Perdido River, thanks to the efforts of numerous agencies and an aerial search.
Christopher Eden, 31, of Pensacola and his two boys, ages 11 and 14, were last heard from Friday night, August 5, according to Bruce Shue, investigator for the Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office.
Shue said Eden and the two boys put their kayaks into Perdido River along Highway 31 near Nokomis, Ala.,about 7 a.m. Friday with the goal of kayaking down the Perdido River to Muscogee Road in Cantonment. They had a cell phone and supplies, Shue said, last speaking to someone on their cell phone about 7:30 Friday night.
About 12:30 p.m. Monday, they were reported missing by a relative to the Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office. Chief Deputy Mike Lambert took to the air in a District Attorney’s Office plane and started a search in Nokomis. He located the family mid-afternoon in Florida, in a very remote area deep in the woods from the intersection of Highway 97A and Waters Ferry Road near Enon.
Deputies from the Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office and the Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office were able to eventually reach the family along the river, with the help of the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue. Baldwin County Search and Rescue and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office were also involved in the search from the Alabama side of the river.
Eden and his two children were evaluated by medics from Atmore Ambulance; they refused transport to the hospital.
Eden told rescuers that they were unable to navigate the river due to stumps and trees across and in the waterway along the 21 mile trip.
Lambert was able to locate the family in about 10 minutes once he began his search at Highway 31 in Alabama, but it took rescuers well over an hour to reach them from the nearest roadway.
Pictured top: An adult and three children were rescued Monday after being lost on the Perdido River for three days. Pictured inset: Christopher Eden of Pensacola and his two children were uninjured. Pictured below: Eden was found after an aerial search near Highway 97A and Waters Ferry Road in Enon. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Rep. Jeff Miller From Afghanistan: 40 Flag Draped Caskets, Honoring Those In Copter Crash
August 9, 2011
Rep. Jeff Miller is in Afghanistan as part of a congressional delegation and attended a battlefield memorial for the troops killed this weekend when their Chinook helicopter was attacked in Afghanistan. He submitted the following:
Tonight, I watched as time stood still. Battle hardened men and women wept. Tears of sadness. Tears of anger. Tears of pain. I watched as three pairs of boots stood in flawless formation on a land far from home. Dusty, still, yet no soldiers stood to fill them. Three helmets atop three rifles inverted upon their bayonets, representing each branch of service that lost a service member – Army, Navy, Air Force. Dog tags hung motionless, occasionally swaying in the gentle breeze that blew across the tarmac as if to remind us that these heroes will never be forgotten. In the background, airplanes could be heard taking off. The mission continued. The Battlefield Crosses stood to memorialize the ultimate sacrifice paid by our fallen soldiers.
These are America’s heroes. Hailing from small town USA, perhaps the family farm, a suburban town, or that inner city neighborhood. They have yet to know a life outside of our nation’s uniform. These young troops chose to serve, went where they were told, performed missions in faraway places most have never heard of, let alone will ever see. It is these men and women who chose to put themselves in harm’s way, who chose to go headfirst into battle so that others may sleep peacefully in their beds knowing that we are safe. These are America’s heroes.
We prayed. We remembered. And we resolved. I had just arrived in the Middle East when news of an American helicopter shot down spread through our group. We knew U.S. troops had been killed, but how many? Who? How? The next day, as we received more detail, I knew our country had suffered a horrific loss, a tragedy. As we set out for their battlefield memorial, I knew I did not know these troops who had fallen. But I know of their sacrifice. I know of their courage. And I know I will carry this moment with me forever as a grave reminder of gracious respect for those who serve and those who sacrifice.
A total of 40 were honored tonight, including 38 from the devastating helicopter attack and two killed in separate incidents. All died fighting a hero’s fight. We do not yet know the full story, but these warriors were part of a rapid response team sent to assist their comrades pinned down by enemy gunfire. It was a fierce firefight. Yet, these troops rushed into battle to save their fellow soldiers, a true testament to their bravery. They died courageously as people of honor, died fighting to protect the ones they loved and the ones they would never know. They died for our country. Come tomorrow, their comrades will carry on, because that is what they do, no matter how hard or how high the cost. As they carry on, they immortalize the sacrifice of their fallen brothers.
40 flag draped caskets, including those of our Afghan compatriots, were placed carefully in the hangar on an air base in Afghanistan, a hangar that no doubt many of these fallen warriors had seen before. This time was different. This time would be their final trip home. These soldiers, sailors, and airmen made their last journey across the ramp, carried by their brothers in arms who will fight on in their wake. They left on two C-17s under the light of a half moon. These brave soldiers, these sailors, these airmen, these heroes have made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of a grateful nation. May they rest in peace knowing the world is a safer, better place because of their sacrifice. These are America’s heroes.
Godspeed.
Orientation Schedule Announced For Escambia Schools
August 9, 2011
Orientation, and elementary open house, events have been scheduled at schools in Escambia County as follows:
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Orientations:
- Bratt — Pre-K and Kindergarten, August 18, 9-11 a.m.; grades 1-5, August 19, 9-11 a.m.
- Byrneville — K-5, August 19, 9-11 a.m.
- Jim Allen — K-5, August 19, 9-10:30 a.m.
- Molino Park — Pre-K, August 18 9-10:30 a.m.; grades K-5, August 19, 9-10 a.m.
For other orientation events at elementary schools in Escambia County, click here.
Open House:
- Bratt — September 8, 6:30 p.m.
- Byrneville — TBA
- Jim Allen — September 8, 6-7 p.m.
- Molino Park — September 8, 6:30 p.m.
For other open house schedules at elementary schools in Escambia County, click here.
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
Middle school orientations are scheduled for August 18 at 10:30 a.m.
HIGH SCHOOLS
High School Orientation will be held Thursday, August 18 at 9 a.m., and schedules for upperclassmen may be picked up the same day between 1 and 2:30 — with the following additions and exceptions:
Northview High School upperclassman may pick up their schedules on August 17th during the following times: seniors, 8:30 a.m., juniors, 10:00 a.m., and sophomores, 1:30 p.m.
West Florida will hold orientation on August 13th at 9 a.m. Ninth graders get their schedules at that time. Juniors wills pick up schedules at 10 a.m.; sophomores at 1:30 p.m.. Also, at 6 p.m., seniors will participate in a Parent Night where they will get their schedules and other information pertinent to their senior year.
Pine Forest High School ninth grade orientation is scheduled for August 11, 2011, 1-3 p.m.in the gym. There will be a wealth of information for both parents and students including a tour of the campus, dress code fashion show, and more.
Washington High School freshman orientation is August 10-11. Upperclassmen textbook and schedule distribution by alpha groups will occur on the 18-19th. Parents should receive information via newsletter. A new student orientation will be held on August 18 from 8:30 – 9 a.m.
Asbestos Concerns Put Demolition Of Old Town Owned Building On Hold
August 9, 2011
The demolition of an abandoned building owned by the Town of Century has been put on hold temporarily over asbestos concerns.
Bids were to be opened today to demolish the front, two-story portion of the building on Mayo Street because it is beyond repair. Once the older 6,400 square foot part of the building is gone, town employees were to be used to create a new front for the remaining single-story metal structure.
“After careful consideration, we have determined that an asbestos survey needs to be done prior to opening bids,” Mayor Freddie McCall said Monday. All bids submitted on the project are being returned unopened. A potential new bid date is still to be determined after the asbestos survey is completed.
The white, mostly brick building at 7601 Mayo Street (across from the old hospital) housed doctors’ offices and even a pharmacy and soda fountain years ago. It has been abandoned for several years and is in an obvious state of disrepair with roof and structural problems.
Pictured above: Town of Century will tear down the two story portion of this building owned by the town on Mayo Street. Pictured below: The interior of the building just inside the front door as seen in October 2008.NorthEscambia.com photos.
Funeral Held For 14-Year Old Murder Victim
August 9, 2011
Funeral services were held Tuesday for the 14-year old Molino girl who died hours after being shot by her adoptive sister last Wednesday afternoon.
The funeral for Christina Marine “Nellie” Sneary, who recently completed the eighth grade at Ernest Ward Middle School, was held at at the Williams Memorial Chapel Funeral Home in Brewton. Interment followed at the Dixonville Cemetery in Brewton.
Sneary is survived by her mother and father, Mike & Troyce Sneary of Molino; grandparents William and Bessie Brantley of Brooklyn, Ala., Laverna and Michael Leach of Virginia Beach, Virgina, and Gary Sneary of Jackson, Mississippi; brother Sgt. Jason Rendell of Fort Campbell, Kentucky; and two sisters, Brandi Sneary of Milton and Elena Rendell of Pensacola.
Century Man Arrested For Grand Theft Auto, Burglary
August 9, 2011
A Century man has been arrested for stealing a car that he says his “homeboy” gave him.
Terryvon Floyd Washington, 20, of Pond Street, Century, was charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and petty theft.
A Pensacola woman reported her 2005 Pontiac Grand Am stolen from her apartment off Blue Angel Parkway. Deputies checked and determined the vehicle had been towed on July 7. The victim said her vehicle had been repossessed, but she retrieved it after catching up all of her payments.
She also reported that the keys to the car were missing off her kitchen table. There were no obvious signs of a burglary the apartment, the report states.
The vehicle was stopped a short time later in the area of Caribbean and Coral Creek Drives. Washington was driving the vehicle and had the stolen keys in his possession, according to Escambia County deputies.
Washington told deputies, according to the arrest report, that “he did not beak into anything and he got the car from his homeboy”.
Washington remained in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $11,000.
ECUA’s Cantonment Facility Finalist For International Award
August 9, 2011
ECUA’s Central Water Reclamation Facility in Cantonment has been honored as a top three finalist for the 2011 Global Water Reuse Project of the Year by Global Water Intelligence.
The facility’s winning design and construction was carried out by Pensacola firms Baskerville-Donovan, Inc. and Hatch Mott MacDonald. Funding for the $316 million project came from FEMA, other federal sources, the State of Florida, ECUA, Escambia County and the City of Pensacola.
The Cantonment facilty, the largest construction project in Escambia County’s history, uses a highly developed biological treatment and disinfection process to clean water and provide up to 17 million gallons a day of reclaimed water to Gulf Power’s Plant Crist Plant and up to six million gallons a day of reclaimed water to International Paper.
The new plant sits on 2,000 acres of land adjacent to Ascend Performance Materials (formerly Solutia) on Old Chemstrand Road near Cantonment. A full 15 miles north of the existing Main Street Treatment Plant, the facility is well above the flood plain and is built to resist hurricane-force winds. Redundant power and storage systems help to ensure that the facility can remain operational during conditions that crippled the Main Street plant during Hurricane Ivan in 2004.
Pictured top: The Central Water Reclamation Facility in Cantonment. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Vehicles Burglarized During Graveside Funeral Service
August 9, 2011
Authorities are on the hunt for someone that burglarized several vehicles in a cemetery during a graveside funeral service.
The incident happened Saturday during a graveside service at Serenity Gardens Cemetery in Milton. When deputies arrived, they found that five vehicle burglaries had occurred while the owners were attending the funeral service only about 50 yards away.
Three of the burglarized vehicles had been left unlocked, while one had a side window broken out with a window punch. The fifth vehicle had damaged windows from the punch.
The suspect took items such as purses, cash, cell phones, identification cards and credit cards.
Anyone with information on the crime is asked to contact the Santa Rosa County Crime Stoppers at (850) 437-STOP.
Pictured top: One of the burglarized vehicles with a broken window at the Serenity Gardens Cemetery. Photo courtesy Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Man Busted For Home Invasion — With A Toy Gun
August 9, 2011
An Escambia County man was busted for a home invasion in which he pulled a toy gun.
William Payne, 26, was charged in the armed home invasion in the 1200 block of Basin Street. He remained in the Escambia County Jail Monday with bond set at $100,000.
According to the victim, Payne called him Sunday morning about finishing a tattoo. He began to shout and hung up the phone during the conversation, according to deputies. A short time later, he showed up at the victim’s house, knocked on the door and rattled the doorknob.
When the victim opened the door, Payne forced his way into the home and pulled a black-colored handgun from his pocket, saying “give me my tattoo kit or I’ll shoot all of you,” according to the arrest report. Payne then grabbed the victim’s tattoo kit.
The victim grabbed the gun in an effort to wrestle it away from Payne, and it broke into pieces. It was at that point he realized the gun was plastic.
Payne still managed to jump into his vehicle and leave the premises with the tattoo kit. He was identified a short time later by Pensacola Police and deputies arrested him on charges of home invasion robbery.
Lightning Causes Scattered Power Outages
August 8, 2011
Lightning was blamed for scattered power outages in the North Escambia area Monday afternoon.
Escambia River Electric Cooperative said their crews responded to outages in the area of Christian Home Road, Breastworks Road, North Highway 99, North Pine Barren and Purdue Road. Power was reported to be restored to all customers by about 4 p.m.