Gulf Power Working Post Hurricane Near Washington DC
August 29, 2011
A Gulf Power storm restoration team of 65 employees began work in the Upper Marlboro, Md. area Sunday, helping electric utility Pepco restore power in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene.
Upper Marlboro is located about 20 miles east of Washington, D.C. and is near Andrews Air Force Base.
As of 7:30 a.m. Sunday, Pepco reported that 194,000 customers were without power, down from 220,000 outages at the height of the storm. Along the Eastern seaboard, 4 million people were without power following the storm.
Gulf Power sent 48 line personnel and 17 support staff members. They are among 800 out-of-state utility workers helping Pepco, which delivers power to nearly 1.9 million customers in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland and New Jersey, making it one of the largest electricity delivery companies in the Mid-Atlantic region.
“Our crews are prepared to restore power for up to two weeks,” said Jeff Rogers of Gulf Power. “It’s great that all these crews are out here to help get the power back on.”
Pictured above and below: Gulf Power crews prepare to depart Pensacola Friday morning for Washington, D.C. to assist with power restoration after Hurricane Irene makes landfall. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ray’s Chapel Holds Spirit Night
August 29, 2011
Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church recently kicked off the new school year with a Spirit Night.
The students celebrated with music, food, fellowship, games and worship. Students were encouraged to wear their school colors to celebrate their return to class; schools represented included Northview, Ernest Ward, Tate and West Florida.
For more photos from the event, click here.
Email information and photos to news@northescambia.com if you have news from your church.
Pictured: A recent Spirit Night at Ray’s Chapel Church in Bogia. Submitted photos by Ramona Preston for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Redrawing The Lines: Escambia County Considers New Voting Districts
August 28, 2011
The Escambia County Commission is moving forward with plans to approve a new redistricting map.
Following the release of 2010 Census numbers that show a population shift into the Cantonment area of the county, both the Escambia County Commission and the School District were forced to redraw district boundaries.
The Escambia County Commission has scheduled a public hearing for the purpose of taking public input and adopting new district boundaries for 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 6 in the commission chambers.
Escambia County is divided into five different voting districts, each represented by a county commissioner and school board member. According to County Administrator Randy Oliver, the districts must be redrawn in such a manner that the population difference between the smallest district and the largest district is no more than five-percent.
All of the districts will be predominantly white, with the exception of District 3, which will remain predominantly black.
The ideal district, with one-fifth of the population, would have 59,524 residents. Districts 4 and 5 will be slightly larger than “ideal” by about 1,000 people.
Data released earlier this year by the U.S. Census Bureau showed a population shift into the area between Barrineau Park and 9 Mile roads. That area, called the Cantonment Census County Division, saw a population increase of 15.8% (6,901 people) while the other Census divisions in the county saw a population decrease of 1.4 to 3 percent. Overall, the county experienced a very slight 1 percent increase during the decade as the population increased from 294,410 in 2000 to 297,619 in 2010.
Click the map above to enlarge.
Century Schedules Business Tax, Budget Workshops For This Week
August 28, 2011
Century has scheduled two special workshops this week — one to discuss next year’s budget and the other to discuss an increase in the local business tax.
The Century Town Council budget workshop will be held Thursday, September 1 at 1:30 p.m. at the Century Town Hall. Later that day, at 3:30 p.m., a workshop will be held to discus the implementation of a local business tax.
For more information on the local business tax being considered by Century, click here.
Video: Northview Beats Bay
August 28, 2011
Here are video highlights by Keith Garrison for NorthEscambia.com from Northview’s win Friday night over Panama City Bay.
For game details, click here for the NorthEscambia.com story. For a photo gallery, click here.
(The video is also available in HD; change the setting at the bottom toolbar on the video.)
Houston G. Conway
August 28, 2011
Houston G. Conway, of Pensacola, the retired owner of Conway-Spence Insurance, passed away August 25, 2011, at his residence while surrounded by family and friends.
He was born June 21, 1922, in Huxford to Wilson E. and Maudie Mack Doriety Conway and served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Eva Roach Conway; one daughter, Portia (Jim) Kimbrel; one grandson, Jameson Kimbrel, all of Pensacola; one sister, Trudie Harris of San Antonio, TX; and a host of nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be Monday, August 29, 2011, at 1 p.m. at Petty-Eastside Chapel in Atmore with services at 2 p.m. in the chapel with Rev. Jim Willis officiating. Internment will follow at Godwin Cemetery in Bratt.
The family wishes to thank Tina, Jeanette, Keri and Mike of Regency Hospice, in addition to all the nurses and aides, and special family friend, Brenda Fowler, for all their love and support.
Tastes And Tales: Local Historic Group Releases Cookbook
August 28, 2011
The Jay Historical Society’s new cookbook “Tastes and Tales of the Great Pine Level” are now available for a $20 donation to the society.
“These recipes along with the accompanying photographs and stories, each reveal a bit of our collective heritage in Northwest Florida. Those that came before us may not have preheated their ovens to 350 degrees. Instead, they may have stirred a pot over an open fire or stoked big wood burning stoves to make the food hot. Still they cooked good food-simple maybe, but undeniably satisfying,” is how the historical society describes the 200 page cookbook.
“This book has been a labor of love for the committee working to make this a reality as well as all the community members who shared their recipes, photos and stories of family members both past and present generations. The money generated from the donations for this book, will help the society complete renovations of the future home of the museum and fund future book projects,” said Jane Hayes of the Jay Historical Society.
Cookbooks are available at Jay Pharmacy, Scott’s Furniture/Outdoors, DuraMed, Iron Gate Flowers and Gifts, United Bank, Town of Jay or the Santa Rosa Teachers Credit Union.
Books can be ordered contacting Paula Lewis at (850) 675-3772, Jane Hayes at (850) 675-0406, by emailing jayhistoricalsociety@gmail.com or on Facebook.
Shipping is up to an additional $4 per book.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Prison Boss Quits, Gulf Power Gets Rate Increase
August 28, 2011
Floridians bid goodnight to Irene and goodbye to Ed this week as they dodged a major hurricane but watched as lightning struck the state’s prisons chief who fell out of favor with his boss.
Department of Corrections Secretary Ed Buss resigned his post midweek following a series of disagreements with the governor’s office over prison privatization, health care and reality TV. The Indiana transplant, who went from Wunderkind to red-headed stepchild in his roughly seven months in office, was replaced by a 34-year veteran from FDLE with deep Tallahassee roots.
While Buss was getting a pink slip, the state’s water management districts announced they had trimmed their budgets by more than $700 million in response to legislative directives and tough budget times. Public radio stations could sympathize as they were informed that they would receive no state help.
On the political front, the Republican race for U.S. Senate remains dominated by undecided voters as a large field of candidates vie for public attention in what appears to be an uphill battle to defeat a popular Democratic incumbent.
Meanwhile, GOP presidential candidates eyed the swing state for their respective bids to unseat a not-so-popular Democratic incumbent, with Mitt Romney leading the pack and newcomer (and Scott bff) Texas Gov. Rick Perry gaining his most prominent endorsement.
THE WHEELS ON THE BUSS COME OFF
Hailed as a national leader in prison reform, Buss in December became one of the earliest and highest profile appointments for the incoming governor.
But following legislative moves to privatize a third of Florida’s prison beds, Buss said the experiment should not extend further until cost savings were achieved, a cautious stance that may have contrasted with Scott and the Legislature’s hard-charging approach. The plan also cost $25 million more than expected, a revelation that fueled the fires of privatization critics.
Also, the agency this week terminated an $180,000 contract with a woman brought to the agency by Buss to oversee the planned privatization of prisoner health care. Scott’s office reportedly pushed for the woman, Elizabeth Gondles, to be fired over concerns about a conflict of interest. Her husband is the director of the only organization in the nation that accredits state prison medical services.
The final straw may have been more to do with process than substance in a flap over a decision to allow the MSNBC series “Lock-up” to film at the Santa Rosa Correctional Institution in Milton. Scott said he hadn’t vetted the contract and canceled it – though some at DOC told a newspaper that his office had been clued in. Then, in a strange twist, after Buss quit on Thursday, Scott reapproved the contract anyway.
In a statement, Scott’s office said of Buss’ resignation that “differences in philosophy and management styles arose which made the separation in the best interests of the state.” Despite a resignation letter, Buss purchased a $310,000 home in Tallahassee in May, so the split probably wasn’t his idea.
BUDGET CONTINUES TO DRIVE POLICY
Budget considerations both past and present continue to drive policy as agencies deal with tight purse strings and legislative leanings.
Water management districts submitted a budget proposal that is $700 million leaner than the present fiscal year, with most of the cuts coming from the South Florida Water Management District. The budget shelves, at least temporarily, a $190 million land purchase from U.S. Sugar and delays the sale of $100 million in bonds to pay for further land acquisition.
A frequent critic, the Everglades Foundation said it was “pleasantly surprised” by the proposal, saying that it maintains critical Everglades efforts and re-focuses the agencies that during better times had gotten a little fat. Other environmental groups, including Audubon of Florida, were not as enamored, saying the budget puts water supply, water quality and long-term Everglades funding in jeopardy.
Meanwhile, the State Board of Education approved a legislative wish list that excluded $4.8 million for public broadcasting, throwing the future of public funding for the programming
into question. The decision marked the first time in more than 35 years the state did not provide money for public broadcasting.
“What do they do for education?” asked Board Chair Kathleen Shanahan.
Meanwhile, there was news this week that Florida’s charter school movement is alive and well. Florida school districts are flooded with applications for new charter schools, motivated by several new laws that make it easier to start traditional and virtual charters.
Nearly 100 more new charter school applications have been filed for the 2012-13 school year than were filed at the same time last year, a 38 percent increase, according to statistics from the Department of Education. Statewide, school districts have received 348 charter school applications. Last year, districts received 252 applications.
POLLS:
A Sachs-Mason-Dixon poll finds the president in trouble and Mitt Romney ahead in of the GOP field in the state. The poll, which had a margin of error of plus or minus 8 points, showed Romney ahead of his closest Republican rival, Perry, 21 percent to 13 percent. Jon Huntsman, whose headquarters is in Florida, got less than 1 percent. Perry had an active week, signing up for a handful of debates and appearances and getting an endorsement by House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park.
Meanwhile, the race for the U.S. Senate remained wide open on the Republican side, with the poll showing U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan leading a long list of primary contenders with 14 percent. He’s followed by U.S. Rep. Allen West at 11 percent. The problem is neither Congressman is running, though it may now be clear why Buchanan hasn’t ruled it out. West has.
Former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner leads among candidates who have declared their interest in challenging Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson. Hasner, preferred by 8 percent of respondents, is followed by former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux (7 percent), Craig Miller (5 percent) and Mike McCalister (2 percent). More than half of respondents, however, remain undecided.
Voting groups are also looking toward 2012. Voting-rights groups and elected officials have asked a federal court to allow them to intervene in the legal fight over the most controversial elements of Florida’s new elections law, which among other things makes it more difficult to register on Election Day .
The American Civil Liberties Union and Project Vote joined citizens, two lawmakers and a pair of supervisors of elections in asking to be allowed to fight the law in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. The state decided to try to get partial “preclearance” — required for the law to go into effect in five counties with a history of racial discrimination or language minorities — from the court instead of the U.S. Department of Justice, which usually pre-clears laws under the Voting Rights Act.
POWER COMPANY RATE HIKE APPROVED.
State regulators allowed Gulf Power Co. to at least temporarily raise rates by $38.5 million. The so-called “interim” increase will start hitting customer bills in mid-September and will lead to a $4.49 a month jump for residential customers who use 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity.
The Florida Public Service Commission will re-visit the interim increase as it considers Gulf’s proposal for a permanent base-rate increase of $93.5 million.
TRI-RAIL TALKS:
Prison officials aren’t the only ones talking about privatization. State transportation officials confirmed this week that they are in talks with Florida East Coast Railway to provide passenger rail service from West Palm Beach to Miami on the company’s tracks, and that FEC might also be interested in running the existing Tri-Rail commuter train system in South Florida. The discussions, reported first by the Palm Beach Post, were alluded to recently by Secretary of Transportation Ananth Prasad.
STORY OF THE WEEK; Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Ed Buss abruptly resigns this week over apparent discord between his office and Gov. Rick Scott over the agency’s mission.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “What do they do for education?” Board of Education Chair Kathleen Shanahan concerning the decision not to fund public broadcasting as part of the state’s education budget.
By Michael Peltier
The News Service of Florida
Ellen Voncille Brook
August 28, 2011
Ellen Voncille Brooks, 66 of Perdido, Al died Friday August 26, 2011, at her residence.
She was a homemaker, born in Monroe County, AL, to the late Varney C. and Ida Mae Smith Black.
She is survived by husband, Jimmie Brooks of Perdido; three daughters, Tammy L. Varnett and husband, Junior of Loxley, Shelia Janes and husband, Randy and Tracy Nichols all of Perdido; five grandchildren, John, Ashley, Brianna, Haven and Macy.
Services will be Monday August 29, 2011,, at 2 p.m. from the Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel with Elder V.M. Varnett officiating. Interment will follow in Brooks Cemetery in Baldwin County.
Family will receive friends, Sunday evening August 28, 2011, at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home from 6-8 p.m.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home, Inc. in in Atmore is in charge of all arrangements.
Birth: Chase Weston Gilmore
August 28, 2011
Benjamin and Rachel Gilmore along with big sister Savannah welcome with joy the birth of Chase Weston Gilmore. Chase was born on Wednesday, June 1, 2011, at Sacred Heart Hospital of Pensacola at 12:10 p.m. Chase weighed 8 pounds 13 ounces and was 21.75 inches long.
Chase is the grandson of Glen and Jean Wiggins of Walnut Hill and Elton and Missy Gilmore of McDavid. He is the great grandson of Pattie Stone and the late George Stone, Ouida Wiggins and the late Billy Wiggins, and Mattie Lou Sheffield.