Two Injured In UWF Chemistry Lab Accident
July 12, 2011
Two students were injured in a chemistry lab accident Tuesday afternoon at the University of West Florida.
A male and female student were transported to West Florida Hospital with minor burns. One was burned on the arm, the other on the leg.
There were less than 100 students in the building at the time. They were all evacuated, and university officials closed Building 58. Classes in the science building were canceled for Tuesday night. UWF said the building was cleaned during the night and was ready for operation during normal hours on Wednesday.
Preliminary information indicated that nitric acid was involved in the incident. Officials said the spill did not pose any danger to those outside the building.
Morgan Meets Petition Requirement
July 12, 2011
David Morgan’s campaign says he has met the petition requirement for qualification to be on the 2012 ballot for Escambia County Sheriff.
There were 1,996 validated petitions needed to qualify. He was the first candidate for sheriff to qualify in this race.
Copper Thief Strikes Community Center
July 12, 2011
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a copper thief hit the Byrneville Community Center.
The theft at the county-owned facility was reported Monday. Someone destroyed one of three air conditioning units, stripping out the copper coils, in recent days. Early estimates are that theft could cost the county $3,000 in damage and replacement costs.
Officials said the thief cut the power to the air handling unit before stripping the copper.
The air handling units are located behind a privacy fence, just feet from the community center’s playground.
Anyone with information about the theft should contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Pictured above and below: Crime scene investigators with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office retrieve fingerprints from air conditioning units at the Byrneville Community Center Monday morning. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century Joining Battle Against Conecuh Woods Landfill
July 12, 2011
The Town of Century has joined several area governments in opposing the permitting and construction of the planned 5,100 acre Conecuh Woods landfill near Repton, Alabama.
Monday night, the Century Town Council voted to join Escambia County (Fla.) in a lawsuit aimed at blocking the landfill. The lawsuit was initiated by the Town of Repton, Ala., and Repton Mayor Terri Carter.
A resolution approved by the Town of Century expressed specific concerns over water quality for the Escambia River. Century is currently working toward new certifications for their wastewater treatment plant, which discharges into the Escambia River. The town’s resolution said the town is concerned that any water quality problems as a result of the Conecuh Woods landfill could impede that certification.
The Pensacola City Council also recently voted to join the lawsuit, citing water quality concerns with the landfill upstream from Escambia and Pensacola bays, both of which are currently listed as “impaired” because they already do not meet Florida’s minimum water quality standards.
The Escambia County (Fla.) Commission voted earlier this month to join a lawsuit because the county opposes the landfill because it poses a threat to Escambia River, Escambia Bay and Pensacola Bay, as well as the drinking water supply in the county.
In late April, attorneys filed the original suit in Conecuh County Circuit Court on behalf of Repton (pop. 280) and Carter seeking an injunction to block the 5,100 acre Conecuh Woods landfill. The landfill was approved 3-2 by the Conecuh County Commission just a week before the lawsuit was filed contending that the application violated applicable law and the public did not have ample opportunity to comment on the proposal.
Escambia County (Ala.), Atmore, Flomaton, Brewton and Orange Beach have also joined, or plan to join, the lawsuit. The Escambia County (Fla.) Soil and Water Conservation District also passed a resolution against permitting the landfill.
Conecuh Woods’ landfill, will include a 1,600 acre “disposal cell” from Range to Repton to near the Big Escambia Creek. Big Escambia Creek flows southward into Escambia County, Alabama, Flomaton and drains through a North Escambia swamp into the Escambia River and then into Escambia and Pensacola bays.
Pictured: Repton (Ala.) Mayor Terry Carter explains her position against the landfill to the Century Town Council. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Packy Mitchell Becomes Fifth To Prefile For District 5 Commission Race
July 12, 2011
A fifth candidate announced Monday that he is running for the Escambia County Commission District 5 seat currently held by Kevin White of Molino.
Packy Mitchell of Neal Road, Cantonment prefiled to run as a Republican. Mitchell ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2008, finishing second among Republican candidates.
White has announced that he is running again as Republican. Republicans Sam Archer and Jim Taylor of Cantonment and Dennis Wiggins of Century, who is running with no party affiliation, have also prefiled.
The election is in 2012.
Florida Officials: Don’t Let BP Off The Hook
July 12, 2011
A memo written last week by BP to federal officials prompted harsh words Monday in Pensacola from Florida officials and business leaders who are crying foul over the company’s stance of not paying most future Gulf coast claims resulting from last year’s oil spill.
Days after BP sent a memo to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility saying the region has rebounded and many future payments should be suspended, U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson both said the company that says it is responsible for the Deepwater Horizon disaster needs to honor its promise to make the region whole following the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
After paying more than $4.6 billion to private citizens and businesses since the April 20, 2010 spill, BP officials have told federal overseers that the Gulf coast economy is mostly back on its feet. And that’s what the claims were for – to help the region recover, the company says.
Speaking to reporters in Pensacola following a public hearing nearly a year after the leaking well was capped, Rubio said he’s concerned about the memo sent July 7 to the GCCF, especially because some effects of the spill may not be fully realized for several years.
“BP, from a corporate perspective, is trying to get out of here as quickly as they can,” Rubio said. “They are trying to disengage from this process as soon as they can and I think it is incumbent on us policymakers to make sure that doesn’t happen, and that BP fulfills its obligations to this region.”
In a letter sent last week to the GCCF, which has been set up to reimburse people and businesses for spill-related costs, BP says claims for continuing damage should be limited to a small minority of applicants such as oyster harvesters whose businesses have yet to rebound.
The company said that the big economic impact – the hit to the region’s tourism industry – has passed, with visitors having returned.
“Multiple lines of evidence show that, to the extent certain portions of the Gulf economy were impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Gulf economy experienced a robust recovery in the fall of 2010, and that economic performance remains strong in 2011,” the company wrote.
Under the direction of Ken Feinberg, the GCCF has distributed more than $4.6 billion.
Overall, the facility has received more than 502,000 claims. It has also come under intense fire from many along the Gulf Coast, who say the process is slow and wrought with inconsistency.
“BP doesn’t need to be protected from the citizenry,” U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., wrote Monday in a letter to Feinberg. “It’s the other way around.”
On Monday, Rubio held a public hearing on behalf of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, which is expected to craft federal legislation to divvy up fines expected to be paid by BP under the federal Clean Water Act.
Any proposed legislation is still several weeks, possibly months, away, though, Rubio said.
“I would tell people to take a deep breath because everything in Washington moves very slow and I don’t have any reason to believe that this won’t be the case here as well,” Rubio said.
During Monday’s hearing, Rubio heard from local officials and business leaders, many of whom are still waiting for payment from BP for damage following the spill, which was finally capped on July 15, 2010.
John Dixon, a dive shop owner from Port St. Joe, is still awaiting payment for his lost business. He has since closed up shop. Dixon said he initially believed that BP would stand firm in its pledge to “get it right” in the Gulf, but his confidence was shaken with the July 7 memo.
“Last Thursday that progress was lost, Dixon said. “It looks like they are back to profits over the people, safety and the environment.”
Rep. Doug Broxson, R-Gulf Breeze, whose district was among the most heavily affected by the spill, said months of frustration with BP and the GCCF have prompted him to ask federal officials to find another way to distribute the money remaining in the $20 billion BP recovery fund. With long delays and seemingly arbitrary and disparate outcomes, the GCCF has lost credibility and needs to be replaced, he said.
“There has got to be a better way,” Broxson said.
Since the spill, the Panhandle tourism market has rebounded, thanks to good weather and marketing campaigns – paid for, in part, by the company – that have lured tourists back to the region. In its letter to GCCF, BP included several studies and newspaper accounts showing that tourists have returned.
Such a rebound, the company claims, is evidence that the spill is no longer affecting the economy in many sectors. If true, it’s time to shut down the payments, it says.
“The current economic data do not suggest that individual and business claimants face a material risk of future loss caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill,” the company concludes.
Florida Agriculture Commission Adam Putnam, who attended Monday’s hearing held on the campus of Pensacola State College, said the company is getting ahead of itself.
“My feeling is that they still have a lot of claims in line before they start closing the purse,” Putnam said.
Broxson said he was not surprised by BP’s memo which he characterized as a well-timed step in BPs exit strategy.
“I’m trying not to be cynical, but when you spend several millions hiring consultants, you probably have this planned out,” Broxson said.
BP officials couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
By Michael Peltier
The News Service of Florida
Commission, School Board Work To Redraw Voting Districts
July 12, 2011
The Escambia County Commission and School Board left a Monday meeting with proposed redistricting maps.
Following the recent 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.
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.
Both the school board and commission will hold public hearings on the proposed changes later this month.
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 three 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.
Sen. Evers Schedules Town Hall Meetings
July 12, 2011
Senator Greg Evers (R-Baker) has announced the dates and times for his Senate District 2 town hall meetings for the month of July.
The purpose of these town hall meetings is to provide the district with information on recent legislative changes, and discuss key issues facing Northwest Florida communities and the state going into the 2012 Legislative Session.
In the North Escambia area, meetings will be held:
Friday, July 15, 2011
6 p.m. to 8 p.m. CDT
Jay Community Center
5259 Booker Lane
Friday, July 29, 2011
6 p.m. to 8 p.m. CDT
Hadji Shrine Temple
800 W Nine Mile Rd
Town Pauses To Remember Late Council Member
July 12, 2011
The Century Town Council paused during their regular meeting Monday night to honor and remember Councilwoman Nadine McCaw who passed away last Thursday night. A black ribbon was placed on her empty chair at the council table.
At their next meeting on July 18, the council will begin the process of appointing a replacement for McCaw.
Pictured top: A black ribbon adorns the empty chair of Nadine McCaw at Monday night’s meeting of the Century Town Council. Pictured inset: Mayor Freddie McCall watches as the ribbon is placed on the chair. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Two Women Robbed At Gunpoint Outside Pensacola Walmart
July 12, 2011
Two women were robbed at gunpoint Monday afternoon in an Pensacola Walmart parking lot, and a transient is now facing multiple charges in connection with the crime.
The suspect – Karl Hill, 21, no permanent address – was charged with armed robbery, grand theft, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
The incident occurred around 2:45 p.m. outside Walmart at 2650 Creighton Road.
Pensacola Police Officer David Huhn said the two women were in a parking lot outside Wal-Mart when Hill approached them.
Huhn said Hill, who lives on a wooded trail leading to the business, pointed a handgun at the women, ordered both of them to get onto their knees, and held the gun to the back of their heads while he demanded their possessions.
After getting a purse and wallet from the women, Hill fled toward a church. Hill was taken into custody a short time later behind a nearby car wash and booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $68,000.