DEVELOPING: 911, Phone Outage Resolved For Walnut Hill, Bratt Molino Areas
June 24, 2011
(Updated 10:15 p.m.) An equipment problem left Walnut Hill, Bratt and Molino Frontier Communications customers unable to call 911 or other numbers outside the Frontier network for over five hours Friday.
The outage started before 5 p.m. and was resolved by about 10:15 p.m. During the outage, the Molino and Walnut Hill stations of Escambia Fire Rescue were manned by volunteers in the event they were needed for an emergency.
A Frontier spokesman said the problem was a fiber optic equipment equipment failure in the Walnut Hill or Molino area.
UWF Uncovering 1740’s Spanish Mission In Molino
June 24, 2011
A major archaeological dig is underway this summer in Molino, as evidence of a 1700’s mission and even a 6,000 year old artifact have been uncovered.
“It’s amazing that this is right here in our own backyard,” said undergraduate archaeology major Phillip Mayhair (pictured left), a 2008 Northview High graduate that lives just a few miles away in Barrineau Park. “It was amazing that they found this right here in Molino.”
The Mission San Joseph De Escambe was established upriver along the Escambia River — which, along with Escambia County, actually took its name from the mission near Molino. The Apalachee Indian settlement with about 75 residents is well documented, according to archaeologist John Worth. It was established in the 1740’s. A Franciscan missionary was stationed by the Spanish at the village along with 15 members of a Spanish cavalry unit until about 1757.
The village was led by Apalachee Chief Juan Marcos Fant until it was destroyed during a Creek Indian raid on April 9, 1761. The village and the church were at least partially burned during the raid. Following the raid, the residents moved down the Escambia River to what is now downtown Pensacola.
The Mission was uncovered in 2009 by the UWF archeology students under the leadership of professor of Worth, who spent years digging through historical records before the actual digging in Molino began.
Now, the UWF students are digging on a private lot not far from the Molino Boat Ramp and Fairgrounds Park. They are uncovering period artifacts from the Mission, as well as items thousands of years old (like a 6,000 year old spearpoint) and other bits of more modern-era Molino history.
“Clearly, this was the site of the Mission San Joseph De Escambe,” Worth said. “It’s a near pristine site; it’s never been plowed or really disturbed all of these years.”
The Missions settlement is believed to have included a Spanish missionary church and a small Apalachee Indian village.
While the walls have deteriorated over time and appear to the casual observer to be nothing more than darker soil, two summers ago UWF students found almost 40 wrought iron nails in their original positions. In what was called an “amazing” find, students uncovered a wrought iron nail still embedded in piece of wood, the remains of a beam or post where the nail was hammered about 250 years ago.
“So far, we have not found the church,” Worth said. “We would really like to discover it.”
Coming up this weekend on NorthEscambia.com, we’ll take a more in-depth
look at the items found at the archaeological site in Molino.
Editor’s note: The Mission historical site is located on private property and is not accessible to the general public.
Pictured: UWF Students work to uncover the 250-year old Mission San Joseph De Escambe not far from the Escambia River in Molino. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
UWF Team Surveys 1800’s Steam Launch Found In McDavid
June 24, 2011
A research team from the University of West Florida confirmed Thursday morning that the old boat pulled from the Escambia River over the weekend was, in fact, a steam launch from about the late 1800’s.
Archaeologist John Bratton and students from the University of West Florida took a look at the boat this morning and found that the surviving wooden structure is in remarkably good shape.
The steam launch is once again submerged in the Escambia River near McDavid. Bratton and his team recovered a few small pieces of wood to determine its type and to learn how to best preserve the boat if it’s ever removed from the river for display in a museum.
For earlier NorthEscambia.com stories about the discovery of the steam launch and detailed photos of the boat out of the water –
- McDavid Mystery: Steamboat Pulled From the Escambia River (6/19)
- Expert: McDavid Mystery Steamboat Appears To Be From 1800’s (6/21)
Pictured: A UWF Archeology research team surveys a 100 plus year old steam launch on the Escambia River near McDavid Thursday morning. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com click to enlarge.
Benefit Lunch Plates Sold Today For Man Stepped On By Mule
June 24, 2011
Benefit plates will be sold today in Atmore for Jim Ashcraft, a horse trainer that was severely injured when a mule stepped on his face.
The plates will sold in the old Feaster’s Tires parking lot, across from Walgreens, from 10 am until 1 pm.
Smoked pork and chicken plates will include potato salad, baked beans and drink for $6.
Century Meeting Will Plan Hurricane Preparedness
June 24, 2011
A hurricane and disaster preparedness workshop will be held next week in Century.
The CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) event will organize citizens, churches and neighborhood groups and discuss hurricane preparedness. The event will take place at the Century Town Hall, Tuesday, June 28 at 6 p.m.
The event will organize a hurricane response plan, connect the community to resources available during a major disaster and help organizations identify their own Community Emergency Response Team.
For more information, contact Gary Riley at (850) 256-3822.
Missing Cantonment Woman Found
June 24, 2011
A woman missing from the Cantonment area since Wednesday afternoon was found unharmed Thursday night.
Jacqueline Findley, 55, was last seen Wednesday afternoon at her home in the 2000 block of Welcome Circle, south of Quintette Road. Family members believe she walked away from the home toward a wooded area and reported her missing Wednesday night.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office searched the area late Wednesday night using a K-9 and a helicopter, but they were not immediately able to locate Findley.
No further details about where Findley was found were immediately available late Thursday night.
ECUA Saves $2.77 Million On Demoliton Of Old Sewage Plant
June 24, 2011
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority has accepted a $734,617 bid to demolish the old Main Street Wastewater Treatment Plant — a bid about $2.77 million less than the $3.5 million that was anticipated.
Cross Environmental Services of Crystal Springs will begin demolition in early August. The process is expected to be completed by July 2012.
CES plans to recycle many parts of the 70-year old plant.
The Main Street Wastewater Treatment Plant was replaced by the new $316 million Central Water Reclamation Facility adjacent to Ascend Performance Materials (formerly Solutia) on Old Chemstrand Road in 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.
Santa Rosa Employees To Get Lump Sum Payment
June 24, 2011
The Santa Rosa Commission voted Thursday morning to give employees a one time, lump-sum salary supplement that will cover the amount they will be required to contribute during the first three months of a new state requirement that requires them to contribute three percent to their retirement.
The supplement will cover July 1 until the end of the fiscal year on September 30. No decision has been made about the supplement for the upcoming budget year that begins October 1.
Two Arrested For Burglary After Attempting Getaway On Scooter
June 24, 2011
Two Escambia County men were arrested Thursday morning after allegedly burglarizing a home and making their getaway on a motor scooter.
At around 10:17 a.m. this morning, deputies responded to the report of a burglary in progress in the 5000 block of Mifflin Street.
“According to a witness, the two kicked in the front door of the residence before being startled and fleeing,” said sheriff’s office spokesman Deputy Chris Welborn.
The caller described the suspects to a dispatcher, telling the dispatcher that the two men were leaving the neighborhood on a motor scooter.
As Deputy Wayne Meadows was responding to the call, he noticed the scooter being ridden down Michigan Avenue by two men fitting the suspect description. Deputy Meadows was able to stop the scooter and identified the men as Qavontae Machell Lang and Jordan Donovon Scott, both 18.
An investigation into the burglary revealed that Lang and Scott had caused about $1,200 worth of damage to the Mifflin Street home. It was not yet clear as to what may had been taken out of the residence. Property crime investigators believe that Lang and Scott are suspects in other area burglaries and questioned the two men after their arrest.
“This is a great example of how community cooperation, coupled with great teamwork from our patrol deputies and our investigators, can help fight this type of crime,” said Welborn. “The witnesses were our eyes and ears in this case and the credit for these arrests goes to them.”
The two men were charged with criminal mischief, burglary and possession of burglary tools. They were being held at the Escambia County Jail on just over $100,000 bond each.
Tuition To Increase 15 Percent At Florida Universities
June 24, 2011
For the third year in a row, undergraduate students at Florida universities will pay 15 percent more in tuition.
The governing board for the State University System approved a 7 percent increase in tuition on Thursday. That’s on top of an 8 percent tuition increase approved by the Legislature earlier.
All of the Board of Governors voted for the increase, except Michael Long, the student representative from New College, who chose to vote against the increase for Florida Gulf Coast University and University of North Florida. Long said he was reflecting earlier votes by student body presidents at those schools.
The tuition increases come at a time when financial aid programs, such as the popular Bright Futures scholarship, are being cut, leaving students with bigger tuition bills. Some Board of Governors members are beginning to examine how tuition increases are impacting middle class students who aren’t eligible for need-based aid.
“We are looking at it,” said Tico Perez, a member of the Board of Governors and the chair of the board’s Budget and Finance Committee. Perez said the additional financial aid given to offset tuition increases is aimed at federal Pell grant recipients, who must meet federal low-income requirements to qualify.
“As tuition continues to increase, as Bright Futures continues to be cut…it is creating more and more of a challenge and we need to take a look at whether or not we broaden access to financial aid,” Perez said.
Universities argue that Florida students pay far less than students in other states for tuition. Florida ranks 48 in the cost of tuition and fees compared to other states, according to the College Board.
Fifteen percent is the maximum amount universities are allowed to increase tuition in a given year under state law.
University presidents spent most of Wednesday pleading their case for tuition increases to the Board of Governors. They said the hikes were needed to offset severe cuts in state funding. If it weren’t for tuition increases, universities would have to fire faculty, increase class sizes, and kill off academic programs and courses.
Some of Florida’s biggest universities – such as Florida State and the University of Florida – are fearful of losing prominent faculty and increasing class sizes because it could hurt their effort to climb in national rankings.
Some university officials are pushing for increases of more than 15 percent, such as University of Florida President Bernie Machen. The idea of the cap was to give universities time to catch up to the national average. But as other universities have also increased tuition, the national average has become a moving target.
There may be no end in sight for tuition increases in Florida. Universities disclosed to the governing board this week that without significant improvement in the economy, 15 percent tuition hikes will continue to be necessary every year. Each university, except for the University of North Florida, projected 15 percent increases the next four years.
Data presented to the Board on Thursday showed it would take at least 10 years to reach the national average assuming universities asked for 15 percent tuition increases each year, and assuming the national average of tuition and fees rose at 7 percent each year, which is the same percentage as the last five years.
“It creates a bit of a challenge to catch up to the national average,” Perez said. But he added that meeting the average is “not the goal” and is simply a “measuring device.”
By Lilly Rockwell
The News Service of Florida