PSC Approves Gulf Power Plan To Reduce Electric Demand
January 26, 2011
The Florida Public Service Commission Tuesday approved a conservation plan by Gulf Power Company that is predicted to save 183 megawatts of electricity over 10 years — enough to power about 50,000 homes.
After directing Gulf Power to develop more conservation savings, the Florida PSC approved the company’s revised plan that now meets the PSC’s conservation goals, set according to the Florida Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act.
Gulf Power’s plan uses a conservation strategy known as Demand Side Management (DSM) to reduce demand for electricity. DSM methods can include rebates for energy efficient appliances or devices, energy audits to show customers how to save energy, and peak load programs that curtail or shift usage from high cost, peak demand periods.
As part of its DSM measures, Gulf Power will offer several new programs inviting participation by a wide variety of customer groups, including low-income, renters and landlords, residential, and commercial customers.
The Commission previously approved Gulf Power’s four solar pilot programs, which offer incentives for customers who install either solar photovoltaic or solar thermal technologies. For schools or low-income customers, Gulf Power may install the solar technologies free of charge.
the road to the crown: Meet The Girls (Part Two)
January 26, 2011
Today, it’s part three of our multi-part series “the road to the crown” as we follow 25 young ladies at Northview High School in their quest for the crown and the title of “Miss Northview High School” for 2011.
Today we introduce you to the second set of contestants. Their biographies, as submitted by the girls, are below along with their photos. You can click any photo below to enlarge.
Our series “the road to the crown” will continue tomorrow with biographies and photos of the third set of contestants. The pageant is Saturday night at 7:00, and NorthEscambia.com will have the new Miss Northview High School and all the photos here Sunday morning.
Miss Mallory Ann Bell
Mallory is the 18-year old daughter of Alan and Gail Bell. She has been a member of the Beta Club for three years, a member of the Interact Club for one year, and a member of the FCCLA for two years, where she has held the office of president. Mallory has been a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for four years, where she currently holds the title of vice-president. She has also been a member of Rho Kappa for three years and serves as the president. She has been a member of the softball team for one year, a member of the weightlifting team for one year, and a member of the cross country team for one year. Mallory has been an Atmore Rotary Club Academic All-Star for three years. In her community, she attends Bratt First Baptist Church and is an active member of the youth group and choir.
Her hobbies include playing the piano and guitar, singing, and running.
Her future plans are to attend the University of South Alabama.
Miss Sarah Malinda Killam
Sarah is the 17-year old daughter of Gary and Melanie Killam. She has been a member of the junior varsity volleyball team for one year and a member of the cross country team for three years. She has also been a member of the softball team for four years, a member of the weightlifting team for four years, and a varsity cheerleader for one year. Sarah has been a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for four years and currently serves as president. She has been elected by her peers as class president all four years. She was also selected by her peers to represent them on the homecoming court, both her freshman and sophomore years, and was chosen Freshman Class Maid. This year, Sarah was again selected to represent her class on the homecoming court and was awarded second runner up to the queen. Sarah has been an Atmore Rotary Club Academic All-star for three years and has taken ballet and piano for ten years. She has been a member of the Beta Club for two years, the Student Government Association for two years, where she has held the office of historian and secretary, and a member of Rho Kappa for two years, where she has served as secretary and treasurer. Sarah was voted into Northview’s “Hall of Fame”. She was also voted “Most Talented” by the senior class. In her community, Sarah is a member of Flomaton First Baptist Church and is active in both the youth group and the choir. She also helps teach ballet classes at Heather Leonard’s Danceworks.
Her hobbies include singing, playing the guitar and piano, leading worship on Wednesday night for her youth group, and spending time with family and friends.
Her future plans are to attend college and pursue a degree in physical therapy.
Miss Megan Juliette Ryan
Megan is the 17-year old daughter of Eddie and Kim Ryan. She has been a member of the basketball team for three years and a member of the varsity cheerleading team for three years, where as a junior she was co-captain and this year, she holds the title of captain. She was also a member of the NHS competition cheerleading team that placed eighth in the nation. She has been a member of the softball team for one year, a member of the cross country team for one year, and a member of the track team for one year. Megan has been a member of the Future Farmers of America for three years and a member of the Interact Club for one year. Megan is currently taking dual enrollment classes at Pensacola State College. In her community, she is a member of Century Church of Christ and does volunteer work with the Northwest Escambia softball program. Megan also has a job cleaning the Atmore Church of Christ.
Her hobbies include cheering, running, wake-boarding at the river, and spending time with loved ones.
Her future plans are to finish out her second year at Pensacola State College and then transfer to a University. She wants to obtain her bachelor’s in nursing and become an ER nurse at a major hospital.
Miss Brittany Danyel Thompson
Brittany is the 17-year old daughter of Anthony and Alicia Thompson. She has been a member of the Student Government Association for three years, a member of the Interact Club for three years, and a member of S.W.A.N.S. for two years. Brittany has been a member of the Future Farmers of America for three years and has held the office of photographer/historian. She was a member of the junior varsity cheerleading team her sophomore year and is currently on the varsity cheerleading team. She is currently in the Spanish Club and on the Prom Committee. She participated in the Chief Challenge 5K run and also volunteered her time building a house with the Habitat for Humanity in Atmore. Brittany has also volunteered her time working with children at Camp E.D.G.E. for Aldersgate United Methodist Church.
Her hobbies include cheerleading, dancing, designing t-shirts, writing poetry, riding horses, and watching Auburn football.
Her future plans are to attend Florida Institute of Ultrasound for two years and then transfer to Auburn University. She also hopes to become a member of their dance team.
Miss Jessica Lea Warner
Jessica is the 16-year old daughter of Jesse and Lisa Warner. As a freshman, she was on the junior varsity cheerleading team. This year, Jessica is on the varsity cheerleading team and was the recipient of the 2010-2011 Most Improved Award. In her community, she has been a member of the First Baptist Church of Bratt and actively participates in the youth group.
Her hobbies include reading, spending time with friends, and playing games with her family.
Her future plans are to attend college to obtain a degree to become an anesthesiologist.
Miss Clarissa Paige Ross
Clarissa is the 16-year old daughter of Anthony Ross and Samantha Nowling. As a freshman, she was a member of the junior varsity cheerleading team. In her community, she volunteers her time as a coach for the Cantonment Cowboys cheerleading program. She also takes gymnastics with First City.
Her hobbies include going to the beach, shopping, cheerleading, running 5K’s with her brother, and spending time with family and friends.
Her future plans are to go to the University of Florida on a cheerleading scholarship and obtain a degree to become a pediatrician.
Miss Tiffany Diane Sutton
Tiffany is the 16-year old sister of Tracy Ann Adcock. She has been a member of the track team for one year, a member of S.W.A.N.S. for one year, and a member of the Interact Club for one year. Tiffany has also been a member of the Art Club for one year and participated in the 2009 Pensacola Interstate Fair student art competition, as well as, the 2010 Artel Gallery Student Mardi Gras Mask Contest. She received the highest academic average award for her visual arts class in 2009-2010. In her community, Tiffany is an active member of Walnut Hill Baptist church and the youth group.
Her hobbies include: swimming, softball, making jewelry, and spending time with family and friends.
Her future plans are to attend college and earn a cosmetology degree.
Miss Morgan Deann Smith
Morgan is the 15-year old daughter of Matthew and Tammy Smith. In her family, she enjoys spending time with her three siblings. Morgan also loves to observe nature at the river and being outdoors.
Her hobbies include reading, dancing, taking pictures, fishing, shopping, and playing volleyball.
Her future plans are to attend the University of South Alabama and pursue a degree in medicine. She hopes to either become a nurse or a pediatrician.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
New 5,100 Acre Landfill Planned Near Big Escambia Creek
January 26, 2011
Officials in Conecuh County, Alabama, have set a March 10 public hearing on a proposed 5,100 acre landfill near the Repton community.
Conecuh Woods LLC has formally applied for the landfill, which 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, through Flomaton and drains through a swamp into the Escambia River in Escambia County, Florida.
According to a published report by the Mobile-Press Register, waste from 48 states would arrive at the landfill by truck and rail.
The public hearing will be held at Reid State Technical College in Evergreen. If the Conecuh County Commission takes no action on the proposal within 90 days, it will automatically be approved.
Escambia Mexican Restaurant Owner Gets 5 Years For Faking Death
January 26, 2011
An Escambia County Mexican restaurant owner has been sentenced to five years in prison for faking his death in a scheme to collect $2 million.
Ismael B. Rodriguez, 45, the owner of Cazadores Mexican Restaurants, was sentenced Tuesday to 60 months imprisonment for mail fraud and conspiracy to commit that offense.
The defendant was convicted along with his wife and co-defendant, Maria Rodriguez, 41, following a two-day jury trial in Pensacola last November. Evidence at trial established that the defendants traveled to Mexico in 2008, where they faked the death of Ismael B. Rodriguez. Maria Rodriguez returned to the United States with a fraudulent Mexican death certificate in an attempt to obtain approximately $2 million in life insurance proceeds on her husband. In reality, Ismael B. Rodriguez was alive and was subsequently located by law enforcement in Alabama.
Witnesses at trial included employees of the victim’s insurance company, the registrar of death certificates in Morelia, Mexico, and law enforcement agents. At trial, Maria Rodriguez testified that she believed that her husband had been kidnapped and murdered in Mexico. To refute this testimony, the government introduced Customs and Border Protection records showing that Mr. Rodriguez had crossed the United States-Mexico border during the time period in which his wife claimed he was dead.
Senior United States District Judge Roger Vinson also ordered Mr. Rodriguez to pay $4,645 in restitution and $1,200 in fines and court costs.
Maria Rodriguez will be sentenced in United States District Court in Pensacola on February 11, 2011.
Health Department Dental Clinic Opens In Century
January 26, 2011
Dental services are once again available at the Escambia County Health Department Century Dental Clinic.
The clinic has reopened, offering services to Escambia County, Florida, residents with full Florida Medicaid only. For adults, the clinic only offers treatment for emergency toothaches and emergency extractions only. For children, the clinic offers full dental services, except for orthodontics.
The Escambia County Health Department Century Dental Clinic is open Monday-Thursday from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Friday from 7 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. The clinic is closed daily for lunch from 11 a.m. until noon.
Services are available by appointment. For more information or to make an appointment, call (850) 256-6203. The Escambia County Health Department Century Dental Clinic is located at 501 Church Street in the Escambia County Health Department building.
A new dental clinic has also opened in the Escambia County Health Department building in Molino. Click here for that story.
Pictured top: The exam room at the Escambia County Health Department Century Dental Clinic in Century and dental assistants Wendy Weaver (left) and Jill Kelley. Pictured below: The health department building at the corner of Church and Mayo streets in Century. Submitted and NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Lawmakers Focus On School Cuts
January 26, 2011
Teacher layoffs. Few if any electives. School supplies that only last a school a few months.
Those are all scenarios that lawmakers are trying to avoid as they craft a budget for the state’s public schools while Florida faces a $3.6 billion shortfall and the possibility that state programs already cut to the bone will be cut even further. All the “low hanging fruit” in previous budgets was wiped out over the past few years as the downturn in the economy caused the state – and the public school system — immense budget pain.
“All that fruit is gone, at least in my judgment,” state Education Commissioner Eric Smith told a panel of House lawmakers Tuesday.
For the 2010-2011 budget, $18.2 billion covers teacher salaries, busing, instructional materials and a host of other expenses, including a school’s ability to simply keep the lights on. It means that for each student, a school receives $6,843.
While lawmakers faced economic difficulties last year, they had federal stimulus funds to help plug the holes riddling state coffers. Now, those funds have largely dried up, particularly for education. The education budget last year relied on $1.2 billion in non recurring federal funds, staff said Tuesday during a meeting of the House Appropriations subcommittee on PreK-12 Education. .
“We have a great challenge ahead of us and one we have to take very seriously,” said chairwoman Rep. Marti Coley, R-Marianna.
The State Board of Education approved a budget request for 2011-2012 of more than $19 billion, but Smith and his staff have also prepared a budget scenario for lawmakers that involves a 15-percent cut.
“It’s a starting point, certainly not an ending point,” Coley said referring to the 15-percent cut exercise.
Legislative leaders have indicated that cuts in education – one of the biggest budget drivers – are inevitable. Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, has said he will not sign on to a budget that includes tax increases, meaning something will have to be cut if the state wants to create a balanced budget, a constitutional requirement. His education budget chief, Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte, has also noted that it will be a tough road ahead.
Darwin Boothe, a lobbyist for Seminole County School District, said the school district, and a few others, may not have to make any layoffs even if the Legislature makes minor cuts because of reserves the local school board put away in case of emergency.
However, Boothe noted that many districts dipped into those reserves this past year to help individual schools meet a constitutional requirement capping classrooms at a certain number of students. Reserves may not be available to blunt losses in state funds for the upcoming school year.
In 2002, voters approved a constitutional amendment that capped classroom sizes at 18 students in a classroom in lower grades, 22 in the middle grades and 25 students in core subject high school classrooms. The state has struggled to pay for the constitutional mandate, making it, in turn, difficult for schools to meet the requirement.
Boothe said he and other Florida school officials believe that the funding can be held at the status quo if the state continues to withhold funding from some of its long-term goals that can go without immediate funding. For example, though lawmakers in the past have wanted to put money toward purchasing environmental lands, they have not been able to fully fund that recently because lawmakers chose to prioritize other budget items.
If the school budget has to be cut, Boothe said schools will react accordingly, but lawmakers need to be aware of the practical impact of what the cuts may do.
“When you cut, you may not have the system you want at the end of the day,” he said.
By Kathleen Haughney
The News Service Florida
Marilyn Michelle McNabb
January 26, 2011
Marilyn Michelle McNabb of Calhoun, GA, was born into this life December 2, 1952. The sun set on her journey, January 25, 2011, as she went to her Heavenly home to join her parents Bill and Estelle Thortis, previously of Christian Home Community.
Leaving to celebrate her life, her devoted husband Lester McNabb of Calhoun, GA; one brother, Ervin Thortis and wife Carolyn of Christian Home, FL; two sisters, Diann Stewart and husband Robert of Bratt, FL; Shelia Lambert and husband Mike of Robertsdale, AL; several nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles and a host of cousins and friends.
Graveside services will be held Saturday, January 29, 2011, in Christian Home Cemetery at 1:00 pm.
LIVE VIDEO: The State Of The Union
January 25, 2011
LIVE VIDEO : The State Of the Union
‘Major Public Safety Issue’ Gas Leaking Under Hwy 29
January 25, 2011
Natural gas is leaking under Highway 29 in Century, and the town is seeking about $1.3 million to eliminate what the town is calling a “major public safety issue”.
“We need to get this (gas) line out from under the highway,” Mayor Freddie McCall told the town’s council Monday night. He said the leak in the line owned by the town is not constant — sometimes inspectors are unable to find it. But the Florida Public Service Commission has told the town that progress must be made toward eliminating the problem by the end of the year. The exact location of the leak or leaks has not been determined.
About 6,515 feet of four-inch steel natural gas line was buried beneath the southbound lanes of Highway 29 when the road was widened. Now, 45 years since the pipe was put into the ground, the town believes the steel is corroding and leaking.
Dale Long, the town’s engineer, has recommended that the town seek a $1.3 million low-interest USDA Rural Development loan to construct new natural gas lines on both sides of Highway, abandoning the decades-old leaking pipe. By installing as lines on both sides of the highway, it would eliminate the need to bore under the highway for a new service install.
Consultant Debbie Nickles said the town is not eligible for grants for the project since the town’s gas department is a for-profit entity.
At their Monday night meeting, the council approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to submit a USDA loan application on the town’s behalf to obtain the funds necessary to install the new gas lines.
The gas line is buried under southbound Highway 29 from about McCurdy Street (near Bondurant Lumber) to just south of West Highway 4 (near the courthouse).
Pictured: A portion of Highway 29 in Century. Decades-old natural gas line is buried under the southbound lanes on the left and is leaking somewhere between this location and West Highway 4, over a mile away. Pictured inset: Century Mayor Freddie McCall motions toward Highway 29 just outside the Century Town Hall. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Agreement Reached: WEAR To Remain On Bright House Cable
January 25, 2011
Bright House cable television customers in Century and Cantonment won’t be losing WEAR 3 anytime soon.
After weeks of very public bickering over retransmission fees, Bright House and Sinclair Broadcasting group entered into a new mult-year agreement Monday. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The companies had disagreed over the fees that Bright House must pay Sinclair for the right to carry its broadcast stations such as WEAR 3 and WFGX 35.