Century Election: What You Need To Know To Vote Today, Sample Ballot
October 11, 2011
Here’s what you need to know to vote in today’s Primary Election in Century:
- Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- The only precinct is located at the Century Town Hall. Only registered voters that reside within the town limits of Century are eligible to vote.
- You must present photo and signature identification. Acceptable forms of identification are: Florida Driver’s License, Florida ID card issued by the Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles, U.S. Passport, Debit/Credit Card, Military ID, Student ID, Retirement Center ID, Neighborhood Association ID, and Public Assistance ID. If you fail to present proper identification at the polls, you must vote a provisional ballot.
- You are not required to present your voter identification card in order to vote.
- To vote on a paper ballot, completely darken the oval to the left of the your choice.
- There is at least one touchscreen machine available. While primarily intended for persons will disabilities, any voter may choose to vote on the touchscreen. It has an audio ballot feature.
- You may vote if you are still in line at 7:00 p.m.
- You have the right to ask for assistance in voting.
- You can receive up to two replacement ballots if you make a mistake.
- If your registration or identity is questions, you have the right to cast a provisional ballot.
- You have the right to written instructions on how to vote, and, upon request, oral instructions by elections officers or any other person.
For a sample ballot, click here. For information about the candidates, click here.
NorthEscambia.com will have election results tonight and complete coverage Wednesday morning.
Byrneville Elementary Hat Drive For Children With Cancer
October 11, 2011
From beanies to baseball caps, a hat drive Wednesday at Byrneville Elementary School will collect hats of all kinds for children with cancer.
The collection is part of the Hats Off For Cancer program, with collected hats donated to children who lose their hair due to cancer treatments.
Since 1996, over one million brand new hats have been collected nationwide through the program for children with cancer.
Any new, unworn hat — baseball caps, beanies, sock hats or any other kid-friendly hat — will be accepted from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Byrneville Elementary School.
Molino Christmas Parade Planning Meeting Tonight
October 11, 2011
A planning meeting for the annual Molino Christmas Parade will be held at 6:30 tonight.
Organizers are looking for help to plan the event from any civic group, church, club, business or family in the Molino area. The parade planning meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Fran’s Diner on Highway 29 in Molino.
Sponsored by the Molino Recreation Association, proceeds from the parade are used to benefit needy children in the Molino area during the Christmas season.
For more information, call Jayson at (850) 587-2825.
Pictured: Scenes from last year’s Molino Christmas Parade. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Jay, Washington Win JD Mac Invitational; Tate, West Florida Place
October 11, 2011
Washington and Jay high schools took the top spots in the team results Saturday at the J.D. Mac Cross Country Invitational in Jay.
Boys
Washington High took first in the boy’s team results, with West Florida placing third and the Tate Aggies in sixth.
The top male runner was Jacob Kotick of Washington with a time of 16:20, followed by Ryan Larson of Washington (16:24:08), Alec Clark of West Florida (16:24:94) and Harrison Edwards (16:33) of Washington.
Top male runners for West Florida were: Austin Sortino (17:12), Marcus Slade (18:25), Darrin Qualls (18:29), Hunter Sport (18:35) and Garrett Diamond (18:37).
Top male runners for Tate were: Thomas Simmons (17:33), Daniel Keely (19:41), Austin Halfacre (19:48:57), Luke Barnhill (20:25) and Garrett Summitt (20:32).
Girls
For the Jay Lady Royals, it was the first win at the meet they host at the Bray-Hendricks City Park. West Florida placed fourth, while Central High placed sixth.
For the Lady Royals, Jessican Thornton (21:03) placed third, while Jorja Agrait (21:36) placed tenth. Other Jay Lady Royals in the top 20 were Allison Blair (22:17), Ally Settle (22:18) and Savannah Brown (22:30).
Top female runners for West Florida were: overall female winner Kaysi Roberts (19:14), Raleigh Nesbitt (22:01), Miranda Wiley (22:09:54), Hanna Moore (23:32), and Danielle Turner (23:42).
Two Arrested After Toddler Severely Burned
October 11, 2011
An Escambia County couple was arrested after a 2-year old child suffered severe burns.
The young girl is undergoing treatment for third-degree burns at the University of Alabama Burn Center in Birmingham after she was taken to a local hospital Sunday with severe burns to her right foot and leg, her genitals, and buttocks. The child also had swelling in her lip and right cheek area of her face, police said.
Nidra Comonik Crowe, 31, and Shyheem Jacquel Spellman, 18, both of Ninth Avenue, have both been charged with child neglect causing great harm. Spellman was also charged with possession of marijuana under 20 grams after marijuana was found in his left sock.
Crowe, who is a relative of the child, told police she decided to take the child to the hospital around 10 a.m. Sunday because the skin had peeled off from her buttocks area. She gave police conflicting dates on when the burns could have occurred and initially said they might have been caused by a light that was found on the floor, by a hot bath or possibly bleach.
Spellman, who is Crowe’s boyfriend, said he gave the child a bath the previous Sunday because she had urinated on herself. He said Crowe had put her in the bathtub, started the water and went to the kitchen to cook. When the child started crying and stood up, he said he told her to sit down and be quiet. He also said he gave her a bath on Monday after she had wet the bed.
Crowe told police she noticed the burns on Wednesday, went to a store and bought burn cream to put on the areas. She said she had cleansed the areas, put cream on them and wrapped them in gauze during the week.
Woman Shares Lifelong Love Of Spinning Yarn
October 11, 2011
The art of spinning yarn has interested Cathy Johnson since she was young.
Now, the Century Care Center CNA has discovered that she has a talent for spinning, and she recently shared that talent with the residents at Century Care.
At age 18, Johnson worked in a cotton mill and became interested in the process. She began spinning lessons about two years ago, and she has been spinning and dying her own yarn since. She also does knitting and crocheting, selling her artwork in festivals and on display.
She explained the spinning process — which she describes as a good form of meditation — to a group of fascinated Century Care Center residents.
Pictured above: CNA Cathy Johnson (right) explains the art of spinning yarn to Century Care Center resident Dora Rolin (left). Pictured inset: A finished product. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia’s Newest Street Name: Lowery Road
October 11, 2011
Escambia County has approved the new street name “Lowery Road” for a private road near Century that has just one resident.
The road runs south off the 1000 block of West Highway 4, about two-thirds of a mile west of Lake Stone Road. The total cost to the county will be $223.45 for a new street sign. The county will not maintain the private road.
There is just one resident on Escambia County’s newest road — Lessie M. Lowery — according to the street name application.
Man Gets Life For Molesting Young Girl
October 11, 2011
An Escambia County man has been sentenced to life for molesting a young girl.
John Cirota was convicted by an Escambia County jury of lewd/lascivious molestation upon a child under 12 and lewd/lascivious conduct. Following the verdict, Judge Jan Shackelford sentenced Cirota to life in state prison.
Cirota was also designated a sex offender. He was previously convicted of a lewd and lascivious act on a child in 1994 and of an attempted lewd and lascivious assault on a child in 1998. He served three years in state prison on that conviction.
In March 2011, Cirota was present in the home of the victim and her family as a guest when he molested the girl in her bedroom.
Merle Wade Matthews
October 11, 2011
Merle Wade Matthews, age 83, a native of Ochlochnee, Georgia, and resident of Atmore since 1957 passed away peacefully in her sleep at her dearly loved home on Sunday, October 9, 2011.
She was greeted with shouts of joy and loud AMENS throughout all heaven where she joined her parents, John Arthur and Nora Albritton Wade; brother, Wallace Wade; and beloved sisters, Cleo Hagan, Dora Hackney, Sadie Shuman, Dot Carter, Anne Edwards.
Survivors include her devoted children, Dale (Alan) Ash of Atmore, Cindy (Rob) Colville of Spanish Fort, and son, Hooper W. (Diann) Matthews, III of Atmore; daughter in Christ, Lucille Hubert Matthews of Atmore; grandsons, Daniel Matthews Ash; namesakes, Wade Alan Ash and Hooper Wade Matthews, William Robert Colville, Jr., Samuel Clay Colville; and precious granddaughters, Kristen Diann Matthews and Madison Leigh Matthews; loving sisters, Doris Wade Gandy of Atmore and Lysbeth Wade Brown of Jacksonville; with dozens of nieces and nephews and wonderful special care givers Michelle Robbins of Bay Minette and Joyce Portis of Mobile.
Merle was extremely proud of her family, especially her seven grandchildren and was their constant cheerleader – physically and emotionally encouraging them to always give their best and seldom missing any school, church, or scouting activity or sporting event in their lives. Like a clan, Merle and her sisters traveled together all over the country and abroad and the only thing she loved more than her loving family and throngs of friends was her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ whom she accepted on June 8, 1941, at the Church of Christ in Arbor Dale, Georgia.
Smart, witty, and possessing a Lucille Ball like personality, Merle graduated valedictorian of Ochlochnee High School and was the first in her family to graduate college. Leaving the cotton fields back home where she worked alongside her father, brother and sisters, she worked in the men’s dining hall in exchange for her tuition. An honor graduate with multiple accolades, Berry College in Rome, Georgia, was very near and dear to her heart. Earlier this year, she established the Markle Scholarship in honor of another Berry alumnus, her neurologist, Dr. Scott Markle. Ever the educator, the scholarship is awarded to a Berry pre-medical graduating senior who is deemed to emulate Dr. Markle’s proactive, kind and compassionate bed-side manner.
Following graduation, Merle was the youngest hired by the State of Georgia to serve as a home demonstration agent where she traveled throughout the rural countryside for nine years sharing her economics degree with others in her hands-on manner. Her marriage in 1957 to Hooper W. Matthews, Jr. brought her to Atmore where she enthusiastically and with great passion taught fourth, fifth, and sixth graders over a span of three decades and tried to instill upon her students honor, integrity, and a strong work ethic. Matriarch and goodwill ambassador of Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Atmore, Merle supplied the “seed money” in the late 1960s for her family’s purchase of the business. Giving away thousands of Pepsi products over the years, she charmed everyone with her infectious smile and true love of life and people. Over the years, Merle volunteered vast amounts of time helping senior citizens and others in need by computing their income taxes. Active in the Kairos prison ministry since the early 1980’s, Merle continued bringing her love of the Lord to others and continued to house weekend Kairos volunteers even this month. As a member of her beloved Trinity Episcopal Church since 1957, Merle was dubbed “Merley Pearly” by her parishioners befitting her love of the Lord ever-positive and “never meeting a stranger” personality. Overcoming and battling some seemingly insurmountable health issues, Merley Pearly always found a silver lining in every situation and would quickly volunteer that “God is so Good! We can never outgive Him! My Lord and Savior has so richly blessed me!”.
Merle’s zest for life and a Celebration of her Christian witness and testimony will be held on Friday, October 14th at 11 a.m. at the First Baptist Church, 310 South Main Street, Atmore, with visitation and a reception luncheon to follow immediately following the service which will be conducted by Reverend John Phillips and Reverend Jim Thorpe. Burial will be at 2 p.m. at Oak Hill Cemetery.
Dorsey Crapps
October 11, 2011
Mrs. Dorsey Crapps, 55, passed away on Monday, October 10, 2011, in Pensacola.
Mrs. Crapps was a native of Flomaton and a lifelong resident of Flomaton and Century. She was preceded in death by her parents, Leslie and Mildred Emmons.
Survivors include her Husband of 36 years, Allen Crapps of Century; her daughter, Jessica Kate and Jarvis Slate of Woodstock, GA; a granddaughter, Alexandria Hope Slate; a brother, Kenny Emmons of Jackson, AL; and a sister, Dorothy Bell of Flomaton.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, October 12, 2011, at 10:00 a.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Bro. Wilbur Graves officiating.
Burial will follow at McCurdy Cemetery.
Visitation will be held Tuesday, October 11, 2011, from 6-9 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home in Atmore.
Pallbearers will be Justin Johnson, Thomas Bailey, Billy Joe Knowles, Daniel Lowery, Ervin Carnley, Jr. and Benny VanHoosen, Jr. Honorary pallbearers will be Michael Emmons and Stevie Emmons.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to funeral services and medical bills.