Brickyard Road Public Meeting Tonight
June 21, 2012
A public information meeting about proposed improvements to Brickyard Road over an unnamed branch will be held tonight in Molino by the Florida Department of Transportation.
The project involves replacing an existing bridge on Brickyard Road, repaving the approaches, new guardrail, minor drainage improvements, sodding and placement of new pavement markings. The project is approximately 700 feet in length with construction scheduled to begin in the summer of 2014. During construction, the roadway will be closed and traffic diverted. Additional right-of-way will be required for the bridge and roadway improvements.
The public meeting will be held Thursday from 5:30 until 6:30 p.m. at Highland Baptist Church at 6240 Highway 95A in Molino.
Representatives from FDOT will be available to explain the proposed improvements and answer questions.
Wahoos’ Daniel Corcino Named Southern League Pitcher Of Week
June 21, 2012
After working the first eight innings of the Blue Wahoos first no-hitter in team history, Daniel Corcino has garnered Southern League Pitcher of the Week honors for the week ending June 17.
Corcino earns the recognition after pitching the first eight innings of the Blue Wahoos combined no-hitter against the Mobile BayBears on Saturday, June 16 at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium. He added nine strikeouts to the no-hit bid as well. In addition to the solid outing on the mound, he also collected a third inning single.
The Wahoos right-hander is currently ranked my MLB.com as baseball’s No. 98 prospect. He is in his first season at Double-A after making the jump directly from Single-A Dayton where he spent the entire 2011 season. Corcino was signed by the Cincinnati Reds out of the Dominican Republic in 2008. He is the second Blue Wahoos player to earn league recognition this season.
By Tommy Thrall
Pictured: Southern League Pitcher of the Week Daniel Corcino of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Baby Blaze Passes Away; Funeral Services Announced
June 21, 2012
Baby Blaze Johnson passed away peacefully Wednesday morning at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.
Thousands came to know Blaze and became a part of “Team Blaze”, following the fight of Blaze Henry Johnson, the young son of Katherine Johnson, an RN at Sacred Heart Hospital, and Chris “Squeaky” Johnson, a news photographer for WEAR TV 3.
In March, Blaze Henry Johnson was born with complications six weeks early and underwent three open heart surgeries at Emory Children’s Hospital in Atlanta. Doctors recently decided that there was nothing more they could do for Baby Blaze, and the family returned to Pensacola.
Katherine held Baby Blaze Wednesday morning in the pediatric intensive care unit at Sacred Heart. As an RN, she knew what she saw on monitor and the flashing lights meant.
“I knew God was calling him to be an Angel up above,” she wrote in a post on the “Baby Blaze Fan Club” Facebook page. “I told him that I loved him…Baby Blaze fought a very tough and hard battle. He was a very strong boy who never gave up even in the end.”
“Blaze went to heaven from the place he loved most, his mommy’s arms,” she wrote. “He is one of the strongest men I know. We love you Blaze and will never forget you.”
In a letter to his son, Chris Johnson wrote:
“I just want to say thank you for choosing me and your mom to be your parents. It has been a blessing to have you with us in this short time. You have been an inspiration to me and your mom, for your continuing perseverance thru all of this…You have taught me what the true meaning of love is, even though we will never hear those words come from your voice, but we can see it in your eyes!!!! We want you to know that we love you with all of our hearts…You were brought to this world for one thing, to save! To save other babies with you pushing the doctors to go above and beyond and you were brought here to bring more people closer to God with all the prayers that are going up for you!!! We could not have asked for a better son!!! WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!”
Visitation will be held on Saturday at the Flomaton Funeral Home Chapel from 6 until 9 p.m. Funeral service will be held on Sunday, June 24 at 2 p.m. at the Flomaton First Baptist Church with Rev. Dustin Stockstill and Dr. Jerry Keese officiating. For the complete obituary, click here.
NorthEscambia.com first introduced our readers to Baby Blaze on May 3. For that article and more about Baby Blaze, click here.
Rep. LeMieux Drops Bid For Senate
June 21, 2012
Lacking funds and lagging in the polls, Republican George LeMieux on Wednesday dropped his bid for the party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate and urged his party to rally behind his opponent, Congressman Connie Mack.
LeMieux, who served in the U.S. Senate for 15 months, said the time had come to step aside and focus the party’s attention on defeating the Democratic incumbent, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, and regain control of the Senate.
But even in urging support for Mack, LeMieux took a swipe at him – noting Mack’s refusal to debate was part of what made it necessary to quit. With party leadership firmly in Mack’s camp, LeMieux said the climb had become too steep.
“Ahead of us in the polls, the Mack name enjoys widespread recognition that can only be matched with substantial advertising or the opportunity to debate on statewide television,” LeMieux said in a statement to supporters. “Advertising, which our finances cannot support, and debates, which my competitor won’t agree to.
“It is not my nature to step aside, but there is a reality to running a statewide race in Florida,” he said in a video message thanking backers for their support.
Despite his status as a former U.S. Senator, LeMieux could not get traction in his bid to return to office. His popularity among Republicans never got beyond single digits, according to a series of polls that have chronicled the race up to this point.
LeMieux was also hurt in some Republican circles by his inability to shake his connection to his one-time political patron, former Gov. Charlie Crist, whom LeMieux is credited with getting elected governor and whom he served as chief of staff. Like many other establishment Republicans, LeMieux split with Crist when the former governor left the Republican Party, but he remained tied to the former governor in the minds of many.
It was Crist who appointed LeMieux to temporarily fill the U.S. Senate vacancy left by retiring GOP member Mel Martinez in 2009.
His decision leaves former Congressman Dave Weldon, Mike McCalister, Deon Long, and Marielena Stuart on the ballot for the Republican primary in the race. Nelson has one relatively unknown primary challenger, Glenn Burkett, and voters will also see no party candidates Chris Borgia, and Bill Gaylor on the ballot.
In a Quinnipiac University poll taken in late May, Mack led LeMieux 40 percent to 7 percent. Four in 10 voters were undecided. The lack of support made LeMieux’s campaign increasingly irrelevant, as shown by a decision by the Mack campaign ignore the proposed debate.
Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said despite the fact that he was previously in the Senate, LeMieux’s candidacy never took hold, making it difficult to raise money in his race against Mack, who entered the race in October.
“He obviously had not struck a chord with Republicans,” Brown told reporters Wednesday. “In the matchups with Bill Nelson, he was a good deal behind. Those would be good reasons why he decided to throw in the towel.”
LeMieux’s exit clears the way for Mack to focus all his attention on the upcoming race with Nelson, a relatively popular incumbent, according to recent polling.
“We welcome the latest statement from George LeMieux and agree that the internal fight among Republicans would not have been helpful in our shared commitment to defeat Bill Nelson,” Mack’s campaign said in a statement. “I welcome and thank George for his decision to support my campaign.”
By The News Service of Florida
Molino Park Accelerated Reader Awards Presented
June 21, 2012
Accelerated reader awards were recently presented to some of the top readers at Molino Park Elementary School:
Most Words Read
- 1st grade — Ethan Collier – 227,310
- 2nd grade — James Perz – 336, 593
- 3rd grade — Ariel Ward — 1,184,934
- 4th grade – Alexa Scholobohm — 1,156,819
- 5th grade –Hannah McGahan – 3,340,506
Most Accelerated Reader Points
- 1st grade — Ethan Collier — 128 Points
- 2nd grade — laden Lewis – 85.1 Points
- 3rd grade — Hailey Harigel – 209.8 Points
- 4th grade – Alexa Scholobohm — 164.2 Points
- 5th grade –Hannah McGahan — 476.5 Points
Bratt Elementary School Student Drop-off Being Improved
June 21, 2012
Work is now underway to improve the student drop-off at Bratt Elementary School. According to Principal Jeanene Hall, the area will be resurfaced and extended to allow more cars onto the school campus and off North Highway 99. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Slight Rain Chances Moving Into Forecast
June 20, 2012
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. East wind around 5 mph.
- Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. East wind around 5 mph.
- Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. East wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. East wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95. East wind between 5 and 10 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
- Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 96.
- Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 73.
- Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 97.
- Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 73.
- Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95.
Probation Officers Catch Man With Meth Lab Components, Hazmat Called For Cleanup
June 20, 2012
A Cantonment man on probation for having a meth lab was arrested on drug related charges Tuesday night when caught red-handed by probation officers with parts of seven different meth labs.
Robert Edward Raines, 49, was charged with possession of a listed chemical (hydrochloric gas). He is being held in the Escambia County Jail without bond on an additional violation of probation charge.
Tuesday evening, an Escambia County deputy and four probation officers went to Raines’ residence in the 1100 block of Muscogee Road for a residence check.
Inside the residence, they reported finding seven hydrochloric (HCL) gas generators, an item used in a step during the methamphetamine manufacturing process, according to an arrest report. Two HCL generators tested positive for the presence of active hydrochloric gas.
Other items commonly used in the methamphetamine manufacturing process were also found hidden in the clothes dryer and inside a stereo speaker, the report states.
Raines told deputies the items were leftover from the last time he was busted for a meth lab in his residence in February 2011. According to the report, deputies were certain they removed all meth lab related equipment from the house during the 2011 search and did not leave the HCL generators behind — including three of them found Tuesday night on the bathroom floor.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Hazmat team responded to the residence Tuesday night and disposed of all contaminated materials.
According to court records, Raines was on probation on charges related to his February 2011 meth lab.
Gulf Power Rates Lowered; Potential Nuclear Issue Remains Unresolved
June 20, 2012
State regulators on Tuesday approved a plan by Gulf Power Company to take advantage of low fuel costs and trim customers’ monthly electric bills by an average of nearly $10 a month. But the PSC did not resolve a controversy about a potential Gulf Power nuclear power plant site in North Escambia.
With no discussion, the Florida Public Service Commission unanimously agreed to reduce the fuel costs that are passed along to the utility’s customers. Gulf Power and other utilities have enjoyed relatively low prices for natural gas, which fuels many power plants.
The change will be noticeable for customers of Pensacola-based utility as fuel costs make up a major portion of monthly bill. Residential customers who use 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity will see their bills drop from $126.53 to $116.61.
“Our commission’s authority to adjust rates to reflect fuel cost savings protects customers, especially heading into the summer months when electricity use often increases to keep homes cool,” PSC Chairman Ronald Brisé said.
But regulators decided to delay a decision on a separate proposal from Gulf Power to allow it to collect money from customers related to the purchase of 2,700 acres for a potential nuclear power plant near McDavid. The PSC earlier this year rejected a Gulf Power proposal to build site costs into base electric rates, but Gulf Power is trying to convince regulators to reverse that decision.
Attorneys for consumers and business groups are fighting Gulf Power on the issue, with Joe McGlothlin, an attorney with the state Office of Public Counsel, telling the PSC on Tuesday that “you’ve heard it before”.
“An analysis of facts demonstrates Gulf Power doesn’t need the North Escambia site,” said McGlothlin, whose office represents consumers in utility issues.
But Gulf Power attorney Jeffrey Stone said the site is important to the utility because it could house a nuclear or other type of plant, is in the western part of Gulf’s service area and has good access to transportation.
“It’s the only property Gulf has that is suitable for all forms of future generation,” Stone said.
The proposal would have a small effect on customers’ bills — it would allow Gulf Power to collect slightly more than $2 million from customers in 2012, according to a company filing.
Commissioner Art Graham expressed concerns about not allowing Gulf Power to collect money for the site. Graham said it is difficult to try to find land for nuclear-power plants, particularly if they are near residential areas, and he doesn’t “want to see this opportunity go by the wayside.”
“Residential intrusion is something you want to avoid at all costs,” Graham said.
But Graham, McGlothlin and PSC staff also pointed to questions about another undeveloped site that Gulf Power has long owned in Caryville. Graham said he is concerned about adding the Escambia County site to the rate base in addition to the Caryville site.
The commission decided to put off a decision on the proposal until July 17 to allow more time to review some of the key issues.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
Pictured: Some of the property purchased by Gulf Power Company near McDavid that could potentially be used for a nuclear power plant in the coming years. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
U.S. Marshals Bust Escambia Sex Offender Trying To Bail Out 3rd Story Window
June 20, 2012
The U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested a convicted sex offender Tuesday who tried to elude them by jumping out of a third story window.
At 3:30 p.m., the task force knocked on the door of a room at a hotel located on the 8200 block of North Davis Highway attempting to arrest James Erik Cross. When task force officers from the U.S. Marshals and Escambia County Sheriff’s Office knocked,they immediately heard someone throw back drapes and quickly open the window. They forced the door open and found the 32-year old Cross halfway out of the window head first.
“As we approached the building we spoke about covering the window but because of the height we really felt it wasn’t necessary,” said Inspector Dominic Guadagnoli. “We figured if he tried (to jump out the window) the chase pretty much would end there nonetheless,” said Guadagnoli.
Some of the task force officers immediately ran to the outside but others inside were able to stop Cross before he could go any further. Cross was wrestled to the ground and handcuffed without any incident.
A woman also in the room was later released after questioning. Officers also found a substance believed to be heroin and multiple hypodermic needles, according to U.S. Marshals. No additional charges have been filed at this time.
Cross was booked into the Escambia County jail without bond for violation of probation and two counts of failing to register as a convicted sex offender. He remains in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
Cross was originally convicted in Escambia County back in 1997 for sexual battery on a child under 12 years of age.