Cottage Hill Water Works Boil Water Notice Lifted
June 26, 2012
Effective immediately, the precautionary boil water notice (PBWN) issued for Cottage Hill Water Works Inc. customers in the Cottage Hill community residing on Cooley Road and the 1200 block, 1300 block and 1420 Phalrose, is no longer in effect.
Latest Update On TS Debby
June 26, 2012
The latest conditions and forecast path for Tropical Strom Debby are in the graphic above, click to enlarge.
Images on this page are updated live by the National Hurricane Center. Reload the page to see the latest updates.
Summer Reading Program Today At Library
June 26, 2012
The Summer Reading Series for kids and teens at the Century Branch Library will continue at noon today.
Today’s program will feature cartooning with Mike Artell. The award-winning cartoonist and illustrator will present an exciting time of cool and creepy facts about a variety of subjects that will get kids excited about reading, writing, drawing and creative thinking.
There will not be a program next Tuesday, July 3. The Summer Reading Series will conclude on Tuesday, July 10 with a program featuring drums with Mark Seymour. Children will explore the world of drums, drum styles and sounds.
The Century Branch Library also offers a preschool story time each Tuesday in June at 10:30 a.m. for children birth to five-years old.
For more information, call the library at (850) 256-6217.
Pictured: An earlier Summer Reading Series program at the Century Branch Library. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Rick Scott Declares Statewide Emergency
June 25, 2012
Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a statewide emergency Monday as Tropical Store Debby drenches portions of the state with heavy rains and knocked out power for thousands.
Debby is being blamed for at least two deaths — one person killed by a tornado in central Florida and a South Carolina that is believed to have drowned in heavy surf near Orange Beach, Alabama.
“Because of the broad impact of Tropical Storm Debby, virtually every county in Florida could be affected. Some communities are already grappling with flooding, wind damage and electrical outages,” Scott said. “This executive order allows the State Emergency Response Team to quickly and effectively coordinate the response and ensure needed resources are available.”
Photos: TS Debby Kicks Up Surf On Pensacola Beach
June 25, 2012
Tropical Storm Debby kicked up 11 foot swells on Pensacola Beach Sunday — great for the surfers but keeping everyone else out of the water.
To find out if the surfer above wows the crowd or wipes out, visit our Facebook page and become a Fan for a photo gallery.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Open Soon: Molino Tax, Property Offices Open (With Photo Gallery)
June 25, 2012
Next week, new Escambia County tax collector and property appraiser offices will open in Molino.
The offices will be located in a new 7,000 square foot building constructed adjacent to the old Molino School on Highway 95A, just south of Molino Road.
Touring her new office location with NorthEscambia.com, Tax Collector Janet Holley took a moment to point out the signs next to the office restrooms — “Cowgirls” and “Cowboys”. It’s part of the “local flair” meant to reflect the Molino area community.
For a photo tour of the facility, click here.
The Molino service center for the tax collector will process motor vehicle and vessel registrations and titles, hunting and fishing licenses, property taxes, and business tax receipts. Limited driver license and ID card services will be available by appointment only. The new office will continue to offer drive thru service and a 24-hour drop box. Office hours will remain the same — Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m
The county currently leases the Cantonment service center location in the old Winn Dixie Shopping Center for about $60,000 per year. That money, Holley said, will likely be saved and returned by her office to the county’s coffers at the end of the fiscal year.
Property Appraiser Chris Jones is moving his office from the nearby Escambia County Farm Bureau office on Highway 97, saving the county about $16,000 per year in rent.
Pictured top: Escambia County Tax Collector Janet Holley in front of her newest office in Molino, which is scheduled to open July 2. Picture inset: The bathrooms in the office reflect the local community, labeled “Cowgirls” and “Cowboys”. Pictured below: The new office awaits counters and office equipment. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Gulf Power Prepares For Debby
June 25, 2012
Gulf Power Company is making preparations for Tropical Storm Debbie and is asking customers to plan for power outages as the storm moves slowly towards Northwest Florida.
“With a direct hit by a strong tropical storm or a category one hurricane, some areas could be without power for several days, depending on the damage,” said Jeff Rogers, corporate communications supervisor with Gulf Power. “We have storm-tested crews and a comprehensive response plan that we are prepared to put into action, but it does take time to safely put the electric system back together after a severe tropical storm or hurricane.”
The utility has already made contact with its sister utilities, Mississippi Power, Alabama Power and Georgia Power, should it need to call on their resources for assistance. Gulf Power will also be in contact with other utilities throughout the Southeast to either provide assistance or receive assistance, depending on where Debbie makes landfall.
Rogers said Gulf Power encourages customers to prepare for the storm as well. “The better prepared our customers are, the easier the restoration process will be for everyone,” Rogers said. “We prepare year-round for the unexpected, and we urge everyone to be prepared and have a plan.”
“Fortunately, we have a lot of experience in emergency restoration work,” Rogers said. “We send crews to hurricane stricken areas almost every season to help out. And we know we can count on that same help if we have a hurricane here.”
After Hurricane Ivan in 2004 Gulf Power brought in more than 5,000 outside workers who completed the major restoration process in less than two weeks.
Here are some power line and generator safety tips from the Gulf Power Storm Center site:
- Treat any downed wire as if it is energized. You can’t tell by looking if a downed wire is live or not. Telephone or cable television wires that are touching a power line could become energized and should also be avoided. Notify Gulf Power, your local emergency agency, or call 911 to report the location of any downed lines.
- Don’t attempt to repair the electrical system or pull tree limbs off lines. Let trained work crews perform this potentially dangerous work.
- Stay clear of areas with substantial debris or downed trees because it could conceal an energized power line. Also stay clear of chain link fences which may be energized if touching a downed line.
- Wait a reasonable time before calling Gulf Power if your entire neighborhood is without power.
- If you have an electric generator, please ensure that you have isolated your home or business from the utility electrical service lines by opening main breakers or other devices.
Do not connect portable generators to your household electrical wiring. This can cause serious injury to you and to Gulf Power employees working on the lines in your neighborhood.
- Connect only essential appliances — such as freezers and refrigerators — directly to the generator.
- NEVER use a generator in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces. Generators can produce high levels of carbon monoxide very quickly. When you use a portable generator, remember that you cannot smell or see carbon monoxide.
- NEVER try to power the house wiring by plugging the generator into a wall outlet, a practice known as “back-feeding.” This is an extremely dangerous practice that presents an electrocution risk to utility workers and neighbors served by the same utility transformer. It also bypasses some of the built-in household circuit-protection devices.
Here are some more storm tips from the Gulf Power Storm Center site:
- Turn your air conditioning down to cool down your house before the storm. If you keep the doors and windows closed you can keep your house relatively cool for about 48 hours after the storm.
- Charge your cell phone before the storm — and anything else that needs to be charged.
- Keep freezer doors closed and sealed. Well-filled freezers keep most foods frozen two to three days if the door is kept closed.
- If your power goes out, turn off your air conditioning unit. Wait a few minutes after the power is restored before turning your system back on. This way every air conditioning system in your neighborhood will not come on at the same time, overloading circuits.
- Leave a porch light switched on so that utility crews will be able to determine immediately the success of specific repairs.
Forbes Names Area One Of The Country’s Best Places To Retire
June 25, 2012
Forbes magazine has named the Pensacola area as one of the top 25 Best Places to Retire in the Nation.
The magazine cites the area’s overall good weather, average home prices at $134,000, an above average number of doctors and cost of living as reasons to retire in around Pensacola. But the threat of hurricanes and high crime are listed as negatives for the area.
Escambia School Board Looks To Change Graduations At Civic Center
June 25, 2012
The Escambia County School District is looking at making a change to high school graduation exercises held at the Pensacola Civic Center.
With the physical layout used earlier this month, some attendees were sitting behind the stage at some graduation exercises, including the one for Tate High School. Superintendent Malcolm Thomas, the school board and high school principals are looking at other ways to arrange the stage on the civic center floor to allow more people to see their student graduate.
A plan is expected to be formulated in the coming weeks to be implemented for the Class of 2013 graduations.
Pictured: The Class 0f 2012 graduation at the Pensacola Civic Center. NorthEscambia.com file photo by Wendy Meredith, click to enlarge.
CRIME — Man Convicted In Drunken Dispute With Estranged Wife
June 25, 2012
A Cantonment man has been convicted on two misdemeanor charges after a drunken dispute with his estranged wife.
John James Orcutt, age 28 of Schifko Road, was found guilty of disorderly intoxication and resisting an officer without violence. Felony charges of burglary of an unoccupied vehicle and petit theft were dismissed. Orcutt was sentenced to 12 months probation and 30 hours of community service.
In early February, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to disturbance call on Mills Avenue off Gulf Beach Highway where they found Orcutt and his estranged wife arguing in the middle of the street. The responding deputy said Ocrutt yelled an expletive at him multiple times before he was taken into custody.
The victim told deputies that she and Orcutt had been separated for several weeks and that he had broken into her mother’s 1999 pickup truck, taking personal belongings and throwing them to the ground, taking $300 which he later returned and taking her driver’s license.
Deputies found the pickup with its tailgate down and several items, including a hubcap, clothing and a driver’s license removed from the vehicle and tossed about.
While Orcutt was being transported to the Escambia County Jail, he told the deputy that he had been drinking a lot and had taken three Xanax bars before breaking into the vehicle because he was mad, according to the arrest report.