One Injury In Multi-Car Wreck On Highway 29
December 21, 2012
One person was injured in a multiple vehicle crash Friday afternoon near Molino.
Initial reports indicated that as many as a half dozen vehicles were involved in the accident about 2:30 on Highway 29 at Barrineau Park Road. The injured person was transported by ambulance to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.
All traffic lanes were reported to be open by 3:15 p.m.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Names and other details surrounding the crash have not yet been released.
New Photo Of Person Of Interest In Pen Air Robbery
December 21, 2012
Escambia County Sheriff’s investigators are hoping you will recognize two men seen in a surveillance photo released Friday morning.
Investigators said the men are believed to have information about the November 27 robbery of the Pen Air Federal Credit Union in Century. They were driving a dark colored Chevrolet extended cab pickup truck with a silver toolbox. The photos were were obtained from a car wash in West Pensacola on November 27.
If you have any information about the men pictured, call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
First Day Of Winter: Cold And Very Windy
December 21, 2012
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast on this, the first day of winter:
- Tonight: Clear, with a low around 27. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 59. Wind chill values between 25 and 35 early. North wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 33. Calm wind.
- Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 64. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
- Sunday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. South wind around 5 mph.
- Monday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 71. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Monday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 53. South wind around 5 mph.
- Christmas Day: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a high near 69. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Tuesday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 50.
- Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 58.
- Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 34.
- Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 54.
Escambia Moves Forward With Leave Buyback, Floating Holiday
December 21, 2012
The Escambia County Commission moved forward Thursday with a plan to allow employees to sell back accrued leave time and added a floating holiday.
The floating holiday for 2012 will be New Year’s Eve, and employees will be allowed to sell back up to 80 hours of accrued annual leave time. The buybacks and floating holiday will replace a 3-percent cost of living raise for employees, which was dumped after commissioners said there simply was not enough money. The raises were passed weeks ago with the understanding that the commission would be required to find a way to save the money elsewhere in the budget to pay up to employees.
If every employee cashed in their available leave under the plan, it will cost the county $1.4 million, compared to $3 million for across the board raises. The funds will come from $2.3 million in rebates from the county’s health insurance policy received for meeting cost reduction plans. The remaining $900,000 will be placed into a health insurance reserve.
The leave buyback program will cover Board of County Commission employees, the Supervisor of Elections Office, Property Appraiser’s Office, the Tax Collector and the Sheriff’s Office.
About half of the county’s employees have very few, if any, accumulated leave hours.
Northview Football Picture CD’s Available
December 21, 2012
The Northview High School Quarterback Club has two picture CD’s available — perfect for Christmas gifts.
The first CD has about 170 action shots of the varsity football players throughout the regular season. The second CD has about 200 pictures from the state championship game. They are being made available in conjunction with the Yearbook stafff.
Each CD is a $10 minimum donation to the NHS Quarterback Club to help fund their banquet or championship rings.
For a CD, contact Vicki Baggett at Northview today.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
(Note: These photos are not included on the school CD’s.)
New Chumuckla Springs Boat Ramp Set To Open
December 21, 2012
The new Chumuckla Springs Boat Ramp located at 10501 Chumuckla Springs Boat Ramp Road will open to the public on Monday, December 31 at 1 p.m.. The new facility replaces the current Sandy Landing Boat Ramp, which is privately owned but maintained by the county and open to the public through a license agreement. A ribbon cutting will be scheduled at a later date.
The project took approximately 10 months to complete and included over nine acres of clearing and grubbing, one-half mile of new paved road construction, over one-half mile of paved ditches, four stormwater retention ponds, over 7,000 square yards of compacted rock parking and driving areas and extensive erosion controls. The project was completed entirely in-house with Santa Rosa County engineering and public works staff.
In addition to being open year round, the new location, often referred to as Mineral Springs by locals, will have several advantages over the Sandy Landing Boat Ramp including more favorable currents for launching or loading small fishing boats and the ability to launch boats during low river tides. Features of the Chumuckla Springs Boat Ramp include a large gravel parking area which will accommodate up to 30 trucks with trailers and 20 cars or pick-ups.
The boat ramp allows for the launching of two boats side by side with appropriate loading and staging areas. Construction activities will continue into January to complete a few remaining work items. The completed project cost will be approximately $300,000 which is being funded by boater registration funds and includes the purchase of 19 acres.
Photos: Santa Visits Century Branch Library
December 21, 2012
Santa Claus made a special stop by the Century Branch Library Thursday afternoon. Children were able to join Santa and his helpers as they celebrated Christmas with a story, crafts, lots of fun and a little one-on-one time for the kids to tell Santa their wish lists.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Students: Today Is Early Release Day
December 21, 2012
Today, the last day of school before the holidays, will be an early release day in Escambia County.
Students at all elementary schools will dismiss at 11:00 a.m., except Molino Park which will dismiss at 10:30 a.m. Dismissal times vary for students at the secondary level and special centers are listed below. Students will return to school on January 8, 2013.
- Bailey Middle — 12:55 p.m.
- Bellview Middle — 12:50 p.m.
- Brown Barge Middle — 12:00 p.m.
- Ernest Ward Middle — 12:35 p.m.
- Ferry Pass Middle — 12:50 p.m.
- Ransom Middle — 12:50 p.m.
- Warrington Middle — 12:50 p.m.
- Woodham Middle — 1:00 p.m.
- Workman Middle — 12:50 p.m.
- Escambia High — 12:00 p.m.
- Northview High — 12:10 p.m.
- Pensacola High — 12:05 p.m.
- Pine Forest High — 12:00 p.m.
- Tate High — 12:00 p.m.
- Washington High — 12:00 p.m.
- West Florida High — 11:55 a.m.
- Camelot — 12:50 p.m.
- Judy Andrews (WHS, EHS, PHS) — 11:30 a.m.
- Judy Andrews (THS, PFHS) — 11:15 a.m.
- Lakeview — 11:00 a.m.
- McMillan — 12:50 p.m.
- Westgate (Elem and HS) — 11:00 a.m.
School Library Employee Arrested On Child Cruelty Charges
December 21, 2012
A part-time school library assistant was arrested Thursday on multiple child abuse charges.
Escambia County Sheriff’s investigators arrested Dorothea R. Vega, 59, for domestic violence charges including battery, torturing a child, caging a child and cruelty toward child act that could result in physical mental injury. She was booked into the Escambia County Jail without bond.
Investigators learned that the victim had been hit by numerous household objects and made to take prescription medications in an effort to control the child’s behavior. During the investigation deputies went to the home where they found alarms on the door of the child’s room. The child was made to stay in the room, unless she was doing chores. Deputies said if the alarm sounded the child was beaten by Vega.
The living conditions were found to be deplorable, investigators said. Deputies said the child was not always permitted to eat or take a bath and would sometimes use a school’s restroom to bathe in.
The Sheriff’s Office said Vega was arrested at Ensley Elementary School where she works as a library assistant.
Number Of Sex Offenders In Florida Increases Dramatically
December 21, 2012
The number of sex offenders in Florida has increased dramatically in recent years even as the number of offenders who can’t be found by law enforcement has decreased, according to a new report.
According to the Legislature’s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, there were 23,813 sex offenders in Florida communities in 2012, an increase of 28 percent since 2005. At the same time, the number of offenders whose location isn’t known by law enforcement has been cut almost in half, going from 1,259 in 2005 to 693 this year.
But OPPAGA also found that almost a quarter of sex offenders can’t get a driver’s license or state-issued ID despite a legal requirement that they do so, and that homeless sex offenders “present challenges to the registration and notification process.”
By The News Service of Florida