Romney Nominated, Christie Wows Delegates
August 29, 2012
[Tampa] Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney was officially nominated as the Republican Party’s presidential candidate Tuesday, ending a lengthy selection process that began with the Iowa caucus vote in early January. Republican delegates attending the party’s national convention in Tampa also heard a rousing speech from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Although there was no suspense about the outcome, Republicans went ahead with the traditional roll call of the states that assured Mitt Romney of the presidential nomination and a showdown with Barack Obama in the November election.
Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan was also nominated to be Romney’s vice presidential running mate.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a favorite with conservative activists within the party, delivered what is known as the convention keynote speech that touched on the main themes the Republicans will emphasize during the campaign.
“I don’t know about you but I don’t want my children and grandchildren to have to read in a history book what it was like to live in an American century,” said Christie. “I don’t want their only inheritance to be an enormous government that has overtaxed, overspent and over-borrowed a great people into second-class citizenship. I want them to live in a second American Century. A second American Century.”
Delegates also gave a warm reception to Mitt Romney’s wife, Ann, who is likely to play a larger campaign role in trying to attract women voters.
Ann Romney also sought to highlight her husband’s personal side, part of a broader Republican effort this week to help Romney better connect with voters.
“I can’t tell you what will happen over the next four years,” she said. “But I can only stand here tonight as a mother, a wife, a grandmother, an American, and make you this solemn commitment: This man will not fail!”
Romney joined his wife onstage briefly after her speech amid cheers from delegates.
Some of Romney’s former rivals for the Republican nomination have also rallied around him at the convention, including former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, a favorite of social conservatives within the party.
“We are stewards of a great inheritance,” said Santorum. “In November we have a chance to vote for life and liberty, not dependency. A vote for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan will put our country back in the hands of leaders who understand what America can and, for the sake of our children, must be to keep the dream alive.”
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
VOA
Urgent Call For Blood Donations
August 29, 2012
Northwest Florida Blood Services has issued an immediate call for blood donations after Hurricane Issac.
The blood center will resume normal operating hours Wednesday in Pensacola, Crestview, Ft Walton and Panama City.
“All eligible donors are asked to stop by our centers and give the gift of life to help build the local blood supply,” said Betty Roberts, spokesperson for Northwest Florida Blood Services. “All blood types are currently needed especially O negative blood type and platelets. Any person who is eligible to donate is encouraged to do so.”
For a list of blood center locations, click here.
North Escambia Area Closings, Openings
August 29, 2012
Here is a summary of closure and opening information from around the North Escambia area.
If you have an item to add to this list, email news@northescambia.com.
- Schools: All Escambia County, Florida, Escambia County, Alabama and Santa Rosa County Schools are back in session on Thursday. Friendship Learning Lodge in Flomaton is back in class Thursday. Temple Christian Academy will be open Thursday; students report at 8 a.m. University of West Florida and Pensacola State open. Escambia Academy in Atmore open Thursday.
- Tate Football: The Tate High School Aggies regular season opener against Louisiana’s St. Charles High School scheduled for Friday night has been canceled due to Isaac.
- Northview High JV football game scheduled for Thursday has been canceled. It will be rescheduled to a later date.
- Ernest Ward Middle School football jamboree scheduled for Thursday night at Summerdale has been canceled. The first EWMS football game will be next Thursday, September 6 at home versus Perdido at 6 p.m.
- Northview High pictures and senior portrait makeups on Thursday have been rescheduled for next Tuesday.
- Colleges: Pensacola State is closed Wednesday. University of West Florida is closed Wednesday. Virginia College of Pensacola closed until 8 am. Thursday. Jefferson Davis Community College classes are canceled for Wednesday.
- ECUA: Wednesday’s routes will be picked up Thursday, and routes for the remainder of the week will be one day late.
- Escambia County offices, including the Tax Collector, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections and First Judicial Court Operations – including those at Blanchard, Bruno and COB buildings – are open
- Santa Rosa County offices, including the library system will reopen on Thursday.
- Perdido Landfill and Palafox Transfer station are open.
- City of Pensacola has resumed normal operations.
- Workforce Escarosa will open on Thursday.
- Cantonment Ballpark: Closed with no practices until further notice.
- Bratt Davisville Water System annual membership meetings scheduled for Tuesday, August 28 has been rescheduled for Tuesday, September 4 at 7 p.m. at the water company office.
- NWE Bradberry Park “Meet Your Coach” has been rescheduled for Tuesday, September 11.Members First Credit Union expects to reopen as usual on Thursday.
- Pen Air: All Pen Air FCU branches will be closed until Thursday.
- Masland Carpets (Atmore) is closed until 11 p.m. Wednesday.
Isaac: Escambia Update
August 29, 2012
Here is the latest Isaac related information specific to Escambia County:
Escambia County Information
- The Escambia County Emergency Operations Center will close today at 7 a.m. today.
- The Citizen Information Center (CIC), (850) 471-6600, will close at 7 a.m.
- The County remains under a tropical storm warning and tornado watch until 7 a.m. this morning.
- Road Closures – The following roads have been closed due to flooding:
o County Road 399 (J. Earle Bowden Way), from the National Seashore gate to Navarre
o Fort Pickens Road
o Baublits Road at the intersection of Kalash
- All bridges in Escambia County are open.
- If you approach a traffic signal that is out, please treat the intersection as a four-way stop. If the lights are blinking red, stop and yield right-of-way.
- Both Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key have experienced beach erosion due to the storm. County officials will be evaluating the level of damage beginning Thursday.
- As of 5:15 a.m., Gulf Power is reporting 221 customers in Escambia County are without power.
- All Escambia County offices, including the Tax Collector, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections and First Judicial Court Operations – including those at Blanchard, Bruno and COB buildings – will be open today.
- Escambia County Public Schools will be closed today due to the uncertainty of the weather conditions and the safety of the school buses. Schools will reopen on Thursday.
- The University of West Florida and Pensacola State College will be closed today.
- The City of Pensacola will resume normal operations today. This includes the Port of Pensacola and Pensacola International Airport.
- Escambia County Area Transit will resume normal service today.
- Perdido Landfill and Palafox Transfer station will be open normal business hours today.
- ECUA will resume residential and commercial sanitation collection service today.
o Residential routes originally scheduled for yesterday will be collected on today.
o Wednesday collections will be made on Thursday, August 30.
o Thursday collections will be made on Friday, August 31.
o Friday collections will be made on Saturday, September 1.
o Commercial sanitation routes originally scheduled for yesterday will be collected on today.
o The normal commercial collection schedule will resume throughout the remainder of the week.
- City of Pensacola sanitation will resume collections today.
o Routes normally scheduled for yesterday will be collected today.
o Normal routes will be run on Thursday and Friday.
Weather Conditions
- Inclement weather could continue throughout the day today with high winds and heavy rain possible.
· There is a high risk of dangerous rip currents along the beaches of Escambia County. Please follow flag colors. A red flag means the water is closed to swimmers. Double red means the water is closed to everyone.
Isaac: Santa Rosa Update
August 29, 2012
Here is the latest Isaac information specific to Santa Rosa County:
Hurricane Isaac Update # 6
- Santa Rosa is currently under a Tropical Storm Warning.
- The Citizens Information Center will close at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, August 29.
- No bridges are closed.
- Strong wind gust and rain are possible throughout the evening on Wednesday. Residents are asked to continue to use caution.
- Rough surf and dangerous rip currents will continue. Beachgoers, swimmers and surfers should heed the double red flag warnings and stay out of the water as deadly rip currents and rough surf conditions are present.
Actions Taken by Santa Rosa County
- The emergency operations center will return to a level 3, or monitoring, at 10 a.m.
- Evacuation orders for zones A & B have been lifted.
- Tolls on Garcon Point Bridge will resume at 10 a.m.
- Shelter operations at the Milton Community Center will close this morning.
- County staff will begin the damage assessment process.
County Offices
- County offices, including the library system will reopen on Thursday, August 30.
- The Central Landfill will be open on Wednesday, August 29 at 7 a.m. or as soon as weather conditions allow.
- The Navarre Beach Pier is closed due to high wind and surf conditions.
- Santa Rosa Transit will resume service on Thursday, August 30.
Public Schools
- School will reopen on Thursday, August 30
Power Outages
- Please do not call 9-1-1 to report power outages. Power outages should be reported to Gulf Power at 1-800-GU-Power (1-800-487-6937) or Escambia River Cooperative, Inc. at 1-877-OUT-EREC (1-877-688-3732).
- Outages reported in Santa Rosa County by Gulf Power at 5 a.m.- 13
Atmore Elects Jim Staff As Mayor, New Council Members
August 29, 2012
Atmore elected a new mayor and three council members Tuesday, while two council races are headed to an October runoff.
Jim Staff won the mayor’s job, defeating challengers Lloyd Albritton and Bernard Bishop without a runoff required . Staff received 58 percent with 830 votes. Bernard Bishop had 356 votes, while Lloyd Albritton received 243 votes.
Elected to the council were Webb Nall, District 1; Cornell Torrence, District 2; and Christopher Walker, running unopposed in District 3. An October runoff will be required in District 4 and District 5 where no one received 50 percent of the vote.
After a total of more than two decades in office, current Mayor Howard Shell did not seek re-election. He was first elected to the Atmore City Council 1984 before being appointed mayor after the death of then-Mayor Patricia McKenzie. After winning the mayor’s race twice, he remained in office until being beaten in 1996 by Rodney Owens, an Atmore chiropractor. He returned to office in 2000 and is serving his third term since returning to office.
Here are complete, but unofficial results:
Mayor
- Jim Staff – 830
- Bernard Bishop – 356
- Lloyd Albritton – 243
District 1
- Webb Nall – 177
- Chad Thrower – 80
District 2
- Cornell Torrence -129
- Thomas S. McNeal – 99
District 3
- Christopher Walker – unopposed
District 4 - (runoff required)
- Susan Smith – 240
- Larry Houck – 217
- Phil Johnson – 51
District 5 – (runoff required)
- Chris Harrison – 106
- Michael Arnold – 70
- Gregg Akins – 61
- Sandra Gray – 40
Pictured top: Atmore mayor-elect Jim Staff (left) is congratulated Tuesday night by Mayor Howard Shell (right). Photo by Emilie Mims for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Dewey Bondurant Re-elected Flomaton Mayor
August 29, 2012
Dewey Bondurant was re-elected as Flomaton’s mayor Tuesday, according to preliminary, unofficial results from the Flomaton Town Hall.
Bondurant received 236 votes to 216 votes for challenger and councilman Clemente Brooks.
For Flomaton Town Council:
District 1
- Butch Lee 54
- John Samson 30
District 2:
- Lillian Dean 77
- Rachel Pleasant 21
Pictured top: Flomaton Mayor Dewey Bondurant (left) at a Flomaton Town Council meeting next to councilman and mayoral candidate Clemente Brooks (right). NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Power Restored To Majority Of Gulf Power Customers
August 29, 2012
Gulf Power Company crews have restored power to more than 20,000 customers across Northwest Florida in the wake of Hurricane Isaac. As of 6:15 a.m. Wednesday, only a few scattered outages remained in the region.
“Despite high winds and heavy rain, our crews really made a difference out there,” said Jeff Rogers, Gulf Power spokesman. “We appreciate our customers’ patience as we work in these difficult weather conditions.”
As the day progresses more outages are possible so customers should remain prepared, Rogers said.
“As we start winding down, we’re looking at deploying some of our crews to help those closer to where Isaac made landfall,” Rogers said. “Gulf Power’s well-trained crews are often requested in the hardest-hit areas. And we’re more than happy to help after our customers are taken care of.”
Gulf Power encourages those who experience an outage to call 1-800-487-6937 to report their outage.
“The best thing about our restoration efforts is that we have had no injuries to our employees, customers or to the out-of-state workers here to help us,” Rogers said. “Safety is our number one priority and we have done well in that category so far.”
Pictured: Gulf Power crews work Wednesday morning to restore power. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Third Human West Nile Case Confirmed In Escambia County
August 29, 2012
The third human case of the West Nile virus was confirmed Tuesday in Escambia County, days after health officials issued a “Mosquito Borne Illness Advisory” for the entire county.
The reported cases mean “there is an imminent risk of additional persons becoming infected,” according to the Escambia County Health Department. The health department has not said where in the county the infected person reside.
“The increase in the number of confirmed cases reaffirms the increased risk of contracting the disease for everyone in our county. Since most people who contract WNV have mild or no symptoms, it is likely that there are numerous unreported cases throughout the area. As we deal with the potential for very wet weather, it is especially important that all residents take precautions to limit their exposure to mosquitoes,” said Dr. Susan Turner, associate director for the Escambia County Health Department.
Mosquitoes infected with West Nile Virus can bite and infect humans. Symptoms of infection can range from mild to severe, including development of diseases such as meningitis or encephalitis. Being outdoors, especially during dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active, further increases the risk of infection. People with weakened immune systems and individuals over 50 may be at higher risk of the most severe form of the infection.
Century To Hold Budget Workshop Thursday Afternoon
August 29, 2012
Century Town Council will host a budget workshop Thursday afternoon to discuss the town’s proposed 2012-2013 budget.
The workshop, the third on the budget, will be held at 2 p.m. at the Century Town Hall, 7995 North Century Boulevard. The meeting is open to the public.