Patchy Dense Fog Tonight
February 16, 2012
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Patchy dense fog. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. North wind around 5 mph.
- Friday: A 30 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. North wind around 5 mph.
- Friday Night: A 40 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 53. East wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could be severe. High near 69. East wind 10 to 15 mph becoming south. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
- Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of rain, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. South wind around 15 mph becoming west. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.
- Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. Breezy, with a west wind between 10 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
- Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- President’s Birthday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. North wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast.
- Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 40.
- Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68.
- Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 50.
- Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy and breezy, with a high near 70.
- Wednesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy and breezy, with a low around 49.
- Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 69.
‘Guys And Dolls’ Friday At Flomaton High
February 16, 2012
The Flomaton High School Drama Club will present Damon Runyon’s Guys and Dolls tonight at Friday night at 7:00 in the school auditorium. Tickets are $5.
Nathan Detroit (played by Tyler Dove), the organizer of the oldest permanent floating crap game, bets Sky Masterson (played by Phillip Lloyd) that he can’t make the next girl he sees fall in love with him– Miss Sarah Brown (Victoria Creamer) of the Save-a-Soul Mission. Meanwhile, Nathan’s girlfriend and the main attraction at the Hot Box nightclub — Miss Adelaide (K J Head), only wants to get married. In the end the gamblers and “spunky do-gooders” are thrown together.
“The students have worked really hard on this year’s musical. It’s going to be a great production,” said Flomaton drama teacher Jerry Aaron. “Come and bring all of your friends.”
For more photos from the production, click here.
Pictured top: The gamblers — Joey Macks, Hunter Chavers, Phillip Lloyd, Dan Condrey, Max Wilcox, Brett Gafford, Brett Newton and hanging from the scalfoldling, Jay Harris and Zach Hadley in the Flomaton High School production of Guys and Dolls. Pictured below: The Save-a-Soul Mission Band — Kristen Dixon, Molly Barnett, Jamie Dailey, Alexis Williams, and Victoria Creamer. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
ECUA Receives National Award For Cantonment Facility
February 16, 2012
ECUA has received another national award for replacing the former Main Street Wastewater Treatment Plant with the new Central Water Reclamation Facility in Cantonment.
ECUA received a National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) National Environmental Achievement Award for its excellence in operations and environmental performance.
Elvin McCorvey, ECUA chairman, accepted the NEAA award this week at the 2012 NACWA Winter Conference at the Omni Hotel in Los Angeles.
ECUA was selected for this award for its completion of the Main Street Wastewater Treatment Plant Replacement Project. The project was the result of Hurricane Ivan’s impact on the Main Street Wastewater Treatment Plant, and ECUA’s subsequent action to plan, design and build the Central Water Reclamation Facility (CWRF). The CWRF is a state-of-the-art facility that significantly reduces the ECUA’s exposure to facility damages in the coastal floodplain, and eliminates the direct surface water discharge to Pensacola Bay from the former Main Street WWTP.
Authorities Raid Cantonment Property Again, Seize More Animals
February 16, 2012
Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies and animal control officers raided a Cantonment property for the second time on Wednesday afternoon, seizing even more of about 90 animals found in what was described as poor living conditions.
On Tuesday, animal control officers seized nearly 20 dogs from the property in the 2800 block of Lawson Lane off Jack’s Branch Road. It all started with a dog bite complaint, but when they arrived, officers found 50 or more dogs, 20 hogs and about 17 goats, according to Kelly Cooke, spokesperson for Escambia County.
Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies stood by as county animal control officers seized about 20 of the dogs. “They were the ones that were in really, really bad health or bad shape,” Cooke said. Some of the animals were reportedly tethered without food, water or property shelter.
Seven of the dogs were euthanized due to their severe condition.
By Wednesday, property owner Roger Kervin spoke out in his own defense, saying that he had doing nothing wrong. Kervin said he keeps the dogs in good shape for wild hog hunting, often using the wild pork to feed people at charity events.
Late Wednesday afternoon, Escambia deputies served a search warrant on Kervin. More dogs were seized, and authorities returned on Thursday to seize the wild hogs and even a few peacocks on the property.
Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille said Wednesday afternoon that his office is reviewing the case to determine what, if any, criminal charges may be filed against Kervin.
This was not the first time Kervin has been investigated on animal mistreatment allegations. According to court records, he was sentenced to six years probation in 1992 for using animals to bait or fight other animals.
Pictured: The Lawson Lane property were authorities found over 90 animals in poor conditions. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Celebrate Mardi Gras At The Library Today
February 16, 2012
The Century Branch of the West Florida Library will celebrate Mardi Gras this afternoon with a special program.
At 4 p.m., kids of all ages and their families are invited to the library to enjoy an afternoon of Mardi Gras fun. There will be a special story and the chance to make a Mardi Gras mask. Afterwards, there will be a Mardi Gras Parade at the library.
The Century Branch Library is located at 7991 North Century Boulevard.
For more information, call (850) 256-6217.
Florida House Passes Bill That Could Breathe Life Into Area’s Old Oil Wells
February 16, 2012
The Florida House passed legislation Wednesday that could breathe life into old oil wells in the North Escambia area.
Sponsor Matt Hudson, R-Naples, said his seeks to “rejuvenate” oil fields that were discovered decades ago but have been abandoned. At least in some cases, he said active wells are operating near the abandoned sites.
“If producers decide to tap into those abandoned wells, without question it will create jobs,” Hudson said recently.
The bill puts as low as a 1 percent severance tax on oil from the abandoned wells, instead of the current 8 percent severance tax rate. It applies to old oil fields in the western Panhandle and in the Big Cypress Reserve in southwest Florida. The measure passed the House 80-36, with most Democrats opposing it.
One of the dissenters, Rep. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, said he had questions about where the abandoned wells are located and the potential environmental effects of tapping them.
Though drawing relatively little attention, Florida has long had oil production in the northwest Panhandle, and in parts of Southwest Florida. Most of the oil wells are in the Jay area, but many are in extreme northeastern Escambia County east of Century and north of Highway 4.
A House staff analysis said the Panhandle fields produced about 1 million barrels of oil in 2010, while the Southwest Florida fields produced about 775,000 barrels. The Jay Field, including some Escambia County wells, produced 993,841 barrels in 2010.
The House bill targets fields that were discovered before 1981 and that would begin producing oil after July 1, 2012.
It would not lead to offshore oil drilling, a highly controversial issue in Florida. Earlier this year, Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann drew criticism when she raised the prospect of opening up the Everglades to oil drilling, though backers of the idea noted that it wasn’t that far from some of the drilling already going on in Southwest Florida.
The House analysis says 16 oil fields were discovered in Florida before 1981, with seven of them plugged and abandoned. Nine of those abandoned wells are in Northwest Florida, most in the North Escambia area.
Pictured top: This map shows the wells in the Jay Oil Field. Pictured inset: The oil and gas from the Jay Field is processed by Quantum Resources in Jay. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Joseph Hobson Huff
February 16, 2012
Joe Huff, age 64 of Pensacola, passed away Wednesday, February 15, 2012.
Mr. Huff was born in Millport, AL, on August 23, 1947. Mr. Huff was a volunteer firefighter in Escambia County for 48 years. He was also a decorated Marine. Mr. Huff worked at Five Flags Speedway for many years. He was a loving and loyal husband and father.
He is survived by his wife Charlotte; his daughters Vivian Huff of Pensacola, Wendy Wedgwood and Tammy Hester of Grand Bay, AL; his father and mother Clyde and Frances Huff; his brother and sister-in-law Larry and Susan Huff of Pensacola; 12 grandchildren and one great grandchild, mother and father-in-law Ester and Alex Cutts of Pensacola; and a sister and brother-in-law Gail and Ernie Craycraft; numerous nephews and nieces; and great nephews and nieces. He had several special girls that were like daughters to him, Elizabeth Peavy of Pensacola, Shannon Neal of Morristown, TN, Talesha Grev of Pensacola, and Mari Grimes of Pensacola.
He was preceded in death by his sister Brenda Huff and a special young man that was like a son Labo Martin.
Funeral services will be held at 2 pm on February 19, 2012, at Marcus Pointe Baptist Church with the Reverend Bill Flannigan officiating. Interment will follow at Eastern Gate Memorial Gardens on Nine Mile Road.
Serving as pallbearers will be Beulah Fire & Rescue. Honorary pallbearers will be Escambia County Fire & Rescue.
The family will receive friends at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North-Cantonment on Saturday, February 18, 2012, from 5-8 p.m.
Corp Income Tax Break, Sales Tax Holiday Pass House
February 16, 2012
The Florida House on Wednesday approved a series of tax breaks, hoping to free thousands of businesses from corporate-income taxes and put extra money in the pockets of back-to-school shoppers.
The House voted unanimously to hold a “sales tax holiday” from Aug. 3 through Aug. 5 that would be geared to back-to-school shoppers.
The plan (HB 737) would allow shoppers to avoid paying sales taxes on items such as clothing, shoes and bags that cost $75 or less. Also, they would receive a sales-tax exemption for school supplies valued at $15 or less.
House members also went along with Gov. Rick Scott’s proposal to increase the corporate-income tax exemption from $25,000 to $50,000, passing it as part of a broader economic-development bill.
Scott, in a statement, said it was “a huge victory” for Floridians, and would help businesses create more jobs.
The issue sparked a partisan fight Tuesday, as Democrats tried to tack conditions onto the additional exemption — and Republicans fired back by limiting the tax break to businesses that do not employ union workers.
Some Democrats continued to criticize the income-tax proposal Wednesday, contending that it would primarily help large corporations and do little for small businesses.
“This bill does nothing to sweeten the pot for the middle class or the working families in this state,” said Rep. Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach.
But Finance and Tax Chairman Steve Precourt, R-Orlando, said lawmakers need to put aside procedural disputes and “partisan rhetoric.” He said the higher exemption would allow nearly 4,000 businesses to avoid paying corporate-income taxes altogether.
“This is not about the big guys, the big corporations, the fat cats,” said Majority Leader Carlos Lopez-Cantera, R-Miami. “This is about jobs.”
The House voted 92-22 to approve the economic-development package, which also includes new or expanded tax breaks related to agricultural packing houses, aircraft repairs and industrial machinery and equipment.
A House analysis said the package eventually would eliminate about $121 million a year in tax revenues for state and local governments.
“By allowing more than 3,500 businesses to stop paying income taxes and instead put that money into jobs, and maximizing incentives to make Florida more attractive to quality manufacturing jobs, the Florida House has demonstrated it knows what it takes to help grow private-sector jobs,” Scott said in a statemet after the vote.
By The News Service Florida
EREC Washington Youth Tour Winners Named
February 16, 2012
Two Central High School students have won the Escambia River Electric Cooperative Youth Tour to Washington contest.
Lauren Griswold and Logan Rowell will represent EREC on the Washington Youth Tour in June. While in Washington, Griswold and Rowell will see the sights, learn about the nation’s capital and rural electrification while making new friends from across the country.
Students from across the EREC service area interviewed with an independent panel of judges. Contestants were judged on their knowledge of EREC and the history of rural electrification. Personal attributes of each candidate such as character, academic ability, personality and leadership abilities were also considered.
Pictured: Central High students Lauren Griswold and Logan Rowell, winners of the EREC Youth Tour to Washington contest. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
George Irvin Hanks
February 16, 2012
George Irvin Hanks, age 88, of Cantonment, passed away Wednesday February 8, 2012. He was born September 21, 1923 in McDavid to the late Elijah E. Hanks and Arcora Roach Hanks.
He was a United States Navy Veteran having served in WWII. He retired from Champion Paper and was a life long member of the First Baptist Church of Cantonment.
Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 65 years, Estelle O’Farrell Hanks; and a son, Randall G. Hanks.
Survivors include two daughters, Victoria (Mark) Hanks Staples and Karen (Brett) Hanks Shaw; five grandchildren, Heather (Jay) Staples Lucey, Ginger (Troy) Staples Reeder, Christopher Staples, Alexandra Shaw and Austin Shaw; four great grandchildren, Andrew Rohler, Meredith Lucey, Jeremiah Lucey and Nathanial Lucey.
Funeral services were held Monday February 13, 2012, at the First Baptist Church of Cantonment. The family received friends at the church before the servicer. Interment followed in Eastern Gate Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Lung Association or the American Cancer Society . Condolences may be made to the family at www.easterngatememorial.com.
Eastern Gate Memorial Funeral Home was entrusted with the arrangements.