Area Band To Perform At BCS Championship Game

January 5, 2012

An area high school band will perform next Monday night at the BCS National Championship Game in New Orleans.

The T.R. Miller High School band of Brewton will play at the game as the Alabama Crimson Tide takes on the Tigers of LSU for number one in the nation.

Band members have rehearsed and held fund raisers for months. Band Director Lance Gainous said his young musicians earned the trip through hard work and a string of superior ratings in competitions last fall. The band departs for New Orleans on Friday and will return after the game.

The game airs on ESPN beginning at 7:30 Monday night. There’s no word yet if the Miller band will appear in the broadcast.

Pictured: The T.R. Miller Band practices. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Christopher Glenn Middleton

January 5, 2012

Mr. Christopher Glenn Middleton, 34, passed away on Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at a Pensacola hospital.

Mr. Middleton was a native and lifelong resident of Atmore and attended the Atmore First Assembly of God Church. .

Survivors include  his parents, Glenn and Denise Middleton of Atmore; two brothers, Kyle Kersey and Zach Kersey, both of Atmore; two sisters, Valerie Middleton of Atmore, and Tiffany Amerson of Bratt; his grandmothers, Catherine Middleton of Atmore and Betty Chandler of Falkville, AL; and a niece, Alexis Amerson of Bratt.

Funeral services will be Saturday, January 7, 2012, at 2 p.m. the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with the Rev. Don Davis officiating..

Burial will follow at the Oak Hill Cemetery.

Visitation will be Friday, January 6, 2012, from 6-9 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home in Atmore.

Ruth Johnson

January 5, 2012

Mrs. Ruth Johnson, 91, passed away on Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at a Mobile, AL hospital.

Mrs. Johnson was a native of Moyeville, AL, a former longtime resident of Flomaton, and a resident of Pineview for the past seven years. She was a former member of the Flomaton Pentecostal Church and a member of the Abundant Life Assembly of God Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Bill Johnson, 12 brothers and sisters, and a great-granddaughter, Julie Bradley.

She is survived by two sons, Daniel and Cindy Johnson of Pineview, and Henry and Wanda Johnson of Pineview; three grandchildren, Angie and Lavon Bradley of Flomaton, the Rev. Eric and Leslie Johnson of Flomaton, and Lauren Johnson of Pineview; three great-grandchildren, Ashley Bradley of Flomaton, Nikki and Eric Flowers of Brewton, and Blake Johnson of  Flomaton; and a great-great-grandchild, Zachary Flowers of Brewton.

Funeral services will be Saturday, January 7, 2012, at 10 a.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home in Atmore with the Rev. Eric Johnson and Roger Parker officiating.

Burial will follow at the Traveler’s Rest Cemetery.

Visitation will be Friday, January 6, 2012, from 6-9 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.

Annie Leggett McLemore

January 5, 2012

Annie Leggett McLemore, 85, entered into eternal rest on Sunday, January 1, 2012, at Oakwood Center for Living in Bay Minette. She was born on October 31, 1926, in Seminary, MS , the daughter of Mary Gladys Leggett and was raised by her late grandparents Phillip and Idella Leggett. She proudly made Atmore her home for over 50 years.

She was a loving and devoted mother, grandmother, and friend. She will be missed by everyone for her sweet spirit, her willingness to help anyone in need, and her many acts of kindness and generosity.

She worked at Porch Head Start for over 20 years and was a teacher for many of those years. She loved and cared deeply for all of her many students. After retiring from teaching, she went on to care for the elderly for several years. She was a faithful Christian and a member of Cross Point Baptist Church.

She was the widow of Bert A. McLemore. She was also preceded in death by her first husband Woodrow Pitts, who was killed in action in WWII, her mother Mary Leggett, her brother Rufus James Moss and her grandson Joey Irby.

She is survived by a loving family of two sons, Danny McLemore of Crawfordville, FL, and Glenn McLemore of Cape Coral, FL; and four daughters, Margaret and Fenton Miller of Charleston, SC, Diane and JR Maddox of Lutz, FL, Nita Monroe of Fairhope, AL, and Gina and Mitch White of Atmore; 14 grandchildren Evy MacNeil, Courtney Miller, John Irby, Daniel McLemore, Michael Maddox, Eric Maddox, Nicole McLemore, Paul McLemore, Adam McLemore, Blake Monroe, Amy Monroe, Clay White, Noah White, and Elise White; nine great grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren.

Pallbearers are John Irby, Michael Maddox, Daniel McLemore, Eric Maddox, Courtney Miller, and Blake Monroe. Honorary pallbearers are Adam McLemore, Paul McLemore, Clay White, and Noah White.

Funeral Service will be held Saturday January 7, 2012, at Cross Point Baptist Church in Atmore at 10 a.m. with burial following at Oak Hill Cemetery in Atmore.

Family will receive friends Friday January 6, 2012, at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home from 6 to 8 p.m.

Minor Fire At Historic Molino Home

January 4, 2012

Area fire stations responded to a minor fire in a historic Molino home Wednesday night.

A fire in a floor around a fireplace was reported about 9:20 p.m. in a two story wood frame home at the corner of Fairground Road and River Bend Road. No major damage was reported.

The Molino, Cantonment and McDavid stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the call.

The home is one of Molino’s oldest remaining; according to Escambia County property records, the 4300 square foot  home was constructed in 1928.

Suspicious Package Prompts Evacuation Of Sheriff’s Office

January 4, 2012

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was evacuated this morning because of a suspicious package.

A man reportedly received the package mailed to his address but not his name and took it to the Sheriff’s Office on Leonard Street. It also included a mailing label asking him to mail it to the Ukraine.

A bomb sniffing dog alerted to potential of possible explosive material in the package, prompting the evacuation of about 150 people.  A robot from the State Fire Marshal’s Office was used to removed the package from the building. There was no immediate word as to what was in the package. There was no explosion.

Further details have not been released.

Scott: GOP Candidate Must Win Florida For The White House; Still No Favorite

January 4, 2012

Florida Gov. Rick Scott declined to endorse a Republican presidential candidate on Wednesday after Mitt Romney won the Iowa caucuses narrowly over Rick Santorum.

In an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box on Wednesday morning, Scott stuck to his message that whichever candidate can best articulate a plan for lowering unemployment and creating jobs will be the successful GOP candidate and have the best chance to unseat President Obama.

The Republican governor said he hasn’t chosen a favorite candidate – he doesn’t know if he will before the Jan.uary 31 Florida primary – in part because none of the GOP candidates are talking enough about job creation for Scott’s satisfaction.

“Let’s talk about where we want to take the country,” Scott said. Eventually one of the Republican candidates will, he predicted. Scott also said the candidates have to pay attention to Florida. “You have to win Florida to win the White House,” Scott said. “I don’t know how you can do it without.”

Century Swears In Mayor, Council; Mayor To Focus On Economic Development

January 4, 2012

Two incumbent council members and a incumbent mayor that says his top priority is economic development were sworn in Tuesday night in Century.

“I really think we are in a position now to move forward with economic development and some jobs for the town that are much needed,” second term Mayor Freddie McCall said. “That’s what we are concentrating working on.”

McCall defeated former council member Henry Hawkins by a 3-2 margin in October’s general election.

Incumbent council members Ann Brooks and Annie Savage were also sworn in Monday night for four year terms.  For Brooks, it will be her second complete term on the council. Savage was first appointed to the council in August 2011 to finish the term of the late Nadine McCaw.

Also Monday night, the council re-elected Brooks as council president and Gary Riley as vice president.

Pictured top: Century Town Clerk Leslie Gonzalez swears in Mayor Freddie McCall for his second term. Pictured inset: McCall with council members Annie Savage (left) and Ann Brooks. Pictured below: Gonzalez swears in Brooks and (page bottom) Savage. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Century Bumps Up Garbage Rates

January 4, 2012

The new year is bringing a slight increase to garbage bills in Century.

Monday night, the town council voted to increase residential service from $15.04 per month to $15.38 — a 34 cent increase — for household waste. The town is passing along a 2.9 percent rate increase from Allied Waste, the town’s service provider, according to Mayor Freddie McCall.

Commercial refuse service from the town will also increase by 2.9 percent.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story stated that residential bills would increase from $11.46 to $11.80. Those figures accurately reflect the amount of a customer’s bill that pays for Allied Waste residential service through the Town of Century. Residential bills also include an additional $3.58 for bulk trash pickup, which is now included in the story above.

Temperatures Warming

January 4, 2012

Tonight will be back above freezing, as temperatures moderate over the next several days.

Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:

  • Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 38. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
  • Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 65. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
  • Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 38. Calm wind.
  • Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 68. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
  • Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
  • Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 70. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
  • Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 52. Calm wind.
  • Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 69. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.
  • Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50.
  • Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.
  • Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 40.
  • Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 62.

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