Peggy F. Emmitt
October 15, 2012
Peggy F. Emmitt, age 81 of Cantonment, passed away on Oct. 11, 2012.
She was preceded in death by her parents Ethel Ryals and Ed Charles Franklin. Peggy is survived by her two daughters, Connie Barberi and Margie (Rick) Coleman; one adopted daughter, Susan (Jerald) Vickery; three grandchildren, Stephanie (Jason) Wilson, Jennifer (Jake) Barberi, James (Jenna) Coleman; great grandchildren, Kailyn Meyer, Cash Wilson, Kyleigh Meyer and one more great grandson on the way; former husband and still great friend Cecil Emmett.
The family would like to offer a special thanks to Denise, Andy, Angela and all the other nurses at West Florida CCU.
There will be no public services per Peggy’s request.
Teen Shot And Killed By Stepfather
October 14, 2012
A teen is dead and his stepfather jailed following a fatal shooting Saturday night in Escambia County, Ala.
Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s deputies responded to a residence on Pleasant View Drive near Nokomis, Ala., where they found 17-year old William Ray deceased on the floor.
Authorities said the suspect, 54-year old James Allen Bethea, was still inside the residence. Deputies called for backup from the Atmore Police Department, Poarch Creek Tribal Police and other agencies. Bethea exited the residence unarmed and was taken into custody without incident.
Investigators said the incident began as a domestic incident between Bethea, his wife and Ray. Bethea remains in the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton without bond on a charge of murder.
Further details, including the circumstances surrounding the incident, have not been released by the Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office.
Escambia County Reports First Meningitis Case From Tainted Steriod
October 14, 2012
The first case of fungal meningitis associated with contaminated steroid injections has been confirmed in Escambia County.
A 47-year old man who received treatment from Pain Consultants of West Florida in Pensacola was injected with one of the contaminated lots, the Florida Department of Health said Saturday.
The man was one of more than 600 patients to receive a potentially tainted injection at the Escambia County clinic.
“We continue to urge those who may have received steroid injections from any of the six facilities in the state to consult a health care professional,” said State Surgeon General and Secretary of Health Dr. John Armstrong. “This situation remains unfortunate, and although this fungal meningitis is not contagious, we do anticipate more patients will be affected as our investigation continues.”
Nationwide, there have been 185 cases of meningitis reported, including 14 deaths across 12 state. Florida has two confirmed fatalities as of Saturday. The fungal meningitis from the contaminated steroid injections is not contagious and cannot be passed from person to person, state health officials said.
The Escambia County Health Department has notified most patients of Pain Consultants of West Florida that received the contaminated injections; the health department is continuing to work to notify the last of the patients.
The contaminated medication may have been used in spinal and in joint injections given by Pain Consultants of West Florida between July 8, 2012, and September 28, 2012.
Persons having received spinal or joint injections of a steroid medication from Pain Consultants of West Florida between July 8 and September 28, 2012, should advise their primary care physician. Persons experiencing signs or symptoms of joint infection or meningitis should seek immediate medical evaluation by their physician or their local hospital emergency department. Symptoms of fungal meningitis may be milder than those normally associated with meningitis. Symptoms of fungal joint infections or meningitis can include:
Worsening of inflammatory symptoms in the treated joint including increased redness, warmth, swelling or pain, fever, new or worsening headache, nausea, and/or new symptoms consistent with a stroke.
Persons at risk of infection should call their physician to ensure that their physician is aware of their risk. More information can be obtained from the Escambia County Health Department at (850) 595-6651 or from your local health department. For individuals outside Escambia County, the Florida Department of Health has set up a toll-free hotline at (866) 523-7339.
Passing Front Brings Slight Rain Chance
October 14, 2012
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Monday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 83. North wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 50. North wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. North wind around 5 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
- Wednesday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Thursday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
- Thursday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly clear, with a low around 55. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 75.
- Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 51.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 75.
- Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 49.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 69.
Traffic: Nine Mile Road Now Open
October 14, 2012
Nine Mile Road reopened this afternoon at the railroad crossing just east of Highway 29 after being closed since Friday night.
Nine Mile Road was closed at the CSX railroad between Old Palafox and Chemstrand Road as part of a resurfacing project between Pine Cone Drive and the Escambia River Bridge. Panhandle Grading and Paving began work on the 8.4 mile project in June. Improvements include resurfacing the roadway, Americans with Disabilities Act and sidewalk upgrades, guardrail and safety improvements, minor drainage improvements and bridge joint repair.
Pictured: A complete road closure on Nine Mile Road Saturday morning. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photos: Escambia County Farm Tour
October 14, 2012
The 2012 Escambia County Farm Tour took to the roads of North Escambia Friday as well county, city, state and federal officials joined leaders from the community on a tour of agricultural locations across the area.
Ride along on the farm tour in a photo gallery by clicking here.
The tour started at Doug Corbin’s Farm on West Nine Mile Road when participants learned about beekeeping, honey varieties , honey and hive products and more.
In Molino, the tour visited with Green Cedars Farm owners Roger and Pam Elliot. Their farm raises chicken, eggs, turkeys, lamb and pastured pork. A short distance away on Gibson Road in Molino, participants learned about hay and cattle farming at Gizmo Angus Farms.
The tour also visited Boyd Sigafoose Farm in Bratt, where they learned all about peanuts and the peanut market. Participants also visited the Yoder Family Dairy in Bratt.
Pictured top: The Escambia County Farm Tour at the Gizmo Angus Farm in Molino (top), Green Cedars Farm in Molino (inset) and Sigafoose Farm in Bratt (below) as peanuts are harvest. NorthEscambia.com photos and submitted photos by Josh McElhaney for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Foreclosure Rates Tops In U.S. Last Month
October 14, 2012
An expected surge of foreclosures pushed Florida to the top of the heap during the third quarter as lenders resumed proceedings that had been stalled by robo-signings violations more than two years ago, according to data compiled by RealtyTrac, which monitors retail sales and foreclosures around the country.
For the quarter ending September 30, one in every 117 Florida homes was in some sort of foreclosure action, more than double the national average.
Florida also led the nation for foreclosures in September, the first time the state had claimed the dubious top spot since April 2005. For the quarter, Florida’s foreclosure rate was up 14 percent from the same period last year. September’s foreclosure rate was 24 percent higher than a year ago, the 11th straight month of year-to-year increase, RealtyTrac reported.
By The News Service of Florida
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Citizens Insurance, Voter Registration Closes
October 14, 2012
Here’s a look at some of the top stories making news in Florida this week:
CITIZENS’ BOARD SLOWS DOWN LOAN PROGRAM.
Prompted by concerns from wary lawmakers and the state’s consumer advocate, Citizens Property Insurance Corp will hire an outside firm to take a second look at a $350 million loan program its governing board approved just last month.
The goal of the program was take more than 300,000 policies out of Citizens by offering private companies low interest loans to sweeten the deal.
Quickly assembled by a new Citizens president from the private sector, the plan has raised concerns among key lawmakers wary over the idea itself and the speed by which it has come together.
On Tuesday, Citizens’ depopulation committee recommended that the insurer hire Goldman Sachs, or another major investment firm, to review the surplus notes program, which would provide up to $50 million in 20-year, low-interest loans to individual companies willing to take Citizens policies for at least 10 years.
Citizens President and CEO Barry Gilway acknowledged the desire for additional information, but stood firm in his belief that the program would work as intended, reducing Citizens maximum loss by $2 billion and saving policyholders an estimated $1.7 billion in assessments during the 10 years in which the take out companies would be required to hold the policies.
“Instead of trying to depopulate Citizens by coverage elimination, reductions and restrictions, which have not played well in the marketplace … this program, on the other hand, clearly benefits the policyholder,” Gilway said.
But Robin Westcott, Florida’s insurance consumer advocate, applauded the board’s decision to take a closer look.
“Sometimes when we are in the middle of doing that, it helps to have a third party to come in and take a look,” she said.
BOOK CLOSES ON FLORIDA VOTER REGISTRATION
Florida election officials on Tuesday closed the door on new registrations for people wanting to vote in this year’s general election.
The final count of registered voters brings, for now, to a close months of wrangling over new voter registration laws that, for a time, curtailed third-party voter registration.
Though book-closing results won’t be available for several days, state Democratic Party officials have been on a roll, having registered 18,063 more voters than Republicans, a 16-percentage point spread, in September. It was more of the same for Democrats, who have beaten the GOP in signing up new voters in each of the last eight months.
Hispanics are a big part of the equation: Democrats now have a roughly 30 percentage point advantage in Hispanics in a state where Latino registration used to be more likely to be Republican. Hispanic Democrats not only outnumber Hispanic Republicans but there are also more Hispanic independents than Hispanic Republicans.
As of August, the state had about 4.6 million registered Democrats to 4.1 million registered Republicans. Another 2.4 million are registered with no party affiliation and about 328,000 are in minor parties.
MCKEEL TO BECOME BUDGET CHAIR:
Weatherford filled one of the most powerful positions in the state legislative leadership team this week by tapping McKeel to take over the House Appropriation Committee as the chamber begins drafting its roughly $70 billion budget proposal for next year.
McKeel, R-Lakeland, has been in the House since 2006 and served on the Appropriations Committee. He has been chairman of the State Affairs Committee in the most recent two years and was deputy majority leader in 2009-2010.
McKeel, 37, is vice president of Lakeland Properties and Management, his family’s real estate management company.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Citizens Property Insurance Corp. slows down to take another look at $350 million loan program.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “I’m not going to let people hide behind their office if they are involved in a case,” Circuit Judge Frank Sheffield on whether to allow lawyers to depose Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll in a case pending before his court involving the illegal release of an audio recording of an office conversation.
By The Nes Service of Florida
Photos: Open House At Roy Hyatt Environmental Center
October 14, 2012
The Roy Hyatt Environmental Center’s annual Open House was held Saturday in Cantonment.
Visitors had a chance to meet the center’s resident reptiles, Eastern screech owls, hop aboard the one of a kind bird bus for a bird watching experience and take a stroll in the butterfly garden.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The open house also included the chance to hike though 120 acres of nature trails, visit a one room school replica and a dog trot house. And there were plenty activities for the children.
The Roy Hyatt Environmental Center on Tobias Road is part of the Escambia County School District. The instructional program currently includes field trips for second and fifth graders.
Pictured top: A visitor gets up close and personal with a snake during the annual Open House Saturday at the Roy Hyatt Environmental Center in Cantonment. Pictured: Inside a dog trot house at the Center. Pictured below: Visitors learn about screech owls. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Fire Destroys Vehicle On Highway 97
October 13, 2012
There were no injuries in a vehicle fire on Highway 97 south of Highway 4 Saturday morning in Walnut Hill. The Chrysler Sebring was a total loss.
The vehicle was full involved when the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue arrived on scene.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
