Close Battle: Flomaton Defeats Jay
September 28, 2013
The Flomaton Hurricanes, with just 33 seconds on the clock, pulled ahead to defeat the Jay Royals Friday night in Flomaton.
Jay (3-1) will host the Northview Chiefs (1-3) next Friday night, while the Flomaton Hurricanes (3-2) will be at Sweet Water (3-2).
Photos by Michele Gibbs for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Woman Charged With Hiding Manslaughter Suspect, Child Neglect
September 28, 2013
A Jay woman has been charged with hiding a felony fugitive.
Sarah Krick, 26, was charged with obstruction of justice, child neglect, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, she hid 32-year old Travis Kelly, who was charged with vehicular manslaughter in connection with the traffic death of a Milton woman. She allegedly told authorities that Kelly was not inside her home when authorities knocked on the door, saying he had left earlier in the day. As authorities entered the home, Kelly walked out a bedroom and surrendered.
Deputies reporting finding a plastic tub containing marijuana inside the home, along with a drug paraphernalia. According to an arrest report, Krick created an “extremely dangerous situation by attempting to hide a wanted fugitive and allegedly smoking marijuana with a child present”.
Krick was released from the Santa Rosa County Jail on a $2,000 bond.
For more on Kelly and his arrest, click here for a previous story.
15 Years Ago: Hurricane Georges
September 28, 2013
Hurricane Georges made landfall near Biloxi 15 years ago on the morning on September 28, 1998, with maximum winds of 110 mph. Georges moved very slowly across southern Mississippi and weakened to a tropical depression by the morning of the 29th when the center was about 30 miles north northeast of Mobile. The storm dissipated near the northeast Florida/southeast Georgia coast by the morning of October 1, 1998.
Georges brought torrential rainfall to the Gulf Coast, with Pensacola receiving 26.83 inches of rain, Bay Minette 29.66 inches and Munson 38.46 inches. Numerous other locations received between one and two feet of rain.
Surface observations indicate sustained hurricane force winds were confined to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The highest sustained winds recorded in Mobile were between 50-55 mph with gusts near 65 mph. The Pensacola area also saw similar sustained winds. However, peak gusts of 79 and 91 mph were recorded at Eglin AFB and Hurlburt Field. These higher gusts likely occurred in a strong convective outer band of the hurricane.
Prep Football Finals
September 28, 2013
Here are high school football final scores from around the area Friday night.
FLORIDA
- Tate 35, Pine Forest 0 [Read more...]
- Choctawhatchee 35, Northview 0 [Read more...]
- West Florida 42, Alma Bryant (AL) 21
- Flomaton 25, Jay 22 [Read more...]
- Jesuit (LA) 28, PHS 7
- Catholic 28, Rutherford 7
- Madison County 27, Pace 20
- Navarre 19, Milton 0
- Gulf Breeze 28, Bay 0
- Graceville 48, Freeport 14
OPEN: Escambia, Washington
ALABAMA
- Flomaton 25, Jay 22 [Read more...]
- T.R. Miller 47, Clarke County 19
- Hillcrest Evergreen 21, W.S. Neal 12
- Faith Academy 48, ECHS (Atmore) 34
- Escambia Academy 35, Morgan Academy 14
Pictured: The Northview Chiefs gain yardage against the Indians of Choctawhatchee Friday night in Bratt. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Bondi: From Instant Message To Instant Nightmare
September 28, 2013
Submitted by Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi
According to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, there are 27 million people enslaved worldwide. Victims of human trafficking are subjected through force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor. In 2011, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center ranked Florida third in the number of calls received by the center’s human trafficking hotline. It is also reported that the average age of children recruited into sex trafficking is between 12 and 14 years old. These heartbreaking statistics are evidence that something needs to be done.
I unveiled a statewide initiative intended to raise awareness about human trafficking and to help parents protect their children from online sex traffickers. The initiative, “From Instant Message to Instant Nightmare,” debuts on billboards, bus shelters, and mall displays throughout Florida.
Parents and adults, please talk to children about the importance of online safety. Visit MyFloridaLegal.com to download a parental tip sheet about online safety and a pledge for children to sign and print. The pledge can be taped to your home computers to serve as a reminder of safe Internet use.
Parents follow these tips to help protect your children from human traffickers online:
- Talk to your children about sex trafficking and sexual abuse. Describe human trafficking as modern-day slavery, where people are captured and treated inhumanely. Awareness is the first step in preventing it;
- Restrict use of the computer to the living room or other area of the house where other family members are present;
- Know your child’s screen names and passwords, even if you have your child write them down and put them in a sealed envelope. If anything happens, you will be able to access your child’s accounts to trace who he or she has been communicating with;
- Use the parental control settings on your computer to check the Internet history. Look for warning signs in your children, such as: mood swings and anxiety; new friends who are significantly older; and new gifts, pre-paid credit cards, clothes or cell phones that you did not purchase; and
- Let your children know that they can talk to you, or a trusted adult, about anything that makes them uncomfortable.
By raising awareness about human trafficking and asking you, as parents, to play an active role in preventing sex traffickers from recruiting your children online, we can help stop this horrific crime.
Joe Creighton
September 28, 2013
Joe Creighton passed away at his home on Tuesday, September 24, 2013. Joe was the son of Joseph Richard and Gladys Creighton. Mr. Creighton was retired from the United States Army. He will be remembered as a man with a very big heart and most importantly a wonderful “fisher of men”.
He was preceded in death by his brothers, Roger Creighton, Harry Creighton, Steve Creighton and Bill Creighton.
Joe is survived by his wife, Irmgard Ramona Creighton; children, Georgia Freeborg (Warren), Joseph R. Creighton IV (Leigh Anne), Brigitte Harrison (Myers) and Paul Michael Creighton; grandchildren, Ashley, Maria, Alex, Scott and Nicole; great-granddaughter, Hartley Rose; sister-inlaw, Margaret Creighton and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Memorial services will be Saturday, September 28, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. at Perdido Beach Baptist Church, 9110 County Road 97, Perdido Beach, AL, with Pastor Fred McGee officiating. Afterwards, dinner will be served at Grace Open Bible, located at 1701 Hwy. 95A, Cantonment.
In lieu of flowers, donationsto the Whitmire Cemetery Association, Attn: Sherri Paul, 3010 Ashbury Lane, Cantonment, FL 32533 or a charity of choice would be appreciated.
DNA Evidence On Cigarette Butt Lands Duo In Jail
September 27, 2013
DNA evidence from a cigarette butt has landed two local residents behind bars on burglary and other charges.
Fred Carlton Ward, age 45 of Hanks Road in Century, and Phyllis Ann Ward, age 49 of Rigby Road in Walnut Hill, were both charged with felony grand theft, burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and criminal mischief with property damage after they were implicated in an August 2012 business burglary.
An employee of Green Tree Services at 2461 West Highway 4 reported a burglary from business property, which was vacant and in foreclosure. The employee reported the front door of the building had been kicked in and the central heating and air unit and air handler worth $8,000 had been stolen. Investigators determined that the exterior air unit had been dismantled, and a cigarette butt was found next to the remains of the unit.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office submitted the cigarette butt to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for a DNA profile test. A laboratory report from FDLE matched DNA profiles on the cigarette butt to both Phyllis and Fred Ward.
The business employee told deputies neither Ward had even been employed by Green Tree Services and had never had a reason to be on the property. Both Wards were also reported to have sold air conditioning parts to Advanced Environmental Recycling in Flomaton in August 2012, just days after the reported burglary. And both Wards, according to an arrest report, have prior histories involving burglaries and recycling stolen air conditioning parts and copper.
Phyllis Ward was arrested for the crime in early July. She was released from jail on a $17,500 bond, pleaded not guilty on August 8 and is awaiting an October trial date. Fred Ward was arrested Wednesday and remains in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $22,500.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office did not specify the relationship, if any, between Fred Ward and Phyllis Ward.
ECUA Sanitation Rate Hike Slashed; Increase Now Just 14 Cents
September 27, 2013
The rate for residential sanitation service from ECUA will still increase next week, but not at much as originally anticipated.
ECUA had previously approved a 3.7 percent increase to cover a tipping fee increase at the Perdido Landfill and anticipated increases in costs related to the recycling program. But Thursday, the ECUA board slashed the increase amount to just 1.2 percent. That equates to a 14 cent increase per month for a residential customer.
The rate increase is to offset a 3.5 percent disposal rate increase ECUA will pay effective October 1 at the Escambia County owned and operated Perdido Landfill.
An additional 2.5 percent increase had been approved in August to offset anticipated costs of hauling and processing of recyclables, should West Florida Recycling , the regions sole processor of recyclables, not be able to provide the service.
In recent months, West Florida Recycling has experienced operational challenges and the ECUA Board was preparing for possible problems with the company. Recent improvements in West Florida Recycling’s operations have significantly changed the ECUA Board’s outlook, ECUA said.
“It seems that WFR is taking their issues in hand quite well, with the acquisition of their stormwater permit and the ongoing clean-up operation of their facility,” said ECUA Board Chairman, Dr. Larry N. Walker. “We are happy to see that progress and to see our recycling program continue to thrive.”
ECUA water and sewer rates will also increase on October 1 as follows:
Water:
- Current residential rate is $10.48 for the base rate; this goes up to $10.68. Volume charge (per 1000 gals. Consumption) goes from $2.14 to $2.18.
- Current Lifeline rate (low income senior): Current base rate is $9.03; goes up to $9.20 (includes 6,000 gals. Consumption).
Wastewater:
- Current residential rate: $11.93 for the base rate (includes 2,000 gals. Consumption); goes up to $12.16; volume charge is currently $6.50, goes to $6.63.
- Current Lifeline Rate: $11.62 base, goes to $11.84 (includes 6,000 gals. Consumption).
The increased water and sewer revenues would go toward infrastructure improvements.
No Charges In DOC Van Wreck That Killed Inmate From Escambia County
September 27, 2013
Lawrence Houze, 50, was killed when the Department of Corrections van he was riding in flipped into a ditch in Okaloosa County on the way to a scheduled work detail in Milton.
The crash occurred when the van was turning from P.J. Adams Road from Highway 85 and a vehicle driven by Joshua Meseke pulled in front of the van, causing the van to lose control and flip over into a ditch on July 12. The driver of the van was a Department of Corrections officer and six inmates were on board. The officer and five remaining inmates were transported to North Okaloosa Medical Center where they were treated and released. All were wearing their seat belts.
The State Attorney’s Office said there is not enough evidence in the case against Meseke to prove vehicular homicide.
The driver of the van was a Department of Corrections officer and six inmates were on board. The officer and five remaining inmates were transported to North Okaloosa Medical Center were they were treated and released. All were wearing their seat belts.
Houze was a minimum security inmate at the Okaloosa Work Camp in Crestview. He was scheduled for release in August 2014.
Over Escambia County: Really Big Blimp Explores Scientific Secrets For TV Show
September 27, 2013
The Cloud Lab blimp was spotted hovering over Escambia Bay and Ferry Pass Thursday. On board, a team of scientists worked in the world’s largest airship for one of television’s most ambitious experiments on the atmosphere.
Flying from coast to coast across the United States, in a month-long expedition for the BBC television series Cloud Lab (working title), the team of British scientists will scrutinize insect life, the relationship between life and weather, as well as how hurricanes form. The trip began Tuesday in Orlando.
The team, which includes an entomologist, meteorologist and professional explorer, is also hoping to shed light on the creation of clouds and the relationship between diverse ecosystems and weather.
The airship is a unique platform for exploring the atmosphere. It can maintain a stationary position, so the team is able to watch weather phenomena develop, and then maneuver to get the best vantage point. It flies slowly and is exceptionally stable, making it the ideal base from which to conduct scientific experiments.
Cloud Lab series producer, James Van Der Pool, explains: “The 100 kilometers or so of air above our heads is all that separates us from space. It’s in every breath we take and makes Earth habitable. Yet for all its centrality to the health of the planet there’s a lot we still don’t know about the atmosphere. For instance, at what altitude does life cease? What type of air is most likely to cause rain? With Cloud Lab we’ve a rare and exciting opportunity to address some of these questions head on.”
Skimming the ocean’s surface and drifting with the wind allows the team to explore the physics that control the creation and destruction of cumulus cloud as well as using the Cloud Lab’s sophisticated technology to examine a growing cloud’s internal anatomy.
Through sampling different types of air, from sea, and desert to city, while simultaneously measuring cloud cover, the team will attempt to understand what types of air produce the most cloud.
During the trip, the entomologist will use the airship as a sampling platform to produce a unique survey of the insect life that lives above the USA. Bats will also be filmed using a range of technology, revealing how they have learned to exploit these insect superhighways.
Other experiments include researching the role of plants in maintaining the balance of the atmosphere through measuring the amount of oxygen produced by a forest. The team will also be looking into the causes of wildfires – the recent spate of which have claimed so many lives.
BBC executive producer of Cloud Lab, Jonathan Renouf, explains: “Flying across the entire North American continent by airship is ambitious in every conceivable way. As far as we know, no one has done this for two decades. It’s incredibly exciting because we will get to explore the atmosphere in a way that’s never been done before, as well as seeing America from a unique vantage point.”
The series will air next year in Britain; there’s no word yet if the series will air in the United States.
Pictured top: The Cloud Lab blimp, the world’s largest airship, over Pensacola Thursday, reader photo by Kevin Winingar for NorthEscambia.com). Pictured below: Cloud Lab pilots watch the weather radar on the map (next to the dashboard) as they travel over the Florida Panhandle Thursday, photo courtesy BBC for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
