Murley Daniel ‘Bubba’ Renfroe
March 8, 2013
Mr. Murley Daniel ‘Bubba’ Renfroe, age 60, of Flomaton, passed away on Thursday, March 7, 2013, at his home.
Mr. Renfroe was a native of Brewton, but was a lifetime resident of Flomaton and was of the Baptist faith. During his working years, Mr. Renfroe worked for L&N Railroad that was later known as CSX. He was preceded in death by his parents, William Daniel and Katie Ruth Knowles Renfroe.
He is survived by his daughters, Becky (Darrell) Lambeth of Atmore and Rachael Meadows of Milton; sisters, Diana (Wayne) Stanton of Atmore and Teresa (Danny) White of Flomaton; grandchildren, Olivia Lambeth, Noah Meadows and Ava Meadows; nieces, Jennifer (Kevin) Lincoln, Caitlin White, Haley White, Lindsey White and great niece, Baleigh Lincoln.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, March 10, 2013, from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Flomaton Funeral Home Chapel.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, March 11, 2013, at 2 p.m. at Flomaton Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Doug Hogg and Rev. Patricia Bruner officiating.
Interment will follow in Flomaton Cemetery, Flomaton, AL.
Narrow Road: Minor School Bus Accident Near Barrineau Park
March 7, 2013
There were no injuries in a minor accident involving a school bus and a truck this morning on Barrineau Park Road.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the mirrors on a Chevrolet truck and a 2011 school bus collided. The FHP said the truck, driven by 50-year old James Anderson of Molino, and the school bus, driven by 50-year old Brenda Masaitis of McDavid, were both wider than the travel lanes. Neither driver was cited for the crash.
There were students on board the bus at the time, but there were no injures. Each vehicle sustained about $100 in damage.
One Injured In Highway 29 Rollover Crash
March 7, 2013
One person was injured in a single vehicle rollover accident in Molino Thursday morning.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 83-year old Marguerite Arenberg of Pensacola was traveling northbound on Highway 29 near Molino Road she she traveled partially off the roadway onto the east shoulder of Highway 29. She swerved hard to the left, lost control and traveled into the median of Highway 29. Her 2007 Saturn SUV continued across the median and the southbound lanes of Highway 29 and came to rest on the west shoulder of Highway 29, just a short distance from tumbling down a steep embankment.
Arenberg was transported by ambulance to West Florida Hospital with minor injuries.
Arenberg told troopers she believed that she had fallen asleep. Charges are pending, according to the FHP.
The Cantonment Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the call.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Plans Underway To Pave Popular Route Across Perdido River To Alabama
March 7, 2013
Plans are underway to pave Escambia County’s side of a popular route across the Perdido River to Alabama.
Two years ago, Baldwin County paved 2.8 miles of Barrineau Park Road (also known as Duck Place Road) from the Perdido River to Highway 112. But the Florida side, from the river to the intersection of South Highway 99 and Highway 196 in the Barrineau Park community — remained dirt.
Escambia County owns the bridge across the Perdido River. But the county-maintained the dirt road on the Florida side is privately owned by the Barrineau Estate. It is only about four-tenths of a mile long, but the county had no right to pave it.
In late February, Escambia County met with a representative of the estate to discuss the needed right of way and received a positive response. After completing a design draft, the county will move forward will selecting a design engineer.
The project will include the design and construction of 11-foot lanes with paved shoulder constructed on a 66-foot right of way.
The route is the only east-west route across the Perdido River between Muscogee Road in Cantonment and Highway 31 in Escambia County, Ala. The road is often used by farmers and ranchers as they transport goods to market from North Escambia to Robertsdale, Ala. It is also a shortcut route for many families to activities and shopping in Baldwin County.
Baldwin County identified the road as one of the county’s most environmentally damaging roads and funded the work with a 2007-2008 Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) grant funds to eliminate or reduce the amount of sediment that reaches waterways and wetlands.
Pictured above: Before and after images of Barrineau Park Road in Baldwin County, Ala. Pictured inset: Work on the Baldwin County side of the Perdido River in August 2010. Pictured below: Barrineau Park Road on the Florida side of the Perdido River. Submitted and NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Students Place In Regional Science, Engineering Fair
March 7, 2013
Two Ernest Ward Middle School students were the only North Escambia area students to place in the 58th Annual West Panhandle Regional Science and Engineering Fair held recently at the University of West Florida.
Madison Kemp received an honorable mention award in the environmental science category, and Alex McMinn received an honorable mention in microbiology.
Over 200 students were judged in 13 categories representing middle and high school students from both Santa Rosa and Escambia County. Over 120 judges from UWF and the community judged projects in the event.
Cruisers Car Show Saturday At Blue Jacket Jamboree
March 7, 2013
Cruisers Unlimited of Atmore will host a car show this Saturday from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. during the Blue Jacket Jamboree at Northview High School.
The show will feature classic cars, hot rods, muscle cars and more. FFA students will judge the vehicles with awards presented by 3 p.m.
The first 25 entrants will receive a commemorative dash plaque. Cost is $10 per car, which includes admission into the Blue Jacket Jamboree for two people. For entry information, contact Todd Parker at (850) 327-4439.
The Blue Jacket Jamboree will be held from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 9 at Northview High School. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children 10 and under, at the gate. In addition to the car show, the day’s events will include crafts, food, games, arts and crafts and more.
The proceeds from the event will fund scholarships for graduating Northview seniors and promote agricultural education and FFA in Northwest Florida. The Blue Jacket Jamboree is sponsored in part by NorthEscambia.com.
Night Work, Traffic Delays Continue On Nine Mile Road
March 7, 2013
Motorists traveling on Nine Mile Road in Pensacola can expect one lane of traffic from west of Pine Cone Drive to west of Unteiner Avenue from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday as crews continue paving operations and drainage work.
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather. Drivers are reminded to pay attention to the speed limit when traveling through the construction area and to use caution, especially at night, when driving in work zones, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.
Florida Texting While Driving Bills Move Forward
March 7, 2013
The sponsor of a measure to ban texting while driving in many cases said she thinks the proposal has a good chance to pass this year in the House, where it has been held up in the past by leaders who didn’t like the idea.
The bill was approved unanimously Wednesday in the Senate Communications, Energy and Public Utilities Committee. But the real road block for many highway safety bills that some say infringe on personal liberties has always been in the House.
Senate sponsor Nancy Detert said House Speaker Will Weatherford assured her it would be heard.
“We have a really good chance this year,” said Detert, R-Venice. “The speaker last year (Dean Cannon) did not like the bill and would not let it be heard in one committee. This year’s speaker, I think, will at least allow his chamber to speak.”
In fact, the House version of Detert’s legislation by Rep. Doug Holder, R-Sarasota, is on the agenda for the House Transportation and Highway Safety Committee on Thursday.
The bills would make texting while driving a secondary offense, meaning drivers would have to be pulled over for something else before they could get a secondary ticket for texting.
The bill has exceptions, such as allowing the use of “talk-to-text” technology, and allowing texting while a vehicle is stopped, such as at a red light.
By The News Service of Florida
Escambia Calls For Full Audit Of Pensacola Chamber Use Of County Funds
March 7, 2013
The finances of the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce are coming under scrutiny over a BP gift card program.
An independent audit found possible “irregularities” in a $2.4 million gift card program paid for by BP over the last couple of years.
Now, Escambia County wants a full audit of all county funds sent to the chamber.
“Escambia County was made aware of a situation at the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce from Chamber President and CEO Jim Hizer. The County has turned this matter over to the office of Pam Childers, Escambia County Clerk of Court, and has requested a full audit review of Chamber funds received from Escambia County,” Escambia County said in a prepared statement issued Wednesday evening.
The gift cards have been given out by the Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce, the Perdido Key Chamber and Visit Pensacola since 2011 as part of the BP program.
The Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce will hold a special meeting on Friday to look at the independent audit results.
Report: Florida Families Still Struggle To Put Food On Table
March 7, 2013
The Florida economy may be showing some signs of improvement, but that recovery has yet to trickle down to those who need it the most. Florida ranks 12th on a list of states where people say they didn’t always have enough money to put food on the table in the last year. That’s more than 21 percent of the state’s population, according to a report from the Food Research and Action Center.
Debra Susie, executive director of Florida Impact, said the state was particularly hard hit because of the economy’s reliance on the construction, service and travel industries.
“We really got hit with a triple whammy on the way Florida had to weather the economic downturn,” she said. “It takes a long time to come out of that.”
Susie is in Washington with more than 700 other people for a National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference this week. They are discussing ways the federal nutrition program “SNAP,” formerly known as food stamps, can help address the problems of hunger in the country as the economy continues to recover.
As important as SNAP is, the FRAC report points out a weakness in that food program: it says the benefit levels aren’t high enough to enable people to purchase enough food to live on. FRAC President Jim Weill says that when people’s nutritional needs aren’t met, it’s difficult for them to move ahead in other aspects of their lives.
“We know from the research that that means parents and kids aren’t doing as well at work and at school as they would be doing if they were consistently eating a healthy diet,” he said.
Weill said improving SNAP benefits starts with passing a new Farm Bill in this legislative year that protects and strengthens the program. Some in Congress have suggested reducing benefits. The old Farm Bill was simply extended when it expired last year.
Florida and other Southeastern states join the Southwest as the two regions of the country most affected by food hardship, according to the report.
By Stephanie Carroll Carson, Public News Service – FL