Reba G. Jeter
May 23, 2014
Reba G. Jeter, 90 of Spanish Fort, passed away Thursday, May 22, 2014, in Bay Minette. She was a retired cashier. She was born in Uriah on August 10, 1923, to the late Dewey and Geneva Ship Jeter.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Monroe Jeter; and sister, Doris Hayles.
Survivors include one sister, Gladys Slaughter of Stapleton; niece, Dianne Wilson of Spanish Fort; nephew, Jerry Hayles of Uriah; and a number of great nieces and nephews.
Graveside services will be Saturday, May 24, 2014, at 11:30 a.m. at Mineola Cemetery.
Family will receive friends Saturday, May 24, 2014, at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home from 9 a.m. until 10:30 a.m.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements.
Sheriff’s Office Admin Building Temporarily Evacuated Due To Gas Smell
May 22, 2014
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office administration building was temporarily evacuated Thursday night due to the reported smell of natural gas.
Facilities staff from Escambia County were working with crews from Pensacola Energy and mechanical contractors to re-establish natural gas service to the building at 1700 West Leonard Street.
Natural gas service to the ESCO building, which normally supports boilers for hot water and dehumidification systems, had previously run off the Escambia County Central Booking and Detention building prior to the explosion of April 30.
In reestablishing service, the systems were fully activated early this evening and a call was made that alerted emergency crews to a reported smell of natural gas. The Escambia County Public Safety Department responded and, after evaluating the situation with crews from Pensacola Energy, cleared the building.
The building has since been determined to be safe. Escambia County Facilities staff, Pensacola Energy and contractors are now continuing work to restore natural gas service.
Corrections Admin Building Closes Due To Flooding
May 22, 2014
Flooding has forced the closure of the Escambia County Corrections Administrative Building on North Palafox Street and the relocation of services provided by agencies in the building.
Escambia County Corrections administrators are working to temporarily relocate to the Public Safety Building, located at 6575 North W Street. The goal is to have the Corrections’ administrative services reopened at the Public Safety Building on Friday, May 23.
The Corrections Administrative Building serves customers needing to pay court ordered fees, including cost of supervision, community service and worthless checks. Fees will need to be paid for at the Corrections Department’s temporary location at the Public Safety Building once it opens on Friday, May 23.
Individuals participating in the pre-trial release program or those who are on probation should not be impacted by this event. Since the original flood event in late April, pre-trial release participants have been directed to report to the Blanchard Judicial Building, 190 West Government Street. Pre-trial release participants should continue to report to the Blanchard Judicial Building until further notice.
Escambia County Probation Officers were relocated to the Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place, nearly two weeks ago and those needing to report to their Probation Officer will continue to do so at the Central Office Complex.
Child support hearings have been relocated until further notice to the Juvenile Justice Center, 1800 St. Mary’s Avenue.
The building was first flooded during the April 29 rain event. Sometime between the close of business Wednesday and the start of business Thursday, the pump system used to remove water from the building’s subbasement failed causing water to rise into the basement level of the building. Escambia County Facilities Department employees discovered approximately five feet of standing water in the basement when they reported to work Thursday morning.
As a result of this flooding issue, the Escambia Corrections Administration Building has been closed and all utilities servicing the building have been turned off. The overnight flooding of the basement has compromised the building’s air conditioning system, plumbing and mechanical operations.
There were no injuries associated with the flooding of the Corrections Administration Building.
Century, Pensacola At Stalemate Over North Escambia Gas Franchise
May 22, 2014
It’s coming up on a month since the Escambia County Commission delayed a vote on natural gas franchise agreement to give Century and Pensacola time to work out their differences, and, so far, Century’s attorney says there’s been no conversation at all.
“Since that time I have not heard one word,” attorney Matt Dannheisser, who represents the Town of Century, said. “To be honest, I’m not surprised in the slightest…Their (Pensacola’s) track record has suggested to me we may not hear anything from them.”
Century currently holds exclusive franchise rights from Escambia County to provide natural gas service from the Escambia River westward to almost the Perdido River and from the Alabama state line southward to near Bogia. The franchise area includes Century, Byrneville, Bratt, Oak Grove, Walnut Hill and McDavid. The 50-year franchise was granted by the county in 1968 to the Town of Century (then known as the Town of South Flomaton) to provide natural gas services to the northernmost part of the county.
Pensacola Energy, formerly known as Energy Services of Pensacola, currently provides natural gas service to commercial customers in Bratt and Walnut Hill — within the Town of Century’s gas franchise area. Pensacola Energy provides natural gas to Ernest Ward Middle School and Escambia Grain in Walnut Hill, and Bratt Elementary and Northview High School in Bratt. They also provide natural gas service to an unknown number of residential customers near Kansas Road, Green Village Road and North Highway 99 in Bratt.
The Escambia County Commission agreed in late April to hold off about 90 days to allow Century and Pensacola to work out their differences prior to scheduling a public hearing on the proposed franchise.
Dannheisser accused Pensacola of trying to “muddy the water” and “confuse the county commission”. He said there are only two issues of concern to the commission — Century’s request to extend their franchise on the same terms as other gas companies in the county so everyone “plays by the same rules”, and Pensacola’s infringement into Century’s franchise area.
“Pensacola has been infringing in our franchise for quite some time,” the attorney said, adding that Century still does not know the extent of the infringement and how much revenue the town may have lost.
He said Century’s original intent was to obtain the franchise extension from the county commission, then address any issues between the town and city.
Dannheisser said none of the involved parties have been able to locate any past evidence of any agreement that allowed Pensacola to provided natural gas service in the North Escambia area.
If Century and Pensacola can’t come to terms, litigation is a possibility.
But the cost of litigation could exceed the benefits received, Dannheisser said, candidly adding the fact had been pointed out to him by Pensacola’s attorney “no less than 15 times…as if I were obtuse and could not recognize that right off the bat.”
Pictured top: A Pensacola Energy meter in front of Ernest Ward Middle School in Walnut Hill, inside the Town of Century gas franchise area. Pictured below: The Town of Century’s gas franchise map (click to enlarge). NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Traffic Relief: FDOT Changes Traffic Signal Timing On Davis Highway
May 22, 2014
In order to accommodate the increased traffic congestion resulting from the Scenic Highway detour, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has changed the traffic signal timing along Davis Highway. Recent heavy rains and flooding in the area caused damage to Scenic Highway in several locations, with the associated detour routes having been designated as Davis Highway and Ninth Avenue.
These plans will result in a longer green time on Davis Highway which will allow for a more expedient flow of traffic during peak periods. The morning peak plan will favor the southbound direction while the afternoon peak plan will favor the northbound direction. These changes could also increase wait time for side street motorists entering Davis Highway and pedestrians attempting to cross Davis Highway.
The signalized intersections along the corridor will be monitored for the duration of the detour, and the signal timings will be adjusted and fine-tuned as necessary. Motorists are encouraged to be patient as ongoing roadway work is progressing to provide full recovery from the damage caused by the recent storms.
Alabama Conducting Reverse Traffic Exercise Today
May 22, 2014
The Alabama Department of Transportation will conduct its annual rehearsal of the plan that helped safely evacuate the Gulf Coast during Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Dennis in 2005.
On Thursday around 200 ALDOT workers and a contingency of state troopers and Alabama National Guard personnel will be positioned along I-65 between Baldwin County and Montgomery to simulate the activity associated with reversing I-65 traffic during an emergency such as hurricanes.
Traffic will not be reversed or detoured anywhere along I-65 during the reverse lane training exercise, but every other portion of the plan will be simulated.
Major Escambia County Heroin Distribution Ring Busted
May 22, 2014
Three people were arrested after the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office busted an heroin ring and made the largest heroin seizure in the last 10 years in Escambia County.
The ECSO’s Narcotics Unit and SWAT team served multiple search warrants before daybreak Tuesday.
The Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) concluded a six-month narcotics investigation pertaining to the sale and distribution of black tar heroin in Escambia County, Florida. Black tar heroin is a potent form of heroin, mainly produced in Mexico and smuggled into the United States, according to deputies.
James Jonathan Mitchell, 50, was charged with battery, resisting an officer with violence, heroin trafficking and possession of drug paraphernalia. Phoebe Noelle Roper, 23, and Justin Wayne Williams were both charged with trafficking in opium/derivative and possession of narcotics equipments
During the investigation, investigators located an out-of-state supplier and local distributors and seized black tar heroin, steroids and prescription narcotics with an estimated street value of more than $45,000.
Multiple firearms were recovered including pistols, an assault rifle, a fully automatic submachine gun and a large store of ammunition, investigators said. A large sum of U.S. currency, vehicles, jewelry and other assets derived from the sale of narcotics was seized.
The investigation was initiated after law enforcement observed an influx of narcotics related crime and suspicious deaths attributed to heroin. The investigation is ongoing and additional arrests are expected.
Subway All-Star Baseball, Softball Games Tonight At UWF
May 22, 2014
The SUBWAY High School All-Star 2013-14 Series continues tonight with baseball and softball games at UWF’s Jim Spooner Field in Pensacola.
The softball game will begin at 6 p.m. with the baseball game following at 6:30 p.m. Prior to each game players from both sides will compete for the homerun king/queen title. Both games will feature West Team seniors from Escambia County against East Team senior stars from Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties.
The East Team softball is coached by Melinda Wyatt of Tate High, and the West Team baseball is coached by Martin Lister from Northview High.
Entry to the SUBWAY High School All-Star Game is $8 at the gate. As a response to the recent flood in the area and an ongoing partnership with the Manna Food Pantry, the Pensacola Sports Association will donate $2 dollars of every ticket sold to the Manna Food Pantry to help aid their efforts in these trying times. This is the fourth year PSA has partnered with Manna Food Pantry and collected food goods and money at the games. Over 4,500 pounds of canned goods have been collected and donated to the Manna Food pantry in the last four years.
Rosters are below:
SOFTBALL – WEST
Head Coach — Melinda Wyatt, Tate
- Catholic – Anjelica Hamilton – OF
- Tate – Bridget Dall – 1B/3B/SS
- Tate – Rachel Dunsford – 2B/3B
- Tate – Bailey Burk – CF
- Tate – Kaylen Rowell – C/1B/3B
- West Florida – Korina Rosario – P/OF
- West Florida – Nachelle Watson – 1B/OF
- West Florida – Kathleen Smiley – 3B/C
- West Florida – Jordaine Watkins – 3B
- Escambia – Jamie Goodwin – C/3B
- Escambia – Kirsten Binegar – SS
- Escambia – Kaylin Farris – OF
- Escambia – Ashley Canady – OF/P
- Pine Forest – Kaylan Lansdon – C/SS
- Pensacola – J’Hara Wiggins-Brazile – 3B
- Northview – Madison Arrington – OF
- Northview – Danielle Steadham – SS/OF
- Washington – Marissa Coffin – 2B
SOFTBALL — EAST
Head Coach — Danny Hensley, Niceville
- Navarre – Jenna Bobbitt – C/INF/OF
- Niceville – Aja Brechtel – P
- Niceville – Audrey Diekmann – 1B/OF
- Niceville – Jessie Mullen – SS
- Niceville – Libby Davis – OF
- Milton – Hannah Brake – P
- Milton – Emily Vasquez – Catcher
- Milton – Shelby Willett – IF/OF
- Milton – Randi Bass – IF
- Pace – Chelsea Stoltman – OF/SS
- Pace – Chelsea Patterson – 3B/SS/2B
- Baker – Holly Stanley – 2B/SS
- Baker – Jenna Stevenson – C/IF/OF
- Jay – Chassity McCranie – P
- Jay – Sydney Lowery – 3B
- Jay – Ashlynn Geck – CF
- Laurel Hill – Lauren Gordon – SS
- Central – Arielle harris – OF
- Central – Adrienne Harris – 3B
- Crestview – Molly Woodward – OF/2B
- Fort Walton – Shannon Lord – P/1B
- Choctaw – Jordan Cormier – OF
- Gulf Breeze – Emily Lively – OF
BASEBALL – WEST
Head Coach Martin Lister – Northview High School
- Washington – Jacob Kelly – P/3B
- Washington – Tyler Johnson – 1B/Pitcher
- Washington – Clay Hinton – Catcher/P
- Tate – Mason Fryman – SS/P
- Tate – Wyatt Butler – P/DH
- Tate – Brian Davis – 1B/3B
- Tate – Brett Blackwelder – OF
- Northview – Brannon Freeman – C/P/Utility
- Northview – Daulton Tullis – SS/P
- Catholic – Cody Henry – 3B
- Catholic – Gavin Wehby – OF/P
- Catholic – Brandon Wiley – 2B
- Washington – Ryan Gauci – P/OF
- West Florida – Chad Simmons – Catcher
- West Florida – Nathan Merritt – RHP
- West Florida – Nick Lackey – 2B
- Pine Forest – Jake Brown – SS/2B/P
- Pine Forest – Cody Luker – P/1B/OF
- Pine Forest Stacey Trawick P
- Escambia Devan Harriman C/P
- Escambia – Jake Durant – SS
- Escambia – Danny Eaton – OF
- Pensacola – Aaron Anderson – P/2B
- Pensacola – Shaidale Davalt – OF
- PCA – Tucker Johnson – 3B
BASEBALL – EAST
Head Coach Tim Gillis – Crestview High School
- Pace – Austin Brookes – OF/P
- Pace – Colby Sweat – C
- Crestview – Austin Armstrong – Catcher
- Crestview – Matt Gillis – Pitcer/CF
- Crestview – Hunter Sullivan – OF
- Gulf Breeze – Andy Creech – OF
- Gulf Breeze – Kale Jarvis – P
- Pace – Greg Rengel – 1B
- Gulf Breeze – Connor Crooke – INF
- Fort Walton – Nick Boswell – P/CF
- Fort Walton – Nik Rathke – Pitcher
- Fort Walton – Casey Wehrhahn – 3B/1B/P
- Choctaw – Juan Munoz – OF/P
- Choctaw – Adam Barker – LHP/1B/OF
- Niceville – Drew Dungan – Pitcher
- Niceville – Cody Moore – P/OF
- Laurel Hill – Jayce Davis – 3B
- Milton – Cody Lowe – SS/2B/3B
- Milton – Tristan Montgomery – 1B
- Central – Darren Smith – 3B/OF/P
- Central – Evan Manning – 2B
- Rocky Bayou – Tyler Paskell – 3B/RHP
- Baker – Kyle Davis – C/P
- Jay – Dalton Edwards – P/1B
- Navarre – Jared Gonzalez – P/2B
Pictured top: Subway All Star players from Northview (L-R) Brannon Freeman, Daulton Tullis, Madison Arrington and Danielle Steadham. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
State Not Backing Down In Fight Over Kosher Meals For Inmates
May 22, 2014
Florida corrections officials and the federal government fired the latest salvos this week in a drawn-out battle over whether the state is required to serve kosher meals to inmates.
The Department of Corrections and the U.S. Department of Justice filed motions for summary judgment in the federal court case, with arguments centering on the federal “Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act” law.
The law, which went into effect in 2000, prohibits the state from imposing a “substantial burden” on an inmate’s religious exercise, unless it can prove that the restriction furthers a “compelling government interest” and is “the least restrictive means” of furthering that interest.
The Justice Department sued the state over the kosher meals almost two years ago in the latest part of a decade-long court battle concerning the religious diets. In December, U.S. District Judge Patricia Seitz gave the agency until July 1 to offer kosher meals to “all prisoners with a sincere religious basis for keeping kosher.”
The state had argued that providing kosher meals is prohibitively expensive and poses a security risk because inmates would have to be transferred to facilities that either had kosher kitchens or that served the meals. Seitz rejected those arguments in her December ruling.
In a brief filed Monday, lawyers for the Department of Corrections argued that the law allows Florida to scrap the kosher meals because of the financial burden placed on the “cash-strapped agency.” The state has spent more than $200,000 on the lawsuit so far.
Congress intended the federal law “to be applied with great sensitivity to a state’s limited resources and the need to control its costs,” Florida Assistant Attorney General Lisa Kuhlman Tietig wrote.
But Justice Department lawyers argued that the state is required to provide the meals “to protect the religious freedom of prisoners” and can afford to do so.
“Defendants’ ability to pay for religious diets is further highlighted by their expenditures on a variety of pro-social programs. … Many of these programs, including plumbing technology courses, are not legally required,” the lawyers wrote.
The state and the Justice Department are also at odds on how much it will cost to feed prisoners who sign up for the religious meals, an option not only for Jewish prisoners, but for Muslim and Seventh-Day Adventists, whose religions also prescribe dietary restrictions.
About 8,400 of the state’s approximately 100,000 inmates have signed up for the meals and will cost the state an extra $21 million, or the equivalent of 420 workers, according to the corrections department, which ran a $45 million budget deficit last year.
“Bills must be paid. Money must be found to pay them. Sometimes, paying them means foregoing other costs. In the case of a court, that might mean foregoing Westlaw time or salaries for marshals or law clerks. For a prison system, it might mean roofs for prisons and salaries for security staff,” Tietig wrote.
But lawyers for the Justice Department argued that agency has inflated the costs, saying that the current participation rate will likely decline because the “Cadillac” hot boxed-meal plan originally offered was recently replaced by cold meals. Corrections officials introduced a revised diet consisting primarily of peanut butter, sardines and cabbage in March. This month, the agency asked Seitz to give them an extra year to offer the meals at all prisons.
After an initial surge in those seeking the religious diet abates, Florida’s participation rate will likely mirror the 1 percent of federal prisoners who receive the kosher meals, the Justice Department lawyers wrote. That would cost about $730,000 per year, “a tiny fraction of Defendant’s $2.3 billion budget,” they wrote. At least 32 other states, including New York and California, offer kosher diets to prisoners.
But the state argued that, even if just 1.5 to 2 percent of the total prison population joined the program, the department would spend up to $1.7 million a year, not including extra costs for disposable utensils and plates.
“For a cash-strapped agency like the Department of Corrections, these amounts are not a ‘relatively minor expense,’ given other crucial needs that compete for funds,” Tietig wrote.
Florida’s “10 percent” rule, which suspends prisoners from the kosher diet if they fail to eat at least 90 percent of the available meals, is unlawful, the Justice Department also argued. The attendance rate for inmates eating the less-expensive, “main line” diet is only 85 percent, and the department “relies on this 15 percent no-show rate to meet its budgetary goals,” the lawyers wrote.
“Requiring prisoners on the more-expensive kosher diet option to show up for a higher percentage of meals than prisoners on the less-expensive main line is not a method to prevent waste — let alone the least-restrictive means of doing so,” they wrote.
A trial in the case is slated for Aug. 25, but Seitz could rule on the motions instead.
by Dara Kim
Pictured: The cafeteria at Century Correctional Institution. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Sunny And Hot Headed Into Memorial Day Weekend
May 22, 2014
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Thursday Night Clear, with a low around 64. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable in the evening.
- Friday Sunny, with a high near 92. Light northwest wind becoming west 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
- Friday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Saturday Sunny, with a high near 94. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
- Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 66. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Sunday Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
- Sunday Night A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Memorial Day A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90.
- Monday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 66.
- Tuesday A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91.
- Tuesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 67.
- Wednesday A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88.