TRAFFIC – I-10 Now Open
February 7, 2014
ALERT — –Interstate 10 now open after having been closed earlier this morning in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties due to ice on bridges.
30K Gallon Acid Spill Cleanup Continues After Train Derailment (With Photo Gallery)
February 7, 2014
Work is continuing today to clean up as much as 30,000 gallons of corrosive acid from a creek following a January 28 train derailment during a rare ice storm near McDavid.
At about 7:10 p.m., 23 cars derailed off a bridge. Four cars containing 96 percent concentration phosphoric acid derailed into Fletcher Creek which feeds into Cotton Lake and the Escambia River. Three of the cars were breached, one catastrophically.
Phosphoric acid is used in fertilizer production, pharmaceuticals, detergents, food products, beverages and other products.
There were no injuries to persons in the crash, but about 300 fish died in the first two days after the derailment from the high acid concentration. A pH level, a measure of acidity where 7 is neutral, was as low as 1.65 at the site and 1.86 just downstream the day following the incident. That’s approximately the pH level of gastric acid in the stomach. Initial acid in Cotton Lake and the Escambia River were at and have remained near normal.
Multiple agencies have participated in the cleanup process, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Federal Railroad Administration, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Escambia County Department of Health and Escambia County Fire Rescue. Dozens of people have worked on-site daily since the derailment.
Multiple access roads have been built to the derailment site behind the McDavid Sawmill on Champion Drive. Two rock dams have been built downstream of the derailment to prevent the flow of acid downstream from Fletcher Creek. An additional dam was constructed to control flow into the creek. Agricultural lime has been use to neutralize the acidic water.
The rail cars have been removed from the creek, and now workers will begin removing the acid by neutralizing it, pumping it out and transporting it to a waste water treatment facility.
Groundwater testing has also been conducted, with plans in place to make testing available for any well within a quarter mile of the accident site.
Rail traffic has been moving back through the area for several days. The site is not accessible to the public, but a health advisory remain in effect for Fletcher Creek.
Pictured top: A train derailment with tanker cars into Fletcher Creek near McDavid. Pictured inset: Phosphoric acid in Fletcher Creek.
Scroll down for additional photos.
Above: Tanker and boxcar derailment. Photo taken January 31.
Above: A breached rail car. Photo taken February 1.
Above: Bridge repair over Fletcher Creek and derail tanker cars filled with phosphoric acid. Photo taken February 2.
Above. Neutralization and agitation of phosphoric acid. Photo taken February 5.
Above: Decontamination of a tank car. Photo taken February 4.
Above: Lifting a breached rail car. Photo taken February 1.
Above: Decontamination of rail tank cars. Photo taken February 5.
Escambia Sheriff’s Office Honors Top Deputies, Employees
February 7, 2014
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office honored its outstanding employees during a Thursday afternoon ceremony.
Honored were:
Law Enforcement Officer of the Year: Deputy Sheriff 1st Class Kenneth Tolbirt
Law Enforcement Officers of the Quarter: Deputy Sheriff Theodore Nelson, Deputy Sheriff Mitchell Stevens
Law Enforcement Employees of the Quarter: Kristyn Miller, Lynn Littlejohn
Law Enforcement Employees of the Year: Kristyn Miller, Lynn Littlejohn
Medal of Courage: Deputy Sheriff Kerem Suhi
Life Saving Medals: Deputy Sheriff 1st Class Mark Smith, Deputy Sheriff 1st Class Brandon Beech, Deputy Sheriff Kerem Suhi, Deputy Sheriff Theodore Nelson, Deputy Sheriff 1st Class Abelardo Lopez, Det. Sgt. Mark Hallford, Deputy Sheriff Mitchell Stevens, Deputy Sheriff 1st Class William Hallford
Medals of Commendation: Kristyn Miller, Lynn Littlejohn, Deputy Sheriff 1st Class David Ingram, Master Deputy Timothy Edmondson, Deputy Sheriff Jeremiah Meeks, Deputy Sheriff 1st Class Ryan Robinson, Cathleen Steele, David Craig, Anita Brooks-Ingram, Patricia Yvarra, and Latonja Crocker, Deputy Sheriff 1st Class Delarian Wiggins
Meritorious Service Medal: Lt. Jason Potts
Civilian Service Awards: Ashely Suarez, Stephen Steele, Kirstie Lassiter and Wayne Blackmon
Deputy Sam Shelley has also requested that Sheriff Morgan present the Purple Heart that he recently received from the United States Navy after a 16 year delay for wounds received while serving aboard the USS Benfold during Operation Northern Watch in the straits of Hormuz in 1997. Then-Petty Officer Shelley showed great composure after being wounded and was able to get several other shipmates to safety.
Bratt Elementary Showcases Technology
February 7, 2014
Bratt Elementary School held a Technology Night Thursday to showcase some of the latest tech items used in the school. From computers, to software to iPads, students and teachers showed parents just how fun — and tech filled — elementary school can be. Many of the technology items were purchased with a Poarch Creek Indian Education Endowment Grant.
Pictured top and inset: Students show off iPads used at Bratt Elementary. Pictured below: Parents learn about software and website options during presentations in a school computer lab and the media center Thursday night. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Police: Suspect Learns To Look For The Cops Before Robbing A Business
February 7, 2014
Police say a drugstore robbery suspect learned a valuable lesson early Thursday morning — look around for the cops before you try to rob a business.
Pensacola Police said 21-year old Scott Eldon Donaldson entered the CVS on North Ninth Avenue about 7:30 a.m. and handed a note to employees that demanded narcotics and indicated that he had a firearm.
Then Donaldson noticed the drive-up window — and Officer Mike Cyr in a marked police cruiser. Cyr was on his way to work and had stopped to pick up a prescription.
After spotting the officer, Donaldson fled the business and got into a vehicle parked nearby.
Cyr was the drive-up window when the call was dispatched to officers, and Detective Jeff Brown responded from an off duty post at Wal-mart on Creighton Road. Within about two minutes, Cyr and Brown stopped Donaldson on Creighton Road just east of the CVS.
He was taken into custody and charged with armed robbery. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $1 million.
Escambia County Declares Feb. 15-22 As ‘National FFA Week’
February 7, 2014
The Escambia County Commission issued proclamation Thursday designating February 15-22 as “National FFA Week” in Escambia County.
As members of the Northview, Tate and West Florida FFA chapters looked on, the commission also recognized local FFA chapters along with their members, advisors, parents and supporters.
Pictured top: Members of the Northview, Tate and West Florida high school FFA chapters Thursday morning with Escambia County District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry (far right). Pictured below: Barry reads the proclamation as Northview FFA Vice President Haylee Weaver (left) and Commissioner Lumon May (seated in background) look on. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Registration Next Week
February 7, 2014
Ernest Ward Middle School is hosting registration night Thursday, February 13 from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Students and parents will have the opportunity to meet teachers, explore course offerings for next school year, and complete their registration card.
Rain Overnight, Sunny Saturday
February 7, 2014
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Rain, mainly after midnight. Low around 37. North wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
- Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 60. North wind around 5 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
- Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 38. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 66. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.
- Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 41. South wind around 5 mph becoming northwest after midnight.
- Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 67. North wind around 5 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.
- Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming northeast after midnight.
- Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Tuesday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 39. North wind around 10 mph.
- Wednesday: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57.
- Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41.
- Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.
- Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 66.
Cat Country 98.7 Nominated For ACM Station Of The Year
February 7, 2014
Country 98.7 has been nominated as small market radio station of the year from the Academy of Country Music.
The winner will be named during the the annual award show on CBS on Sunday, April 6 from Las Vegas. This was Cat Country 98.7’s six nomination in the past 10 years for the prestigious award, which the station won in 2006, 2009 and 2011.
“Our entire team strives to super serve our community every single day,” said station owner Dave Huxeng.
Cat Country 98.7 received their third Academy of Country Music Radio Station of the Year award in 2011. Accepting the trophies from Sony recording star Sara Evans in Las Vegas were Mary and Dave Hoxeng, owners of Cat Country 98.7. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Supreme Court Orders Review Of Lethal Injection
February 7, 2014
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a review of the new drug used in the state’s lethal injection cocktail in the case of Paul Augustus Howell, a Death Row inmate scheduled for execution Feb. 26.
Justices ordered a circuit court to hold an evidentiary hearing on whether substitution of the drug midazolam violates the constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment by the government.
Howell’s lawyers argued in briefs filed Tuesday that midazolam, the first of the three drug-cocktail that induces unconsciousness, paralysis and cardiac arrest, is problematic because it will not anesthetize him and would leave him “unable to communicate his agony” when the other drugs are administered.
The justices rejected an appeal about the new drug in a previous case, but in a four-page order issued Thursday said that an expert’s report submitted by Howell “has raised a factual dispute, not conclusively refuted, as to whether the use of midazolam, in conjunction with his medical history and mental conditions, will subject him to a ’substantial risk of serious harm.’ ”
The court also ordered the Department of Corrections to produce correspondence and documents from the manufacturer of midazolam concerning the drug’s use in executions, “including those addressing any safety and efficacy issues.”
The high court ordered the 2nd Judicial Circuit in Jefferson County, where Howell was originally tried and convicted of the murder of a highway patrol trooper in 1992, to hold a hearing and enter an order on the issue by 2 p.m. Wednesday.
In September, the Florida Department of Corrections substituted midazolam for the barbiturate pentobarbital as the first of the three-drug lethal injection “protocol.” Florida and other states switched to the new drug because the manufacturer of pentobarbital stopped selling it for use in executions.
The second drug, vecuronium bromide, renders muscle, including the diaphragm, unable to contract, making it impossible to breathe.
If not completely anesthetized when that drug is administered, the condemned would “experience the physical and psychological agony of suffocation,” Howell’s lawyers argued in briefs filed Tuesday.
The new drug protocol has been used four times since its adoption in September, but Howell’s lawyers argued that three of those executed were not fully anesthetized before the other drugs were administered.
The Supreme Court on Thursday also ordered the court to consider testimony from University of Miami anesthesiologist David Lubarsky regarding problems with the state’s protocol for making sure that inmates are unconscious. According to Lubarsky, the state is not waiting long enough between injections for the anesthetic to take effect. Lubarsky also testified the drug poses a significant risk for “paradoxical reactions” for Howell because he has mental health disorders and possible brain injuries.
Howell was scheduled to be executed last year but a federal appeals court issued a stay the day before he was slated to die. The stay was lifted in November, and Gov. Rick Scott rescheduled his execution for Feb. 26.
by Dara Kim, The News Service of Florida