Garbage Rates Rising In Century
January 24, 2014
Century residents will soon see a slight increase on their garbage bills.
The rate for residential service will increase 41-cents, from $15.70 to $16.11 per month for household waste. The town is passing along a 2.6 percent rate increase from Allied Waste, the town’s service provider. Under their contract with Century, Allied is allowed to periodically adjust rates based upon increases in the Consumer Price Index.
Commercial garbage customers in Century that utilize Allied Waste will see an increase of 2.76 percent.
Voting Rights Changes Would Not Impact Florida
January 24, 2014
A proposed overhaul of the Voting Rights Act that would essentially revive the process of “preclearance” would leave Florida out of the list of states that would have to get federal approval for changes to elections procedures, a scenario that concerns some voting-rights advocates.
Voting-rights groups, many of which have been involved in recent legal battles over elections issues in Florida, largely support the bill, introduced by a bipartisan group of U.S. House and Senate members. But they note that the process in the bill for selecting which states are required to gain preclearance would not include Florida or several other jurisdictions that were included under an old formula.
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down as antiquated the formula Congress established in the 2006 version of the law to single out so-called “covered jurisdictions.” That formula, based on data from the 1960s and 1970s, was used to decide which parts of the country must submit almost any changes in voting laws or practices to the federal government for approval — the process known as preclearance.
Before the ruling, five Florida counties were among the “covered jurisdictions,” which in effect required the state to submit any rules or new laws affecting those areas. That allowed the U.S. Department of Justice or a three-judge federal panel to review essentially any statewide voting law as well.
Florida officials, who had challenged the preclearance section of the Voting Rights Act in a separate case, applauded the decision.
“Any time we have the opportunity to make our own decisions, I think that’s great for our state,” Gov. Rick Scott said at the time.
Under the new proposal, any state where governments were found to have violated the Voting Rights Act five times in a 15-year period would be subject to preclearance. While at least one of the violations would have to be committed by the state itself, others could be committed by local governments.
There would also be separate procedures for requiring that cities or counties be subject to preclearance.
“This bill modernizes the Voting Rights Act and will restore those protections that were gutted by the court, and will ensure that every citizen has an equal opportunity to participate in our democracy,” said House Judiciary Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., at an event unveiling the change.
According to supporters of the legislation, it would sweep up four states: Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Under the old Voting Rights Act, Virginia, Arizona, Alaska and parts of California, Michigan, New York, North Carolina and South Dakota were covered, along with Florida’s five counties.
That disappointed some groups involved in battles with the state of Florida over the last several years on everything from a massive rewriting of the state’s elections laws to efforts to remove the names of suspected non-citizens from the voting rolls.
“We’re very concerned on behalf of the voters of Florida and the groups we work with on the ground there,” said Katherine Culliton-González, director of voter protection for Advancement Project, a Washington, D.C.-based group involved in some of the legal fights in Florida.
One shortcoming of the preclearance formula, Culliton-González said, is that only a judge’s ruling or a denial of preclearance for a covered jurisdiction counts as a violation. If legal settlements or consent decrees were also included in the definition, she said, Florida would be eligible for coverage.
The new standard could actually encourage voting-rights groups and others to continue legal fights in hopes of getting a court order that would count toward preclearance, she said.
But advocates also note that the state would still be eligible for preclearance if there are problems in the future.
“We have concerns that Florida is not on the initial list, but because the proposal contains a rolling trigger, it will enable Florida … should it be necessary, to be on the protected list” again, said Deirdre Macnab, president of the League of Women Voters of Florida.
Other provisions of the bill, including one requiring 180 days’ notice for changes that would affect federal elections and another making it easier to get voting changes blocked, would be implemented nationwide.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Single Vehicle Jacks Branch Wreck Injures Multiple People
January 23, 2014
Serveral people were injured in a single vehicle rollover accident Thursday morning on Jacks Branch Road.
The accident was reported about 11:30 a.m. in a curve on Jacks Branch Road, just off Muscogee Road. One of the patients was trapped in the vehicle for a brief time until extricated by firefighters.
Three patients were transported by ambulance to West Florida and Baptist hospitals. None of the injuries were considered to be life threatening.
Further details have not yet been released; the accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Hard Freeze Tonight
January 23, 2014
Here is your official North Escambia are forecast:
- Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22. Wind chill values between 15 and 20. North wind around 10 mph.
- Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 43. Wind chill values between 15 and 25. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26. Calm wind.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 59. Wind chill values between 25 and 35 early. West wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
- Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 33. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north after midnight.
- Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
- Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. South wind around 5 mph becoming west after midnight.
- Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 60. North wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 27. North wind 10 to 15 mph.
- Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 43.
- Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 21.
- Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41.
- Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22.
- Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 50.
Reduced Service Hours Announced For McDavid Post Office
January 23, 2014
The U.S. Postal Service has announced reduced retail hours for the McDavid Post Office. The retail window will actually be open earlier and stay open later on weekdays while reducing service hours by five.
The new hours for the McDavid Post Office, effective February 22, will be 7-11 a.m. and 2-4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8-10 a.m. on Saturdays. The post office’s retail window is currently open 7:45 -11 a.m. and noon – 3:45 p.m. during the week and 7:45 to 9:45 a.m. on Saturdays. Access to post office boxes will remain 24/7.
Residents and businesses in the 32568 zip code were notified in December that the Postal Service will take future action regarding the McDavid Post Office. They were surveyed with 77 percent of respondents choosing a reduction in hours over other options including closure.
About two dozen people attended a public meeting with postal officials on January 16, at which time they were reassured that the McDavid Post Office would remain open.
There are no plans to make any changes at the Walnut Hill Post Office, which shares McDavid’s 32568 zip code. The Walnut Hill Post Office is a contract location operated by Escambia River Electric Cooperative, providing retail window services and post office boxes.
The McDavid Post Office was the only local post office in Escambia or Santa Rosa counties on the current closure or cutback list.
Pictured: The McDavid Post Office. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Six Wildfires Reported Wednesday; Avoid Outdoor Burning
January 23, 2014
The Florida Forest Service responded to six wildfires Wednesday in Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties. The fire burned about 40 acres total, with one fire alone estimated at 20 acres. All of the fires were contained by nightfall.
“Dry, windy conditions will persist for the next several days and residents are advised to refrain from burning any yard debris and be careful during any outdoor activity that might cause a fire,” said Joe Zwierzchowski, wildfire mitigation specialist for the Florida Forest Service.
ECSO Investigating After Driver Hits House
January 23, 2014
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has released few details about an incident Tuesday night in which someone drove a vehicle into an Oak Grove home.
Deputies were dispatched to a disturbance at the home in the 1300 block of North Highway 99 just before 9 p.m. A short time later, the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue was called to the home to check out a report of a vehicle that struck a house, and to make sure all was safe after the vehicle came to rest on a propane tank.
The fire department determined the home was structurally sound following the crash and determined there was no danger from the propane tank.
A spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday afternoon that the incident was domestic violence related and confirmed that there were no injuries. The spokesperson said an investigation is actively continuing, and there have been no arrests. Further details were not released.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Northview Celebrates Success In Reading
January 23, 2014
Northview High School is once again celebrating improved test scores — this time on the district reading subject area exam.
The exam is given to every student who takes a reading course at Northview High School. Of the students taking the exam, 84 percent passed, an improvement over last year’s 74 percent. Also this year, almost half of the Northview students taking the test scored between 80-100 while last year only 28 percent scored in the upper range.
Pictured with the students that took the district reading subject area exam are reading teachers Tammy Calloway, Megan Carroll, Barbara Luker, and instructional aide Rhonda Killam, Principal Gayle Weaver and Assistant Principal Gerry Pippins. Teacher Sue Jernigan, instructional aide Amy Holland, and Literacy Coach Margaret Blum also contributed greatly to the success of these students but are not pictured. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Citizens Insurance Policy Clearinghouse Set To Begin Monday
January 23, 2014
An electronic clearinghouse system, expected to keep Citizens Property Insurance Corp. from all but the riskiest homeowners’ policies, is set to go live Monday.
The rollout of the system was delayed for three weeks as privacy questions arose regarding applicant information while policies were marketed to private insurers. The delay was also implemented as the state Department of Economic Opportunity continues to work with vendors to fix a number of problems with its new $63 million Connect unemployment assistance website.
“We’ve been quality assurance testing for several weeks,” Citizens spokesman Mike Peltier responded Wednesday in an email. Initially, only new policies will be run through the clearinghouse.
Four companies — Ark Royal, Florida Peninsula, Safe Harbor and United Property & Casualty — will initially be involved with the clearinghouse. By July 13, Citizens hopes to have up to 16 additional companies brought online.
“The clearinghouse offers dual benefits of helping homeowners find better coverage at comparable rates and reducing Citizens’ exposure,” Citizens Chairman Chris Gardner said in a release. Combined with a number of ongoing mass takeouts of policies by private carriers, Citizens should soon be below the 1 million policy mark for the first time since mid-2006. Citizens ended 2013 with 1,021,694 policies.
Through the clearinghouse, if coverage by a private firm is found within 15 percent of Citizens’ premium, the policy would go to the private carrier. For those who now have Citizens coverage, policy renewals will enter the clearinghouse starting July 1. For existing Citizens customers, renewals will have to go to the private market if comparable coverage is found at or below the state-backed insurer’s rates.
The clearinghouse was part a sweeping insurance package approved by legislators during the 2013 session.
Last August, the Citizens board approved a five-year contract with Bolt Solutions, Inc., to design the software for the clearinghouse. The contract, which has an option for an additional five years, could total $44.9 million over the decade.
Bond Revoked For McDavid Burglary Suspect
January 23, 2014
Bond has been revoked for a McDavid man awaiting trial on burglary charges.
In September 2013, 19-year old Haden Brock Howard was charged with felony burglary and grand theft for stealing a generator, chainsaws, a pressure washer and other power tools from a shed on Sandy Hollow Road. Howard allegedly knew the victim’s family and knew that they were out of town during the weekend in which the items were stolen.
The family’s 14-year old son told deputies that he and Howard owed money to Howard’s drug dealer on Cypress Street in Walnut Hill, and the stolen items were traded for spice, marijuana and crack cocaine.
Howard was also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor for allowing the 14-year old son, another 14-year boy and his 15-year old girlfriend the means to purchase and use crack cocaine, marijuana and spice in his presence, according to an arrest report.
On December 13, 2013, Judge J. Scott Duncan granted the State Attorney’s Office motion to revoke bond; he was arrested Tuesday on the outstanding order.
In a separate case, Howard is facing charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, felony battery by strangulation, and aggravated battery using a deadly weapon after allegedly attacking his mother over the Thanksgiving weekend.
The 42-year old victim told deputies that Howard, her son, had taken her vehicle without permission. She was able to locate it alongside Highway 97. As she was driving home, the victim said Howard suddenly sat up from the backseat, became enraged and put a knife against her right temple and was saying he was going to kill her, according to an arrest report.
The victim pulled off the road in the 7200 block of Highway 97 in Walnut Hill. She told deputies that Howard dropped the knife, then attempted to strangle her before grabbing some sort of handsaw. She escaped the car, with Howard attempting to run over her, an arrest report states, before crashing through a fence and speeding off on Highway 97.
Deputies made contact with Howard by phone and he said he had no idea what was going on and that he had not seen his mother in two or three days. Deputies convinced Howard to exit his grandparents’ home on Green Village Road, at which time he was taken into custody. He continued to insist that he had not had any contact with his mother.
The victim’s car was located in the grandparents’ backyard, with what appeared to be a bloody fixed blade knife inside, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report.
Howard made a video court appearance Wednesday afternoon. He is scheduled for trial in late February in both cases.