Two Charged With Shooting Behind Escambia Grocery Store
January 20, 2014
Two people were arrested late Sunday night following a shooting outside a Pensacola Grocery Outlet store.
A male victim was shot in the leg behind the Grocery Outlet on Fairfield Drive nearLillian Highway in an attempted robbery about 8 p.m. Sunday, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. He was transported to a local hospital where he was treated and released.
Aubry Allen Freeman and Jocelyn Nicole Mercer, both 19, were taken into custody and charged with aggravated battery with a firearm and attempted armed robbery. Both remained in the Escambia County Jail Monday afternoon with bond set at $60,000.
The victim’s name has not yet been released.
Ensley Road Closures, Detours Begin Tuesday
January 20, 2014
As part of the Ensley Area Improvements/Detroit Boulevard and Johnson Avenue Realignment project, the following roads will be closed with detours beginning Tuesday, January 21, until Monday, January 27, from the hours of 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.:
- Road work at West Johnson Avenue on the north end and Jones Street on the south end will be implemented beginning January 21, 2014 at 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. with the roadway reopening each morning
- Northbound traffic on North Palafox Street will be detoured west onto Jones Street and southbound traffic on North Palafox Street will be detoured west onto West Johnson Avenue
- From West Johnson Avenue on the south end and West Ensley Street on the north end will be implemented beginning January 24, 2014 at 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. with the roadway reopening each morning after 6 a. m.
- Northbound traffic on North Palafox Street will be detoured west onto West Johnson Avenue and southbound traffic on North Palafox Street will be detoured onto West Ensley Street
Improvements are due to Roadway Realignment Construction per the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners.
Playground Smoking Ban Swings Through Senate Committee
January 20, 2014
A proposal that could snuff out smoking in parks where children play moved easily through its first Senate test .
The Senate Regulated Industries Committee backed without opposition a measure (SB 342) that would allow local governments to prohibit smoking on public park land that includes children’s areas with at least one piece of playground equipment.
The proposal, by Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, would be an expansion of the Florida Clean Indoor Air Act, which was approved by voters in 2002 and prohibits smoking in most enclosed indoor workplaces.
“This bill does not create a blanket ban on anything,” Bradley said after the meeting. “It just simply gives local government the ability to tailor regulations to meet their needs.”
No announced opposition stepped forward during the committee meeting. However, Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, cautioned that complaints will come.
“Every time we attempted a smoking thing, like we did in the restaurants, the first complaints we get are from our military folks, who say, ‘I fought and died, and got shot in World War II, and I can’t have a cigarette at the VFW,’ ” Detert warned. “So be prepared to hear from your veterans.”
Veterans of Foreign Wars posts are considered membership clubs, which under state law are exempt from the tobacco-free standards imposed on restaurants and most bars.
Bradley tried to pass a broader bill (SB 258) during the 2013 legislative session that was intended to restrict smoking on all municipal or county properties, including beaches. The measure, which died in the Senate Community Affairs Committee, also faced opposition in the House before its demise.
Bradley said this year’s “narrowly tailored” bill is more realistic.
“I wanted to try to craft a piece of legislation that has an opportunity for passage,” Bradley said.. “I feel good about our prospects in the Senate, but there is still some concerns from our friends in the House.”
The House version (HB 309), sponsored by Rep. Katie Edwards, D-Plantation, has yet to be scheduled to appear before any of its planned committees.
The proposal has the support of the Miami-Dade County League of Cities, the Florida League of Cities, the Florida Association of Counties, the Sierra Club and the American Lung Association of Florida.
Bradley’s proposal must still go before the Senate Community Affairs and Criminal Justice committees before reaching the full Senate.
Across the nation, numerous municipalities and cities already ban smoking at government parks, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Boston, Salt Lake City, and Albuquerque, N.M. Pequannock, New Jersey has banned smoking at public parks with ball fields or playgrounds.
Bradley defended his proposal as not being part of a “grand conspiracy” to further expand the ban on smoking to private outdoor areas across the state.
“I think that it’s appropriate for our children to enjoy playgrounds without having to deal with smoking,” Bradley said. “I’m not interested in banning smoking outdoors on private property.”
Under Bradley’s proposal, a citation could only be issued for those who refuse to stop smoking after being advised of the restriction and refusing to leave the area. The bill limits local ordinances to set fines up to $100 for a first offense and $300 for repeat offenders.
Pictured: Showalter Park in Century. NorthEscambia.com file photos.
by The News Service of Florida
Monday’s Century Council Meeting Rescheduled For Thursday
January 20, 2014
Monday’s regular meeting of the Century Town Council has been rescheduled.
The third Monday of the month meeting was to be held on Monday, January 20, but was rescheduled to Thursday, January 23 at 7 p.m. due to the Martin Luther King Day holiday.
For more information, contact the Century Town Hall at (850) 256-3208.
FWC Law Enforcement Report
January 20, 2014
Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the weekend ending January 16:
Escambia County
Officer Manning observed a subject cast-netting mullet. After watching him for a while, Officer Manning observed the subject leave the area. Officer Manning followed him to his residence where he asked the subject if he caught any fish. The subject stated that he had not, but a fisheries inspection revealed 57 mullet in his cooler. The subject was cited for possession of over the bag limit of mullet.
MLK Day Programs, Parades Planned
January 20, 2014
Parades and special events will honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. across the area on Monday.
Century
The Century-Flomaton Improvement Association will honor Dr. King with a motorcade in Century Monday morning. The motorcade will line up at the old Carver School on Pond Street at 8:00 a.m. The motorcade will roll at 8:30 a.m. and will end at the Agricultural Building on West Highway 4. A program and celebration will follow in the Ag Building at about 10:00 with guest speaker Russell Fountain of the Bethel AFM Church of God in Century, special music and lunch.
Cantonment
The Martin Luther King Jr. Parade in Cantonment starts at 4:00 at the corner of Washington and Carver off Muscogee Road behind the paper mill. Line up for participants is at 3:30 at the corner of Washington and Carver. Parade will travel Washington, Robinson and Booker before returning to Carver.
Flomaton
A Walk on MLK will begin to line up at 8:45 a.m. and begin at 9 a.m. at Martin Luther King and Highway 31 and end at Damascus Missionary Baptist Church where a celebration will begin at 10 a.m. Guest speaker will be Irma Wilson of Atmore.
Atmore
The 2013 Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade will line up at Houston Avery Park and roll at 10 a.m. The parade will travel north on MLK Avenue, turn right on Carver Avenue to Ashley Street, turn left on Main Street to McRae Street, turn right on Presley Street and end at Escambia County High School. A memorial program will follow in the ECHS auditorium about 11:30 a.m. with guest speaker Darryl North, pastor of Empowerment Tabernacle Christian Center.
Pensacola
Parade, 11 a.m., downtown beginning at the intersection of Spring and Garden street east to Palafox, turns north on Palafox, Palafox to Wright Street, turns back around onto Palafox south to Main Street.
Florida Speed Limit Increase Moves Forward
January 20, 2014
A bill that could increase speed limits on some Florida roads is rolling along in Tallahassee. The measure was easily approved by the Senate Transportation Committee on a 6-1 vote.
The proposal — by Sens. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, and Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth — would allow 75 mph speed limits on limited-access highways, along with a boost in speeds on other roads. The measure would direct the state Department of Transportation to determine the safe minimum and maximum speed limits on all divided highways that have least four lanes.
Supporters of the bill say it’s safe and that many drivers are already going faster than the current top rate of 70 mph. But critics say it could lead to more accidents.
“The highways of Florida are not the German Autobahn,” said Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, the only lawmaker on the panel to vote against the bill.
The legislation still has to pass the Community Affairs and Appropriations committees before pulling onto the Senate floor. For now, there’s no House companion to merge with the Senate’s bill.
by The News Service of Florida
Officials: No Lasting Impacts From Escambia River Oil Spill
January 19, 2014
There have been no reports of lasting impacts from an oil spill just over a week ago into the Escambia River.
During the early morning hours of January 9, up to three barrels of crude oil — 126 gallons — overflowed from a holding pit at Quantum Resource Management’s processing facility near Jay. The oil drained into a nearby creek that flows into the Escambia River near Century. Quantum quickly reported the spill to the Santa Rosa County 911 and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Preliminary information hours later from a Quantum official said the spill was not a widespread threat to the environment and was never a threat to public health.
A cleanup crew deployed absorbent boom and other materials to contain and clean up the spill as much as possible from the river. That cleanup was considered complete by the following afternoon.
A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Health in Escambia County said the oil spill was not a public health emergency and there was no danger from fish caught in the river.
State and local officials continued to monitor the river into last weekend.
Quantum will be required to complete an incident report that details the specific cause of the spill and any corrective actions that will be implemented to prevent a future occurrence. An exact date when the report will be finished was not available.
Pictured: The Escambia River hours after an oil spill from Quantum Resources in Santa Rosa County. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Sunny Monday And Tuesday
January 19, 2014
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Clear, with a low around 32. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- M.L.King Day: Sunny, with a high near 65. Light south wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
- Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 40. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 55. Breezy, with a northwest wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
- Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 24. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph.
- Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 48. North wind around 5 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.
- Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 29. Calm wind.
- Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 54. North wind 5 to 15 mph.
- Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 50.
- Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 36.
- Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 56.
- Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37.
- Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 62.
Hundreds Fill A Bowl For Manna To Feed Neighbors In Need
January 19, 2014
Fill a Bowl for Manna was held Saturday to benefit the local food bank that serves clients across the area.
Attendees filled their keepsake ceramic bowl with sumptuous soups from several restaurants while helping Manna Food Panties raise over $15,000 to feed more than 500 people for a week in our local communities.
A $30 admission fee entitled guests to a keepsake ceramic bowl filled with soups by local eateries — the $30 is enough to purchase a week of groceries for a neighbor in need. The event was held at the Jean & Paul Amos Performance Studio of WSRE-TV.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
