One Injured In Dirt Road Crash Near McDavid
November 30, 2014
One person was injured in a single vehicle crash Sunday afternoon on a dirt road near McDavid.
The driver of a Subaru Legacy lost control just before 1 p.m. on Pine Barren Road between Highway 29 and Bogia Road. The vehicle came to rest on its side in a ditch.
The 19-year old male driver was transported by Atmore Ambulance to Sacred Heart Hospital.
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The McDavid Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded to the crash. Further details have not been released.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Little Damage In Reported Walnut Hill House Fire
November 30, 2014
There was minimal damage from a reported house fire this morning in Walnut Hill.
A resident in the 6300 block of Highway 97 reported a possible attic fire about 9:25. The fire, believed to be electrical in nature in the ceiling or attic of a sunroom, was out when firefighters arrived a few moments later.
The Walnut Hill, McDavid, Molino and Century stations of Escambia Fire Rescue were dispatched to the reported fire. There were no injuries reported.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Eagle Scout Project Cleans Up Drew’s Field
November 30, 2014
A t-ball field at Bradberry Park in Walnut Hill received some much needed attention this weekend from Eagle Scout candidate Benjamin Stott of Bratt.
Stott chose to focus his Eagle Scout project on beautifying and repairing Drew’s Field, which was dedicated in 2009 in memory of two-year Drew Marlow who died in a January 2008 Highway 97 traffic crash along with his father Danny Marlow.
Stott and his small team of friends and family worked to clear overgrowth from the base paths, the pitcher’s mound and batter’s box, pulled weeds from the field fence, fertilized the outfield, cleaned out the flower box surrounding a monument and replaced the dirt and weeds with decorative rocks.
He was helped by his brother Samuel Stott, Johnathan Elliot, Triston Long, Thomas Long, Ashley Long, Bill Pettus and his parents Kevin and Sherry Stott.
Benjamin Stott is a senior at Northview High School and will turn 18 in a few weeks. He is a member of Boy Scout Troop 430 in Molino.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Call Monday: Housing Rehab Funds Available For Century Homeowners
November 30, 2014
Monday, the Town of Century will begin accepting applications to assist 15 very low and low income homeowners in the rehabilitation of their homes.
Funding will be available in amounts from $2,000 to $5,000 for rehabilitation activities that will contribute to the overall health, safety and well being of the homeowner. Applicants must reside within the town limits, own their single family detached home (no mobile homes) and meet income guidelines based upon family size.
The town will set up and maintain a housing assistance waiting list for this program only. To apply, homeowners should call the Century Town Hall at (850) 256-3208 between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. beginning December 1.
The program is funded though USDA Rural Development Housing Services. Applications will be funded on a first come, first served basis.
Florida Supreme Court Sides With Dog Tracks On Card Rooms
November 30, 2014
Overturning a lower-court decision, the Florida Supreme Court this week ruled that at least two greyhound tracks can operate satellite card rooms without live racing.
Siding with the Palm Beach Kennel Club, the 5-1 opinion upheld the constitutionality of a law allowing jai alai permit holders to convert dormant, or unused, permits into greyhound permits if they meet certain conditions.
The law also allows greyhound permit holders to open card rooms at satellite facilities without live racing, again if certain conditions are met. That combination would allow the Palm Beach dog track and the Daytona Beach Kennel Club to open satellite card rooms.
Wednesday’s decision reversed a 1st District Court of Appeal ruling that found the state law was so narrowly written that it applied to only the two facilities and was, therefore, an unconstitutional “special” act.
Under the law, a jai alai permit could be converted in a county in which the state “has issued only two pari-mutuel permits” and only if the jai alai permit had not previously been converted from another class of permit and jai alai games had not been performed there for at least 10 years.
But, in a 30-page opinion written by Chief Justice Jorge Labarga, the majority agreed with attorney Barry Richard, who represented the Palm Beach greyhound track during oral arguments last year, that the lower court wrongly construed the words “only” and “has issued” when interpreting the statute.
The different definitions would mean that “there is a reasonable possibility that (the law) could apply to 10 of the 11 jai alai permits in the state,” Labarga wrote.
The statute, which went into effect in 2010 and was part of a sweeping gambling bill passed by the Legislature in 2009 that authorized a deal with the Seminole Tribe, gives Florida regulators discretion in considering applications for permits “with the aim of maximizing revenue generation and limiting competition within certain geographical areas,” Labarga wrote.
Justice R. Fred Lewis dissented without a written opinion, and Justice Peggy Quince recused herself.
A challenge to the law was filed by DeBary Real Estate Holdings Inc., which owns a quarter-horse permit in Volusia County but has never opened a facility.
The Daytona Beach Kennel Club planned to open a poker room in West Volusia with its converted permit.
by The News Service of Florida
Quiet Hurricane Season Ends
November 30, 2014
The 2014 Atlantic hurricane season ended Sunday, and it will be remembered as a relatively quiet season as was predicted.
“Fortunately, much of the U.S. coastline was spared this year with only one landfalling hurricane along the East Coast. Nevertheless, we know that’s not always going to be the case,” said Louis Uccellini, Ph.D., director of NOAA’s National Weather Service.
There were multiple factors that led to the quieter season.
“A combination of atmospheric conditions acted to suppress the Atlantic hurricane season, including very strong vertical wind shear, combined with increased atmospheric stability, stronger sinking motion and drier air across the tropical Atlantic,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “
Also, the West African monsoon was near- to below average, making it more difficult for African easterly waves to develop.”
Thanksgiving Weekend Gas Prices Lowest In Five Years
November 30, 2014
That Thanksgiving road trip to grandma’s house this weekend was cheaper, with the lowest Thanksgiving gas prices in five years. Locally gas prices were down about 65 cents when compared to last year.
The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas in the Pensacola metro was $2.67 this Thanksgiving weekend, down from from $3.34 last year. The national average price of gas is $2.85 per gallon, which is 43 cents lower than the average price for Thanksgiving a year ago ($3.28 per gallon).
Pictured: A gallon of regular unleaded gas was $2.69 this Thanksgiving weekend in Century. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Saint Monica’s Episcopal Church Calls New Priest
November 30, 2014
Saint Monica’s Episcopal Church of Cantonment has call Rev. Anthony MacWhinnie II, as its new priest in charge.
MacWhinnie, former vicar of St. Thomas by the Sea in Laguna Beach and former rector of St. Augustine of Canterbury in Navarre, is returning to lead the church and people who elected to send him to seminary.
St. Monica’s, which ministers to the community with a free beans and rice ministry, The Market at St. Monica’s, health screenings and various other outreach projects, has been without a resident priest since 2012.
In an announcement to the congregation recently, Senior Warden Chuck Barnett said, “We believe this is the best thing that has happened to St. Monica’s in years. Anthony has come home to where he belongs.”
Pictured: Rev. Anthony MacWhinnie II and his wife Elizabeth. Photo by Sarah McCarren for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Warm Week Ahead
November 30, 2014
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Sunday Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. Light southeast wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
- Sunday Night Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 51. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Monday Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the afternoon.
- Monday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 50. Calm wind.
- Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 53. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Wednesday Partly sunny, with a high near 71. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the afternoon.
- Wednesday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Thursday Partly sunny, with a high near 72.
- Thursday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54.
- Friday Partly sunny, with a high near 72.
- Friday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53.
- Saturday Partly sunny, with a high near 71.
Pictured: Clouds obscure the sun late Saturday afternoon on Kansas Road in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photo.
Tate Grad Nunley Graduates From Basic Military Training
November 30, 2014
U.S. Air National Guard Airman 1st Class Luke A. Nunley has graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.
The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.
Nunley is the son of Lori A. Nunley and step-son of Tim C. Brown of Cantonment, brother of Ben C. Nunley of Starkville, MS and Nick H. Nunley of Pensacola, and grandson of Loranne Bass of Prentiss, MS.
He is a 2014 graduate of J.M Tate High School, Cantonment.