Newly Paved, Crumbling Bratt Road To Be Fixed Under Warranty
April 3, 2014
Less than four months after it was paved, portions of Bratt Road are crumbling away.
The December project included dirt road paving and drainage improvements on Bratt Road from Pine Barren Road east about 1.25 miles to the existing paved roadway. The county road department provided pipe installation and grading, while a contractor was responsible for the paving.
An Escambia County official said the cold mix asphalt was likely used on a day that was too cold, causing it to be spread too thin in some spots.
The contractor, Roads Inc., will repair the roadway under warranty when the remainder of Bratt Road is paved in the coming weeks from Pine Barren Road to West Highway 4 at the Travis Nelson Park, according to District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry.
Pictured: Parts of the recently paved Bratt Road are beginning to crumble away. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Molino Woman Charged With Stabbing Juvenile Twice With Fork
April 3, 2014
A Molino woman is facing a child abuse charge for allegedly stabbing a juvenile with a fork.
Vicky Marie Hadder, age 31 of Kemala Avenue, was charged with two counts of felony aggravated child abuse and possession of marijuana not more than 20 grams. She remained in the Escambia County Jail Thursday without bond due to an outstanding probation violation warrant.
Deputies were responding to a reported disturbance when they spotted Hadder turning her vehicle into a convenience store at Highway 29 and Muscogee Road. After she was taken into custody, deputies reported finding three marijuana roaches in her vehicle.
At a local residence, deputies located the juvenile bleeding from the left side of his face. He told deputies that Hadder had thrown a fork at him, striking his face. She then, according to the victim, threw another fork at him prongs first as if throwing a dart. A witness told deputies that they observed Hadder strike the juvenile twice with two different forks. The witness also told deputies that Hadder had been up all night long shooting crystal meth between her toes.
The Department of Children and Families was also contacted.
Barrineau Park Heritage & Bluegrass Festival Continues Saturday
April 3, 2014
The Barrineau Park Historical Society will present the First Annual Barrineau Park Heritage & Bluegrass Festival Saturday.
Saturday, the festival will run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. with crafters, historical booths and four bluegrass bands: TruGrass, Southern Sounds, Milltown South, and Unknown Bluegrass. Concessions will be available both days.
Admission is free. This is a family friendly event with no smoking or alcohol. In the event of rain, all activities (including vendors) will be indoors.
The Barrineau Park Community Center is located at 6055 Barrineau Park School Road west of Molino. For more information, contact Sheila at (850) 572-4433.
Pictured: Trugrass will perform on Saturday at the First Annual Barrineau Park Heritage & Bluegrass Festival. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Workshop Set On Future Of I-10/Hwy 29, Nine Mile Road
April 3, 2014
The Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization will hold a public workshop on Tuesday, April 15, at the West Florida Regional Planning Council, 4081 East Olive Road, Suite A, Pensacola, 4 to 6 p.m.
The meeting is concerning amendments to the Long Range Transportation Needs Plan and Cost Feasible Plan for the following projects:
- I-10/US 29 Interchange
- I-10 from Pine Forest Road to US 29
- Nine Mile Road from Mobile Highway to Pine Forest Road
- Nine Mile Road from Beulah Road to I-10
Public participation is welcomed.
ECUA Sees No Immediate Changes After West Florida Recycling Bankruptcy
April 3, 2014
When you toss out your recyclables for ECUA to pick up each week, your plastic bottles, papers and other items make their way to West Florida Recycling on North Palafox Street.
But earlier this week, West Florida Recycling filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. For now, officials at ECUA say they plan to continue to utilize the company to process recyclables, as long as they can continue to provide services in accordance with ECUA’s contract.
“We’ve worked to establish an alternate solution, should that be necessary,because we are committed to maintaining our recycling program in place.” ECUA spokesperson Nathalie Bowers said Wednesday. “Having already converted our fleet of collection vehicles to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) from diesel has given us options that we might not have had one or two years ago. The reduced fuel costs give us the option of considering recycling processors who are further away, at the same cost, and certainly at a lower cost than landfilling these recyclables locally.”
Regardless of ECUA’s next move, if any, Bowers said she does not foresee any rate increases or changes in the level of recycling service at this time.
ECUA customers currently recycle about 215 ton per week, or about 15 percent of the total residential waste stream. About two-thirds of ECUA’s 73,000 residential customers participate in the recycling program.
“Our recyclables are considered to be of very high quality, with little contamination, largely due to the voluntary aspect of our program,” Bowers added.
ECUA does not pay West Florida Recycling; rather the company makes money by selling the processed recyclables.
Pictured top: An ECUA CNG-powered truck. File photo, click to enlarge.
Escambia Deputy Cited After Motorcycle Crash
April 3, 2014
An Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy was cited Wednesday night at colliding with motorcyclist.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Denise Ives, 42, was traveling east on on Gulf Beach Highway in a marked Escambia County Sheriff’s Office 2009 Ford Crown Victoria. She failed to see a 2001 Honda Goldwing driven by 57-year old Steven Larkin of Pensacola and turned into the path of the westbound motorcycle.
Larkin was transported to Baptist Hospital in serious condition, while Ives suffered only minor injuries.
Ives was cited with making an improper left turn by the FHPn
Man Pleads Guilty To Murder Of Escambia Teen
April 3, 2014
An Escambia County teen pleaded straight up Wednesday in the fatal shooting of another teen last year.
Robert Lee Boyd, 18, entered the plea on a second degree murder charge before Circuit Judge Jan Shackelford, who revoked his bond and set sentencing for June 5. He faces a sentence of 12 years to life.
Boyd was charged with the shooting death of 17-year old Ledarrious Ramon Washington during a drug deal robbery at the Pines Apartments in Warrrington on July 30, 2013.
Two other defendants, Nkosi Chamberlain and Javontai Yavin Lamario Thames, are awaiting trial on murder charges in the case.
Scott Signs Off On Vehicle Fee Cuts To ‘Right The Wrong’
April 3, 2014
During a politically charged bill-signing ceremony, Gov. Rick Scott gave final approval Wednesday to rolling back vehicle-registration fees that were increased in 2009 amid state budget woes.
Scott repeatedly noted that the unpopular fee increases were enacted under former Gov. Charlie Crist, who is seeking to unseat Scott during this November’s election.
“We’re going to right the wrong of this 2009 tax increase that Charlie Crist enacted,” Scott said.
The bill (SB 156) signed by Scott, one of his “critical” priorities for this spring’s legislative session, is expected to save Floridians between $20 and $25 per vehicle registration, with the total depending on the size of the vehicle.
Kevin Cate, a spokesman for Crist’s campaign, responded to Scott’s announcement by saying the “ridiculous press conference” exposed the current governor’s “political desperation.”
“Everyone knows that Charlie Crist signed one of the largest tax cuts (a property tax cut) in the history of Florida and was also forced to make tough decisions to prevent devastating blows to teachers, students, first responders, and our most vulnerable Floridians,” Cate said in an email.
The fee cuts will take effect Sept. 1, two months into the state’s new fiscal year. Scott said he wants motorists whose vehicle registration renewals are up before September to only pay for one year, rather than two, so that they can realize the savings in 2015.
The rollback is part of Scott’s election-year request for $500 million in cuts and fees, with the vehicle-fee reductions expected to trim state revenue by $309.1 million during the upcoming 2014-15 fiscal year and $394.6 million in later years, when the cuts will be in effect for a full 12 months.
Indian River County Tax Collector Carole Jean Jordan said her office is contacting people whose vehicle registrations are up before Sept. 1 to only pay for one year and has already removed the box on forms for people to mark two-year payments.
“If someone sends us a check for a two -year renewal, we’re not a small county, but we’re able to call people, we look up their phone numbers, so we get hold of them, we tell them they really shouldn’t renew for the second year,” said Jordan, a former chairwoman of the Republican Party of Florida.
The bill signing, however, was surrounded by the politics of an election year.
Some Democratic House members, who supported the bill, noted they were not invited to attend the signing ceremony in the Cabinet meeting room. The Florida Democratic Party called the event “shameless grandstanding” by Scott.
“These auto tag fees were always a temporary measure that Rick Scott should have cut as soon as possible, and Democrats have consistently supported repeal,” Democratic Party spokesman Joshua Karp said in the release. “Instead, Rick Scott waited until his election year to conduct a phony victory lap.”
The Republican-dominated Legislature approved the fee increases in 2009 as the state grappled with a budget shortfall that stemmed from the economic recession. Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, and Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, who was in the House in 2009, told reporters after the bill-signing that Crist’s office gave lawmakers little choice but to approve the increases to help ward off the shortfall.
“We were given a stark choice of closing hospitals, closing schools, and placing, we talk of vulnerable Floridians, in even more jeopardy,” Gaetz said.
Other increases in 2009 included a hike in late-payment fees on driver’s license renewals, from $1 to $15. Also, the cost of an original driver’s license went from $27 to $48, first-time registrations of cars went from $100 to $225, and cigarette taxes were increased by $1 a pack.
Asked why only one of the 2009 increases was targeted for repeal, Scott responded that “there was a lot of opportunities, this was the most important one this year.”
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Northview Takes Double Header From Westview High Of Tennessee
April 3, 2014
The Northview Chiefs defeated Westview High of Tennessee in a double header Wednesday.
In the first game, the Chiefs won 10-0.
For Northview: Aaron McDonald 3-4, RBI; Chasen Freeman 2-3, R; Brannon Freeman 2-4, 2R, 2RBI; RJ Pritchett 2-4, R, RBI; Thomas Moore 4-4, R, RBI, 2B; Jody Bonner 1-3, RBI; Daulton Tullis 1-3, R; and Kevin Barrow 1-3; R. Brannon Freeman pitched five for the Chiefs, allowing just one hit and striking out seven.
In their second game, Northview beat Westview 3-0
For Northview: Aaaron McDonald 1-1, R; Thomas Moore RBI; RJ Pritchett R; Chasen Freeman 1R. Aaron McDonald pitched seven for the Chiefs, allow four hits, one base on balls and striking out three.
The JV Chiefs will be in action Escambia at Escambia Academy at noon. The varsity Chiefs won’t play again until April 8 when they host the Baker Gators.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Ramona Preston, click to enlarge.
Studers Enter Partnership With BLAB TV
April 3, 2014
Wednesday, BLAB TV and Studer Community Development announced a partnership which will build on the 30-year history and impact of BLAB TV and local programming.
“Brenda and I could not be more pleased,” said Fred Vigodsky, president of BLAB TV, whose wife Brenda also works at the station. “We love this area and have been looking for the right group to continue and build on what we have put our lives and souls into for the last 30 years. We are grateful to the many businesses and organizations that have utilized BLAB over the years to grow their companies, their cause and this area. We strongly believe this partnership with Quint and Rishy Studer is the perfect avenue to keep the momentum going.”
Quint Studer said he and his wife Rishy were excited that the partnership would ensure that BLAB remained locally owned and locally focused.
“Rishy and I are thrilled to be working with the talented team Fred and Brenda have built,” said Quint Studer. “We believe that BLAB offers a great opportunity for us to work with other business, media and civic organizations to promote the Pensacola area. Our goal is to work with as many groups as possible to improve the quality of life in our community. We are grateful for what the Vigodskys have built and look forward to their partnership and counsel moving forward. BLAB TV has had a tremendous positive impact in this area and we are committed to building on this legacy.”
Quint Studer said viewers would not notice any changes in BLAB’s programming for the next several months.
“Eventually people will see some changes in the programming,” said Quint Studer. “The staff at BLAB is already coming up with new shows and we want to expand on that. We are committed to working with the many talented businesses, organizations and other media outlets to make this area the very best place for people to work, live, learn and enjoy.”
Fred Vigodsky will continue to oversee operations at the station during a search for a new general manager, which will begin immediately.
“I want Fred and Brenda to remain at BLAB for as long as they want,” said Quint Studer. “Rishy and I also are going to establish a broadcast scholarship in Fred and Brenda’s name at the University of West Florida. They have put so much work into BLAB and this community over the past 30 years, and we’re establishing the scholarship as a way to honor that legacy.”
BLAB TV is available to cable subscribers, on WFBD TV 48 and on DirecTV channel 48.