Volunteers Wrap Up Plans For May 16 Reimagine Century Event
May 6, 2015
The final organizational meeting for Reimagine Century was held Tuesday for volunteers and involved organizations to make last minute plans.
Reimagine Century 2015 will be held Saturday, May 16 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the old Century High School at 440 Hecker Road. The event will include a wide variety of activities, including a 15,000 pound food giveaway, health screenings, AIDS testing, diabetes information, live music, fishing lessons from Mission Fishin’, free manicures, information from community agencies, a clothing giveaway, free lunch, free haircuts, youth and teen activities and sports, a diaper giveaway and more.
Clothing donations for the event are still being accepted at a trailer located outside the Century Town Hall building.
Pictured top and bottom: Reimagine Century volunteers meet Tuesday night in Century. Pictured inset: Reimagine founder Linda English. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photos: A Very Tall Job
May 6, 2015
Workers were busy on a tall job in Bratt Tuesday — working on a 120 foot tall water tower on North Highway 99 at Water Tank Road. The tank is part of the Bratt-Davisville Water System. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
PSC Approves Gulf Power’s Oklahoma Wind Power Project
May 6, 2015
Tuesday, Gulf Power received unanimous approval from the Florida Public Service Commission of an agreement that will make the utility a leading purchaser of wind generation among Florida utilities. The agreement is the first of its kind in the state.
The project, called Kingfisher Wind, will be built in central Oklahoma, where conditions are favorable for wind energy.
“Kingfisher Wind will help Gulf Power add renewable energy that makes environmental and economic sense,” said Jeff Rogers, External Communications manager. “Smart renewables, like Kingfisher Wind, are cost effective for customers.”
The Kingfisher Wind project is expected to begin commercial operation by the end of the year. A total of 89 of the project’s wind turbines will supply 178 megawatts to Gulf Power, which is enough energy to power approximately 50,700 homes per year.
“The power we get from Kingfisher Wind will represent approximately 5 percent of our projected energy mix,” said Rogers. “Wind power helps diversify the power supply and Kingfisher Wind is projected to provide lower overall energy costs.”
This wind project will be Gulf Power’s fifth renewable energy project following the Perdido Landfill Gas-to-Energy Facility, which has produced more than 100 million kilowatt hours of electricity since 2010, and three solar energy projects that are scheduled to begin construction in February 2016.
Gulf Power announced in January that the utility is partnering with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force to build solar energy farms at three different facilities across Northwest Florida.
The solar energy farms have already been approved by the FPSC and will be constructed at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach (30 megawatts), Holley Field in Navarre (40 megawatts) and Saufley Field in Pensacola (50 megawatts) and are expected to be in service by December 2016.
“Adding alternative energy to our portfolio takes careful planning to ensure we provide our customers with what they want and what they need — cost-effective energy that diversifies our power supply,” said Rogers.
Northview Beats Liberty County, Chiefs Head To Regional Finals
May 6, 2015
The Northview Chiefs beat Liberty County 7-0 in Bratt Tuesday night in the Region 2-1A semifinals.
With the playoff win, the Chiefs (18-2) will be on the road Friday to Panama City to take on Bozeman in the Region 2-1A championship game. The winner heads to the state tournament, the loser heads home.
Brett Weeks pitched seven for the Chiefs, allowing five hits and no runs, and striking out seven. Hitting for Northview were RBI; Chasen Freeman 2-3, 2 RBIs, run; Quentin Sampson 1-3, 2 runs, Dakotah Lowery 1-3, RBI; Brody Amos 1-2, 2 runs; Weeks 1-1, 2 RBIs.
Photos by Ramona Preston for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Elementary Students Get Up Close Look At LifeFlight
May 6, 2015
Kindergarten students at Beulah Elementary School had the opportunity to get an up close look at the LifeFlight medical helicopter on Tuesday. Photos by Dalton Young for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Beat The Tennesee Smokies
May 6, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos had no hits through five innings, but finally unloaded on Tennessee Smokies starter Jeffry Antigua in the sixth.
Blue Wahoos first baseman Marquez Smith delivered the decisive two-run blow when he launched a deep fly ball to centerfield that popped out of the glove of a leaping Jacob Hannemann’s glove when he slammed into the wall.
Smith’s double scored second baseman Ryan Wright and left fielder Jesse Winker for a 4-2 lead that Pensacola held on to defeat the Tennessee Smokies, 4-3, in front of 4,306 at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
The win leaves Pensacola at 99 during its first four seasons at home and the Blue Wahoos are short just 9,152 away from 1 million during that same span.
Catcher Cam Maron broke up the no-hitter with a leadoff single to the right center field gap in the top of the sixth inning. Ray Chang then singled to put runners at first and third with one out. Then Wright singled in Maron and Winker singled in Chang to tie the score at 2-2.
That set up Smith’s smash to left center that looked like it would leave the stadium for his first homer of the year. Instead, it was his first hit of the season at the Blue Wahoos ballpark. He was 0-15 in the first two homestands against the Biloxi Shuckers.
Smith said he just remained confident that hits would start falling for him. He was 1-4 Tuesday and is now batting .400 (10-25) in his past six games. His average has climbed from .182 to .246.
“I didn’t know if it was going out. I just hoped it would find grass somewhere,” Smith said. “I was hoping he wouldn’t catch it.”
No one was happier than Pensacola Manager Pat Kelly to see Smith double with two out. In the past two games, Pensacola has gone 5-7 with runners in scoring position after batting a Southern League low of .212 this season.
“We knew we were capable of doing it,” Kelly said. “We got in a rut in April. Now, we hope everything will fall in place.”
The Blue Wahoos reliever Ben Klimesh earned his team-leading fifth save of the season by striking out four of the seven batters he faced in the eighth and ninth. On the year, he has struck out 11 hitters in 10 innings.
“He was trying to throw his pitches through a brick wall,” Kelly said. “He is in much better control of his emotions and pitches. He threw a lot of 3-2 split-finger fastballs for strike outs.”
Meanwhile, starter Keyvius Sampson, the No. 9 prospect in the San Diego Padres organization last year, got his first win for Pensacola. He allowed five hits, one walk, two runs, zero earned and struck out four in six innings of work.
Elderly Driver Killed In Nine Mile Road Crash
May 6, 2015
An elderly Pensacola resident was killed in a two-vehicle crash on Nine Mile Road at Chemstrand Road Tuesday morning.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 85-year old Sidney H. Dees, Jr. was in the northbound left turn lane of Chemstrand Road in a 1994 Dodge Spirit, while 24-year old Courtney S. Brown of Cantonment was in her 2006 Hyundai Sonata in the inside eastbound lane of Nine Mile Road. According to the FHP, both drivers entered the intersection at the same time believing they had a green traffic signal. The vehicles collided in the intersection.
Dees was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital were he succumbed to his injuries. Brown was not injured.
The FHP investigation into the crash is continuing.
Century Hires Former Memphis, TN, Gas Services Supervisor
May 5, 2015
The Town of Century voted Monday night to hire a new gas superintendent, a man that held a similar position in an area nearly 550 times larger than Century. Walter B. Kellett is expected to be on the job in Century within a month, coming from Memphis, TN, where he retired from the municipal utility a little over a year after his federal lawsuit against his employer was dismissed.
Kellett worked for Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division in Memphis, from 1990 until this year, and was the department’s Supervisor of Gas Services from 2001 to 2015, according to his resume. At Memphis Light, Gas and Water, he was responsible for the direction of nearly 50 employees in a system with 313,000 meters. During his tenure, he also worked as a commercial and industrial service representative, a commercial and industrial gas welder installer and a gas utility technician. He holds numerous industry-related professional licenses and certifications, his resume states.
According to Century Mayor Freddie McCall, Kellett said in his employment interview that he recently retired from Memphis Light, Gas and Water and was looking to move to Florida with his wife. McCall said Kellett did not mention anything about problems that led him to file a federal complaint and lawsuit against the Memphis utility. The mayor said the town was unaware of the lawsuit.
According to federal court records, Kellett filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint against Memphis Light, Gas and Water claiming that he was the victim of reverse racial discrimination. The EEOC was unable to reach a determination on the claim, and Kellett filed suit in federal court against the municipal utility in November 2011 alleging discrimination and retaliation.
In the complaint, Kellett, who is white, claimed he was disciplined by a black supervisor after a verbal altercation with a black female employee. After he filed an internal complaint, Kellett claimed he did not receive a timely job evaluation as compared to black employees and that he was not adequately compensated as black employees were after receiving additional job duties.
Kellett’s complaint was dismissed in January 2014, according to federal court records.
In Century, Kellett will replace a longtime employee who retired recently.
Pictured top: The headquarters of Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division in Memphis, TN. Pictured below: A portion of Walter Kellett’s employment discrimination complaint against his former employer, Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division. Pictured inset: A Town of Century natural gas powered truck, NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Sunshine And 80’s
May 5, 2015
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tuesday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 59. East wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday
Sunny, with a high near 85. East wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night
Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 58. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday
Sunny, with a high near 84. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Thursday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 62. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Friday
Sunny, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Friday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 64. South wind around 5 mph becoming northwest after midnight.
Saturday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.
Saturday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 65.
Sunday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.
Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 66.
Monday
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84.
Volunteer Florida Awards $150K In Grants
May 5, 2015
Volunteer Florida announced $150,000 in grant funding for 15 nonprofits and service organizations in Florida, including two in Escambia County.
The Volunteer Generation Fund program will help local nonprofits recruit, manage, and support approximately 2,200 skills-based volunteers throughout the state. The volunteers will serve Florida students and job-seekers, work to make Florida families healthier, restore and protect Florida’s natural resources, and support critical emergency management efforts.
“Volunteers significantly improve the quality of life in our communities, and helping local agencies more effectively use volunteers to serve more Floridians is a smart investment,” said Volunteer Florida CEO Chester Spellman. “As Florida continues to become a global destination for jobs, we are making communities from Pensacola to the Keys better places to live, work, and raise a family.”
The 2015 Volunteer Florida VGF sub-grantees in Escambia County are:
Community Organizations Active in Disaster (BRACE), Escambia County
Projected Impact: Recruit 150 skills based volunteers, provide 1200 hours of service
BRACE is a community based disaster coalition that works with families before, during, and after disasters to prevent homelessness.
Pensacola Promise (Chain Reaction), Escambia County
Projected Impact: Recruit 150 skills based volunteers, provide 1200 hours of service
Chain Reaction is a character education program that is teen-directed, teen-driven and teen-organized using volunteerism as its teaching tool. Since 2003, Chain Reaction has provided local teens ages 13 to 18 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties with safe, meaningful and educational volunteer activities.