Firefighters, Mother Nature Fight Brush Fire
April 28, 2016
Volunteer firefighters had a little help from Mother Nature in extinguishing a brush fire near Walnut Hill late Wednesday afternoon.
The Walnut Hill and Molino stations of Escambia Fire Rescue were dispatched to the fire burning in a wooded area adjacent to railroad tracks and South Highway 99, just south of Eicher Road. Heavy smoke hampered travel on South Highway 99 during the initial attack on the fire.
A passing thunderstorm dumped heavy rain on the fire a short time later, extinguishing most of the flames.
Pictured: Firefighters battle a fire in a wooded area as smoke obscures South Highway 99 near Walnut Hill Wednesday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Man Dies In Traffic Crash Near 10 Mile Road
April 28, 2016
A Pensacola man was killed in a traffic crash Wednesday night.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 24-year old Aaron James Streeter of Pensacola died when he lost control of his 1998 Ford Ranger on Holsberry Road south of Ten Mile Road. The FHP said he was traveling north on Holsberry when his truck left the right shoulder of the road and struck a mailbox before hitting three parked vehicles.
Streets was not wearing his seat belt, according to the FHP.
Opponents Take Aim At ‘Docs V. Glocks’ Law
April 28, 2016
Doctors and physician groups filed an 86-page brief this week asking a federal appeals court to reject a controversial Florida law that would restrict doctors from asking questions and recording information about patients’ gun ownership.
The brief came as the full 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals prepares to hear arguments June 21 about what has become known as the “docs v. glocks” law. The state filed a brief last month urging the court to uphold the law.
The plaintiffs’ brief filed Monday argued, in part, that the 2011 law violates the First Amendment rights of physicians to discuss safety-related issues with patients.
“In (the law), the Florida Legislature does what no legislative body has done before or since; it prevents doctors from providing patients with truthful advice to keep their families healthy and safe — speech that is recommended as standard protocol by national medical associations,” the plaintiffs’ brief said. “If (the law) is allowed to stand, it sets precedent for states, at the bidding of other industries or special interests, to prevent doctors from speaking to patients about risks posed by other dangerous products or activities. The First Amendment does not allow the state to single out and censor one topic (firearms), or one group (doctors, or patients), or to so interfere with the doctor-patient relationship.”
The full appeals court agreed in February to take up the case, after a three-judge panel issued three rulings upholding the constitutionality of the law.
The law, backed by groups such as the National Rifle Association, includes a series of restrictions on doctors and other health providers. As an example, it seeks to prevent physicians from entering information about gun ownership into medical records if the physicians know the information is not “relevant” to patients’ medical care or safety or to the safety of other people.
The NRA filed a friend-of-the-court brief last week that said it championed the law after members were asked intrusive questions about gun ownership during visits to doctors’ offices. The NRA brief described the law as “a modest regulation of the medical profession that does not infringe upon First Amendment rights.”
by The News Service of Florida
Repairs Completed To Jay Power Substation After Major Fire
April 28, 2016
The power supply is back to normal for Jay area residents.
Fire damage to a power substation that serves the Jay area was extensive on April 3. It was estimated that it would take six weeks to bring the destroyed substation back online.
PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, owners of the substation and power suppler for Escambia River Electric Cooperative, brought in a mobile substation to provide power to Jay.
Wednesday, just over three weeks after the fire, repairs to the substation were completed and EREC members’ power was switched from the mobile substation back to the repaired Jay substation. The switch was made “hot”, with no disruption of electric service.
Pictured: PowerSouth crews switch EREC members Wednesday afternoon from a mobile substation back to the Jay substation after repairing extensive fire damage. Pictured below: Fire damage to the substation back on April 3. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Wins Regional Quarterfinal
April 28, 2016
The Tate High Aggies won the regional quarterfinal Wednesday night 4-2 over Navarre. The Aggies are headed to the regional semifinals as they host Milton on Tuesday.
Trace Penton gave up just two hits, allowed no earned runs, walked one and struck out two during his three innings of work. Jake Davis pitched the win. He allowed two runs over four innings. He struck out three, walked two and surrendered three hits.
Tate hitters – Mason Land 2-3 R; Logan McGuffey 1-2 HR, RBI, R; Logan Blackmon 1-3 RBI.
Showers, Thunderstorms Today
April 28, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Thursday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 84. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 68. South wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 84. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light southwest in the evening.
Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65.
Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80.
Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62.
Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.
Pictured top: A thunderstorm approaches Walnut Hill late Wednesday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Store Clerk Shot And Killed During Armed Robbery
April 27, 2016
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a suspect who shot and killed a store clerk Tuesday night.
The man robbed the A&E Food Mart on Pace Boulevard about 9:30 p.m. During the robbery, the suspect shot and killed the clerk working behind the counter.
The clerk has been identified as 53-year old Chung Lun Chiang, also known to customers as “Alan”.
Further details have not been released.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Fire Destroys Escambia Home
April 27, 2016
The cause of a Wednesday morning fire that destroyed an Escambia County home is under investigation by the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office.
The blaze in the 200 block of Hansen Boulevard, off Highway 29 near Brentwood Elementary, was reported about 8:40 a.m. The home was mostly involved in flames when the first firefighters arrived on scene.
They were able to quickly extinguish the fire. There were no reported injuries.
It was not immediately known if anyone lived in the structure.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
Molino Man Facing Felony For Unlicensed Contracting During State Of Emergency
April 27, 2016
A Molino man has been arrested for allegedly acting as a contractor without a license during the state of emergency that was declared following the February tornadoes.
Kenneth Brian Malarik, Sr, was charged with felony unlicensed contracting during a state of emergency, felony grand theft and unpermitted construction. The charges were directly filed by the investigative division of Escambia County Building Services Building Code Enforcement.
On February 23, Malarik, 51, allegedly entered into a written contract and accepted a $5,841 down payment to build an outdoor pergola at home near Pine Forest High School. He never finished the work, according to an arrest affidavit, after the homeowner demanded a copy of a building permit. He never returned to the jobsite, and his tools where retrieved by an employee, the affidavit states.
Escambia County’s building officials reported that they attempted unsuccessfully to reach Malarik by certified mail and email. A records search determined that Malark is not licensed by the county or state as a general, building or residential contractor.
At the time Malarik was working on the pergola, Escambia County was under a declared state of emergency due to the tornadoes that struck the Century and Ferry Pass areas. The pergola construction was not in an area damaged by either tornado.
Malarik was released from the Escambia County Jail Tuesday afternoon on a $5,500 bond.
Showers And Thunderstorms
April 27, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Increasing clouds, with a low around 69. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 84. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 68. South wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 84. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67.
Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64.
Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80.
Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62.
Wednesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.