Shirley Jean Barnhill
January 24, 2017
Mrs. Shirley Jean Barnhill, 79, passed away on Friday, January 20, 2017, in Atmore, Alabama.
Mrs. Barnhill was a native of Flomaton, AL and a resident of Atmore, AL most of her life. She attended the Gospel Light Church. She is preceded in death by her parents, Albert and Iva White; brother, James “Peanut” White; and step-son, Roger Barnhill.
She is survived by her husband, Dillard Barnhill of Atmore, AL; two sons, Ronald “Rocky” Barnhill of Stockton, AL and Michael “Mike” W. Barnhill of Atmore, AL; three daughters, Melissa (Philip) Ellis of Flomaton, AL, Terri (Scott) Watkins of Atmore, AL and Madonna Barnhill of Mobile, AL; one sister, Carol “Pug” Brantley of Flomaton, AL; seven grandchildren, Kelly, Mickey, Jonathan, Tiffani, Ashley, Jessica and Dustin; and five great-grandsons, Karson, Kaicen, Kannon, Kendall and Tait.
Funeral services were held Tuesday, January 24, 2017, at the Gospel Light Church with Rev. Martin Gehman officiating.
Burial was at the Oak Hill Cemetery.
Pallbearers were David Gehman, Jerry Gehman, Kenneth Barnhill, Ricky Gibson, Clay Gibson and Clarence Rolin.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
Kenneth Harold Meharg
January 24, 2017
Kenneth Harold Meharg, 60, of Rocky, Oklahoma, passed away on January 13, 2017, in Cordell, Oklahoma.
Ken was born in Pensacola, FL, to Harold Lloyd and Clara Evelyn Meharg on February 11, 1956. He went to Tate High School in Gonzalez, Florida. He married Sharon Nowak Meharg on August 30, 1980, in Pensacola, FL. He graduated from Auburn University with his Bachelor’s Degree and the University of West Florida with his Master’s Degree. Ken worked as an agricultural education teacher for 36 years and was an advocate for the National FFA Organization having been an FFA advisor in both Florida and Oklahoma.
Ken is preceded in death by his father, Harold Meharg; his stepfather, Jack Brown; and his father-in-law, Ernest Nowak.
Ken is survived by his wife of 36 years, Sharon Meharg; his daughters, Allison Meharg (Jacob Schachle) and Lynsey Meharg McAnally (Cameron); siblings, Perian Herring (Eddie), Michael Brown (Vernie), Donald Brown (RitaLynn) and Rory Brown; brother-in-law, Jimmy Nowak; sister-in-law, Sandi Laird (Roy); mother, Evelyn Brown; mother-in-law, Ethel Nowak; grandson, Finnegan Schachle; nieces, Leanna Herring and SherriLynn Brown; and nephews, Logan Herring and Cortney Jennings.
Ken was an avid outdoorsman, an advocate for vocational agriculture and had a tremendous heart for students. With that in mind, his family asks that in lieu of flowers donations be made in his name to the Florida FFA Foundation to fund the Florida FFA State Outdoor Recreation Proficiency Award. Anyone wishing to contribute in Ken’s honor can do so by mailing a check to:
Florida FFA Foundation
5600 SW 34th Street
Gainesville, Florida 32608
* Please specify in memory of Ken Meharg
Donations can also be made online at: https://donorbox.org/kmeharg.
Honorary pallbearers will be Tom Farish, John Kelley, Randy Meharg, Jake Adams, Matt Adams, Swinson Shipman, Ronnie Gilley, Eddie Hewes, Gary Loggins and Doug Robbins.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, January 25, 2017 at 11 a.m. at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North with Pastor Sanford Stanton of Trinity Lutheran Church officiating.
Burial will follow at Pensacola Memorial Gardens.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is in charge of arrangements.
No Injuries As Explosion Rips Through International Paper In Cantonment
January 23, 2017
An explosion ripped through the International Paper plant in Cantonment Sunday night, but there were no injuries reported.
A black, slippery substance covered the area around the plant, including several hundred feet of Highway 29, while residents as far away as Santa Rosa County reported hearing or feeling the explosion. Related story: Black Information Released On Black Substance, Clean Up.
The 911 calls reporting the explosion began about 7:38 p.m. with large response from multiple fire and emergency units. They arrived to find vehicles sliding around Highway 29, but no active fire reported. All employees were accounted for with no reports of any injuries or fatalities, according to Joy Tsubooka, spokesperson for Escambia County.
At least one building in the IP facility suffered structural damage on multiple stories. Plant officials were evaluating the damage Sunday night.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Escambia County Fire Rescue remained on the scene until just before midnight.
Highway 29 from Woodbury Circle to Morris Avenue and Muscogee Road from 297A to Highway 29 were closed. There are no school closures; all Escambia County Schools are to be open as usual on Monday according to Superintendent Malcolm Thomas.
There were no evacuations ordered.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection also responded to the explosion scene, with representative assessing the situation.
International Paper staff with questions about reporting to work were asked to contact their immediate supervisor.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Related story: All Escambia Schools Are Open On Monday
Related story: Road Closures
Related story: Black Substance Covers Area Around Plant
Pictured top: Emergency crews on the scene following an explosion at International Paper in Cantonment Sunday night. Pictured below: First responders coordinate their response efforts from a command post at IP. Pictured bottom: A vehicle that was passing the mill at the time of the explosion covered in a black substance. Reader submitted photos by Taylor Nezovich and others for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Breezy And Cooler Today
January 23, 2017
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Monday: Gradual clearing, with a high near 64. Breezy, with a northwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 42. West wind 10 to 15 mph becoming light northwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 67. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 44. South wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 76. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48. South wind around 10 mph becoming northwest after midnight.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 60. Northwest wind around 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 36. North wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 57.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 58.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 36.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 57.
IP Explosion: Information Released On Black Substance, Clean Up
January 23, 2017
UPDATE 9:45 a.m.:
International Paper released the following statement Monday morning:
“We experienced a manufacturing process failure that released a mixture of wood fiber, water and pulping liquor into the surrounding area. If you or your pets have had contact with the materials, please wash the affected area for 15 minutes with soap and water. If you are experiencing skin irritation or respiratory issues, please see your doctor. Avoid contact with your eyes and mouth.
“For those nearby the facility, we are working with response agencies from the county and state and will have additional information as it becomes available.
If the materials have come into contact with your vehicle, please thoroughly wash your vehicle and avoid contact with the material.”
ORIGINAL STORY:
Ash and a sticky black oily substance covered the area around the International Paper mill in Cantonment Sunday night.
A spokesperson for International Paper told NorthEscambia.com that the substance was “pulp material”, but did not provide any specific chemical or substance name.
“Ash and pulp material may be present in areas around the mill and roads. If you come in contact with the pulp material (which is a sticky substance), it is advised that you immediately wash your hands with warm or cold water and vinegar. Avoid contact with your eyes and mouth. If your vehicle comes in contact with the pulp material or Ash, you are encouraged to wash your vehicle,” Janice Holmes of IP said in an email to NorthEscambia.com.
Holmes did not respond to questions seeking more specific information about “pulp material”.
An statement from Escambia County, issued over an hour after the explosion, said, “Residents near the plant may see ash falling as a result. It is not hazardous and can be washed off skin with a mild soap and water”.
Numerous vehicles were covered by the substance as they traveled in front of the mill at the time of the explosion. Drivers reported that the oily substance caused vehicles to slide around Highway 29. The slick material also slowed the response of emergency personal following the explosion.
Highway 29 was shutdown due to the substance from Woodberry Circle to Morris Avenue.
Related story: No Injuries As Explosion Rips Through International Paper In Cantonment
Related story: All Escambia Schools Are Open On Monday
Related story: Road Closures
Pictured: Just a few of the vehicle photos received after an IP mill explosion in Cantonment Sunday night. Pictured bottom: The substance covers Highway 29. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
IP Explosion: All Escambia Schools Are Open On Monday
January 23, 2017
All Escambia County schools will be open as usual on Monday, according to Superintendent Malcolm Thomas.
“We are working with the Escambia County Administrator as they manage the situation following the explosion at International Paper’s mill,” said Thomas. “Our employees who need to travel through the affected area along Hwy 29 need to be alert to possible detours or heavy traffic.”
The ECSD Transportation Department is working to create alternative routes created by any detours caused by the clean up efforts.
All buses parked near the Mill have been checked and have been cleared, Thomas said.
Thomas said there was no direct impact from the explosion at any school facilities. That includes Jim Allen Elementary School on Highway 95 in Cantonment, just a short distance were black substance came raining down following the explosion.
“We are realize there were some families that live near the mill that may have been more directly impacted by the explosion,” Thomas said. We will be checking on those students, and their absence will be excused.”
School buses will run as normal except for areas that might still be inaccessible in the morning. Anticipate some bus delays at Tate, Ransom, and elementary schools and centers with routes near the paper mill due to detours, according to the Escambia County School District Transportation Department.
Related story: No Injuries As Explosion Rips Through International Paper In Cantonment
Related story: Road Closures
Related story: Black Substance Covers Area Around Plant
Vehicles Collide Due To Pedestrian Standing In Highway 29
January 23, 2017
Two vehicles collided in Molino Sunday afternoon as a driver reportedly slammed on brakes to avoid a woman standing in Highway 29.
The accident happened about 4:30 p.m. on Highway 29 near Stout Road as the driver of a Buick braked suddenly and was rear-ended by the driver of a Hyundai. The woman was in the roadway was not hit, and there were no serious injuries to either driver.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was seen taking the woman in the roadway into custody. There was no word on her identity or if she faced any charges.
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Rescheduled Century Council Meeting Is Tonight
January 23, 2017
The Century Town Council will meet at 7:00 tonight at the Century Town Hall. The meeting was rescheduled from January 16 due to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday.
Regular meeting of the Century Town Council are scheduled for the first and third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the town hall. All meetings are open to the public.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Firefighters Battle Molino Grass Fire
January 23, 2017
A grass fire Sunday afternoon on Highway 29 near Rawhide Lane near Molino spread quickly due to wind before being extinguished by the Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue. There were no structures damaged or threatened. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Missing Cantonment Teen Found Safe
January 23, 2017
A Cantonment teen missing since Thursday was located safely on Sunday, according to family members and KlaasKids.
Faith Campbell, 16, was last seen on Rittenbury Road on January 19.
Circumstances surrounding her disappearance have not been released.