A Slow Warm Up Begins
January 9, 2017
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 53. Wind chill values between 20 and 30 early. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Monday Night: Patchy fog after 3am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 37. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: Areas of fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday: Areas of fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 74. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Areas of fog after midnight. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 58. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday: Areas of fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Areas of fog after midnight. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 57. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Areas of fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 74.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 55.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 73.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 71.
Pictured top: An icy tree on West Highway 4 near Davisville on Sunday, NorthEscambia.com photo by Delaney Reynolds, click to enlarge.
Apartment Fire Claims Young Boy
January 8, 2017
A fire off Blue Angel Parkway Sunday morning has claimed the life of a young boy and sent two other people to the hospital.
The fire was reported shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday by an Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy who was responding an incident in the area and spotted the fire at the Stoddert Place Apartment complex.
The boy, Ozzy Goodman, 8, was badly burned. He was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital for his injuries, where he later died. Two adults were also taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
The affected apartment was occupied by two adults and four children, all of whom were sleeping upstairs. The fire is believed to have begun downstairs. The cause is being investigated.
Escambia County Fire Rescue was able to extinguish the fire, which was confined to one apartment in the 8-unit complex. Engine 14 from Pleasant Grove was the first unit on scene, arriving within seven minutes. Approximately 20 units responded to the incident including Escambia County Fire Rescue, Escambia County Emergency Medical Services, Navy Fire and Baldwin County Emergency Medical Services.
The Red Cross was called in to assist 19 residents displaced by the fire. The State Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate.
Editor’s note: This story originally stated four people were injured based upon a written release from Escambia County. The county has since revised the patient count to just three injured.
Monday Is Deadline For Tornado Victims To Apply For SBA Loans
January 8, 2017
Monday is the deadline for small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small aquaculture businesses and most private nonprofit organizations to submit U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loan applications for damages caused by the severe storms and tornadoes on either February 15 or February 23-24, 2016.
“Businesses that suffered economic losses as a result of the disaster and want to apply for low-interest loans from the SBA are urged to do so before the Jan. 9 deadline,” said Frank Skaggs, director of SBA Field Operations Center East.
Low-interest disaster loans are available in the following counties: Escambia County and the adjacent counties of Santa Rosa in Florida; Baldwin and Escambia in Alabama.
Working capital disaster loans up to $2 million are available at 4 percent for small businesses, and 2.625 percent for private nonprofit organizations with terms up to 30 years. The loans are intended to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other expenses that could have been paid had the disaster not occurred. To be considered for this assistance, eligible entities need to apply by the deadline.
Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.
Businesses may also obtain information and loan applications by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing), or by emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov (link sends e-mail). Loan applications can also be downloaded at www.sba.gov/disaster. Completed applications should be returned to the center or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Boom Heard Saturday Night Was From Exploding Target
January 8, 2017
Numerous residents across a portion of the North Escambia area reported hearing and feeling a strong “explosion” Saturday night that, in some instances, shook their homes.
Residents from Walnut Hill, to Molino and even into Baldwin County reported the explosion.
Through a trusted source familiar with the incident, NorthEscambia.com traced the source of the “boom” to an unknown size Tannerite target that was exploded in the Morgan Road area of Walnut Hill. There were no injuries reported and no word of any property damage.
Tannerite is a system used as a shot indicator during long-distance target practice. Tannerite consists of two powders – ammonium nitrate and aluminum powder – that when mixed together create an explosion triggered by the impact of a high-speed bullet. The product is legally sold over the counter at sporting goods stores.
Bondi Says She’s Happy As AG ‘Right Now’
January 8, 2017
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has repeated she’s happy in her current job amid renewed speculation that she will soon take a White House post in the administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
“I’m very happy being the attorney general of the state of Florida right now,” Bondi said in response to questions during a press conference on human trafficking at Tampa International Airport.
“I am a member of the (Trump) transition team. And I can tell you I talked to the president (elect) last week for half an hour,” Bondi said. “We talk frequently, as well as with members of his family and the transition team on many issues that don’t involve me. But he is committed to fighting human trafficking in our country.”
Bondi declined to discuss if she had been offered a job or who she would recommend as her replacement if she left for Washington.
“You already have me replaced and I’m still here?” Bondi said.
On Thursday, Bloomberg Politics reported that Bondi, an early backer of Trump’s presidential bid, would soon be offered an unspecified White House job. Bondi has been rumored as a possible candidate to head the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, a position informally known as the drug czar.
Flood Leaves Behind Large Logjam At Barrineau Park Bridge
January 8, 2017
Flooding along the Perdido River at Barrineau Park has subsided, but a much larger than normal logjam against the bridge was left behind. We’re told that Escambia County hauled away over a dozen loads of logs on Friday and will return to the bridge on Monday. These photos were taken Saturday from the Barrineau Park Road Bridge on the Florida/Alabama state line. Reader submitted photos by Brian Hall for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cold Day, Another Freezing Night
January 8, 2017
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 45. Wind chill values between 5 and 15 early. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 23. Wind chill values between 15 and 20. East wind around 5 mph.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 55. Wind chill values between 15 and 25 early. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Monday Night: Areas of fog after midnight. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 40. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: Areas of fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Areas of fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Areas of fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 72. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 73.
Thursday Night: Patchy fog. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 58.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 74.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 57.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 70.
Youth, Volunteers Brave Cold For Livestock Weigh-in
January 8, 2017
Youth and volunteers braved freezing temperatures Saturday morning in Molino as the Gulf Coast Agricultural and Natural Resources Youth Organization held a mandatory weigh-in.
The event at the 4-H facilities on South Highway 99 was a precursor to the 2017 GCA/NRYO Spring Livestock show which will be held on April 1. The day included preliminary swine, market goat and market lamb weigh-ins.
The GCA/NRYO Spring Livestock is open to all FFA and 4-H members in southwest Alabama and Northwest Florida.
For more photos, click to enlarge.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Consumers Tips For New Gym Memberships
January 8, 2017
Many Floridians want to kick-off healthier habits in the new year with memberships to health clubs. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam today provided tips to educate consumers on what to look for when signing a new membership.
“January is an extremely popular time for consumers to join gyms, and I encourage Floridians to do their homework to ensure they get the most out of their memberships,” said Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam.
Commissioner Putnam urges consumers to consider the following before signing a membership:
· Search the “Business/Complaint Lookup” at FreshFromFlorida.com or call 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) to check if complaints were filed about the studio and how they were resolved.
· Don’t join the first time you visit. Use the gym first to make sure it meets your needs, then take the contract home and read it thoroughly before signing. Be sure to ask for clarification if you don’t understand something.
· It’s a good rule of thumb to avoid long contracts. Shop around to make sure you know what’s included in the membership.
· Service fees, such as registration fees, processing or start-up fees, may be required. However, it must be considered a “reasonable and fair service fee,” meaning no more than 10 percent of the contract price.
· Use a credit card, debit card or check to pay each month. Setting up an automatic withdrawal from checking accounts may result in problems if there is ever a dispute.
· The contract should include a provision for penalty-free cancellation in writing within three days, exclusive of holidays and weekends, of signing a contract.
Under Florida’s Health Studio Act, health studios are required to register with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and to provide a bond or other financial security to protect consumers’ funds if the gym expectantly moves or closes. Additionally, if a gym closes or moves its facilities more than five miles away, it must provide access to an alternate facility of equal quality within five miles of its original location at no additional cost.
For additional information on the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, to verify a health studio’s registration status or to file a complaint, contact the department at 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352)
One Injured In Crash With Tree
January 7, 2017
One person was injured when their vehicle struck a tree this morning on Pauline Street near Old Chemstrand Road. The driver of the Ford vehicle was transported to an area hospital by ambulance following the 9:20 a.m. crash. The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
