Replacement Begins Next Week On Highway 99 Bridge In Oak Grove
March 31, 2017
Construction activities are scheduled to begin next week on a new bridge on North Highway 99 over Pine Barren Creek, just north of the Oak Grove Park.
The existing bridge will be replaced with a new, modern structure consisting of 11-foot travel lanes, nine-foot shoulders and a solid concrete barrier railing. The bridge approaches will also be repaved. County Road 99 will slightly be realigned and connect to the new bridge being constructed just west of the existing structure.
There will be additional drainage improvements, with a drainage pond constructed to collect stormwater runoff from the travel lanes. The speed limit will be reduced to 35 mph during construction.
The existing bridge was constructed in 1955
Traffic will be maintained on the existing bridge during construction. FDOT said drivers are reminded to use caution and to obey the posted speed limit of 35 MPH when traveling through the work zone. Work is anticipated to be complete in early 2018, weather permitting, at a total cost $4,160,238.
Pictured top: A steel truss was installed to support the bridge over Pine Barren Creek on North Highway 99 in Oak Grove in early 2011. Otherwise, the 62-year old bridge is supported by wood pilings. Pictured below: The North Highway 99 bridge over Pine Barren Creek. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Flomaton Man Accused Of Raping Two Teens Under 16
March 31, 2017
A Flomaton man is accused of raping two teenagers. Both female victims were under the age of 16.
Trey Alexander Weekes, 20, was charged with two counts of rape second degree.
The Atmore Police Department received allegations against Weekes on February 10. Those allegations were investigated by Atmore Police, the Flomaton Police Department, Poarch Police Department and the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office. Warrants were issued and served on Weekes on Wednesday. He was booked into the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center in Brewton.
Investigators said the he case will be presented to a Escambia Co. Grand Jury for “further prosecutorial efforts”.
Anyone with further information is asked call the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office at (251) 809-0741 or visit their website at escambiacountysheriffal.org.
Deputies Searching For Burglary Suspect
March 31, 2017
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in finding Christopher Shane Milstead. The 38-year old is wanted for dealing in stolen property, criminal mischief, burglary and larceny. If you have any information about Milstead’s whereabouts contact Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or the ECSO at (850) 436-9620.
State Won’t Seek Death Penalty For Mary Rice
March 31, 2017
The State Attorney’s Office says they will not seek the death penalty against accused killer Mary Rice.
Prosecutors decided it was not appropriate to pursue the death penalty considering the current Florida law requiring a unanimous jury decision, said State Attorney Bill Eddins. He said there was not enough evidence to unanimously convince a jury that Rice was primarily responsible for three murders.
William Boyette was considered the primary actor in the multi-state killing spree earlier this, Eddins said. He took his own life at a Georgia motel as police closed in for an arrest.
Rice is charged with murder and accessory after the fact in connection to the death of three people in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Alicia Ann Greer and Jacqueline Jeanette Moore were found shot to death in the Emerald Sands Inn on January 31. Boyette and Rice are then believed to have killed Peggy Broz in Lillian on February 3. The couple then allegedly shot and Kayla Crocker in her home in Beulah on February 6. She died the following day.
Boyette and Rice then stole Crocker’s and car fled to Georgia where authorities caught up with them February 7 at a hotel. Boyette took his own life inside a motel room and police closed in for an arrest. Rice surrender peacefully.
FWC Conducting Deer Hunting Survey
March 31, 2017
The Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has contracted with Responsive Management, a survey research firm specializing in natural resource and outdoor recreation issues, to conduct studies on Florida hunters’ participation in deer hunting.
During April and May, you may receive a phone call from Responsive Management asking you to participate in a survey about your deer hunting experiences. Licensed hunters will be randomly selected to participate in the study to ensure it is scientifically valid. The FWC saidt is important that all hunters respond because this information will help them better understand hunters’ participation, harvest, preferences, opportunities, needs, and opinions.
Depending on which phone carrier you use, the call will display as coming from “Responsive Management”, area code 540, or unknown. You also may receive an email from Responsive Management requesting your participation in the survey.
Sunny Saturday And Sunday
March 31, 2017
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: Showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could be severe and produce heavy rainfall. High near 80. South wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 84. West wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 62. South wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.
Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 72.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 49.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 69.
Florida House, Senate Face $2 Billion Divide
March 31, 2017
The House and Senate are on track to start budget negotiations with a gap of $2 billion in their proposals, providing fresh reasons for skepticism that lawmakers will complete a spending plan by the scheduled May 5 end of the legislative session.
The Senate on Thursday published an initial draft of its budget that would spend $83.2 billion in the year that begins July 1. Shortly afterward, House leaders announced that their spending plan would check in around $81.2 billion.
That could set up a collision course between the two chambers, which will have to decide how much to spend before the smaller details of how to divvy up the money can be hammered out by negotiating committees.
House and Senate budget-writing panels are expected to vote next week on the competing budget plans, which come as state finances are expected to weaken in future years.
The state is projecting a small surplus in the fiscal year that starts July 1, followed by a $1.3 billion shortfall the following year and a $1.9 billion hole the year after that.
One of the few new details in the Senate plan unveiled Thursday was the outline of a long-promised increase in pay for state workers. The proposal would provide $219.7 million in raises for employees. Most workers making up to $40,000 a year would get a $1,400 raise, with an increase of $1,000 for those making more.
Some workers, including front-line corrections officers and judges, would get larger pay increases. State law-enforcement officers would see their paychecks increase by 5 percent; assistant public defenders with at least three years of experience would receive a 6 percent hike.
“For far too long, the honorable and dedicated state employees who guard prisons, protect our highways, care for abused and neglected children, and who provide many other critical government services, have gone without an increase in their pay,” said Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Latvala, a Clearwater Republican who has made raises one of his priorities. “The Senate budget makes it clear that we value the contributions these public servants make to our state.”
House leaders focused on the future impact of their plan, which they said would turn the shortfalls in future years into surpluses. House Appropriations Chairman Carlos Trujillo, R-Miami, underscored a decision to slash about a quarter of $700 million of budget projects that were wedged into spending plans by past lawmakers and draw on year-after-year funding.
“For the first time in at least my time up here, we’ve gone after recurring projects and member projects and have eliminated a substantial amount of them,” he said.
But many of those ideas seem destined to run into opposition in the Senate. The House would slash the budgets of colleges and universities, despite Senate President Joe Negron’s focus on boosting higher education in the state. Cuts in health care are also likely to prove controversial in the upper chamber.
And the House and Senate remain divided by whether to roll back school property-tax rates to make sure homeowners don’t face larger tax bills even if the value of their properties increase.
The House is expected to publish its full budget Friday.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Pedestrian Struck By Vehicle In Century, Critically Injured
March 30, 2017
A pedestrian was critically injured when he was struck by a car Wednesday night in Century.
The pedestrian was reportedly in the roadway at 7995 North Century Boulevard, near the Century Town Hall, when he was hit by the vehicle about 8:15 p.m. The adult male was transported by Escambia County EMS to a Pensacola hospital.
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Further details, including the man’s name, have not yet been released.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded to the accident.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Woman Trapped In Highway 29 Pickup Crash
March 30, 2017
One person was injured in a single vehicle crash Wednesday night on Highway 29 north of McDavid.
The driver of a northbound pickup truck lost control on Highway 29 near Roach Road and struck a guardrail. The pickup cross over the guardrail and apparently flipped end over end between the guardrail and the woodline. The male driver of the pickup was not seriously injured. But the female passenger of the truck was trapped as firefighters worked to extricate her.
The woman’s name and condition were not available. The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Atmore Ambulance and the Century and McDavid stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the crash.
Pictured above and below: First responders worked to free a woman trapped in a wrecked pickup Wednesday night on Highway 29 near McDavid. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Sunny By Friday
March 30, 2017
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms before 1am, then a slight chance of showers between 1am and 4am. w around 54. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 82. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 55. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 84. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 57. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Monday: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 78. South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 82.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 81.
Wednesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 74.