Sunny, Middle 80’s Today
March 21, 2017
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tuesday: Becoming sunny, with a high near 84. Light southwest wind becoming west 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Tuesday Night: Patchy dense fog after 1am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 57. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Patchy dense fog after 1am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 57. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 77. North wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a high near 74. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 78.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.
Northview Majorette Smith Earns Straight Superiors At State
March 21, 2017
Northview High School majorette captain Brianna Smith received straight superior ratings Monday in the Florida Bandmaster’s Association state competition in Jacksonville. She performed to the song “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from the musical Hairspray.
Pictured top: Smith performs during a Friday night football game last season, NorthEscambia.com photo. Pictured inset: Smith in Jacksonville on Monday. Submitted for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Names New Gas Superintendent, Gives A Few Employee Raises
March 21, 2017
The Century Town Council voted Monday night promote an employee from within as their new gas superintendent and also handed out a few employee raises.
The council promoted Kim Godwin, former deputy town clerk, to gas department superintendent to replace an employee that recently stepped down from the responsibilities. The council also increased her salary by $5 per hour to $18.26 to cover her new responsibilities as gas superintendent plus upcoming work on the town’s stagnant website.
The council also voted to provide $2,930 for Godwin to attend two upcoming educational workshops. The funds were already budgeted for gas department operating supplies.
Godwin has been employed by the town since May 2012.
Also Monday night, the council voted to increase the salary of a window clerk from $8.21 to $9.50 per hour and an administrative assistant from $9.68 to $10.50. Both employees have taken on additional responsibilities to justify their pay increases, according to Mayor Henry Hawkins.
Pictured: Kim Godwin, Century’s new gas superintendent. NorthEscambia.com photo.
The Blue Angels Return Home
March 21, 2017
The Blues are back! The U.S. Navy Blue Angels buzzed downtown Pensacola and Pensacola Beach late Monday afternoon on their way back to their home at NAS Pensacola for the air show season..
The 2017 Pensacola Beach Blue Angels Air Show will be July 9, and the Pensacola Naval Air Station Homecoming Air Show is coming up on November 11 and 12. There are also numerous opportunities to catch a Blue Angels practice aboard NAS Pensacola. Click here for a schedule.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Ditto Gorme, click to enlarge
Learn How To Do Business With ECUA
March 21, 2017
On Wednesday, March 22, 2017, the Florida Small Business Development Center and the University of West Florida’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Program, will offer a free workshop entitled, “How to do Business with the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority” (ECUA).
The informational meeting will educate attendees about the potential of doing business with the ECUA, while increasing participation in obtaining future ECUA contracts. Participants will learn about the bidding process, qualification requirements, future business opportunities, and how the ECUA hiring process is conducted.
The featured speakers will include; Bill Johnson, ECUA director of engineering and Amy Williamson, ECUA senior purchasing agent.
The workshop is free; however, pre-registration is recommended. For additional information contact Laura Subel, PTAC procurement specialist, via email at lsubel@uwf.edu, or by calling (850) 474-2549. The event will be held at the SBDC Office, 9999 University Parkway, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Gulf Power Reaches Rate Increase Settlement
March 21, 2017
A rate hike on the horizon for hundreds of thousands of Gulf Power customers might not be as big as initially proposed.
The Northwest Florida utility agreed Monday to a settlement with the state Office of Public Counsel, which objected to an original proposal to raise base rates by $106.8 million. An announcement of the settlement came just prior to the start of a hearing before the Florida Public Service Commission.
The settlement proposal, which the commission agreed to consider April 4, would add about $7 to the monthly bills of typical residential customers who use 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a month, according to Gulf Power.
“Energy providers can’t just sit and coast,” Gulf Power spokesman Jeff Rogers said. “We have to continue to invest in infrastructure, transmission lines, substations. We’re a 90-year-old company. We’ve got equipment constantly aging and that constantly has to be invested in to ensure the reliability our customers expect.”
If the request is approved, the company projects that starting July 1, the monthly bill for typical residential customers will grow from $144 to $151.
The initial request sought to boost the typical monthly bill to $158.
The state Office of Public Counsel, which represents customers in utility cases, initially argued that base rates should decrease by about $2 million. No objection was raised to the settlement proposal on Monday by other parties involved in the case, which range from Walmart to the Sierra Club.
In the agreement, Gulf Power’s original request for a $106.8 million base-rate increase would fall to $62 million through the end of 2019. However, the company projects the net impact to customers would come to $54.3 million.
The filing before the PSC now says Gulf Power would seek a “return on equity,” a measure of profitability, of 10.25 percent, down from the original proposal of 11 percent. Gulf Power also is also now seeking to take a one-time $32.5 million write down on costs related to a Georgia power plant, known as Plant Scherer.
Gulf Power in the past has sold electricity from the plant on the wholesale market but now uses power from the plant for its retail customers.
The Pensacola-based Gulf Power is one of four major investor-owned utilities in Florida. It serves about 450,000 customers in eight Northwest Florida counties.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Escambia Man Gets Life For 2013 Murder
March 21, 2017
An Escambia County man has been sentenced to life in prison for a 2013 murder.
Taikwan Crosby was sentenced to life in state prison by Circuit Judge John Miller for the murder of James Faucett. On January 19, 2017, Taikwan Crosby was convicted by an Escambia County Jury of second degree murder with a weapon.
The defendant met Faucett at a Kangaroo gas station on April 28, 2013. The two men left the station together and went to Faucett’s home on Wisteria Avenue Later that evening, the victim was stabbed and beaten to death by Crosby. Faucett was pronounced deceased at the scene by EMS.
Molino Road Wildfire Burns Less Than An Acre
March 21, 2017
A wildfire burned less than an acre near Molino Monday afternoon. The fire was reported just before 4:00 p.m. in the 2800 block of Molino Road. There was no property damage, and no injuries were reported. The Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the fire. Photos by Jared Sigler for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Shuts Out Riverview; Monroe Academy Blanks Northview
March 21, 2017
Monroe Academy 3, Northview 0
Monroe Academy defeated the Northview Chiefs 3-0 Monday evening in Bratt.
Monroe scored on run each in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings for the win.
John Chivington, Seth Killam, Josh Neese, and Chandler Lowery had one hit each for the Chiefs, while Killam singled in the second inning. Daniel Mascaro pitched five innings for the Northview Chiefs, allowing three hits, two runs, two errors and striking out four. Blake Reid had two strikeouts, one hit , one run and one error in two innings on the mound for the Chiefs.
Northview hosts Baker on Tuesday — the junior varsity at 4:00 and the varsity at 6:30.
Tate 7, Riverview 0
Ryan Green threw a complete game, allowing just one hit, as the Tate Aggies defeated Riverview 7-0 in the Sarasota Baseball Classic.
The Aggies took a commanding 5-0 lead in the second inning and added two more runs in the sixth.
For Tate – Reid Halfacre 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI; Mason Land R; Logan McGuffey 3-4, R; 3 RBI; Trey LaFleur 1-3; Ethan Bloodsworth 1-1; Kyler Hultgren 2-3; Blake Anderson 1-2, R;
Mosley will play Tate at 4:30 EST Tuesday at Venice High School
Tate 8 Milton 7 (9th)
Pictured: Monroe Academy at Northview. NorthEscambia.com photos by Ramona Preston, click to enlarge.
Julia Ann McGhee Stacey
March 21, 2017
Julia Ann McGhee Stacey, 74 of Atmore, AL, passed away Friday, March 17, 2017, at her residence. She was a die operator at Masland Carpets. She was born in Atmore, AL on May 14, 1942, to the late Doris M. “Buck” and Lunie Mae Presley McGhee. She was a member of Poarch Community Church, and a member of Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
She is preceded in death by her parents; husband, Robert Stacey; sisters, Hattie Mae McGhee and Francis Robbins; brothers, John A. McGhee and Clifton McGhee.
Survivors include her children, Juliette (Lary) Haikey of Oklahoma, Rodney McGhee of Poarch, AL, Lathaniel (Pam) McGhee of Pensacola, FL, Ruthie (Ben) Wiggins of Old Salem, AL, Stephanie (Keith) Bryan of Poarch, AL; two sisters, Marie Martin, Maxine Ellen Johnson; and sister-in-law, Bernice McGhee, all of Poarch, AL; 16 grandchildren; and 33 great-grandchildren.
Services were held Monday March 20, 2017, at 2 p.m. from Atmore Memorial Chapel with Bro. Joel White and Bro. Trevoe Daughtry officiating.
Interment was in Judson Creek Indian Cemetery.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements.