CSX: Return Of Gulf Coast Passenger Train Is Not Workable
July 12, 2017
A top CSX executive has told a Louisiana newspaper that the return of passenger rail service to the Gulf Coast — including cities like Atmore and Pensacola — is not workable due to federal on-time standards.
Amtrak’s Sunset Limited passenger train, which included service from New Orleans through Pensacola to Jacksonville along CSX tracks, came to an end along the Gulf Coast due to damage from Hurricane Katrina.
For the past couple of years, the Gulf Coast Rail Service Working Group, the Federal Rail Administration and the Southern Rail Commission have worked on studying the feasibility of the service return. The FRA is expected to soon report the findings to Congress.
The study included the roll of an Amtrak inspection train across the coast in early 2016, packed with Amtrak officials, local officials and VIPs and the media to gauge the reaction to the possible return of rail service to the Gulf Coast. The train arrived former Sunset Limited stops such as Mobile, Atmore and Pensacola with tremendous fanfare as local government have supported the service restoration.
At least 22 Gulf Coast mayors, including Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward and Atmore Mayor Jim Staff, provided letters of support calling for Congress to restore local passenger rail service. The project is also supported by several regional transportation organizations, including the West Florida Regional Planning Council, the Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization, the NW Florida Regional Transportation Planning Organization and the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission.
But not so fast, says David Dech, assistant vice president for passenger operations for CSX. In a letter to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, he said CSX has a genuine interest in the communities of the Gulf Coast, but new legal requirements now stand in the way of new Gulf Coast passenger rail service.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Sunset Limited rain on time only seven percent of the time in the year leading up to Katrina. But new federal regulations took effect in 2016 requiring that passenger trains run on schedule at least 80 percent of the time at each station.
And there’s no workaround, he said, because there are 17 drawbridge on the New Orleans to Florida route where priority is given to essential maritime traffic.
There is also a requirement effective in 2008 that requires passenger rail lines to be equipped with what’s know as a Positive Train Control (PTC) safety system. There’s no proposal from the Gulf Coast Working Group for such a system on the Gulf Coast to prevent accidents such as train to train collisions and derailments from excessive speed. Instead, the group is seeking a waiver.
“CSX is proud to support safe, reliable passenger rail transportation. We also must keep faith with the traveling public, comply with the law and preserve our ability to serve area businesses by moving freight safely and reliably. Two years of shared and committed study, including ideas that involve dramatic spending commitments, still have not yielded a single proposal that would come close to addressing these issues,” Dech wrote in his letter to Louisiana newspaper.
Pictured: An Amtrak inspection train rolls in Atmore (top and bottom) and Pensacola (inset) in February 2016. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
All Students At Many North Escambia Schools To Receive Free Lunch This Year
July 12, 2017
All students at many North Escambia schools will receive free breakfast and lunch this year, thanks to the expansion of a two-year old Escambia County School District program.
Bratt, Byrneville, Molino Park, Ernest Ward and Northview are among the 17 new schools added through the district’s participation in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP).
Free breakfast and lunch will begin on the first day of school at the following locations in Escambia County (new schools are in bold):
Elementary Schools: Bellview Elementary, Bratt Elementary, Brentwood Elementary, C.A. Weis Elementary, Ensley Elementary, Ferry Pass Elementary, Global Learning Academy, Holm Elementary, Jim Allen Elementary, Lincoln Park Elementary, Lipscomb Elementary, Longleaf Elementary, McArthur Elementary, Molino Park Elementary, Montclair Elementary, Myrtle Grove Elementary, Navy Point Elementary, Oakcrest Elementary, Pine Meadow Elementary, Pleasant Grove Elementary, Scenic Heights Elementary, O.J. Semmes Elementary, Sherwood Elementary, Warrington Elementary, and West Pensacola Elementary
Middle Schools: Bellview Middle, Ernest Ward Middle, Ferry Pass Middle, Jim Bailey Middle, Warrington Middle, Woodham Middle, and Workman Middle
High Schools: Escambia High School, Northview High School, Pensacola High School, Pine Forest High School, Booker T. Washington High School
Special Centers: Camelot, Lakeview Center, Judy Andrews, McMillian PreK Center, and Escambia Westgate Center
Alternative Education/Charters: Byrneville Charter, Capstone, Escambia Charter, and Jacqueline Harris Preparatory Academy
Vocational School: George Stone Technical (Phoenix Initiative Program)
Parents of the students at these schools are not required to submit an application for the free and reduced Lunch program at that school — all meals are free.
Families with students attending other ECSD schools are encouraged to apply for the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program. Applications will be sent home or parents and guardians to complete and return to their student’s school.
Pictured top: Sweet potatoes, mixed vegetables and crackers on the lunch menu at Jim Allen Elementary School. Pictured below: Lunch at Bratt Elementary and Ransom Middle School. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
More Afternoon Showers
July 12, 2017
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Friday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 90. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73.
Monday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73.
Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88.
Flomaton Welcomes Home Teen Fireworks Accident Victim
July 12, 2017
Residents of Flomaton came together Tuesday night to welcome home a fellow resident, firefighter, classmate and friend that endured a tragic accident on the Fourth of July.
Hunter White, who turns 17 on Thursday, suffered major injuries to his right hand during an explosion as fireworks were being lit. He was taken to the hospital in Brewton and then airlifted to the regional burn center at the University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile. He was released from the hospital Tuesday.
White received a big welcome home back in Flomaton, with last-mile ride to house in a Flomaton fire truck with a police escort. White is a junior member of the Flomaton Fire Department.
The Flomaton High senior received a warm welcome at home from about 100 people.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Voters Remain Concerned As Data Request Put On Hold
July 12, 2017
Local elections officials are trying to talk voters out of unregistering, as privacy concerns continue to mount in response to a special commission created by President Donald Trump.
Fears about data breaches and identity theft — or flat-out aversion to what many perceive as a Big Brother-ish information gathering activity — continued even as a representative of the commission on Monday told state officials not to provide the voter data previously requested.
Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner was among the state officials who received the missive from Andrew Kossack, the designated federal officer for the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.
Kossack advised Detzner and others to ignore the committee’s request for voter data — including dates of birth, party affiliation, and the last four digits of Social Security numbers — because of a lawsuit filed by the Electronic Privacy Information Center, or EPIC. The lawsuit, among other things, asked a judge for a temporary restraining order.
“Until the judge rules on the TRO, we request that you hold on submitting any data. We will follow up with you with further instructions once the judge issues her ruling,” Kossack, said in the email to state officials Monday.
The EPIC lawsuit is one of several, including cases filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, asking courts to block states from providing the requested information or accusing the White House commission of operating in violation of federal government-in-the-sunshine laws.
Trump created the commission to investigate possible election fraud in last year’s election. The president has maintained that up to 5 million fraudulent votes were cast, but elections officials say fraud is rare and there was no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2016 contest.
Detzner spokeswoman Sarah Revell said Tuesday that the Florida secretary of state has not provided any information to the commission and had no plans to offer the data, in light of Monday’s email.
“The commission that made the public-records request asked the department not to submit the requested information. As with any public-records request, if the requester indicates they no longer wish to receive the information, we do not process their request,” Revell said in an email Tuesday when asked about Kossack’s message.
Detzner had already pledged to release to the commission only voter information that was publicly available.
But concerns about privacy have dogged the commission since its inception, and voters may not be assuaged by a court-induced hiatus in the request for data.
“I often feel it’s part of my job to be a cheerleader for participating in our democracy, by registering to vote and voting. Lately, my job has been to sell voters on not leaving the voting rolls,” Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley told The News Service of Florida in a telephone interview Tuesday.
In the aftermath of news about the commission, Corley said his office has fielded about 50 phone calls from voters.
“Voters are, number one, upset and angry that their information was going to be sent to this commission. And secondly, their eyes are being opened to exactly how much of their personal information is already publicly available,” Corley, a Republican, said.
Voters are telling elections officials they feel forced to choose between protecting their privacy and exercising their right to vote.
“Think about it. Someone is literally willing to cancel, to give up their right and privilege to vote is beyond sad. It’s pathetic,” Corley said.
Polk County Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards agreed that the commission has highlighted what, for some voters, has been a growing concern.
“It’s been a big concern of mine because, on a regular basis, I deal with constituent voters who are very upset when their information is public,” said Edwards, who has spent 17 years as the county’s chief elections official.
While many voters were aware of the situation “long before the presidential commission,” Edwards said the recent focus on Trump’s efforts to gather voter data has made people even more upset.
Voters aren’t the only ones who are riled, however.
County elections officials like Corley are also ticked off.
Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Mike Ertel delivered what he called a “mini rant” on Twitter last week.
Ertel, a Republican who’s held the post since his appointment by Gov. Jeb Bush in 2005, tweeted Friday that he had spent “the past several days” trying to convince voters to remain registered.
“In my 12 years in office, I’ve never had to have this many of these conversations,” Ertel tweeted. “Please don’t let an action you disagree with have the effect of silencing your most powerful tool to change or affirm it: your vote.”
When asked how he responds to voters who want to quit, Corley echoed Ertel’s sentiments.
“I tell them, you may seem angry now, but more of a protest would be to stay registered, stay engaged and come out to the polls in 2018 and have your voice heard. That would be more productive,” Corley said.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Pensacola Boulevard Cash Advance Business Robbed
July 12, 2017
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a man that robbed a Pensacola Boulevard business Tuesday afternoon.
A black male held up the Advance America Cash Advance near Walmart. Deputies say he walked in and demanded money. It was not immediately known if he was carrying a weapon.
The suspect was described as about 165 pounds, 5-foot, 9-inches tall last seen wearing a white long-sleeve shirt and denim shorts.
Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Reader submitted photos by Sheena StPierre for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Barrineau Park 4-H Raises Hogs For Local Food Banks
July 12, 2017
The Barrineau Park 4-H Club raised two hogs and donated the fresh pork to two local food banks. Over 300 pounds of fresh pork was delivered to the food banks at Aldersgate United Methodist Church and Molino Outreach. The fresh pork was distributed in their food boxes. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Grad Bates Signs Transfer To LSUA Generals
July 12, 2017
A 2015 Northview High School graduate is one of four junior college transfers to the LSU-Alexandria Generals.
E’Layzha Bates, a 5′10″ forward from Molino, joins the Generals from Baton Rouge Community College.
Last season with the Bears, Bates started all 13 games she appeared in, averaging five points per game on 41.5 percent shooting from the field in 28.5 minutes played each time out. A key feature to her game will be rebounding, where she grabbed just over five boards per contest last season, which was second on the BRCC squad.
Bates also boasted the highest GPA on her team and was named a team captain.
At Northview, Bates was also team captain and most valuable player of her high school squad. She plans on majoring in kinesiology at LSUA.
Three In A Row: Wahoos Beat Chattanooga
July 12, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos starting pitcher called his nine strikeouts against the first 10 Chattanooga Lookouts batters “just another game.” But to all the other onlookers Tuesday at Blue Wahoos Stadium, his performance was impressive.
The 22-year-old right hander struck out a career-high 11 batters and the left fielder Tyler Goeddel hit a clutch bases-loaded double to left field as Pensacola rallied to beat Chattanooga for the second straight game.
Coming into the four-game series, Pensacola, the South Division first half champions, were 1-9 against Chattanooga, the North Division first half champions. The Blue Wahoos now lead the series, 2-1.
Pat Kelly said he was disappointed Lopez failed to get the victory. Instead, reliever Geoff Broussard got the victory striking out two in his one scoreless inning of relief to improve to 3-1 with a 3.58 ERA.
“It’s a shame he didn’t get the win,” Kelly said. “He really pitched exceptional, especially against that club. He dominated them. That was fun to see.”
Lopez said he has worked with pitching coach Danny Darwin to tweak his mechanics.
“I threw every pitch for a strike,” Lopez said. “I was just pounding the zone. I’ve turned things around a little bit.”
That’s an understatement. Lopez had a no-hitter through the first 4.2 innings before right fielder Max Murphy, playing his fourth game for the Lookouts, smacked his first Double-A homer just over the right field fence on a curveball.
Lopez tied his career-high of 10 strikeouts in the sixth inning when the hurler got Chattanooga first baseman Jonathan Rodriguez out to end the inning. He then set a new career-high of 11 when he struck out the Lookouts leadoff batter in the seventh, DH Andy Wilkins.
Lopez gave up just three hits and a walk. It’s his second strong outing in a row, after throwing eight scoreless innings in his previous start against the Biloxi Shuckers.
He credited Pensacola catcher Joe Hudson for his performances in both games, who directed Lopez to pound hitters inside, throw his breaking balls and elevate the ball in the strike zone.
“I love it,” Lopez said. “We’re on the same page. I trust him to watch the hitters for things I don’t pick up.”
Trailing, 1-0, Pensacola loaded the bases with one out to start the eighth inning. That’s when Chattanooga manager Jake Mauer called for his left-handed reliever Randy Rosario to face leadoff hitter Goeddel, who doubled in center fielder Gabriel Guerrero and right fielder Aristides Aquino to put Pensacola ahead, 2-1. Second baseman Josh VanMeter then hit a grounder to Chattanooga second baseman Ryan Walker who threw it past catcher Carlos Paulino to allow both shortstop Blake Trahan and Goeddel to score for a 4-1 Blue Wahoos lead.
Pensacola turned to Zack Weiss for the second straight game in the ninth inning and the right-handed closer earned his fourth save in five opportunities.
“We’re testing him,” Kelly said. “We’re testing his elbow to see how it feels. I think his stuff was better tonight (Tuesday). It’s a really good sign that he is able to go back-to-back.”
Meanwhile, Chattanooga starter Fernando Romero, who MLBPipeline.com ranks as the No. 4 prospect for the Minnesota Twins, worked five scoreless innings, allowed two hits, walked one and struck out five before turning the game over to Lookouts reliever Ryan Eades.
Woman Critically Injured In Two Vehicle Wreck In Jay
July 12, 2017
A Milton woman was critically injured in a two vehicle crash near Jay High School Tuesday morning.
Tiffany King, 20, was traveling westbound on Escambia Avenue in a Nissan Pathfinder approaching the intersection of Escambia Avenue and Spring Street about 7:17 a.m. Andriea Watson, age 46 of Jay, was traveling northbound in a Chevrolet Silverado on Spring Street, also approaching the intersection.
The front of Watson’s Silverado collided with the driver’s side of King’s Pathfinder, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
After being extricated from her vehicle, King was transported in critical condition to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. Watson suffered only minor injuries.
Any charges in the crash are pending according to the FHP.
Reader submitted photos by Dekoda Mitchell and others for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
