Tate’s Jesse Sherrill Signs With Gordon State College
November 29, 2017
Tate High School senior Jesse Sherrill signed a baseball scholarship Tuesday to play next year at Gordon State College in Barnsville, GA. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Charlotte Godwin-Colema
November 29, 2017
Mrs. Charlotte Godwin-Coleman, 70, passed away on Saturday, November 25, 2017 in Atmore, Alabama.
Mrs. Coleman was a native and life long resident of Atmore, AL. She was a member of the First Assembly of God in Atmore, AL. She is preceded in death by her parents, Willie & Earlene Kelly; one brother, James Matthew “JM” Kelly and her first husband and father of her children, Larry E. Godwin.
She is survived by her husband, Dudley Coleman of Atmore, AL; one son, Rusty (Denise) Godwin of Bratt, FL; one daughter, Vanessa (John) Arant of Sylacauga, AL; two brothers, Curtis (Alene) Kelly of Atmore, AL and Hubert (Regina) Kelly of Columbus, GA; two sisters, Glenie (Raymond) Peebles of Bratt, FL and Martha (Terry) Miller of Gastonia, N.C. and three grandchildren, Sybil Grace Arant, Tate Arant and Judson Arant.
Funeral services will be Wednesday, November 29, 2017 at 2:00 PM at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Rev. Don Davis officiating.
Burial will follow at the Godwin Cemetery.
Visitation will be Tuesday, November 28, 2017 from 6 to 9 PM at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be Chris Gibbs, Roger Riggs, Raymond Peebles, Jim Riggs, Jason Howard and Eddy Higginbotham.
Honorary Pallbearers will be Don Smith, Robert Coleman III, and Edgar Norris
William “Billy” Rollin
November 29, 2017
Mr. William “Billy” Rollin, 70, passed away on Tuesday, November 28, 2017 in Mobile, Alabama.
Mr. Rollin was a native of Monroe, LA and has resided in Atmore, AL for the past 43 years. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. He was the owner and operator of Rollin’s Used Cars and was a member of the Atmore First Baptist Church.
He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Sandra Rollin of Atmore, AL; one son, Shane (Memory) Rollin of Atmore, AL; two daughters, Kimberly (Anthony) Habermehl of Foster, KY and Kristi (Jeff) Wooldridge of KY; three brothers, Frank Rollin of Bay Minette, AL, James Rollin of Dallas, TX and Jimmy Rollin of Bay Minette, AL; two sisters, Irene Phelps of Stapleton, AL and Glenda Nelson of Fairhope, AL; seven grandchildren, Josh Brown, Megan Brown, Tommy Anderson, Samantha Anderson, Ashley Anderson, Will Rollin and Colton Rollin and five great grandchildren, Landon
Brown, Jayla Brown, Jayce Sells, Tyler Sells and Talan Daughtry.
Funeral services will be Saturday, December 2, 2017 at 10:00 AM at the First Baptist Church with Rev. Arnold Hendrix officiating.
Burial will follow at the Oak Hill Cemetery.
Visitation will be Friday, December 1, 2017 from 6 to 9 PM at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be Frank Rollin Jr., Andrew Rollin, Steven Rollin, Jason White, Warren Donald and Jeff Donald.
Otis Gerald Freeman
November 29, 2017
Mr. Otis Gerald Freeman, age 74, passed away Sunday, November 26, 2017 in Atmore, Alabama.
Mr. Freeman was native of Pineville, FL and has resided in Canoe, AL for the past 35 years. He was a great daddy to five daughters, grandfather and great grandfather. He worked with Swift Lumber with 20 years of service and was of the Baptist Faith. He is preceded in death by his parents, General and Elaine Freeman and one brother, Gene Freeman.
Survivors include mother’s of his children, Gayle Martin of Atmore, AL and Cindy Singleton Freeman of Brewton, AL; five daughters, Andrea (Billy) Young of Atmore, AL, Suzy (Jeff) Blackburn of Conover, NC, Alanna Clemmons of Atmore, AL, Valorie (Mike) Jones of Troy, AL and Stephanie (Stephen Householder) Freeman of Atmore, AL; two brothers, Gordon (Zena) Freeman of Walnut Hill, FL and Terry Freeman of Pensacola, FL; twelve grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren.
Visitation will be held Wednesday, November 29, 2017 from 6 to 9 PM at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Proposed Florida Vaping Ban Gets Unanimous Backing
November 29, 2017
A ban on vaping in workplaces is one step closer to appearing on the 2018 ballot after a panel of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission unanimously approved the proposal on Tuesday.
Former state Sen. Lisa Carlton, a member of the commission, said people are being adversely affected by public vaping because a ban on smoking in workplaces was passed by Florida voters in 2002, well before electronic cigarettes and other devices became available.
She wants to expand the current smoking ban to include vaping devices.
“Vaping, as it’s generally called, is everywhere,” Carlton said, adding that like with smoking, second-hand exposure to vaping can lead to breathing in toxins. “Daily across the state of Florida, Floridians are subjected to vaping. No one should be forced to endure a cloud of harmful vapor in their cubicle as they work to support their families. No parent should have to worry about the health of their child because someone is vaping at the adjoining restaurant table, movie-theater seat, grocery store or next to them inside the mall.”
Florida Cancer Action Network lobbyist Heather Yeomans said her group supports the proposal but has suggested a number of changes, including eliminating the term “vapor generating devices” and replacing it with electronic smoking devices which, she said, would capture devices such as electronic hookahs, electronic pens and electronic cigarettes.
Yeomans said the Cancer Action Network also would like the proposed constitutional amendment to eliminate an existing exemption that allows people to smoke in some bars and hotels.
“We weren’t thrilled to see that we still have the exemptions for bars and hotels,” she told the General Provisions Committee of the Constitution Revision Commission. “We would love for every environment and every employee … to not be exposed to these chemicals” from regular tobacco smoke and electronic cigarettes.
Carlton told The News Service of Florida after the meeting that she doesn’t plan to alter her proposal to address concerns raised by the Cancer Action Network. But it appears unlikely Carlton’s proposed constitutional amendment would go before voters as is in 2018.
To prevent what is being called “ballot fatigue,” members of the Constitution Revision Commission could group together proposals that the commission has endorsed.
The commission, which has 37 members, meets every 20 years to evaluate possible changes to the Constitution. The panel can put issues before voters without having to gather petition signatures or get proposals approved by the Legislature.
Members are considering dozens of proposed amendments, with those moving through the various committees expected to be considered by the full commission.
If a proposal is approved by a majority of the commission members, it will be sent to the Style and Drafting Committee, which is charged with grouping the various proposals together.
Commissioner Brecht Heuchan, who chairs the Style and Drafting Committee, told The News Service of Florida on Tuesday that, ideally, the proposed amendments would be grouped by themes. But he warned that overarching themes such as health care, the environment or taxes may not be how they are ultimately grouped for voters.
Heuchan said one potential way to group amendments would be to place together those that establish “rights.”
Another way to categorize proposals, Heuchan said, would be to group controversial or unpopular proposals in one proposed amendment and place other measures that have widespread support in another proposed amendment.
That approach, he said, was used by the Constitution Revision Commission in 1978, which was chaired by former Florida State University President Talbot “Sandy” D’Alemberte.
While it is an option, Heuchan said it’s not one that he likes. D’Alemberte, who spoke before the commission this year, also said he regretted taking that approach because ultimately none of the amendments the commission proposed in 1978 were approved by the voters.
Heuchan said it is too early to decide how the proposals would be categorized because it’s not clear which proposals will receive initial support from the full commission. “And, I also have no ideas what my colleagues want yet,” he said.
Carlton agreed that it was too early to predict what other proposals could be grouped together with her vaping ban.
After the proposals are grouped, they would have to be considered one more time by the full commission. Members would have one more opportunity to try to amend or alter the proposals. Ultimately, only those that are supported by 60 percent of the commission will appear on the ballot in 2018.
And only those that are approved by 60 percent of the voters who go to the polls will be included in the state Constitution.
by Christine Sexton, The News Service of Florida
William E. Kirby, Jr.
November 29, 2017
William E. Kirby, Jr. 70 of Poarch, AL, passed away November 24, 2017, in Pensacola, FL. He was born in Troy, AL on July 29, 1947, to William Edward, Sr. and Pauline Robinson Kirby.
He is preceded in death by his father, William Edward Kirby, Sr.; two brothers, Jimmy Lee Kirby and Randy Eugene Kirby.
He was a farmer, maintenance supervisor with Freemanville Water Systems, Inc. with over 25 years of service, a captain with the Poarch Creek Volunteer Fire Department and EMT with Atmore Ambulance Service and was a security supervisor with over 10 years of service with Wind Creek Casino. He was also a member of Poarch Baptist Church.
He is survived by his wife, Judith Green Kirby; his mother, Pauline Robinson Kirby; two daughters, Sandi (John) Stanton of Birmingham, AL and Candy (Paul) Fralick of Poarch, AL; one sister, Katherine (Ron) Williams of Semmes, AL; and one brother, Eddie Paine Kirby (Inez) of McCullough, AL; grandson, Kirby W. Jay (Phadra); and great-grandchild, Riley Green Jay.
Funeral services were held Monday, November 27, 2017, at the Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Brett Chancery officiating.
Burial was in McCullough Cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be from the Poarch Creek Fire Department.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Warming Trend With Sunny Skies
November 28, 2017
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 73. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night: Patchy fog after 9pm. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 51. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 75. East wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 71. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 51. Calm wind.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 71.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 48.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 71.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 51.
Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 72.
Starbucks, New Convenience Store Planned For Hwy 29, Hwy 97 In Molino
November 28, 2017
A new convenience store and Starbucks are in the works at the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 97 in Molino.
Escambia County Development Services records shows Diamond Gasoline of Atmore has submitted initial planning documents for the convenience store on 8.22 acres at the northwest corner of the intersection, across Highway 97 and north of the current Tom Thumb store.
According to a letter from the construction company, the new convenience store/gas station will be constructed “with a Starbucks attached to the side”. The letter also states the owners wish to have two fueling station canopies — one for regular gasoline and the second for diesel and commercial vehicle operations.
The Escambia County Development Review Committee will hold a pre-application meeeting on store plans this Thursday afternoon. Before construction could begin,the plans must go through several more steps in the county approval process. At the pre-application stage, there is no assurance that plans will ever reach the construction stage or that the facility will have the currently outlined layout, according to a county official.
Diamond Gasoline is a family-owned and operated business that has operated convenience stores and a wholesale gasoline distribution service in Alabama, Florida and Mississippi for the past 50 years, according to the company website.
Pictured top: Plans are in the works for new convenience store and Starbucks just north of Tom Thumb in Molino. NorthEscambia.com graphic. Pictured below: Preliminary site plans.
House Fire, Death Under Investigation
November 28, 2017
[Updated] A man found deceased at the scene of an Escambia County house fire Monday died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Escambia Fire Rescue responded to a fully involved house fire about 10:19 p.m. in the 1900 block of West Detroit Boulevard. As crews were fighting the blaze, the man’s body was found, reportedly outside behind the home.
The home was a total loss.
The fire and the death remain under investigation by the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Further details have not yet been released.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Worker Charged With Stealing Welding Machines From High Above Bridge
November 28, 2017
A construction company employee has been arrested for stealing two industrial welding machines that were suspended high in the air above an Oak Grove worksite.
Timothy Dain Denmon, age 33 of Crestview, was charged with felony grand theft and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail late Monday afternoon with bond set at $11,000.
Workers discovered the welding machines missing when they arrived Monday morning at the bridge construction site on North Highway 99 over Pine Barren Creek, just north of the Oak Grove Park. The welders had been suspended from a construction crane for the long Thanksgiving weekend, high above ground level.
Maj. Andrew Hobbs, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, said Denmon was employed as a crane operator at the site and was quickly developed as a suspect in the theft because only he and a foreman had keys to the crane. Hobbs said investigators determined the crane was used to lower the welders to ground level, and other equipment on the site was moved around to allow their removal.
Pictured: The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigates the theft of two industrial welding machines from a bridge construction zone on North Highway 99 in Oak Grove Monday morning. NorthEscambia.com photos.
