Falling Pine Tree Cuts Power For Large Part Of Century
April 30, 2023
A falling pine tree cut power for a large part of Century Sunday afternoon.
The pine tree fell onto power lines and sparked a small bush fire about 2:07 p.m. on Alger Road, across from the Masonic Lodge on Lodge Drive.
According to Florida Power & Light, about 840 customers in Century lost power as a result. By 3 p.m., power had been restored to some customers.
The Century Station of Escambia County Fire Rescue responded and quickly extinguished the fire.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
EREC Holds Annual Meeting (With Photo Gallery)
April 30, 2023
Escambia River Electric Cooperative members held their annual meeting Saturday at Jay High School.
Dozens of door prizes were awarded, most of them electric, and one lucky member won the grand prize of a Ryobi electric riding lawn mower. Additional prizes will be awarded in a few days from among those that voted absentee.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Members met in a business session after voting on board members and bylaw revisions. Running unopposed, JD Powell was reelected to the board of directors for Escambia County. For Santa Rosa County, John Wesley Scott was elected to the board with 406 votes, while other top vote getters Mickey Diamond received 335 votes and William G. Cozart received 227 votes.
Three bylaw revisions were also approved by a wide margin.
Jonathan Chambers, a partner in Conexon, provided an update on fiber internet service that will become available to all EREC members in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. NorthEscambia.com will provide additional coverage in an upcoming story.
Northview High School senior Drake Driskell and Century High School senior Elisabeth Stowers were recognized as winners of the annual Herman D. Johnson Scholarships, providing each of them with $1,000 per year for four years of college.
EREC was formed in 1939 with 88 members in their first month. The cooperative now serves about 10,000 members in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties with 1,800 miles of energized line.
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NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
$7 Bag Sale Today At Library Book Sale
April 30, 2023
The Friends of the Library Big Spring Book Sale ends today with the popular $7 Bag Sale at the downtown library, 239 North Spring Street in Pensacola.
From 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., you can get as much as will fit in a brown paper grocery bag for just $7. Bags are provided, and carts will be available to help carry the bags to your vehicle.
Credit cards, cash and checks are all accepted.
Friends of West Florida Public Library is a non-profit support organization of the West Florida Public Library.
Want To Speak At An Escambia Commission Meeting? There’s An Online Form For That.
April 30, 2023
If you want to speak at an Escambia County Commission Meeting, or one of their public forums, there is now an online form for that.
The new speaker form is available by clicking here, or on the county’s “Meetings” webpage. In-person forms will still be available prior to the start of public forums and board meetings.
Citizens wishing to speak at the public forum will be heard immediately prior to the regular BOCC meeting. Each speaker will be allotted three minutes, unless otherwise determined by the chairman. Speakers will not be able to donate their minutes to another speaker. The Gary Sansing Public Forum is intended for matters not included on the agenda for the regular meeting. Citizens wishing to address items on the agenda must indicate such items in the sign-up form.
Clear, Middle 50s For Tonight
April 30, 2023
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 54. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 79. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 53. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 80. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 53. West wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 78. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph.
Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 52. North wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 82. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 84.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 86.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66.
Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 83.
Jim Allen Elementary Names Students Of The Month
April 30, 2023
Jim Allen Elementary School recently named their April Students of the Month. They are Emma Arnold and Brantley Knapp. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Here Are This Week’s Road Construction Trouble Zones
April 30, 2023
Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.
Escambia County:
- U.S. 98 Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement – Drivers will encounter alternating lane closures on the Pensacola Bay Bridge Sunday, April 30 through Saturday, May 6 from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. as crews perform striping work. On Tuesday, May 1, U.S. 98 westbound (Gulf Breeze to Pensacola) will have lane closures beginning at 10 p.m. due to Bands on the Beach.
- Interstate 10 (I-10) Escambia County Welcome Center – The truck parking lot at the Escambia County Interstate 10 Welcome Center, located at mile marker four, will be temporarily closed until summer when the Welcome Center improvements are complete. The front and middle car parking lots are open.
- East Nine Mile Road (U.S. 90A) Roadway Improvements from Chemstrand Road to East of Baldridge Drive – The bicycle lanes are temporarily closed to allow crews to widen the turn lanes and construct new five-foot bicycle lanes. In addition, the speed limit on this section of East Nine Mile Road has been reduced from 45 mph to 35 mph as vehicles and bicycles will share the roadway. The closure and speed limit reduction will be in place until the project is complete next summer.
- · Pensacola Boulevard (U.S. 29) Resurfacing from Brent Lane (State Road (S.R.) 296) to North of I-10 – Drivers will encounter alternating lane closures and intermittent turn lane closures Sunday, April 30 through Thursday, May 4 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. as crews place thermoplastic pavement markings on the roadway.
- Lillian Highway (S.R. 298) Resurfacing from North of U.S. 98 to East of Fairfield Drive (S.R. 727) and Lillian Highway at Blue Angel Parkway (S.R. 173) – Drivers will encounter shoulder and lane closures on Lillian Highway, between U.S. 98 and Blue Angel Parkway, Monday, May 1 through Friday, May 5 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Crews will be performing drainage and shoulder construction.
- Navy Boulevard (S.R. 295) Resurfacing from North of the Bayou Grande Bridge to Gulf Beach Highway/Barrancas Avenue (S.R. 292) – Drivers will encounter alternating nightly lane closures from Barrancas Avenue to the Bayou Grande Bridge between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., beginning Sunday, April 30. Crews will be milling and resurfacing the roadway.
- U.S. 29 (North Century Boulevard) Resurfacing between Henry Street and Cottage Street in Century - Drivers on U.S. 29 (North Century Boulevard) will encounter a lane shift and lane closures through May. The two U.S. 29 northbound travel lanes and the center turn lane will be closed between Hatties Boulevard and East Cottage Street. During the closure, one northbound and one southbound lane will remain open using the current southbound travel lanes. Signage will be in place to safely direct drivers through the work zone.
- Sorrento Road (S.R. 292) Resurfacing from the Theo Baars Bridge to Bauer Road - Drivers may encounter intermittent lane closures, between Innerarity Point Road and Bauer Road, from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Sunday, April 30 through Thursday, May 4. Crews will be performing paving operations.
- Davis Highway Routine Maintenance at Olive Road – Drivers will encounter intermittent lane closures Monday, May 1 from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. to install an overhead sign.
Santa Rosa County:
- U.S. 98 (S.R. 30/Gulf Breeze Parkway/Navarre Parkway) Resurfacing of select areas from Abercrombie Road to Calle De Palencia Street - Drivers on U.S. 98 (Navarre Parkway), between S.R. 87 and Calle De Palencia Street, may encounter intermittent nightly lane closures from 8:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. as crews perform construction activities.
- U.S. 98 Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement – Drivers will encounter alternating lane closures on the Pensacola Bay Bridge Sunday, April 30 through Saturday, May 6 from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. as crews perform striping work. On Tuesday, May 1, U.S. 98 westbound (Gulf Breeze to Pensacola) will have lane closures beginning at 10 p.m. due to Bands on the Beach.
- U.S. 90 Bridge Replacement over Simpson River – Widening of the westbound bridge over Simpson River has been completed. The westbound structure now supports two westbound lanes, two eastbound lanes, and dedicated bike lanes. Drivers may encounter temporary and intermittent lane closures on the bridge for crews to address any maintenance issues that may arise. Drivers are reminded that the speed limit is 35 mph throughout the work zone.
- U.S. 98 Widening from Bayshore Road to Portside Drive – Motorists will encounter the following traffic impacts:
- Median and turn-lane closures from Bayshore Road to Tiger Point Drive.
- Intermittent lane closures and additional median closures between S.R. 281 and Bayshore Road Sunday, April 30, through Friday, May 5, from 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. for stormwater drainage improvements and paving operations.
- I-10 Resurfacing from S.R. 281 (Avalon Boulevard) to East of S.R. 87 – Motorists will encounter nighttime east and westbound lane closures Monday, May 1 through Friday, May 5 for paving operations.
- U.S. 98 Corridor Improvement near Navarre Beach Causeway – Motorists will encounter nighttime lane closures Monday, May 1 and Thursday, May 4 for construction activities.
All activities are weather-dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.
Blue Wahoos, Biscuits Suspended By Rain In Montgomery
April 30, 2023
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos and Montgomery Biscuits saw their Saturday night game suspended due to rain in the sixth inning in a 2-2 tie.
The game will be completed on Sunday at 1:30, with the regularly-scheduled series finale to follow at 3:33.
Pensacola strung together four singles from Victor Mesa Jr., José Devers, Dane Myers and J.D. Orr to take a 2-0 lead against Jacob Lopez in the second inning. Montgomery eventually worked back to a tie against M.D. Johnson, getting an RBI single from Evan Edwards in the second and a game-tying RBI single from Alika Williams in the fifth just before the tarp was pulled on the night.
written by Erik Bremer
Alabama Woman Killed, Three Injured In Beulah Intersection Crash
April 29, 2023
The Florida Highway Patrol said an Alabama woman was killed and three people were injured Friday night at a Beulah intersection.
The crash happened about 8 p.m. at the intersection of Nine Mile Road and Beulah Road.
FHP said a pickup truck driven by a 36-year old Cantonment man was traveling east on Nine Mile Road and turned left in front of a westbound SUV driven by a 71-year old Seminole, Alabama, woman.
The woman was pronounced deceased at the scene, and her passenger, a 55-year old man also from Seminole, was seriously injured.
The Cantonment man suffered only minor injuries. An 8-year old passenger in his pickup truck was seriously injured when he was ejected from the vehicle. FHP said neither was wearing a seat belt.
The FHP continues to investigate.
NorthEscambia.com reader submitted photos and photos courtesy WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Showers And Thunderstorms Likely; Some Storms May Be Severe
April 29, 2023
Showers and thunderstorms are likely for Saturday. Storms may be capable of producing damaging wind gusts, a tornado or two, and locally heavy rainfall.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Today: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 77. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. South wind 10 to 15 mph becoming west after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Sunday: Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 77. Northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 53. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 78. West wind 5 to 15 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 81. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 54. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north after midnight.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 81. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 84.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 63.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 85.