Escambia Supervisor Of Elections Stepping Down After 19 Years To Join Homeland Security
December 20, 2023
Escambia County Supervisor Of Elections David Stafford is stepping down after 19 years in office.
Stafford will join the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency as an Election Security Advisor. His last day as Escambia County Supervisor of Elections will be January 15, 2024.
Stafford has asked Gov. Ron DeSantis to consider appointing his Chief Deputy Supervisor Sonya Daniels to fill the final year of his term.
“I am eternally grateful to the voters of Escambia County for allowing me the opportunity to serve for nearly twenty years and look forward to continuing to serve the public in a different role. I am especially thankful for our staff, poll workers, my colleagues, and my family for their support throughout my tenure,” Stafford said in his letter to the governor.
Pensacola Installing Red Light Cameras At These Intersections
December 20, 2023
The City of Pensacola will install red light cameras to several intersections to monitor for violations.
The cameras will be installed at:
- 9th and Bayou on the north, south, east and west approaches.
- 9th and Airport on the north, south, east, and west approaches.
- 9th and Fairfield on the east and west bound approaches.
- 9th and Gregory on the west bound approach.
- Davis and Fairfield on the east and west bound approaches.
These intersections were selected based on crash data collected over the past 10 years.
The infractions that will be enforced will be traveling straight through a red light and making a left turn on a red light.
Police Seek Counterfeit Money Suspect In Flomaton, Century Area
December 20, 2023
Flomaton Police are looking for a man they say is passing counterfeit money in the Flomaton and Century areas.
Aaron Madison has warrants for counterfeit bills, failure to appear, second degree criminal mischief, and first degree theft of property.
“He is causing a lot of trouble between Flomaton and Century, breaking into vehicles/ stealing vehicles/ trespassing on private property/ passing counterfeit money,” Flomaton Police said in a statement.
FPD said Madison has a violent history.
He is described as walking with a slight limp and often wears a black hoodie pulled over his head.
Anyone with information is asked to call FPD at (251) 296-5811 or their local law enforcement agency.
Meet ‘MILO’ From The Escambia County Tax Collector, And Learn How It Will Benefit Century
December 20, 2023
The Escambia County Tax Collector brought their new Mobile Identification License Office (MILO) mobile office to Century on Tuesday.
MILO is a standalone mobile full service tax collector office with technology to provide most motorists’ needs. The mobile unit provides a convenient method to renew a driver license, obtain a replacement driver license, conversion/reciprocation of out-of-state license, change a name or address on a current driver license or identification card, and get a first-time identification card. In addition to licensing services, the mobile unit also provides an opportunity to renew or replace a vehicle registration, receive a parking placard, transfer a title, pay property taxes, and apply for a business tax receipt. Written and driving tests are not available from the MILO unit.
MILO was tested Tuesday at the Billy G. Ward Courthouse in Century.
“We built this Mobile Identification License Office to be able to serve Century residents more frequently,” Escambia County Tax Collector Scott Lunsford said.
Future MILO visits to Century will be announced in advance on NorthEscambia.com.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Schools Look To Hire More Campus Security Officers
December 20, 2023
Escambia County Public Schools (ECPS) has announced it is hiring additional Campus Security Officers to begin training in April of 2024.
“Campus Security Officers are ECPS employees trained by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office whose sole mission is to protect students and staff in our public schools across Escambia County,” said ECPS Protection Services Director Kyle Kinser. “All personnel are put through rigorous screening.”
Ideal candidates should have prior law enforcement or military experience and must have a passion for working with children.
Successful applicants will go through an extensive training curriculum with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office that prepares them to safeguard our schools. Candidates will be paid throughout their training and will be hired as a Campus Security Officer upon successful completion of training. The position is currently posted and any interested applicant should apply immediately, as the screening process is extensive.
Selected candidates begin with a starting salary of $33,642 for 10 months of employment. Once the training process has been completed, candidates are eligible for a variety of benefits.
Ninth Red Bulb Placed on County Wreath During ‘Keep the Wreath Green’
December 20, 2023
Escambia County Fire Rescue has placed the ninth red bulb on the county wreath following a residential structure fire late Monday evening.
At 11:18 p.m. on Monday, ECFR units responded to a residential structure fire at the 700 block of Decatur Avenue. Upon arrival, the back half of the home was showing flames and heavy smoke. Assistance was requested from NAS Pensacola’s Truck 34 due to the significance of the fire. Crews were able to bring the situation under control by 12:15 a.m. Tuesday. While there were no injuries or fatalities, the home experienced significant damage to the rear addition and attic, causing the occupants to be displaced. ECFR conducted the investigation and determined an electrical issue caused the fire.
The “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign is a collaborative initiative with the City of Pensacola to promote fire safety during the month of December. During the month-long campaign, five-foot wreaths are on display at 21 county fire stations and five city fire stations, as well as Escambia County’s Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building downtown, the Escambia County Public Safety Building and Pensacola City Hall. Each time firefighters respond to a residential fire with damage, a green light bulb will be replaced with a red one to remind citizens of the dangers posed by fires in a residential home.
File photo.
Lipscomb Elementary Presents Christmas Musical
December 20, 2023
Third through fifth grade students from Lipscomb Elementary School presented their Christmas musical, “A Golden Oldies Musical,” at Hillcrest Church recently. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Multiple Injuries In Highway 97 Crash At State Line
December 19, 2023
There were multiple injuries in a two-vehicle crash Tuesday evening on Highway 97 at the state line.
There were three patients, one of which refused transport. One of the patients was a juvenile.
The crash was reported about 5:20 p.m. in front of the Grey Goose, about 250 feet south of the Alabama-Florida state line and Atmore. A pickup truck came to rest on its roof in the Grey Goose parking lot, while another vehicle came to a stop in the travel lanes of Highway 97.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating and has not released the cause of the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
UWF Faculty And Students Develop Goggles For Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease
December 19, 2023
University of West Florida faculty and undergraduate students recently developed Pulsed Medical LED goggles for the early detection of Alzheimer’s Disease.
The product was researched and designed through a partnership between the Department of Psychology, Department of Physics and Dr. Muhammad Harunur Rashid Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UWF.
Dr. Mohamed Khabou, professor in the Dr. Muhammad Harunur Rashid Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and associate dean of the Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering, Dr. Aaron Wade, associate professor in the physics department and Dr. James Arruda, professor of psychology in the Usha Kundu, MD College of Health, connected to work on the product. For the past several years, Arruda, a research neuropsychologist, has researched brain-behavior relationships like those related to Alzheimer’s dementia and mild cognitive impairment.
Arruda started making the goggles two years ago and realized he needed to make them with special enhancements for those who are color-deficient. He further understood that everyone has a unique number and distribution of visual receptors that allow for color vision. The goggles were developed to detect how the brain responds to a flash of light, whether it be for the detection of a seizure disorder or for the early detection of Alzheimer’s dementia. In either circumstance, the results would allow someone to prepare ahead of time and seek treatment options. For example, delayed signaling in one area of the brain suggests participants with mild cognitive impairment — an early stage of Alzheimer’s dementia — have compromised cholinergic functioning that resulted in impaired visual processing in the cerebral cortex.
“It dawned on me that not everyone’s visual system is the same, so I wanted to tailor the light to maximally influence the visual receptors in an individual’s eyes,” Arruda said. “Not everyone has all four types of visual receptors and if someone is color deficient that indicates that they are missing one type of visual receptor. So we are attempting to tailor the physical properties of the light to maximize the response of someone’s visual receptors so we can get an appropriate response from the brain.”
Arruda, Khabou and Wade sought improvements in its design and usability from students. Sierra Kautz, who just graduated with her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering earlier this month, began working on the product as part of a capstone project in January 2023. She and colleagues Mark Yepishin, Judy Aquino and Dustin Tran built a circuit and designed a user interface to control the product.
“We were given LED boards designed by Dr. Wade and we had to figure out the best way to wire the circuits to control the LEDs,” Kautz said. “We wrote a lot of code to allow them to have full control over it and adjust different brightness levels.”
The student team and faculty worked together to test to make sure light levels were safe for anyone who put the goggles on.
The product is undergoing additional testing and development and will be worked on with additional students from the Department of Psychology, Department of Physics and Dr. Muhammad Harunur Rashid Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in spring.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia School Board Sets Process That Could Make Interim Superintendent Leonard Permanent In January
December 19, 2023
The Escambia County School Board Monday night established a process by which Interim Superintendent Keith Leonard can become the permanent superintendent in January.
“In October, the board expressed a general consensus to make Leonard the permanent boss by extending his contract.
“In October, we the board, made the public aware of our consideration, to make our interim superintendent, Mr. Keith Leonard, our permanent superintendent. We wanted to give the public ample opportunity to share their views,” board member Patty Hightower said.
Each board member will individually complete a mid-year evaluation of Leonard’s performance to date, and they will be compiled by the board attorney.
Those reviews and the item will be discussed at a January 16 meeting, and the public will be invited to speak at that time. The public can also call board members or send emails before that time.
The motion by Kevin Adams passed unanimously.
Leonard’s current contract as interim is otherwise set to expire June 30, 2024.
The board will avoid an expensive nationwide search. Leonard was one of four finalists in in their last search which ultimately led to the hiring of Dr. Tim Smith who was later terminated.
Pictured: Interim Superintendent Keith Leonard at Monday night’s meeting of the Escambia County School Board. Image for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.