Teen Airlifted To The Hospital After Thanksgiving Wreck In Walnut Hill
November 24, 2017
A driver was airlifted to a Pensacola hospital after being trapped in two vehicle crash Thanksgiving afternoon in Walnut Hill.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 19-year old William Giddins of Mobile was northbound above the posted speed limit on South Highway 99 near Tungoil Road about 3:50 p.m. as Jason B. Brooks, age 64 of Pensacola, stopped his Dodge Ram pickup at the stop sign on Tungoil Road. Brooks made a right turn onto Highway 99 and then traveled a short distance to make a left turn into a driveway.
Giddins then rear-ended the pickup truck with his Nissan Versa came to rest in a nearby field. After being extricated from his vehicle, Giddins was airlifted by LifeFlight helicopter to Baptist Hospital where he was listed in serious condition.
Brooks and his passenger, 62-year old Dovie Brooks of Pensacola, were not injured and refused medical treatment on scene.
The Florida Highway Patrol said that alcohol was not involved in the crash, and everyone involved was wearing a seat belt.
The Walnut Hill and Molino stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded to the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Free Beans And Rice Giveaway Saturday In Cantonment
November 24, 2017
Saint Monica’s Episcopal Church, will be distributing free rice and dried beans and other non-perishables on Saturday, November 25 from 9 until 11 a.m. (or while supplies last) at the church located at 699 South Hwy 95-A in Cantonment.
There are no guidelines and no paperwork required.
Sunset Over Sunn Hemp (And What Exactly Is Sunn Hemp?)
November 24, 2017
North Escambia farmers sometimes turn to fields of a yellow-flowering crop to prevent soil erosion between regular crops like corn.
It’s called Sunn Hemp (that’s Crotalaria juncea L for the scientific types).
Sunn Hemp is a semi-tropical plant that is grown as a cover crop in the southeast. It’s a legume, growing in a variety of locations and returning nitrogen to the soil. It can also be used as a biomass to produce biofuels.
Pictured above: A golden setting sun Thanksgiving evening over a field of sunn hemp in Walnut Hill. Pictured below: A closer look at the sunn hemp flowers. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
License-Free Saltwater Fishing Saturday In Florida
November 24, 2017
Governor Rick Scott has announced that Saturday, November 25th will be a license-free saltwater fishing day. This Saturday is part of eight total days offered each year by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) that allows residents and visitors to enjoy Florida’s many fishing opportunities without requiring a license.
Governor Scott said, “As Floridians gather with their loved ones to celebrate Thanksgiving, this license-free fishing day is a great opportunity for families and visitors to enjoy our state’s great outdoors together. We are grateful to live in such a beautiful state with unique natural treasures that help attract record numbers of visitors, and I encourage all families to take advantage of the license-free saltwater fishing day this weekend.”
FWC Chairman Brian Yablonski said, “Whether at the table or on the water, Thanksgiving weekend is a perfect time to gather with friends and family. I am thankful for the opportunity to incentivize fishing in Florida and allow anglers to show friends and family, especially youth, the joys it offers.”
Saltwater license-free fishing days allow anglers to fish for saltwater species without being required to have a saltwater recreational fishing license. All bag limits, seasons and size restrictions apply on license-free fishing days. To learn more about license-free fishing days, visit MyFWC.com/License. For fishing tips, locations and other information visit MyFWC.com/Fishing.
PCI Hosts 47th Annual Thanksgiving Pow Wow
November 24, 2017
The Poarch Creek Indians are celebrating their 47th annual Thanksgiving Pow Wow this weekend north of Atmore.
The event features traditional dress, dance, arts and crafts, and food.
“We are always proud of the opportunity when we have this great moment when people come from all over the southeast. Come and celebrate and learn about the Poarch Band of Creek Indians,” said Poarch Creek Indian Vice Chairman Robert McGhee. “Just learn about native cultures in general.”
Tribal Princess contest results were as follows:
Little Miss First Alternate: Mylynn Alyssa Sybil Smedley
Little Miss Princess: Yanasa Tasahce Alvarez
Elementary First Alternate: Savannah Lyn Gibson
Elementary Princess: Tehya Anevay Alvarez
Junior Princess: Audrey Hope Tucker
Senior Princess: Gabriella Treacy McGhee
Elder 2nd Alternate: Gayle Sims Malone Veasey
Elder First Alternate: Norah Lee Franklin
Elder Princess: Beatrice Presley
Best Talent Award: Tehya Anevay Rolin
Most Spirit Award: Tehya Anevay Rolin
The Pow Wow continues on Friday.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Delaney Reynolds and others, click to enlarge
BBB Black Friday Shopping Tips
November 24, 2017
Black Friday has traditionally been the biggest retail shopping day of the year.
Whether in the store or online, the Better Business Bureau serving Northwest Florida offers advice to help you with your holiday shopping:
- Budget your shopping money and stick to it. Avoid impulse buys.
- Look for the details on every sale and understand the specifics.
- Advertising can be tricky; don’t get stuck paying more for an item than you expected.
- Credit card offers from a store will offer a discount on your purchase but may also carry high interest rates.
- Keep all receipts and warranty information for each item purchased.
- Fraudulent charges are easier to fix if you pay with a credit card than a debit card.
- Return policies differ with every store. Make sure you know the conditions for returns and exchanges, including whether restocking fees are charged.
- If you purchase a gift card, look for hidden terms that can decrease its value.
- Don’t leave your wallet, credit card or purse on a counter or in an unattended shopping cart.
- Ask for a store manager if any advertised offer does not match the price listed on an item.
- Yelling at store employees and other customers won’t make the lines shorter. Anticipate crowds and take a friend along to enjoy the day.
- Credit cards provide the most protection if someone steals the credit card number or if you don’t receive an ordered item.
- You, the customer, are responsible for knowing and understanding each online retailer’s return/exchange policy.
- Beware of deals that sound too good to be true, especially extremely low priced on hard-to-get items.
- Ensure you have the most recent updates for spam filters, anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewalls installed.
- Read the site’s privacy policy and understand what personal information is being requested and how it will be used.
- Make a file to keep copies of all purchase confirmation web pages and e-mails for future reference and as a record of the purchase.
- Only shop on trustworthy sites; look for the BBB seal and other widely-recognized “trustmarks.”
- Never wire money to pay for a transaction and when on sites like Craigslist, only shop locally.
- Delete phishing emails such as those claiming a problem with an order or account in an attempt to lure the “buyer” into revealing financial information.
- Actively keep an eye on your credit card statements to detect suspicious or fraudulent activity on your accounts.
- You are your best protection! Make sure your online purchase is secure by looking for the “s” (https://) in the URL and the “lock” symbol in the lower-right corner before paying.
Florida Retailers: Holiday Spending Spree Coming
November 24, 2017
The Florida Retail Federation (FRF), the state’s premier trade association celebrating its 80th year of representing retailers, has announced it expects holiday sales to increase 3-3.5 percent over last year, thanks to a healthy economy and a number of positive economic indicators.
“This season should be another strong one for our retail members, thanks to a 10 year low unemployment rate, a strong housing market, high consumer confidence and 100 million tourists leaving with more than what they came with,” said FRF President/CEO Scott Shalley. “Due to the increased competition among retailers, consumers should expect great deals and discounts as they enjoy the annual holiday shopping season with friends and family.”
The impact of Hurricane Irma on Floridians played a significant factor in the final forecast number for FRF. The storm caused damage in major population areas in Southwest Florida, South Florida and the Keys and the Jacksonville area. Many residents are still recovering and possibly unable to spend as much on holiday shopping this year. However, the overall strength of Florida’s economy and the resilience of the state’s retail industry will help make up for this potential loss of sales.
“Hurricane Irma hit our state extremely hard, particularly in these areas, and we factored in this impact in our forecast, but we feel the overall strength of our economy and the incredible recovery efforts that have taken place will help lessen the impact on retail sales this holiday season,” said Shalley.
Consumers are expected to spend an average of $967 on gifts, according to FRF’s partners at the National Retail Federation, which is up significantly from 2016’s average of $935 and higher than the previous record of $952 in 2015. This breaks down to $608 spent on gifts for family, friends and co-workers, $218 spent on decorations, flowers and greeting cards, and $141 spent by the shopper on themselves. Total spending is expected to increase to more than $678 billion, up from $655 billion last year thanks in part to the continued growth and spending of Millennials.
Consumer spending accounts for 75 percent of Florida’s gross domestic product totaling $155 billion each year. In particular, the holiday shopping season accounts for 20-40 percent of a retailer’s annual sales and steady year-over-year sales shows increasing economy stability. Florida’s retail industry totals more than 270,000 businesses which employ 2.7 million Floridians, and is responsible for one out of every five jobs.
One continued significant advantage that Florida enjoys over most other states is the influx of more than 100 million tourists, almost all of whom leave the state with more than they brought, bringing even more buying power with them. Surveys consistently list shopping as one of the top activities on the agendas of Florida vacations. And in an effort to attract shoppers of all types, retailers will be offering exclusive incentives, low prices, price-matching options, hot-selling toys and free shipping, which continues to be one of the most popular requested promotions each year.
“Tourism continues to be a powerful influence on the success of Florida’s economy and specifically the retail industry, and 2017 is expected to set a new record on number of tourists which is great news for our members,” said Shalley.
Sunshine State shoppers will load up on the most popular items this year, led by gift cards for the 11th year in a row, followed by clothing and accessories, books, movies or music, electronics, home décor and furnishings and jewelry. The most popular toys this holiday season will include Hatchimals, Toys from the new Star Wars and Justice League movies, Barbies and LEGOS, Nerf toys, and toys from Disney Junior shows.
One piece of advice to shoppers is if you see a good deal on an item early on in your shopping, make sure to buy it then as opposed to waiting and hoping for a better deal. Just as technology has made shoppers smarter and more savvy, it has also allowed retailers to better respond to demand by matching their inventory and not overstocking their merchandise. Speaking of early shopping, 40 percent of shoppers began their holiday shopping before Halloween to help spread out their spending with 29 percent complete by Black Friday.
“Retailers are responding to the demand by consumers to have the holiday shopping experience prior to the traditional late November/December timeframe,” said Shalley. “This is why consumers are already seeing holiday decorations and themes in stores, as retailers try to get shoppers in the Christmas shopping mindset earlier.”
One of the positive impacts of the holiday shopping season is the increase in employment. These jobs include workers stocking inventory, customer service, warehousing and even management. Nationally, the industry is expected to see between 500,000-555,000 seasonal jobs. The increase in hiring and the increase in economic activity during the holiday season have a positive impact on industries outside of just retail.
“The holiday season is a great time for new or returning professionals to enter the workforce as millions of temporary jobs turn into full-time jobs once the holiday shopping season is over,” said Shalley. “We look forward to the thousands of new jobs that families will have this year as a result of Florida’s retail industry.”
Cantonment Rotary Provides Thanksgiving Meals For 545 Local Residents
November 23, 2017
Over 100 local families will enjoy Thanksgiving thanks to the efforts of the Cantonment Rotary Club.
This was the sixth year the group has delivered turkeys and all the fixings to those in need. The first year, the Rotatians delivered meals to four families, and last year that number was up to 45 families. Wednesday, the Cantonment Rotary club delivered meals to 115 families, a total of 545 people.
The needy family were identified with the help of counselors and the administration at Jim Allen Elementary, McArthur Elementary, Pine Meadow Elementary, R.C. Lipscomb Elementary, Ransom Middle and Tate High School.
“I cannot stress how helpful these schools are. All of the schools are full of kind-hearted folks who appreciate what we are doing for their families that they know need the help,” Cantonment Rotary members Kevin Howell said.
Pictured top: A member of the Cantonment Rotary Club delivers one of 115 meals Wednesday. Pictured below: Rotarians box the meals for delivery at the Scenic Hills Country Club. Photos courtesy Eric Dupre/WEAR TV for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Camp Fire Century Presents Thanksgiving Play (With Photo Gallery)
November 23, 2017
The Camp Fire Century Youth Learning Center held their annual Thanksgiving Play last week.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery of the cutest Pilgrims and Indians around, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
College Student Gets Prison For DUI
November 23, 2017
William Joseph Shoffner of Newport, Arkansas, was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Jan Shackelford to serve 7 years in state prison followed by 5 years of probation for DUI Manslaughter. Four years are to be served as a mandatory minimum sentence.
William Shoffner, a 21-year- old college student from Arkansas, traveled to Perdido Beach for spring break. On March 20th, 2016, while operating a 2015 Honda Civic, Shoffner caused a head-on collision on the Theo Baars Bridge between Pensacola and Perdido Key by drifting into the opposite lane. The driver of the vehicle Shoffner struck died on scene. William Shoffner received grave injuries in the crash. Shoffner had a blood alcohol level of .177 g/100 mL, more than twice the legal limit.
William Shoffner accepted responsibility by pleading to the charge of DUI Manslaughter.
Shoffner’s defense attorney, Gregory Whibbs, argued Shoffner was a young man who had no prior record, no prior history of driving under the influence, or any risk of reoffending due to the severe consequences of the crash. William Shoffner will endure compromised health for the rest of his life. During the hearing, William Shoffner offered a tearful apology to the widowed spouse and family of the deceased victim.
Shackelford, in balancing the mitigating circumstances of William Shoffner’s offense with the loss of life resulting from his actions, sentenced him to seven years in prison and five years of probation as punishment for the crime. Shackelford said that these consequences for driving under the influence should serve as a warning to the community.