Molino Boy Scouts Learn About First Responders
January 25, 2017
Boy Scout Troop 430 of Molino visited the Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue Tuesday night to learn what it is like to be a first responder. They also learned about fire trucks and scene safety. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Candidate Field Set For Century Special Election
January 25, 2017
The candidates are set for a special election in the Town of Century.
Qualified Candidates Council Seat 2:
- Luis Gomez, Jr.
- Kevin Stead
Qualified Candidate Council Seat 3:
- Benjamin D. Boutwell
Based on the number of candidates who have qualified, there will only be one election on February 28. Since there is only one candidate in the Council Seat 3 contest, the ballot will only have the Council Seat 2 race on the ballot.
Registration book closing for the February 28 election will be on January 30. New voter registration applications need to be postmarked or submitted to a voter registration agency by close of business on January 30.
Anyone who wishes to request a vote-by-mail ballot should visit EscambiaVotes.com and click “Vote by Mail”, or contact the Supervisor of Elections Office at 595-3900. The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot for the election is 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 22. To track your vote-by-mail ballot, visit EscambiaVotes.com and click “Track My Ballot.”
Lawmakers Push For Fracking Ban In Florida
January 25, 2017
Trying to end a debate about the possibility of fracking in Florida, a bipartisan group of lawmakers Tuesday backed a proposed ban on the controversial method of drilling for oil and natural gas.
“This bill is concise and straightforward: It bans fracking of all types in Florida,” said Sen. Dana Young, a Tampa Republican who filed the proposal (SB 442) on Tuesday.
The bill, which will be considered during the legislative session that starts March 7, comes after heavy debate during the 2016 session about a measure that would have created a regulatory framework for fracking in the state. The House passed the measure, which died in the Senate amid widespread opposition from environmentalists who argued it could open the door to fracking.
Young appeared at a news conference Tuesday with a coalition of Republican and Democratic lawmakers, including Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, and House Minority Leader Janet Cruz, D-Tampa. The group did not include top House Republican leaders.
Florida Petroleum Council Executive Director David Mica released a statement that said the proposed ban is out of step with consumers who see benefits from domestic energy production.
“The United States is the leading producer of oil, natural gas and refined product in the world, and the decades-old technique of hydraulic fracturing has led to lower energy costs for consumers and improvements in the environment,” Mica said in the statement. “Sen. Dana Young’s proposed ban could undermine the benefits that Florida families and consumers are seeing today.”
Oil and natural-gas drilling has taken place in parts of Northwest Florida and Southwest Florida for decades. But the possibility that drilling could involve fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, has spurred the legislative debate — similar to debates in other parts of the country where the method has become commonly used.
The method, in part, involves injecting water, sand and chemicals underground to create fractures in rock formations, allowing natural gas and oil to be released. While supporters say fracking increases production and holds down energy costs, opponents argue it threatens water supplies and can cause environmental damage.
During the news conference Tuesday, Young pointed to limestone formations in Florida and said fracking in the state “makes no sense.”
“Sometimes technology gets ahead of Mother Nature in a bad way,” said Sen. Gary Farmer, a Fort Lauderdale Democrat who also took part in the news conference. “I think this is an example.”
Fracking became a key issue is some legislative campaigns last year, including in Young’s race for a Hillsborough County Senate seat and in Sen. Keith Perry’s race in a North Florida district. Perry, R-Gainesville, is co-introducing Young’s proposed ban. Both served in the House last year and voted for the regulatory bill.
Young and Latvala, who helped kill the 2016 bill, said lawmakers had differences of opinion about the potential effects of last year’s measure. But the lawmakers at Tuesday’s news conference said they want to end the debate about fracking with an outright ban.
“What we do today is not for us, but for the next generation,” Perry said. “This kind of legislation that’s protecting the natural environment that we all enjoy, and need to save for future generations, should be one of our top priorities as we go forward in this session.”
But Mica said Florida shouldn’t “move backwards when the gains of energy security are important for Florida families.”
“The technology has been proven safe, and Florida is realizing the economic and environmental benefits of its use,” he said.
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
Northview Football Players Read To Byrneville Elementary Students
January 25, 2017
Several senior Northview High School football players read to students at Byrneville Elementary School on Tuesday for National Literacy week. Players reading to students were Luke Ward (#1), Devin Stabler (#11), Dustin Bethea (#52), Alston Wiggins (#54), Hunter Cofield (#55) and Dillon Clary (#60).
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ransom Middle Teacher Imhof Honored By Gov. Rick Scott
January 25, 2017
Escambia County Teacher of the Year Kristi Imhof was one of eight educators honored Tuesday with Governor Rick Scott’s Shine Award during a meeting of the Florida Cabinet in Tallahassee.
The Shine Award is presented to teachers and administrators in Florida who make significant contributions to the field of education.
Scott said, “I am proud to present these eight educators with the Governor’s Shine Award today. These outstanding teachers go above and beyond to educate students in our state. I applaud these educators for their dedication to helping our students learn and ensure they are prepared for higher education and careers.”
Imhof is a seventh grade language arts teacher at Ransom Middle School.
Pictured: Ransom Middle School teacher Kristi Imhof (fourth from right) was one of eight educators honored Tuesday by Gov. Rick Scott. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Senator Plans To Break Up Major Gun Bill
January 25, 2017
The author of a controversial proposal that would broadly expand how and where people can carry guns said Tuesday he is breaking up the measure.
However, Senate Judiciary Chairman Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, said he still intends to advance each smaller piece of his proposal (SB 140), which includes allowing people with concealed-weapons licenses to openly carry handguns in public and carry firearms on college and university campuses.
“Just from feeling the tea leaves, it’s probably better to attack it piece by piece,” Steube said after a Judiciary Committee meeting. “The House doesn’t have a bill that has all those different (parts).”
Steube, who was elected to the Senate in November, is chairing a committee where major gun-related measures died during the 2016 legislative session.
Steube’s proposal would affect Florida’s more than 1.67 million concealed-weapons license holders. The measure, in part, would allow them to be armed on college and university campuses, at airport passenger terminals, in elementary and secondary schools, and at legislative and local government meetings.
Pieces of the Senate bill have been filed in individual House bills for the 2017 session, which starts March 7.
Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, introduced a House version of the campus-carry measure (HB 6005). Also, Rep. Jake Raburn, R-Lithia, has proposed a bill (HB 6001) that would allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to bring guns into airport terminals.
The House overwhelmingly approved bills during the 2016 session to allow people to openly carry guns in public and carry them on campuses. Steube, then a member of the House, voted for both bills.
The campus-carry proposal faces opposition by university and college leaders, campus law- enforcement officials and faculty members. The Florida Sheriffs Association has opposed efforts to allow open-carry in Florida.
When Steube’s proposal is broken up, potentially into as many as 10 parts, Senate President Joe Negron will have to refer each proposal to a series of committee appearances.
Steube said campus-carry, which he sponsored in the House, and the airport-terminal proposal would be his top priorities.
“Given what’s happened at Fort Lauderdale airport, that’s important to me,” Steube said, alluding to a recent mass shooting at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Steube’s measure was scheduled to first go before the Judiciary Committee on Jan. 10, but the meeting was canceled as one Republican member — Sen. Rene Garcia of Hialeah — wasn’t going to be in attendance. Including Steube and Garcia, the committee is comprised of five Republicans and four Democrats.
Steube’s comments Tuesday came after a Second Amendment website claimed that the open-carry legislation is being held up by Republican members of the committee.
“Theoretically. This should be a cake walk,” the website The Truth About Guns said Monday in an article called “Florida Open Carry On Life Support.”
“Five Republicans members means the Democrats aren’t even an issue,” The Truth About Guns continued. “But here we have four Republicans that aren’t currently in favor of strengthening and further securing the 2nd Amendment in Florida.”
Meanwhile, influential National Rifle Association lobbyist Marion Hammer said Tuesday prior to the committee meeting that she isn’t worried about Steube’s proposal.
“If I were worried, you would have seen me blast out an alert,” Hammer said when asked about the bill as currently written.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Deputies Seek Bank Robber
January 25, 2017
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The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is searching for bank robber. The suspect walked into the Compass Bank on Davis Highway about 1:30 Tuesday afternoon and demanded money before fleeing on an orange motorcycle. Anyone with information on his identity or whereabouts is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620. Courtesy images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
IP Explosion: Officials Talk Black Liquor Dangers, Cleanup Work
January 25, 2017
International Paper joined government officials at a press conference Tuesday afternoon to detail the dangers of “black liquor” and remediation plans follow an explosion Sunday night.
IP’s Cantonment mill experienced significant structural damage to their largest pulp digester and power house during an explosion. The incident caused a mixture of wood fiber, water and black liquor to be released into the surrounding aera.
“We are incredibly thankful that no one was hurt, that no one was injured during this incident,” Mill Manager Bretton Dejong said. “We absolutely regret the disruption it has caused to the neighboring communities, our friends and neighbors. We’ve been here a long time and we’re very proud of our history, we’re proud of our community, and we hate that we’ve impacted our community.”
A top priority is remediation, he said.
For the first time in the nearly 48 hours after the accident, Dejong became the first International Paper employee to acknowledge that the black substance that rained down around the plant following the explosion was “black liquor”. The Florida Highway Patrol had referred to it as “black liquor” in a Monday morning press release, saying the substance was a skin, eye and respiratory irritant, but other government and IP officials had not used the term or detailed health hazards.
“Black liquor is a material that has elevated PH and is a byproduct of our pulping process. It is actually produced when the cooking chemicals are consumed during the cooking process,” he said.
Dr. John Lanza, director of the Florida Department of Health in Escambia County, said the black liquor no longer poses a significant public health risk as it may have when airborne immediately following the explosion.
He said the remaining health threat at this time is physical contact with the material.
“If you are trying to clean your house or something like that, you need to stay away from this material as much as you possibly can. The health issue is skin irritation,” Lanza said, adding that any contact area should be washed with soap and water. He advised people continued skin irritation or other issues from the material to contact a physician or go to the nearest emergency department.
Residents of the Woodbury area near the plant, an area covered in a layer of black liquor, have told NorthEscambia.com that they were concerned that they were being told not to touch the material and simply wash it off, but workers hired by IP to clean up the neighborhood were wearing protective hazardous material clothing.
Chris Russell of the U.S. EPA said that he has in the areas surrounding the plant dressed in ordinary street clothing.
“I have daughters that I love, and I am not going to let them go without a dad, and this is how I look when I go out there….that being said, when we have the workers out there they are going to be pressure washing and scrubbing. The is the possibility that they are going to get stuff..in their eyes and what not. So you will see them in a little bit more of protective gear.”
International Paper has set up a hotline for residents. Individuals with questions or concerns pertaining to Sunday night’s incident can contact the information hotline at (850) 968-4208. The number is available 24 hours a day until further notice.
Pictured above and below: Remediation efforts underway Tuesday afternoon on Woodbury Circle in Cantonment. Pictured below: Members of the Unified Command discuss the Sunday night explosion at the International Paper mill in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
IP Explosion: Citizen Information Phone Line Available
January 24, 2017
International Paper has set up a hotline for residents. Individuals with questions or concerns pertaining to Sunday night’s incident can contact the information hotline at (850) 968-4208. This number is available 24 hours a day until further notice.
Crews Respond To Fires Monday At International Paper
January 24, 2017
Escambia Fire Rescue crews responded to a fire twice Monday at International Paper in Cantonment…the first call just before 5 p.m. and a reflash just before midnight. The fires were reportedly contained to wood chips in an elevated storage bin. There were no injuries reported. The fires did not pose any threat to the public. The fires were not directly related to a Sunday night explosion at the facility, according to a county spokesperson. Pictured: Fire engines arrive at International Paper in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
