Bratt Elementary Wins $1,000 Wellness Challenge For Second Year
November 18, 2016
For the second consecutive year, Bratt Elementary School has been named the winner of Escambia Superintendent Malcolm Thomas’ Choose Wellness Challenge. The school was presented a $1,000 prize at Tuesday’s meeting of the Escambia County School Board.
The challenge was to see which school or major department could achieve the highest level of participation in the challenge by the end of the school year. Participants completed four steps to promote health and wellness, potentially reducing the district’s health care and lost work time costs.
Thomas said he expected the winner to come from a school that was located near the district’s health and wellness center. But he was wrong…again.
“This year’s winner, for the second straight year, is a school that is located the furtherest away,” Thomas said, “which makes it quite evident that mileage and inconvenience is not a factor when it comes to choosing wellness.
The $1,000 prize is expected to be used in some manner to promote wellness among the school’s staff. All of the funds were from private donations; no taxpayer dollars were used.
Ferry Pass Elementary School received a $500 prize as winner of the “Improvement Challenge”.
Deputies Searching For ‘Armed And Dangerous’ Drug Dealer
November 18, 2016
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is searching for 43-year old Jeffrey Mason Baisch. He is wanted for trafficking large amounts of methamphetamine into Escambia County and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to investigators.
The Sheriff’s Office said he should be considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached. Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Baisch is asked to call 911 or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9630.
Amtrak Service Could Return; Senator Wants Your Opinion
November 18, 2016
Amtrak passenger rail service restoration could be possible in the future for the Gulf Coast.
The Gulf Coast Rail Service Working Group was established by the FAST Act in December 2015 to evaluate the restoration of rail passenger service between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Orlando, Florida. The previously-existing passenger rail service was stopped prior to Hurricane Katrina. Damage to the route has been repaired and freight service was restored, but the passenger rail service has not been restored.
The group evaluating the possible restoration of passenger rail service includes members from the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak, CSX, Southern Rail Commission, West Florida Regional Planning Council, and other stakeholders along the Gulf Coast. The group has been convening to discuss details for the possible restoration, including funding and prioritization of actions to be taken should the restoration be approved. The result of these meetings will be a full report submitted by the group to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and the committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives.
The Gulf Coast Rail Service Working Group encourages community input regarding the project. Senator Bill Nelson is a ranking member of the Senate Committee that will review the final report provided by the Gulf Coast Rail Service Working Group. Community members are asked to send an email stating their position on the project to one of the following contacts at Senator Bill Nelson’s office by the end of the year:
Devon Barnhart – Devon_Barnhart@commerce.senate.gov
Mary Louise Hester - marylouise_hester@billnelson.senate.gov
Pictured top and inset: An Amtrak inspection train rolls in Atmore in February 2016. Pictured below: The train arrives in Pensacola. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
ECUA Elects Board Officers
November 18, 2016
The ECUA Organizational Board Meeting for 2016-2017 was held Thursday. Officers were unanimously elected among the Board members to fill the positions of chairman and vice-chairman of the Board.
Lois Benson, District 2, was re-elected to serve as board chairman, and Dale Perkins, District 4, was re-elected to the vice-chairmanship.
Also unanimously re-elected to the following positions were:
- Vicki Campbell, District 1, to the chairmanship of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee and Larry N. Walker, District 5, to serve as the vice-chairman.
- Deborah Benn, Chuck Kimball, Catherine Booker, Josh Womack, Michael Steltenkamp, Randy Ponson, and Louise Ritz, were unanimously appointed to serve as members of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee.
Operation Christmas Child Collection Week At First Baptist Bratt
November 18, 2016
Volunteers have been busy this week at the First Baptist Church of Bratt during “National Collection Week” for Operation Christmas Child. For the 23rd year, the simple, gift-filled shoe boxes will bring Christmas joy and evangelistic materials to children in over 130 countries across the world.
National Collection Week for OCC is November 14-21. The First Baptist Church of Bratt is the official OCC Relay Center for the north end of Escambia County, FL.
Pastor Tim Hawsey, Relay Center coordinator, said the shoe boxes are distributed by trained local pastors and volunteers around the world…right where the children live. The children that receive the box are invited to participate in a twelve step bible study called The Greatest Journey translated into their native language and taught by local people the children know.
Collection hours at the First Baptist Church of Bratt will be:
- Friday, Nov. 18: 8 a.m. – noon, 4-6 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 19: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 20: 9 a.m. – noon, 4-7 p.m.
- Monday, Nov. 21: 8 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Operation Christmas Child boxes should be packed in a specific manner. For more information, call Hawsey at the First Baptist Church of Bratt at (850) 327-6529, visit www.samaritanspurse.org/occ, or call (800) 353-5949. Resources are available for churches that wish to participate.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Scott Heads To NY, Meets With Trump
November 18, 2016
Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who led a political committee that raised $20 million to help Republican Donald Trump’s campaign, traveled to New York City on Thursday to congratulate the president-elect on his victory last week and to offer help “to reinvent the federal government.”
Scott tweeted two pictures of himself and Trump, who were both smiling broadly, taken at Trump Tower.
“Great seeing my friend @realDonaldTrump today,” Scott tweeted. Later in an interview on Fox News, Scott reaffirmed that he wants to remain as Florida’s governor, although there has been speculation he could join the Trump administration, possibly as the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“I’m not interested,” Scott told Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto. “I’m interested in doing whatever I can to help him rewrite Obamacare, redesign the government and help him work with the 33 Republican governors who have great ideas to help him be successful. If he’s successful, Florida will be successful.”
Asked to react to the possibility of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who had been a harsh critic of the president-elect, becoming Trump’s secretary of state, Scott said: “It’s the Trump administration. It’s always going to be the Trump administration. It’s going to be what his beliefs are. All this talk about different positions and things like that, it’s still the Trump administration.” Scott told Cavuto “that you should surround yourself with people who believe in what you’re doing and are going to do everything they can to support you.” But Scott recalled his election in 2010, when most of the Republican establishment did not support him, and said “I had to forget some of the things that people said” as he created his first administration as governor. Scott expressed confidence that Trump would be successful in establishing a leadership team. “Donald Trump is going to find the best people. He’s going to make sure they do their job. He’s going to hold everybody accountable.” Scott, who like Trump was a business executive before winning his first political office, said Trump “has specific goals to get things done.” In addition to repealing Obamacare, Scott said: “We have to get rid of a lot of parts of government that doesn’t work. So much of federal government, there is no return on investment and Donald Trump is going to focus on that.”
by The News Service of Florida
Fall Gulf Coast Small Farms Field Day Held
November 18, 2016
UF/IFAS Extension hosted the Fall Gulf Coast Small Farms Field Day on Thursday at the West Florida Research and Education Center in Jay.
Topics covered during the day included:
- Using Protected Agriculture and Hydroponics to Meet Demand for High Value Specialty Crops - Bob Hochmuth
- FDACS Best Management Practices for Vegetable Producer - David Cambron, FDACS
- BMPs: Nutrient Management, Water Protection & IPM
- High Tunnel Trials: Kale, Swiss Chard & Carrots
- Marketing to Niche Markets
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Work Underway On Nine Mile, Highway 29 Widening Projects
November 17, 2016
Work is in the beginning stages on Nine Mile Road and Highway 29 widening projects that will continue for the next several years.
The Florida Department of Transportation says most the work drivers can see taking place along Nine Mile Road between Pine Forest Road and Highway 29 is being performed by various utility companies as they relocate and make improvements to their facilities before road construction can begin. Trees and other vegetative debris that is being removed is being burned on-site.
What drivers on Highway 29 do not see are the drainage operations taking place in the four storm water retention ponds located off the main corridor. Truckloads of 66-inch drainage pipe that will be used at a drainage pond was recently delivered.
FDOT has awarded two construction contracts totaling $46 million to improve Nine Mile Road from Beulah Road to Highway 29. The project includes widening Nine Mile Road from two to four lanes.
FDOT has also awarded a $48.9 million construction contract to reconstruct Highway 29 from I-10 to just north of Nine Mile Road. Work includes widening the roadway from four to six lanes and replacing the Highway 29 bridge over Nine Mile Road.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blackwater State Forest Grows By 625 Acres
November 17, 2016
The Blackwater State Forest has grown by over 600 acres.
The Trust for Public Land announced Wednesday that 626 acres of Wolfe Creek Forest has been acquired and added to the Blackwater River State Forest. The acquired property includes frontage on Big Coldwater Creek, which is widely used for kayaking, tubing, and canoeing by community members. It also includes a spring-fed state paddling trail beloved by area paddlers and birdwatchers.
This acquisition will also protect naval air base operations, water sources, public recreational activities, bird migration, and habitat for endangered species and other wildlife. The Trust for Public Land purchased the property on October 18th from CF Florida, LLC. The purchase price was $1,526,038.85 and was sold to the State of Florida for the same price on November 4.
“Incorporating this section of Wolfe Creek Forest into the Blackwater River State Forest protects it from development, forever, protecting both the natural resources on the property as well as assuring continued naval air station operations. Our goal is to make sure this land remains a recreational hub and habitat center for generations to come while investing in the future of Whiting Field,” said Trust for Public Land Project Manager Doug Hattaway.
Funding for the acquisition came by leveraging both Florida Forever funds, with the US Navy contribution through its Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program. Protecting the property ensures that land adjacent to the base will not be incompatibly developed in ways that may limit flight operations and vital military training.
NAS Whiting Field is the busiest aviation complex in the world, accounting for nearly 15 million annual flight operations including primary flight training for over 1,200 students and is the host of 21 tenant activities. Additionally, approximately 600 new helicopter pilots are winged annually and 100 percent of all Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard pilots are trained at NAS Whiting Field. The base supports over 14,000 local jobs and is a vital economic engine for the area with more than $1.1 billion in economic impact on the local economy.
The acquisition will also accelerate efforts to fill in a strategic landscape-level gap of long leaf pine forest. Land management will see to the replacement of existing commercial tree species with the native long leaf pine species. Longleaf Pine Forests once covered over 90 million acres in the Southeastern United States but prior logging practices reduced their range to only about 3 million acres.
Bringing back the native trees will provide the habitat upon which several endangered animal and plant species, such as the red cockaded woodpecker, indigo snake, black-bear, and gopher tortoise depend.
Molino Christmas Parade Set For December 3
November 17, 2016
The 14th Annual Molino Christmas Parade is set for Saturday, December 3 at 11 a.m.
The parade route starts at the west end of Crabtree Church Road and ends and the Molino Ballpark were Santa Will be waiting to visit with all the good little boys and girls.
To participate in the parade, preregister at Jimmy’s Grill or register the day of the parade. Registration fees are $30 for floats; $20 for vehicles, motorcycles, tractors or golf carts; and $10 each for horses. No 4-wheelers or go-carts. All proceeds go directly back to the community to help children in need.
For more information, contact René at (850) 255-3330 or Jimmy’s Grill at (850) 754-0041. Donations such as toys and non-perishable foot items can be dropped off at Jimmy’s Grill.
The rain date will be Sunday, December 4 at 2:30 p.m.
Pictured: The 2015 Molino Christmas Parade. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
