Gulf Power Crews Deploy To Restore Power In Alabama
June 19, 2016
Following a round of Friday night storms that left customers without power across the Southeast, Gulf Power crews headed north Saturday to help sister company Alabama Power restore power in the Montgomery area.
A storm team of more than 60 crew and support staff from Gulf Power along with 15 distribution line contractors will assist in storm restoration after a state of emergency was declared due to widespread power outages caused by Friday’s storms.
According to a release from the office of the Alabama governor, Robert Bentley, the declaration will allow crews from other states, including Gulf Power, to assist in the restoration of power until Tuesday. Alabama Power crews worked overnight to restore 42,000 power outages statewide, with the majority of the outages in Mobile, where 13,500 customers were still without power by Saturday morning.
“Our crews worked through the night to restore power here in Northwest Florida due to the same storm system,” said Rick DelaHaya, Gulf Power spokesperson. “Once we have completed our restoration efforts, our crews will travel to help our sister company. That’s the power of being a part of Southern Company — to be able to call on sister companies for help . We make every effort to respond as quickly and safely as possible to unforeseen weather events, whether right here at home or for our neighbors.”
The Gulf Power crews deployed from various company locations including Pensacola, Crestview and Chipley.
File photo.
Couple Hosts Appreciation Picnic For Beulah VFD
June 19, 2016
The Beulah community turned out Saturday afternoon for a Beulah Volunteer Fire Department Appreciation Picnic.
The event was hosted by Donna and Joe Meeks at their Live Oak Plantation in Beulah and included grilled Conecuh Sausage, hot dogs, other food, games and music.
“Joe and I thought it would be fitting to show them just how much everyone in Beulah appreciate them and their families for all their hard work, time and effort they give for all of us with little or no recognition,” Donna Meeks wrote on Facebook.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bear Hunt Proposal Ready For Wildlife Commission
June 19, 2016
A bear hunt this fall would be broken into three four-day periods, with hunters applying on a first-come, first-served basis for permits that would be specific to dates and areas, under a staff recommendation that will go before the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Wednesday.
The recommendation to hold the state’s second bear hunt in the past 20 years expands on a proposal from state biologists without offering hard numbers of bears that could be killed or suggesting a number of permits that could be made available or the costs of permits.
Tammy Sapp, a spokeswoman for the commission, said more specifics will be discussed when the commission begins a two-day meeting Wednesday in the Franklin County community of Eastpoint.
The staff recommendation, posted online, is among four proposals that have been put before the commission, including holding a hunt similar to one last October, delaying another hunt until 2017 or prohibiting a hunt for the next several years.
“The staff recommendation is to continue to use hunting to slow the growth of bear populations,” said the recommendation by Diane Eggeman, director of the Division of Hunting and Game Management. “The new hunt format, which would begin in 2016, would be modified to increase precision and accountability.”
Under the staff recommendation, the first hunting period would begin Oct. 21, with the second four-day period starting Oct. 26 and the third Oct. 31.
A hunt last October was planned for up to seven days but was called off after two days as hunters quickly approached the quota of 320 bears.
The overall number of bears targeted this year could be up from last year as the state has increased its estimate of adult black bears to 4,350. For the 2015 hunt, in which 304 bears were killed, the agency estimated there were about 3,500 bears in the state.
Saying the state should focus on non-lethal ways to reduce human-bear interactions, the group Stop The Florida Bear Hunt contends the proposed changes offer little difference from last year’s controversial hunt.
The group has implored members on it Facebook page to voice objections to commission members and plans to hold a series of protest rallies across the state on Saturday.
“The upcoming meeting is most likely a dog and pony show to act like they care what the public thinks,” the group said on Facebook. “There is no way they can enforce any of these rules. It is left up to the trophy hunter using the honor system.”
Kate MacFall, Florida state director for The Humane Society, wants the commission to reject the hunt.
“I think the commissioners will have an open mind, and I hope they will listen to the will of the people of Florida,” MacFall said. “Clearly it’s a very unpopular hunt and just to cater to the will of the trophy hunters doesn’t make sense.”
Last year, the state sold 3,778 permits at a cost of $100 to state residents and $300 for out-of-state residents. The state did not limit the number of permits sold, and hunters were allowed to pick any of the areas of the state open for the hunt, regardless of the number of hunters or bears believed to be in the regions.
The staff recommendation for this year seeks to refine the hunting zones to areas where calls and incidents about human-bear conflicts are more common and would limit the number of hunters allowed in each zone at one time.
“This limited hunt option would allow FWC to hold a more precise bear hunt using the data and information collected including the latest bear population science,” Eggeman wrote in her recommendation.
Gun-rights organizations have urged the commission to increase the number of days from the 2015 hunt as a way to reduce the bear population and the potential for human-bear conflicts.
The staff recommendation would impose additional rules against hunting near game-feeding stations and would prohibit killing bears if other bears, including cubs are nearby. Hunters would also be issued tags that they would be required to place on bears immediately after the kill to enhance enforcement.
Based on a map that will be shown to the commission on Wednesday, hunting could be opened in 32 counties from the Panhandle counties of Bay, Jackson and Washington counties east to the Atlantic Ocean, omitting Nassau and Duval counties.
In Southwest Florida, the hunt would be allowed in Collier, Lee and Hendry counties, according to the map.
New Traffic Signal Now Active At Hwy 297A And Pine Cone Drive
June 19, 2016
A new traffic signal is now active at Highway 297A and Pine Cone Drive. The signal was installed by Escambia County at a cost of $167,705.50 to Ingram Signalization, Inc. It was funded with Local Option Sales Tax monies. NorthEscambia.com photo by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Robbery Suspects Arrested; SWAT Nabs 3 At Hotel, Two Arrested Later
June 18, 2016
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has arrested five people in connection with the robbery of a Nine Mile Road gas station.
Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said one 18-year old adult and two teen juveniles were taken into custody at the Magnuson Inn on Pensacola Boulevard by the ECSO SWAT team and the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force.
The Sheriff’s Office later arrested Ryan Cheney and Michelle Gagne in the Perdido Key area. He allegedly fired his weapon during the armed robbery of the Raceway Gas Station on Nine Mile Road and Fowler Avenue near Lowes about 8:20 Wednesday night. There were no injuries in that robbery.
Gagne was described as an accomplice by Morgan.
Cheney was charged with robbery, as was 18-year old Hunter Lafoe of St. Laconia, NH. Gagne was being held in the Escambia County Jail as a fugitive from justice. All three were also wanted in Hancock County, MS, according to jail records. Details on charges against the two teen juveniles have not been released.
The sheriff said the suspects may have been involved in robberies in other states, including Mississippi and along the East Coast, but he declined to provide exact locations.
Gagne and Cheney were tracked down after tips received after their images were posted by NorthEscambia.com and two other media outlets, according to Morgan.
“You were picking up your phones, you were texting us, you were calling in telling us where these suspects were at,” Morgan said just after the arrests. “It (the arrests) were due solely to our community involvement….thank you Escambia County, we can rest easier tonight.”
For more information on the Raceway robbery, click here.
Photos by Kristi Barbour, Johnathon Hilliard and others for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
One Injured In Highway 29, Highway 97 Crash
June 18, 2016
One person was injured in a two vehicle crash Friday night at the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 97 in Molino.
One vehicle came to rest on Highway 97 at the intersection, while the second came to rest north of the intersection in the edge of a wooded area alongside Highway 29.
The driver of the vehicle in the wooded area was transported by Escambia County EMS to a Pensacola area hospital with injuries that were not considered serious. The driver of the other vehicle refused medical treatment at the scene.
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Further details. including the names of the drivers, have not been released. The Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded to the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
FDOT: Weekly Traffic Alerts
June 18, 2016
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:
- Interstate 10 (I-10)/U.S. 29 Interchange Improvements – The following traffic impacts will occur Sunday, June 19 through Thursday, June 23 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. to allow crews to perform bridge widening work:
- Intermittent and alternating lane closures on U.S. 29, between Diamond Dairy Road and Broad Street.
- Alternating lane closures on I-10 near U.S. 29 (exits 10A and 10B).
- The U.S. 29 south to I-10 eastbound ramp will be closed. Traffic will be detoured south to make a U-turn at Diamond Dairy Road.
- The U.S. 29 north to I-10 westbound ramp will be closed. Traffic will be detoured north to make a U-turn at Broad Street.
- The I-10 westbound to U.S. 29 south ramp (exit 10A) will be closed. Traffic will be detoured to exit 10B and will make a U-turn at Broad Street.
- The I-10 eastbound to U.S. 29 north ramp (exit 10B) will be closed. Traffic will be detoured to exit 10A and make a U-turn at Diamond Dairy Road.
- Drivers are reminded that the speed limit on I-10 near U.S. 29 has been lowered to 50 mph.
Santa Rosa County:
- I-10 Widening – Alternating lane closures, between the Escambia Bay Bridge and S.R. 281 (Avalon Boulevard/Exit 22), Sunday, June 19 through Thursday, June 23 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. as crews continue widening work. In addition, alternating lane closures on Avalon Boulevard near the I-10 interchange for bridge work.
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather. Drivers are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling in a work zone and to watch for construction workers and equipment entering and exiting the roadway.
FEMA Awards $6.5 Million For Bristol Park, Ashbury Hills, Lake Charlene
June 18, 2016
Escambia County has been awarded two FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program projects, or HMGP, to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters, one in Lake Charlene and the other in the Bristol Park-Bristol Creek-Ashbury Hills Flood Plain. The grants total more than $6.5 million and will implement long-term hazard mitigation measures to reduce flooding in both areas. HMGP projects are typically phased to allow an engineering study, construction plans preparation, permitting, bidding, and construction management services.
Bristol Park-Bristol Creek- Ashbury Hills Flood Plain Restoration Project
Federal HMGP funds for this project total $6,189,379. A plan of action will be developed to include professional services that will be needed to manage the grant. To meet restoration expectations, the floodplain area will be evaluated and property areas and easements will be studied.
After conceptual plans are completed, Escambia County will schedule a public meeting to review options before property areas/easement needs are identified. Other funding sources such as RESTORE, LOST and other sources of funding will also be pursued for this project. This grant is the first step toward extensive flood plain restoration of Eleven Mile Creek that adjoins the Bristol Park-Bristol Creek- Ashbury Hills Area.
Lake Charlene Outfall Project
The goal of this mitigation project is to improve drainage for the Lake Charlene area. The project begins at the channel intersecting Lake Joanne Drive on the west and expands east to the intersection of South 61st Avenue, then south to the outfall at U.S. Highway 98.
The grant is set up in two phases: design and construction. Federal HMGP funds total $314,274 for Phase 1, the design phase. It is expected this phase will take nine months to complete, pending contract negotiations for professional services, design time, permit approvals, and FEMA review and approval.
After design, easement acquisition, environmental permitting and bid packages are complete and delivered to FDEM-FEMA for review, Phase 2 for construction will be considered by FEMA for funding and agreement amendment.
The current plan for Phase 2, the construction phase, is to install approximately 1,600 feet of double 60-inch concrete pipe from the channel intersecting Lake Joanne Drive, east to 61st Avenue, and then south on 61st Avenue. At minimum, another 800 feet of 66-inch pipe and 110 feet of 60-inch pipe will be installed to reach the U.S. 98 outfall location. The construction schedule will be dependent on identification of needed easements and processing of issues associated with those easements.
An additional future phase, referenced as Lake Charlene-Bridle Trail emergency outfall was submitted to the RESTORE Advisory Committee, for funding consideration.
Upon completion, Phase 1 will provide protection against a 50-year storm event. A public meeting will be scheduled upon completion of 60 percent design.
Pictured top: Post-flooding in Bristol Park. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Florida Retailers: Father’s Day Spending To Reach Record High
June 18, 2016
The Florida Retail Federation (FRF), the state’s premier trade association representing retailers for over 75 years, says Florida families will spend more than ever on Father’s Day this year. Consumers are expected to spend an average $125.92 for the holiday, up from last year’s $115.57. Total spending nationwide is expected to reach $14.3 billion, the highest in the survey’s 13-year history but still below this year’s Mother’s Day total of $21.4 billion.
“Father’s Day serves as an informal kickoff to the summer shopping season, and we expect it to be a record setting start statewide,” said FRF President/CEO Randy Miller. “More Florida families are feeling better about their economic situation, which bodes well for dads, in terms of receiving gifts, and for retailers who can expect increased sales.”
According to FRF’s partners at the National Retail Federation’s annual survey conducted by Prosper Insight and Analytics, consumers plan to spend $3.1 billion on special outings such as dinner, brunch or other types of a “fun activity/experience” (given by 47 percent). Clothing (given by 43 percent) and gift cards (given by 41 percent) are tied at under $2 billion each while consumer electronics (given by 20 percent) follow at $1.7 billion. As with Mother’s Day, greeting cards are the most commonly purchased gift at 65 percent but account for only $833 million of projected spending. Other popular gifts include personal care, automotive accessories, books, music, home improvement/gardening supplies and sporting goods.
The survey found 22 percent of shoppers will opt for a “gift of experience” such as tickets to a concert or a sporting event. Two in five Millennials are planning to give an experience, significantly higher than older generations.
When searching for the perfect gift, 38 percent of consumers will head to department stores and 32 percent will shop online while 27 percent will shop at a discount store, 24 percent at a specialty store and 17 percent at a local small business. Among smartphone owners, 30 percent will use them to research gift ideas but only 16 percent will use them to make a purchase. Tablets are used more frequently both to research (32 percent) and buy (19 percent).
More than half of those surveyed plan to buy for their father or stepfather (53 percent), while others will shop for their husband (28 percent) or son (9 percent).
Storms Down Trees, Power Lines; Driver Hits Downed Tree; Lightning Sparks House Fire
June 18, 2016
A line of storms that moved through the area Friday evening left behind downed trees and power lines.
In Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, Gulf Power reported about 5,750 customers without power. As of 1 a.m. Saturday, nearly 700 customers were still without power in over 50 scattered outages. Escambia River Electric Cooperative reported about 1,000 customers without power in scattered outages following the storm.
Downed trees also blocked several roadways, including Highway 4A near Century, Meadows Road in Davisville and Molino Road. On Highway 4A west of Broomes Road near Century, the driver of a pickup truck plowed into a downed tree across the roadway.
Santa Rosa County reported a house fire in the 3700 block of North Simmons Road that was caused by lightning. The Jay, Allentown, Berrydale and Flomaton fire departments responded. The fire was quickly brought under control with minimal damage.
There were no storm related injuries and no major structural damage reported in the North Escambia area.
A wind gust of 60 mph was reported by an official weather station in Atmore.
Pictured top: The driver of this pickup ran into a downed tree on Highway 4A near Broomes Road. Reader submitted photo by Aaron James. Pictured below: A tree and downed powerlines on Meadows Road near Davisville. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
