Florida Power & Light Offering In-Person Assistance Tuesday In Century
June 6, 2022
Florida Power & Light will offer in-person assistance to customers in Century on Tuesday.
FP&L customer care reps and energy experts will analyze personal energy usage patterns and will provide customers with saving tips.
As temperatures rise with summer, air conditioner usage will increase resulting in higher bills, according to FPL.
“We understand that customers are looking for ways to lower their bill as we get into the hot summer weather,” said Richard Howard, a Northwest Florida energy expert for FPL. “There are simple changes that you can make in and around your home that can add up to savings on your bill.”
The FPL Community Action Team mobile unit will be at the Century Town Hall on Tuesday from 9 a.m. until noon.
The complete schedule for Escambia and Santa Rosa counties is as follows:
Escambia County – June 6
- 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. — Brownsville Community Center – 3200 W. De Soto St., Pensacola
- 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. — Bayview Community Center – 2001 East Lloyd St., Pensacola
Escambia County – June 7
- 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. — Century Town Hall – 7995 North Century Blvd., Century
Santa Rosa County – June 7
- 2 p.m – 5 p.m. — Santa Rosa County Administrative Complex – 6495 Caroline St., Milton
Florida Gas Prices Hit A New Record High; AAA Says $5 Gas Becoming More Likely
June 6, 2022
Florida gas prices are creeping closer to $5 a gallon. The state average jumped 18 cents last week, reaching a new all-time high of $4.76 per gallon on Sunday.
Escambia County is faring a little better with an average of $4.57 per gallon, the lowest metro average in the state.
The lowest price Sunday night in North Escambia was $4.49 per gallon at two stations on Highway 29 in Cantonment. A low of $4.45 could be found in Pensacola on Nine Mile Road and at the warehouse clubs.
Florida gas prices are now 66% more expensive than a year ago. It now costs $71 to fill an average size 15-gallon tank of gas. That’s nearly $29 more than what drivers paid a year ago.
“Unfortunately, the pain at the pump is likely to get even worse this week,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Gasoline made very strong gains in the futures market last week. When that happens, we normally see retail prices rise. It can take days or a week for pump prices to reflect the change, but It wouldn’t be a surprise to see retailers raise their prices another 20 cents by Monday night. At this rate, it sure seems like there’s very little resistance to rising prices at the pump, and $5 a gallon is quickly becoming a very real possibility this summer.”
Crude oil prices rose 3% last week on the futures market. Friday’s settlement of $118.87 per barrel was $3.80/b more than the week before. Gasoline future prices increased 24 cents per gallon from the week before, reaching a new all-time record high. Although OPEC+ announced plans to raise oil production by 648,000 barrels per day.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Wahoos Win With Another Wild Walk-Off
June 6, 2022
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos walked off the Biloxi Shuckers for the third night in a row on Sunday, winning 7-6 thanks to four consecutive hit batsmen to end the game.
Trailing 6-4 going to the bottom of the ninth, the Blue Wahoos needed to put only one ball in play against Harold Chirino (L, 1-1) as Troy Johnston reached on an error, Griffin Conine drew a walk, and Luis Aviles Jr., Ray-Patrick Didder, Cobie Fletcher-Vance and Bubba Hollins were each plunked.
The Blue Wahoos took five of six from the Shuckers, four in walk-off fashion, and now lead the South Division by 3.5 games with 18 to play in the first half.
Pensacola starter Cody Mincey allowed a pair of two-run homers to Sal Frelick and Felix Valerio to put the Blue Wahoos in an early hole. J.D. Orr was an early offensive bright spot, walking and scoring from second on a wild pitch in the third and singling and scoring on an error in the fifth.
Trailing 6-2 in the seventh, Aviles Jr. brought home a run with a two-out RBI single, Pensacola’s only run-scoring hit of the game. Orr drove in another run in the eighth with an RBI groundout, and Dylan Bice (W, 1-0) worked a quiet ninth to keep the game 6-4.
Chirino threw 21 pitches, only nine for strikes, and hit the final four batters of the ballgame to send the Blue Wahoos to their third walk-off win in a row.
After an off day on Monday, the Blue Wahoos embark on a six-game road trip to Birmingham on Tuesday.
by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Owner Finds, Pursues Her Stolen Truck; Cantonment Man Facing Charges
June 5, 2022
The owner of a stolen truck located it in Cantonment and gave pursuit, landing the suspect in jail after deputies arrived.
Charles Burland Kettering, Jr., was charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.
Kettering, 44, allegedly stole a 1988 Chevrolet truck from a residence on Nine Mile Road. The owner of the truck later called the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and said she was pursuing her stolen truck on Kingsfield Road, approaching Highway 29. Deputies arrived to see the truck traveling through the intersection at a high rate of speed. Deputies conducted a felony traffic stop on the truck at Kingsfield Road and Squire Road.
“That’s meth,” Kettering told deputies as they found a crystal-like substance in his left pants pocket, according to an arrest report. The substance field tested positive for methamphetamine.
Kettering told deputies that he did not know the vehicle was stolen, he had received it from a friend known only as “Fat” near a church on Kingsfield Road.
Kettering also had outstanding warrants for credit card fraud and dealing in stolen property. He remained in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $60,500.
Hurricane, Disaster Prep Sales Tax Holiday Continues This Week
June 5, 2022
Florida’s 14-day Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday continues through Friday, offering a savings on hurricane supplies.
This year, household pet supplies such as pet food, leashes, collars, beds and portable kennels are also included in the list of items eligible to be purchased tax-free (see the bottom of the list below).
Floridians are expected to save $25.6 million on the purchase of tax-free items such as flashlights, radios, tarps, batteries and fire extinguishers. This is more than double compared to the $10.5 million Floridians saved during the 2021 Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday.
The sales tax holiday continues through June 10.
Here is the list of included items:
Selling for $20 or less:
- Reusable ice (ice packs)
Selling for $40 or less:
- Any portable self-powered light source* (powered by battery, solar, hand-crank or gas):
- Flashlights
- Lanterns
- Candles
Selling for $50 or less:
- Any gas or diesel fuel container, including LP gas and kerosene containers
- Batteries, including rechargeable batteries, listed sizes only (excluding automobile and boat batteries):
- AA-cell and AAA-cell
- C-cell
- D-cell
- 6-volt
- 9-volt
- Two-way and weather band radios* (powered by battery, solar, or hand-crank)
* Eligible light sources and radios qualify for the exemption even if electrical cords are included in the purchase.
Selling for $60 or less:
- Nonelectric food storage coolers
- Portable power banks
NEW THIS YEAR: Selling for $70 or less:
- Smoke detectors and smoke alarms
- Fire extinguishers
- Carbon monoxide detectors
Selling for $100 or less:
- Tarpaulins (tarps) or other flexible waterproof sheeting
- Ground anchor systems
- Tie-down kits
- Bungee cords
- Ratchet straps
Selling for $1,000 or less:
Portable generators used to provide light or communications, or to preserve food in the event of a power outage
NEW THIS YEAR: Supplies necessary for the evacuation of household pets, including:
- Cans or pouches of wet pet food selling for $2 or less per can or pouch or the equivalent if
- sold in a box or case
- Collapsible or travel-sized food or water bowls selling for $15 or less per item
- Manual can openers selling for $15 or less per item
- Cat litter pans selling for $15 or less
- Pet waste disposal bags selling for $15 or less per package
- Hamster or rabbit substrate selling for $15 or less per package
- Leashes, collars, and muzzles selling for $20 or less
- Pet pads selling for $20 or less per box or package
- Cat litter weighing 25 or fewer pounds and selling for $25 or less
- Bags of dry pet food weighing 15 or fewer pounds and selling for $30 or less
- Pet beds selling for $40 or less
- Portable kennels or pet carriers selling for $100 or less
Cox Charities Awards Grants To Three Escambia Schools
June 5, 2022
Cox Communications employees have awarded eight grants to local schools, through Cox Charities Innovation in Education Grants. The program provides employee funded grants of up to $2,500 for classroom programs and curriculum that encourage and promote students’ ingenuity and imagination. Earlier this year, nearly 40 applications were submitted by schools in Escambia and Okaloosa Counties.
Cox Charities Innovation in Education grant recipients included the following in Escambia County:
Beulah Elementary School – Bringing Reading to Life ($500) – This program will help third graders transition learning by helping them better comprehend the stories they ready by providing them with engaging experiences and discussions. The class will develop projects and activities based on the books they read and discuss.
Escambia Westgate School – Westgate Sensory Picture Book Walk ($1,200) - The Sensory Picture Book Walk for the entire student population at Escambia Westgate will be an innovative way to meet many of students’ complex sensory needs, while also providing them educational activity. The multisensory component of this program will maximize the participation and engagement of our students with unique learning needs. To create this program, laminated pages from a picture book would be attached to signposts. The signposts would be placed along a winding path through our sensory garden at Westgate. As the students complete one page, they can move through the garden on to the next page of the story. The display book will be updated 3 to 4 times throughout the year, to provide a new story.
West Florida High School – Escambia County Living Shorelines Program ($2,000) - This coastal habitat restoration project is a collaboration between West Florida High School and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). Marine Science students are teaming up with the Agricultural Sciences Academy to multiply and propagate emergent vegetation for planting in environmentally sensitive shoreline areas along the Gulf Coast. The partnership between FDEP and WFHS began as a program to engage youth of our area in making a positive environmental impact through mitigating shoreline erosion, creating habitat for marine life, and filtering out pollution. Through this grant students will: 1) Develop an understanding of shoreline ecology 2) Successfully propagate three species of emergent halophyte plants and, 3) Participate in a shoreline restoration planting.
Cox Charities is 100 percent funded by local employees through payroll deductions. A committee of 13 Gulf Coast employees then reviewed and chose grant recipients based on the amount of funding available.
Pictured: Beulah Elementary School was the recipient of a $500 Cox Charities grant. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Inmate Reported As Escaped From Atmore Prison Was Actually Released By Mistake
June 5, 2022
An inmate that was reported as escaped from the Fountain Correctional Facility in Atmore was actually released by prison staff due to a mistake, NorthEscambia.com has confirmed.
Corey Daniel Gable, 31, was “released due to a clerical error”, Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) spokesperson Kelly Betts told NorthEscambia.com in an email.
Gable was serving a 20 year sentence for first degree assault out of Mobile County.
On Tuesday, ADOC issued an “Inmate Escape Report” stating that Gable has “left from an assigned location” in Atmore, but did not provide a specific location before later telling us it was Fountain Correctional Facility. A few hours later, ADOC issued an “Inmate Recapture Report” that stated he was recaptured by U.S. Marshals in Prichard, Alabama.
“The ‘be on the lookout’ (BOLO) report was issued out of an abundance of caution. Gable was returned to Fountain shortly after he was mistakenly released”, Betts told NorthEscambia.com.
She said the ADOC Law Enforcement Services Division is investigating the incident.
These Are This Week’s Construction Delay Spots
June 5, 2022
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:
- U.S. 98 Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement – Drivers will encounter alternating lane closures and lane shifts on the Pensacola Bay Bridge Sunday, June 5 through Saturday, June 11 from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. On Tuesday, June 7, U.S. 98 westbound (Gulf Breeze to Pensacola) will have lane closures beginning at 10 p.m. due to Bands on the Beach. Crews will be using lanes on the current bridge as a platform to pour concrete decks for the westbound (Gulf Breeze to Pensacola) structure.
- West Cervantes Street (U.S. 90) Pedestrian Safety Improvement – Motorists traveling on West Cervantes Street will encounter daytime single lane closures and lane shifts, between A Street and Dominguez Street, as crews install pedestrian fence.
- North Ninth Avenue (State Road (S.R.) 289) Carpenters Creek Bridge Replacement – All travel lanes are temporarily shifted to the southbound side of the bridge as crews construct the northbound portion. Additionally, drivers may encounter intermittent temporary lane closures Monday, June 6 through Friday, June 10 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. as crews mobilize materials and equipment.
- Sorrento Road (S.R. 292) Intersection Improvements at Innerarity Point (County Road 292A) – Motorists can expect intermittent daytime shoulder closures Monday, June 6 through Friday, June 10 for drainage operations.
- Pace Boulevard from Barrancas Avenue to Massachusetts Avenue – The sidewalks on the eastern side of Pace Boulevard, between Barrancas Avenue and Navy Boulevard, are closed as crews perform sidewalk and curb improvements. Pedestrians will be detoured to the signalized intersections to access the sidewalks on the western side of Pace Boulevard during this time.
- Barrancas Avenue (S.R. 292) from Manchester Street to the Bayou Chico Bridge – The sidewalks on the northern side of Barrancas Avenue, between Manchester Avenue and Pace Boulevard, will be closed as crews work on sidewalk improvements. Detours to the sidewalks on the southern side of Barrancas Avenue will be in place for pedestrian use during this time.
- Pensacola Boulevard (U.S. 29) from Brent Lane to North of Interstate 10 (I-10) – Drivers will encounter alternating lane closures Sunday, June 5 through Thursday, June 9 from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. as crews work on sidewalk and curb improvements.
- I-10 at the Interstate 110 (I-110) Interchange – Drivers will encounter the following traffic impacts between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. as crews perform milling and resurfacing work:
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- Sunday, June 5 and Monday, June 6: alternating lane closures on the ramp from I-110 northbound to I-10 westbound.
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- Tuesday, June 7 through Thursday, June 9: alternating lane closures on the Davis Highway on-ramp to I-110 southbound.
- U.S. 98 (West Navy Boulevard) Routine Maintenance near Chaseville Steet – Motorists will encounter intermittent lane closures, Monday, June 6 through Thursday, June 9 from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. to install signs on cable structures.
Santa Rosa County:
- Pensacola Bay Bridge (U.S. 98) Replacement – Drivers will encounter alternating lane closures and lane shifts on the Pensacola Bay Bridge Sunday, June 5 through Saturday, June 11 from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. On Tuesday, June 7, U.S. 98 westbound (Gulf Breeze to Pensacola) will have lane closures beginning at 10 p.m. due to Bands on the Beach. Crews will be using lanes on the current bridge as a platform to pour concrete decks for the westbound (Gulf Breeze to Pensacola) structure.
- U.S. 98 Widening from Bayshore Road to Portside Drive – Motorists will encounter the following traffic impacts:
- Temporary median and turn-lane closures from Bayshore Road to Tiger Point Drive.
- Intermittent lane closures and additional median closures between S.R. 281 and Bayshore Road, Sunday, June 5 through Friday, June 10, from 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. for paving operations.
- Westbound travelers will encounter a new traffic configuration from east of Portside Drive to North College Parkway as lanes will be shifted slightly south to allow for widening activities on the outside lane.
- Settlers Colony Boulevard will be closed to complete necessary drainage improvements. This closure will remain in effect through Thursday, June 30. Motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians will access Settlers Colony Boulevard via Venetian Way and Coronado Drive. Detour signs will be in place. Residents may experience noise, vibrations, and dust during daytime hours as part of this drainage improvement effort.
- I-10 Resurfacing East of S.R. 281 (Avalon Boulevard) to East of S.R. 87 – Motorists can expect intermittent nighttime lane closures Sunday, June 5 through Thursday, June 9 for construction activities.
All activities are weather-dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather
Wahoos Get Another Walk-off Win Over The Shuckers
June 5, 2022
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos rallied for four runs in the ninth inning to defeat the Biloxi Shuckers 8-7 on Saturday night, securing their third walk-off win in their past five games and extending their division lead.
Troy Johnston hit a pair of home runs, including a game-tying two-run blast in the ninth, and Luis Aviles Jr. sent a sellout crowd home happy with the walk-off sacrifice fly three batters later.
Johnston is batting .700 (14-for-20) with four home runs in his past five games against Biloxi this week, and is batting a blazing .553 (26-for-47) through the first 11 games of Pensacola’s homestand.
Pensacola starter Jeff Lindgren delivered a quality start, allowing two runs on four hits over 6.0 innings despite a career-high five walks. Thomas Dillard opened the scoring with an RBI double in the first, but Johnston leveled things up with a solo homer to left field in the bottom half of the inning.
Yeison Coca hit a solo homer from Biloxi in the fourth, his first of the year, but again the Blue Wahoos evened the score in the bottom half of the inning with a Ray-Patrick Didder solo homer. Paul McIntosh hit a solo homer of his own in the sixth to give the Blue Wahoos a 3-2 lead before Jason Lopez went deep for Biloxi in the seventh to tie the game 3-3.
Jefry Yan struggled in relief for the Blue Wahoos, allowing a go-ahead two-run double to Yeison Coca in the top of the eighth and a two-run single to Dillard in the ninth, but Colton Hock (W, 4-2) stranded two more baserunners to prevent further damage.
The Blue Wahoos scored an unearned run in the eighth against Taylor Floyd (L, 0-1), but needed three to tie in the ninth trailing 7-4. J.D. Orr started the rally with an infield single, and José Devers brought the tying run to the plate with an RBI triple. Johnston then unloaded a 3-2 pitch into the right-center berm for his second homer of the night to tie the game 7-7. Griffin Conine walked, McIntosh sent a double to the warning track in right center to bring the winning run to third, and Aviles hit a deep fly to center field to bring home Conine and end the game.
With the win, Pensacola’s lead in the South Division has grown to 2.5 games over the Shuckers and M-Braves with 19 to play in the first half.
The Blue Wahoos wrap up their homestand against the Biloxi Shuckers on Sunday.
written by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
‘Human Power And The Wind’ – North Escambia Man Revisits America’s Tall Ship
June 4, 2022
Walking the deck of America’s Tall Ship was a step back in time Friday for one North Escambia man.
The USCGC Barque Eagle, is moored at Plaza De Luna in downtown Pensacola through Sunday morning.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Deputy David Bashore served six years in the Coast Guard, including sailing on the Eagle to Europe for the 50th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy.
In 1994, he was assigned as part of the permanent crew working the sails on the Eagle.
“It was old fashioned sailing,” he said. “Going up in the rigging, setting and furling the sails.”
The ship sailed the Atlantic to Rouen, France, for the Normandy 50th anniversary.
“What sticks with me is the powerful feeling standing in the cemeteries in Normandy and the sacrifice of the soldiers,” he said. “I was honored to be able to honor those guys.”
The Eagle represents the lost art of seamanship, Bayshore said.
“It’s amazing that a ship like that still sails today. It’s an honor for Coast Guard cadets to be able to learn sextants and know how to sail the way they did in the past. It’s a lost art now.” A sextant is a navigation instrument used to measure the distance between two visible objects, mostly between a star and the horizon. It’s how ships were sailed before modern GPS.
Bashore toured the ship with Escambia County Sheriff Chip W. Simmons and Chief Deputy Tommi Lyter Friday, giving them an insider’s look at the tall ship.
“Look in the mast, look up in the riggings and see the crosstrees,” Bashore suggested. “These kids are going up there sailing the ship. There’s not a machine sailing the ship. It’s just human power and the wind.”
To maneuver Eagle under sail, the crew must handle more than 22,000 square feet of sail and five miles of rigging. Built during the twilight era of sail, the design and construction of Eagle embody centuries of development in the shipbuilder’s art. A permanent crew of eight officers and 50 enlisted personnel maintain the ship year-round and provide a strong base of knowledge and seamanship for the training of up to 150 cadets or officer candidates at a time, gaining experience in leadership and teamwork for the furtherment of their careers.
The Eagle is the seventh U.S. Coast Guard cutter to bear the name in a proud line dating back to one of the original Revenue Cutters built in 1792. The square-rigged barque was built by the Blohm and Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, and originally commissioned as Horst Wessel in 1936. The steel-hulled ship was taken as a war reparation after World War II, and a U.S. Coast Guard crew – aided by the German crew still on board – sailed the tall ship from Bremerhaven to New London.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
