Farm Hill Utilities Lifts Boil Water Notice For Glenmore Trail Subdivision
April 4, 2022
UPDATE: THIS BOIL WATER NOTICE HAS BEEN RESCINDED.
Farm Hill Utilities has issued boil water notice for the Glenmore Trail Subdivision in Cantonment until further notice.
The precautionary boil water notice is due to a water main repair in the area.
The utility is advising, as a precaution, that all water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth, or washing dishes be boiled. A rolling boil of one minute is sufficient. As an alternative bottled water may be used.
This precautionary boil water notice will remain in effect until the problem has been corrected and bacteriological survey shows that the water is safe to drink.
There Were 1,495 Distracted Driving Crashes Last Year In Escambia County. Six Were Fatal.
April 3, 2022
In 2021, there were 1,496 traffic crashes involving distracted driving in Escambia County.
Six of those crashes were fatal.
A map showing distracted drive crashes in Escambia County is below.
April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) and the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) has launched a campaign aimed at educating Florida motorists on the importance of avoiding distracted driving, and is informing motorists of current laws against distracted driving.
According to FLHSMV data, distracted driving crashes resulted in 333 fatalities across the state in 2021 – the highest recorded in Florida in at least eight years.
“When you get behind the wheel you only have one job, and that’s to ensure you and your passengers reach your destination safely,” said FLHSMV Executive Director Terry L. Rhodes. “More than 56,000 distracted driving crashes happened last year in Florida alone, and 75% of those crashes were caused by the driver being inattentive behind the wheel. Today and every day, pledge to drive how you would want others to drive around you and your loved ones – distraction free.”
On average, there were more than 1,000 distracted driving crashes every week across the state last year.
“It is extremely dangerous when you drive distracted on Florida roadways,” said Colonel Gene S. Spaulding, FHP director. “FHP wants to remind drivers to keep their hands on the wheel, eyes on the road, and their minds on driving. Focused attention on driving increases your reaction time to dangerous driving situations and keeps the ones you love safe as well as your fellow citizens.”
Safety Tips for Driving
- If you are expecting a text message or need to send one, pull over and park your car in a safe location. Once you are safely off the road and parked, it is safe to text.
- Designate your passenger as your “designated texter.” Allow them access to your phone to respond to calls or messages.
- Do not engage in social media scrolling or messaging while driving.
- Struggling to not text and drive? Activate your phone’s “Do Not Disturb” feature, or put your cell phone in the trunk, glove box, or back seat of your vehicle until you arrive at your destination.
Put Your Phone Away or Pay
- When you get behind the wheel, be an example to your family and friends by putting your phone away. Just because other people do it doesn’t mean texting and driving is “normal” behavior.
- In 48 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, texting while driving is an illegal, ticketable offense. You could end up paying a hefty fine and get points on your license.
- If you see someone texting while driving, speak up. If your friend is texting while driving, tell them to stop. Listen to your passengers: If they catch you texting while driving and tell you to put your phone away, put it down.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Annual Spring Fling Youth Summit Was Held Saturday At Carver Park
April 3, 2022
The Annual Spring Fling Youth Summit was held Saturday at Carver Park in Cantonment.
There were free prizes, free food, music, arts and crafts, sports competition, educational and career information (grades 5-12), and lots of fun for grades kindergarten through high school.
The Spring Fling Youth Summit was sponsored by Ascend Performance Materials, IP, and the Escambia County CRA and was hosted by the Cantonment Improvement Committee.
For more photos, click to enlarge.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Registration Underway For VPK In Escambia County Schools
April 3, 2022
Registration is underway for a free Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) for 4-year olds that reside in the attendance zone for a Title I school.
Title I schools with a VPK program are Bratt, Jim Allen, Molino Park, Brentwood, Ensley, Ferry Pass, Global, Montclair, OJ Semmes, Weis, West Pensacola, Bellview, Holm, Longleaf, Navy Point, and Sherwood elementary school.
Parents first need to complete the VPK Certificate of Eligibility at familyservices.floridaearlylearning.com or go to the Early Learning Coalition, 1720 West Fairfield Drive, Suite 100/400, Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The child’s birth certificate and the parent’s proof of residence must be uploaded when applying for the Certificate of Eligibility.
After completing the VPK Certificate of Eligibility, parents should complete an Escambia County School District online application in FOCUS by clicking here..
Beginning on Monday, April 4, the parent or guardian should take the documents listed below to Spencer Bibbs Center at 2005 North 6th Avenue to complete registration, Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Families residing in the Bratt and Molino Park attendance zones should take relevant documents directly to the school.
Documents required:
- Certificate of Eligibility
- Birth Certificate
- Proof of Residence (utility bill or lease)
- Immunization Record
- Physical (or appointment card for upcoming physical)
- Child’s Insurance Card
- Child’s Social Security number
- Proof of Income (2021 W2 for all adults in home)
Schools will be filled on a first come, first serve basis. Registration is not complete until all documents have been approved and forms have been signed.
For more information, call (850)595-6915, extension 224.
Tate’s Indoor Percussion Unit And Chaparrals Color Guard Take The Gold In Saturday Show
April 3, 2022
Tate High School’s indoor percussion unit and Chaparrals color guard both took first place Saturday in the Gulf Coast Guard and Percussion Circuit Championship Show held at Tate. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Car Crashes Backwards Into Tree; Driver Is Ejected Into Beaver Pond
April 2, 2022
A woman’s car rear-ended a tree before she was ejected into a beaver pond Friday afternoon near McDavid.
The woman was eastbound on Highway 164 at Pine Barren Road when she lost control and ran off the road. Traveling backwards, the rear of her Honda Accord collided with a tree before the car rotated into another tree. The adult female driver was ejected through the driver’s side window and into a beaver pond.
A passerby stopped and pulled the woman out of the pond. She was transported by Escambia County EMS to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola with injuries that were not life-threatening.
The Florida Highway is investigating the crash. The McDavid Station of Fire Rescue also responded.
For more photos, click or tap here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
EF-0 Tornado Confirmed In Gonzalez Near Chemstrand Road, Along With 13 Others In The Region
April 2, 2022
The National Weather Service has now confirmed that 14 tornadoes touched down in the region Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, including one in North Escambia.
At 12:25 a.m. Thursday, an EF-0 tornado was on the ground in Gonzalez for about one minute. With winds up to 80 mph, the tornado traveled from Chemstrand Road north of Bucyrus Lane to Caterpillar, across Hunters Creek Drive and Hunters Creek Lane before ending at Crystal Drive. The Gonzalez tornado traveled a total distance of about one-third of a mile with a path up to 50 yards wide.
There was no major damage reported, but the NWS final damage survey is not yet complete.
Other tornadoes were confirmed:
- Santa Rosa County, FL: two EF-1 tornadoes (one near Pace and the other near Avalon)
- Baldwin County, AL: two brief EF-0 tornadoes (one near Point Clear and the other near Rosinton)
- An 18+ mile long EF-1 tornado impacted the southern portion of Choctaw County AL with 110mph max winds.
- An EF-0 tornado moved into southwestern Perry County MS with 80mph max winds (continuation of the EF-2 track from Forrest County).
- An EF-2 tornado in the McLain area impacted parts of Perry and Greene Counties in MS with 115mph max winds.
- There were at least four tornadoes in Mobile County AL with two EF-0s in the Semmes community, one brief EF-0 that entered western Mobile County from Jackson County MS, and one EF-1 tornado in the Theodore/Tillmans corner area.
- A brief EF-0 tornado occurred in Baldwin County AL near Point Clear
NorthEscambia.com graphic, click to enlarge.
FWC Law Enforcement Report: Illegal Fish, Hunting Violations
April 2, 2022
The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following recent activity:
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Officer Allgood received a trespassing complaint from a landowner. Officer Allgood met with the landowner to take the report. While speaking to the landowner, a golf cart drove up with a subject fitting the description of the trespasser. After a short interview, Officer Allgood was able to determine the individual was trespassing and setting steel traps on the landowner’s property. Officer Allgood also determined the trespasser and his father
had each harvested a deer this year and neither deer was logged within the 24-hour time frame to obtain a confirmation number. The appropriate citations were issued for failure to obtain confirmation numbers for harvested deer, setting steel traps without a permit, and trespassing on private property.
Officers responded to a hunting incident that occurred in McDavid. An individual was hog hunting on private property when he set his gun down against a tree. The gun fell over and discharged. The projectile struck the hunter in the nose and continued through his hat. He was able to walk to a nearby relative’s house and an ambulance was called. K-9 Officer Hutchison searched the area and was able to find the scene of the incident. FWC investigators documented the scene and collected evidence. Investigator Livesay will be completing the investigation.
Over a three-week period, Officer Allgood assisted Alabama Marine Resources regarding commercial fisherman in Alabama who were bringing fish from Alabama to Florida and illegally selling them directly to local seafood dealers. Officer Allgood received a call from Alabama Marine Resources informing him that a vessel was checked at a boat ramp in Alabama with approximately 1,000 pounds of commercially harvested mullet. After the inspection, the officer followed the fisherman to the Florida state line where Officer Allgood and Officer Manning were waiting. FWC officers followed the fisherman to his residence. The following morning, Officer Allgood and a NOAA officer followed the fisherman to a local seafood dealer and conducted an inspection. During the inspection, Officer Allgood located several freshwater game fish along with approximately 1,000 pounds of mullet he was attempting to sell. After a short investigation and interview, the fisherman admitted to harvesting the fish in Alabama and said he knew it was illegal to bring them to Florida and sell. While conducting his investigation, another commercial fisherman who was being investigated showed up to the business with approximately 500 pounds of mullet. After a short interview, he also admitted to catching the fish in Alabama and selling them in Florida. Both commercial fishermen returned to Alabama with their fish and Alabama Marine Resources issued the appropriate citations.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
Officer Lewis was on patrol when he passed by a game meat processor and observed a subject standing next to a truck with a large cooler in the bed of the truck. Officer Lewis spoke with the subject and asked him if he was dropping off a deer. The subject said he was and when asked what kind of deer the subject killed, he stated it was a small baby buck. Officer Lewis observed a quartered deer in the cooler. The cooler was not properly tagged with the required harvester information, there was no sex identification available for the deer, and the subject did not report the deer into the FWC Deer Harvest Reporting System. The subject subsequently Admitted that the deer was a doe he killed three days ago and showed Officer Lewis a photograph of it. Officer Lewis observed a corn pile next to the deer in the photo and ascertained that the subject’s feeding station was not maintained for six months prior to killing the deer over it, which Is prohibited. Officer Lewis issued the subject a Notice to Appear and was cited accordingly. The deer was seized.
Officers Jeter and Land were on patrol in Blackwater River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) when they encountered a hunter exiting the woods. The hunter was parked on a closed road, and he was using a centerfire rifle during the archery/muzzleloading gun season. The hunter gave consent for the officers to look inside his vehicle and drug paraphernalia was located inside. The individual was cited for the violations. Officers Jeter and Land were patrolling the Blackwater River to conduct fisheries inspections. They observed a vessel with fishing poles displayed and conducted a stop to inspect the fisherman’s catch. Upon conducting a fisheries inspection, the officers
located a spotted sea trout which is illegal to take during the month of February in the western panhandle. The individual was cited for the violation.
Here Are Next Week’s Road Construction Trouble Zones
April 2, 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 from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday, April 3 through Saturday, April 9. 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 – Drivers will encounter the following temporary intermittent lane closures:
- Inside lane closures and shifts between D and Q streets as crews perform median improvements, signalization installation, and construct curb and gutter and sidewalk.
- Outside intermittent lane closures will occur at various locations along West Cervantes, between Dominguez and A Streets, to allow crews to construct Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalk ramps and erect traffic poles.
- 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 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, April 4 through Friday, April 8, 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, April 4 through Friday, April 8, as crews place a watermain.
- Airport Boulevard (S.R. 750) Routine Maintenance from West of Palafox Street to Davis Highway – Drivers will encounter alternating lane closures from west of Palafox Street to Davis Highway from 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. the week of Monday, April 4 as crews place asphalt on the roadway.
- Barrancas Avenue (S.R. 292) from Manchester Street to the Bayou Chico Bridge –Sidewalks between Live Oak Avenue and Manchester Street will be closed as crews begin work on the sidewalk improvements. Detours will be in place for pedestrians.
- Interstate 10 (I-10) Pavement Markings at the Pensacola Weigh Station – Crews will perform striping operations at the westbound weigh station starting at 4 p.m. Saturday, April 2. During the operations, the westbound station and adjacent truck parking area will be temporarily closed.
Santa Rosa County:
- Pensacola Bay Bridge (U.S. 98) Replacement – Drivers will encounter alternating lane closures and lane shifts on the Pensacola Bay Bridge from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday, April 3 through Saturday, April 9. 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 – Major roadway construction activities are currently underway. Improvements include widening the roadway from four to a six-lanes with a raised median, safety, and drainage upgrades, resurfacing S.R. 281 (Avalon Boulevard) from U.S. 98 to Garcon Point Bridge, extending the existing shared-use path on the south side of U.S. 98 from Gondolier Boulevard, and new signage and pavement markings.
- I-10 Resurfacing East of S.R. 281 (Avalon Boulevard) to East of S.R. 87 – The eastbound lane will remain reduced to one lane at the C.R. 191 Overpass Bridge (Exit 26) until work associated with bridge approach construction is complete. Motorists can also expect intermittent lane closures from 6 p.m. to 10 a.m. the week of Monday, April 4 as crews perform construction activities.
- S.R. 281 (Avalon Boulevard) Routine Utility Maintenance from San Jose Street to Del Monte Street – Motorists will encounter intermittent lane closures from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, April 4 as crews perform utility maintenance.
All activities are weather-dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.
Tate Baseball Drops To Pace, Northview Beats Pine Forest; Tate Softball Shuts Out Escambia
April 2, 2022
Here’s a roundup of Friday night high school scores:
BASEBALL
- Pace 5, Tate 2
- Pace 6, Tate 4 (JV)
- Northview 2, Pine Forest 1
SOFTBALL
- Tate 12, Escambia 0
- Tate 12, Escambia 0 (JV)
For a photo gallery from both the varsity and junior varsity Tate games, click here.
Photos by Laura Glodfelter for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
