Local Gas Prices Increase To Local Average Of $2.10; Several Stations Below $2
August 3, 2020
Florida gas prices increased 10 cents last week and were unaffected by Isaias.
The state average price of $2.16 per gallon is the most expensive in 20 weeks, and the highest state average in the southeastern United States.
The average price per gallon in Escambia County was $2.09. Several North Escambia stations were still below $2 Sunday night, with one as low as $1.94 on North Highway 29 in Cantonment. In Pensacola, at least two stations were at $1.84 Sunday night.
“Gas prices suddenly jumped 10 cents last Monday, then quickly leveled off for the rest of the week,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “The price hike came as a surprise, considering that both oil and wholesale gasoline prices have held steady for weeks, doing very little to justify the increase. Isaias was also not considered to be a factor, since it was never a threat to oil rigs and refineries in the Gulf of Mexico.
“Either way, it may be difficult for gas prices to linger at current levels,” Jenkins continued. “Crude oil and wholesale gasoline prices tumbled last week, by a margin that could eventually erase last week’s jump at the pump.”
ECUA Conducting Sewer Smoke Testing This Week In Pickwood Drive Area
August 3, 2020
ECUA crews will begin smoke testing of the sewer system lines in the Pickwood Drive area off East Nine Mile Road Monday through Wednesday.
White smoke will be circulated into the sewer lines and manholes to locate broken pipes and other defects, and will exit from vent pipes on home roofs. The smoke is non-toxic, leaves no residue, and creates no fire hazard. The smoke will not enter the house unless there is defective plumbing present or the drain traps are dry. If potential problems are found on private property, residents will be notified of repairs that may need to be made.
The testing will be done to determine if there are areas where stormwater or groundwater are entering the sewer system. An overload of stormwater into the sewer system can lead to overflows during periods of intense rain.
Testing will be conducted from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, August 3-5. The testing area will include the following:
- Pickwood Drive
- Candlewood Circle
- Coachman Court
- Stillbrook Road
- Hollowbrook Drive, north to Quiet Creek Road
- Hollowbrook Circle
- Aurelias Place
- Dons Lane
- Grace Drive
- Sunshine Lane
- Peakview Drive
- Honey Terrace
Residents with concerns call call ECUA at (850) 476-0480.
Walnut Hill Man Found With Over $7,400 Inside Sneakers Charged With Buying, Carrying Stolen Weapon
August 2, 2020
A Walnut Hill man found with over $7,400 in a pair of shoes has been charged with buying and carrying a stolen gun.
Nickolas Derrell Moorer, 28, was booked into the Escambia County Jail on charges of carrying a concealed weapon and dealing in stolen property.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office stopped Moorer for running a stop sign in the area of St. Regis Drive and Ballard Street. During the traffic stop, the deputy smelled the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.
During a search of the vehicle, the deputy located a stolen .40 caliber Glock 27 under the front passenger seat of the vehicle. Moorer told deputies he purchased the gun from a website about a week prior, but was unable to provide a seller’s name or a bill of sale, according to an arrest report.
Also in the vehicle, deputies reported finding a lunchbox containing marijuana and $8,857 in cash — $1,446 in Moorer’s wallet and $7,441 between the insoles of a pair of sneakers.
Moorer was released from jail on a $20,000 bond.
More COVID-19 Inmate Positives At Century Prison; Testing Ramps Up By Tenfold
August 2, 2020
COVID-19 cases have once again increased at Century Correctional Institution, and as of Saturday testing at CCI has been ramped up to a level previously unseen during the pandemic.
Two more inmates were reported as positive on Saturday, for a total of six, and the number of positive staff members remained at 20.
On Friday, FDC reported 13 other inmates tested, but on Saturday that number jumped to to reflect a total of 127 inmate tests. Three inmates are in medical isolation, and the number of prisoners on medical quarantine increased to 391.
Inmates in medical quarantine are monitored by health services staff and receive temperature checks twice a day for signs of fever. If an inmate begins experiencing symptoms indicative of COVID-19, FDC will place the inmate in medical isolation and a COVID-19 test will be administered.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Here Are This Week’s Road Construction Problem Spots
August 2, 2020
Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads and projects in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.
Escambia County:
- · Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement- Bridge construction may require the following lane closures from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. the week of Sunday, Aug 2:
o Intermittent east and westbound lane closures on U.S. 98 from North 14th Avenue in Pensacola to east of the Pensacola Bay Bridge in Gulf Breeze.
o Intermittent lane closures on North 17th Avenue in Pensacola between U.S. 98 and the CSX Railroad overpass (Graffiti Bridge).
- U.S. 29 Widening from Interstate 10 (I-10) to Nine Mile Road (U.S. 90)– Drivers traveling Nine Mile Road at the U.S. 29 Overpass and U.S. 29 traffic between I-10 and Nine and Half Mile Road may experience alternating lane shifts or closures as crews continue drainage and pavement operations.
- East Nine Mile Road (U.S. 90A) Safety Improvements from north of Palafox Street to Chemstrand Road -Crews will begin installing maintenance of traffic devices Monday, Aug. 3. To help minimize traffic impacts, lane closures will not be allowed from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. There will be no eastbound lane closures within the Escambia County Transit bus stop zone, North Palafox Street and Chandler Street, from 5 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- I-110 Striping Operations– Motorists will encounter intermittent north and southbound lane closures from 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4 to 5 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5 as crews stripe the on and off-ramps.
- Nine Mile Road (U.S. 90) Widening from Pine Forest Road (S.R. 297) to U.S. 29- Fowler Avenue north of Nine Mile Road will remain closed until 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8 for reconstruction activities. Traffic will be detoured to West Nine & Half Mile Road and Cove Avenue.
- · U.S. 29 Resurfacing from south of Muscogee Road (County Road 184) to Atmore Highway (S.R. 97)- Motorists can expect intermittent daytime lane restrictions as crews continue construction activities at various locations.
- · Michigan Avenue (S.R. 296) Safety Improvements at Mobile Highway and Memphis Avenue- Construction activities continue at the intersections of Mobile Highway and Memphis Avenue. Crews are working during daytime hours, however, operations that require lane restrictions will take place at night.
- · Mobile Highway (U.S. 90) Intersection Improvements at New Warrington Road (S.R. 295) – Construction activities continue. Drivers can expect lane closures between 9:30 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Santa Rosa County:
- · Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement- Bridge construction may require the following lane closures from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. the week of Sunday, Aug 2:
o Intermittent east and westbound lane closures on U.S. 98 from North 14th Avenue in Pensacola to east of the Pensacola Bay Bridge in Gulf Breeze.
o Intermittent lane closures on North 17th Avenue in Pensacola between U.S. 98 and the CSX Railroad overpass (Graffiti Bridge).
- S.R. 87 Resurfacing from Clear Creek to S.R. 4- Drivers can expect intermittent daytime lane closures along the 14-mile corridor through fall 2020 as crews perform paving operations.
- U.S. 90 Pavement Marking Operations from Avalon Boulevard (S.R. 281) to the Okaloosa County Line-Motorists can expect minor delays Sunday through Thursday from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. until Thursday, Aug. 27 as slow-moving vehicles are used to perform pavement marking operations.
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.
Pictured: The southbound Highway 29 on-ramp from Nine Mile Road is now open. Crews will begin converting the former southbound on and off-ramps into frontage roads. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Alabama High Speed Chase Ends With Fatal Crash In Cantonment
August 1, 2020
A high speed chase of a stolen vehicle that began in Bay Minette ended with a fatal crash some 60 miles away in Cantonment Saturday morning.
The chase ended on Highway 29 in Cantonment near the Companion Animal Clinic when the driver entered the median, lost control and traveled off the roadway into a tree, according to a witness. The suspect was pronounced dead on the scene by Escambia County EMS.
The Florida Highway Patrol said investigators were not able identify the suspect on scene because he had no identification on his person.
For a photo gallery from the crash scene, click here.
The owner of the truck told NorthEscambia.com that he was inside the Jet Pep convenience store on Highway 31 near Coastal Alabama Community College in Bay Minette when the clerk asked if that was his truck being driven away.
Bay Minette Police said one of their officers spotted the stolen vehicle near McMeans Avenue and West 7th Street.
“The officer attempted to stop the suspected stolen vehicle and the driver of that vehicle refused to stop. A vehicle pursuit was initiated,” Bay Minette Police said in a statement. “The pursuit continued into Escambia Florida, where the suspected stolen vehicle contacted a Bay Minette patrol car. This contact caused the stolen vehicle to lose control and strike a tree on Highway 29 in Escambia County Florida….During the vehicle pursuit the driver of the stolen vehicle struck two Bay Minette Police cars multiple times intentionally.”
Bay Minette Police and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office chased the king cab Chevrolet pickup truck out of Bay Minette and into Escambia County, Alabama. Atmore Police Chief Chuck Brooks said his department was notified of the chase, and one of his officers followed at a safe distance on Highway 31 from Cindebran Drive and south on Main Street to the Florida line.
Video obtained by NorthEscambia.com (posted below), shows Bay Minette Police and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office continuing to chase the vehicle south on Highway 97. The FHP said the Bay Minette Police Department was the lead agency on the chase.
Witnesses also told NorthEscambia.com that the chase traveled into Cottage Hill on Williams Ditch Road and onto Wishbone Road, a dead end street. That’s where the truck was temporarily blocked in by a black law enforcement vehicle. Witnesses said the driver then turned around and headed directly toward an struck a Bay Minette officer’s Tahoe.
Another witness said that a “black tahoe” and other black law enforcement vehicles were directly behind the truck when it wrecked on Highway 29. Sgt. Melanie Peterson of the Escambia County (FL) Sheriff’s Office said that ECSO assisted but did not participate directly in the chase.
The vehicle owner described the suspect only as a white male.
“I didn’t get a good look at him,” the owner of the truck said. “I just saw him drive away.”
At the time he spoke exclusively to NorthEscambia.com, the truck’s owner said he had not yet been contacted by police, but he had about the crash.
“The keys were in the vehicle,” he said. “…But things always have a way of working themselves out.”
The investigation into the crash is continuing by the Florida Highway Patrol.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
7-Year Old Shot And Killed In Pensacola Saturday Morning
August 1, 2020
A 7-year old girl was shot and killed in Pensacola Saturday morning, likely by another child.
Pensacola Police said it happened in the 600 block of North “B” Street where the victim was found on the front porch of a home.
Police said the victim was possibly shot by another small child.
One person was detained after he was found hiding in the yard of the home and was chased by officers. His role in the incident is unclear at this time, and he is being questioned in connection with it.
Pensacola Police are continuing their investigation and have not released further information.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
More Inmates And Staff Test Positive For COVID-19 At Century Prison
August 1, 2020
More inmate and staff COVID-19 cases as Century Correctional Institution have been reported by the Florida Department of Corrections.
There are now four positive inmate cases, up three from the first case reported earlier in the week. Four additional correctional workers have tested positive for a total of 20.
There have been 13 other inmates tested since the start of the pandemic. Ten were negative and three are awaiting results. As of Friday evening, there were three inmates held in medical isolation and 269 in medical quarantine, according to FDC.
Inmates in medical quarantine are monitored by health services staff and receive temperature checks twice a day for signs of fever. If an inmate begins experiencing symptoms indicative of COVID-19, FDC will place the inmate in medical isolation and a COVID-19 test will be administered.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Gulf Power Sends Crews To Restore Power After Hurricane Isaias
August 1, 2020
Nearly 70 Gulf Power lineworkers and support personnel are headed to help restore power after Hurricane Isaias passes the Atlantic coast of Florida.
Gulf Power will help Florida Power & Light recover from the potential impact of Hurricane Isaias, which is currently forecast to brush the east coast of Florida. Even if the storm does not make landfall, winds and feeder bands could cause outages, flooding and other damage.
We understand how difficult it is, especially during these unprecedented times, to be without power, and what a critical role electricity plays to provide comfort for those at home and to help communities get back up and running,” said Marlene Santos, president of Gulf Power. “We will take all necessary measures to keep our crews safe and well as they work to restore power, as well as the communities that we will be working in. We stand ready to assist our FPL family in any way possible.”
The crews will follow COVID-19 safety guidelines to keep everyone safe, including social distancing, increased sanitation measures and wearing masks where appropriate. In addition, the crews are planning to be self-sufficient to limit contact with other teams. Signs on trucks remind the public to honor the 6 feet social distancing requirements that help keep the crews safe while they work.
Nearly 70 Gulf Power lineworkers and support personnel are headed east in advance of the storm so that they can get to work as soon as the storm has passed. Traveling with the team is Gulf Power’s new community response vehicle, which can serve as a mobile command center for the crews as well as a charging station for customers that are without power. The Gulf Power team joins resources from other out-of-state energy companies to ensure customers of its sister company FPL get their power back on safely and as quickly as possible.
Gulf Power has also released approximately 120 contractors who can also assist the FPL team, including debris removal and power restoration needs.
No Word On Injuries In Cantonment Rollover Wreck
August 1, 2020
There was no word on injuries in a rollover crash Friday evening in Cantonment.
The crash was reported about 6:40 p.m. on Pine Top Lane near Well Line Road. A SUV found overturned off the roadway in a brushy area. No one was around the vehicle, and the crash had apparently happened earlier in the afternoon.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating and has not released further details. Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
