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The Century Town Council voted Monday night to approve Diamond Communications' request for a variance from the 200-foot setback requirement from the lot line of any residence or school in order to construct a cell tower. This 5G cell tower will have provisions for 3G and 4G, according to the representative who called in and does not present any health effects, a concern expressed by Councilwoman Brenda Spencer. He said the tower is designed to bend if bad weather threatens, and that it has a...
The Escambia County (Ala.) Board of Education approved the following personnel recommendations at its Tuesday, Aug. 18 meeting. The changes are as follows: Leave of absence Sabrina Dailey, 6-hour lunchroom worker at Rachel Patterson Elementary School, effective Aug. 7, 2020 through Jan. 1, 2021, tentatively Resignation Shirley Boggan, 7-hour custodian at Escambia County Middle School, effective July 31, 2020; Shaneise Ezell, elementary teacher at Rachel Patterson Elementary School, effective...
The Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) announces $1,000 hiring bonuses for new hires at institutions statewide including Century Correctional Institution in Century and Santa Rosa Correctional Institution in Milton. Applicants who complete their correctional officer certification through either FDC or certain state colleges will be eligible for the bonus. Paid training is available. FDC has expanded the applicant base for correctional officers within the state prison system. The minimum...
On Monday, Aug. 3, the Century Town Council approved Interim City Manager Vernon Prather's request to transfer $3,444.34 of Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) funds to pay invoices for services to improve infrastructure. The funds will pay an invoice submitted by Hydra Service, Inc. for a replacement sludge pump at the water treatment plant. Councilman Gomez expressed concern about well No. 3, which is complete out-of-service currently. “With well 3 being shot, what is the status of well 2?” ask...
Century Town Hall closed its lobby doors last Friday, July 24, for the health and safety our its staff and public following two employees who tested positive for COVID-19. “I'm bringing one person in a day, but only to answer the phone,” said Century Mayor Henry Hawkins. “We are taking payments, through the drop-box, we are doing what we've got to do. We cannot take cash because there is only one employee present and they will not be in a face-to-face situation, so there is no way to prove the a...
At the Escambia County (Ala.) Board of Education meeting last Thursday, School Superintendent John Knott updated board members on this year's opening of schools, what federal funds are available to help curve the spread of COVID-19 and how they are being spent with school bells ready to ring Aug. 7. With three options of traditional, remote learning and virtual program for students to choose from for this coming school year, students who choose remote learning will be on a scheduled, placed...
Escambia County (Ala.) public school students are still scheduled to report to their schools in person and online starting Thursday, Aug. 7, with the option of temporary remote learning and online virtual classes, but students must provide their own reliable internet access. At a school board meeting on Wednesday, July 15, Superintendent John Knott presented the official 'Back to School 2020-2021 Plan for Reopening Overview', developed by school system administration and personnel across the...
Monday night, the Century Council approved to award a bid from Precision Meter Repair to replace 283 of the town's gas meters at the cost of about $56,000. “The system has 615 gas meters, 548 are active, 67 are inactive, and we've changed out 265,” said Interim City Manager Vernon Prather. “Inactive meters shouldn't be addressed now, because they are locked. We will address those meters as they are brought back up and made active.” Replacement would be $160 per meter, with a material fee if...
An Atmore man was arrested Friday a faces felony charges of aggravated assault and drug possession following a road rage incident that left two occupants in another vehicle in fear for their lives. Sam Payne, 28, 212 Maxwell Street, was driving a silver Hyundai Sonata with a '1PAYNE' specialty tag southbound on Highway 97 when he flashed a black blocky-type gun at two occupants in another vehicle, later identified as Quinton Emmons and Brandon Rolin, according to an Escambia County Sheriff's...
The Jay Council heard an update on the status of the town's projects, discussed the issues to be considered in a new garbage service and approved salary adjustments for two town employees Monday night. Community Development Block Grant Operations Manager Eric Seib told council members the town will apply for a second Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) as soon as they close out paperwork on the current CBDG that replaced waterlines is completed, by Aug. 18. Seib said if the town is awarded...
A Flomaton man was arrested Friday for possession of cocaine when law enforcement officers searched him following a complaint of retail theft at a local liquor store. Aaron Keith Baxter, 33, 383 Wagon Wheel Road, was one of two males who entered Fusion liquor store in Century around 10 a.m., and were observed by the store employee putting a bottle of peach liquor down his shorts, according to an Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff's office report. The store employee, Carly Haynes, said she knew the...
An Atmore man who was identified as the robber of Walnut Hill Piggly Wiggly and arrested Dec. 17, 2019 was sentenced Wednesday, July 8, to 10 years in prison, followed by 36 months of probation, in a Florida State Attorney's press release last Thursday. Maurice Montraye Ervin, 26, was employed with Piggly Wiggly on Highway 97 on Oct. 29, 2019, when he stole more than $900 for one of the registers and fled the store when he was confronted by the manager. Ervin returned to the same store Dec. 4,...
Former Tri City Ledger managing editor Janet Cooper decided to get tested for COVID-19 in Brewton Wednesday morning, and before the Main Street Urgent Care in Brewton had opened it's doors, the first person was in line at 3:30 a.m. According to Cooper, the early arriver was there to get tested because someone tested positive at her job so all the employees are being tested. Cooper said by 4 a.m., there were four people there waiting. “We got here at 5:45 his morning and there were around 12 o...
The town of Century will see a new council member following a unanimous vote Monday night to approve Brenda Spencer to fill seat 3, left vacant when Benjamin Boutwell resigned to run for mayor. Spencer will fill the seat until it expires Dec. 31, 2020. Three people, Jessica Coleman, Jacquelyn Johnson and Brenda Spencer, applied at city hall to fill the seat by the deadline of July 1. At Monday night's council meeting by phone, Spencer was the only applicant of the three who called in....
With a return to classrooms looming in less than a month in the face of rising positive COVID-19 cases in the county, Escambia County (Ala.) School Superintendent John Knott told the school board Monday that he met with school administrators last week and will continue to meet to discuss and formulate a back to school plan, which is still set for Friday, August 7. In a letter to parents on the school system website that includes a survey, Knott says his staff is working on a 'detailed 2020-2021...
The Escambia County (Ala.) Board of Education Monday approved a 3 percent salary adjustment increase for school administrators (principals, assistant principals and attendance administrators) to facilitate retention and recruitment of those positions. A 3 percent raise across the board will cost more than $90,000 a year and come from local funds, following discussion that the amount will be sustainable. There was also discussion about paying staff based on their specialized or advanced degrees,...
The Century council Monday night approved Interim City Manager Vernon Prather's recommendation to transfer $13,677.20 to pay water system debt service and infrastructure. The balance of the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) kept in the Florida Prime General Fund was $817,287.04. Part of the transfer is for two loan payments of $4,907.35 and $6.235.74 and a 6-inch prop meter interconnection project fee of $2,534.11. The total $13,677.20 transfer leaves $803,609.84 in the account. In a motion made by...
According to Jay Operations Manager Eric Seib’s report Monday night, the town of Jay has been approached by a development company about extending natural gas service to River Woods Ranch development, a home development concept on Morristown Road. The development will feature 100-150 approximately 4,000-square-foot homes on 4- acre lots that require stoves, furnaces, dryers, and outside kitchens to cook outside as well. Florida Gas Utilities (FGU) supplied a cost review on installation to get n...
Escambia County (Ala.) School Superintendent John Knott said Tuesday in a special meeting that public schools will start Friday, Aug. 7, following State Superintendent Eric Mackey's announcement that it is up to each school system to plan how to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. As both state education and health departments continue to implement guidelines and recommended protocols and practices, Knott said school personnel and administration across the county are working together on plans for r...
The town of Jay will kickoff this weekend's Fourth of July festivities with fireworks at Bray-Hendricks Park at dark Friday, July 3, followed by its annual 'Celebrate Freedom' 5K run Saturday morning and Poarch will launch its fireworks Saturday night at the Wind Creek Casino. Jay Between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., Friday, July 3, the town of Jay will have a fireworks display at Bray-Hendricks Park, located at 5259 Booker Lane. Bring chairs and sit to enjoy the celebration. The 21st annual Celebrate...
Although no action was taken, the Century Council Monday night by telecom agreed to consider a power franchise fee increase, not updated since 1994, for both Gulf Power and Rural Electrification Administration (REA), which includes Escambia River Electric Co-operative (EREC). Councilman Luis Gomez asked how Century's rate compared to that of other municipalities, such as Milton, Gulf Breeze, Jay and Pace. Century Interim City Manager Vernon Prather told council members he would research other...
A Walnut Hill man was arrested June 29 and faces felony charges of sexual battery on a minor between Feb. 1 and April 25, following an investigation. Joshua Edward Vihnanek, 24, 7840 Rockaway Creed Road, was arrested when a female minor, between 12 and 16 years of age, gave consistent statements regarding the sexual relationship she had with Vihnanek, according to an Escambia County Sheriff's Office report. Authorities made contact with a third party witness on April 27 in reference to a sexual...
A Jay man is facing a felony drug charge after a search Friday of the vehicle he was a passenger in. Christopher Glen Davidson, 42, 6342 Highway 4, was the passenger along with a second passenger, Samantha Madden, in a vehicle driven by Oscar Powers, who was trespassing when he parked in the Jay Hospital parking lot, according to a Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office report. Powers had been told several times not to loiter in the parking lot due to his drug activities and in January of 2020 had...
The Escambia County (Ala.) Board of Education approved new contracts for four new principals and one new assistant principal at its Thursday, June 18 meeting at W.S. Neal High School cafeteria. The board voted unanimously approved Leah Fuqua as principal at Huxford Elementary; Sabrina Wilson as principal at Escambia Career Readiness Center; Latoya McMillan as principal at Rachel Patterson Elementary; Takecia Barlow as principal at Escambia County Middle School and Junia Fischer as assistant...
A Century man who yelled threats from inside his yard at neighbors June 16 and subsequently struck one with a machete now faces a felony assault charge. William Randall Coker, 51, 403 Front Street, was arrested last week when officers responded to an aggravated assault complaint and found a 66-year-old neighbor bleeding, according to an Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff's Office report. Witnesses said Coker had been in his front yard yelling to the entire neighborhood, warning them not to “mess w...
