Articles written by Gretchen Mcpherson


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  • Brewton man jailed on cocaine charge

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Mar 28, 2024

    A Brewton man who was pulled over by law enforcement in Pensacola for a missing headlight now faces a felony drug charge after cocaine was discovered in his pocket. Roshell Michael Benson, 34, 100 Harrison Ave., was traveling east on New Warrington Road and Jackson Street in Pensacola on March 13 with a missing passenger headlight and was spotted by a sheriff's deputy, according to an Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office report. The officer conducted a traffic stop at the Super 8 Motel on...

  • Century addressing its water problems

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Mar 28, 2024

    “The Town of Century and Heath Burkett came to an agreement that it was best for the town for him to resign….and the recommendation is to approve the separation agreement, retroactive to March 7, 2024,” said Century Mayor Luis Gomez at Century’s March 19 council meeting. Councilwoman Alicia Johnson made a motion to approve the separation agreement, which was seconded by Councilman Henry Cunningham and the motion carried unanimously. Council member Sandra McMurray Jackson was absent. The agreemen...

  • Century addressing its water problems

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Mar 28, 2024

    At the Century Town Council meeting on Tuesday, March 19, Dale Long, with Municipal Engineering, Inc., gave an update of the Century Well and Water Plant Rehabilitation Project, saying it’s a legislative appropriation project that will require additional funding to get the town’s water system to a more sustainable utility. Long said the bids that came in on March 7 were higher than the town has the money to pay for. He suggested splitting the work into three phases, one for each well, emp...

  • Easter Bunny is set to arrive

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Mar 21, 2024

    With Easter Sunday on March 31, the next two Saturdays feature local events for children and adults to fill their Easter baskets with eggs, candy and even cash, as Flomaton and Jay kick things off this Saturday, March 23. The Easter bunny will be in the area to take pictures with the kids at various events. Atmore Atmore Public Library is having an on-going Scavenger Hunt where children can hunt for clues until Tuesday, March 26. They will draw names on Wednesday, March 27 to announce winners. P...

  • Robots heading to career tech center

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Mar 14, 2024

    At its meeting last Thursday, the Escambia County (Ala.) Board of Education approved to purchase education training CERT (certification) Package from Technical Training Aids in the amount of $48,850 utilizing College and Career Readiness grant funds to add a robot that will benefit students at the Escambia Career Readiness Center (ECRC) in the industrial maintenance program. The package includes Fanuc LR Mate ER-4iA, the robot, and the Education Training CERT Package from Technical Training Aids...

  • Jay concerned over cost of park rebuild

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Mar 7, 2024

    Although the Jay Town Council took no action at Monday night’s meeting, Mayor Shon Owens expressed concern that the town of Jay is struggling to have enough money to complete the park renovation after David Tillar with Dewberry Engineering presented a color-coded schematic that offered the council park drawings showing a base bid with several bid options, implying that even with $8.4 million, there may or may not be enough money to cover everything in the drawings, depending on how much the c...

  • Thomas is hiking to raise money for Make-A-Wish

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Mar 7, 2024

    Maggie Thomas, 28, a 2013 graduate of Flomaton High School is taking a different journey to help raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation that provides a wonderful experience for children who suffer from critical illnesses. After graduating from Flomaton, Thomas attended Troy University where she received her bachelor's degree in criminal justice. She switched minors and received a minor in American Sign Language and then entered the Interpreter Training Program and got a bachelor's degree in...

  • Board taps Collier as superintendent

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Feb 29, 2024

    After a unanimous vote of approval from the Escambia County (Ala.) Board of Education last Thursday, Interim Superintendent Michele Collier will now serve as the school system's superintendent. Board attorney Broox Garrett said that Collier's was the one application submitted for the position of superintendent. Following the recent non-renewal and subsequent $90,000 buy-out of former Superintendent Michele McClung's remaining contract in mid-December 2023, Collier, who had served under McClung...

  • Century approves new auditing firm

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Feb 29, 2024

    At a Century Town Council special meeting Tuesday night, the audit selection committee reviewed submissions to the request for proposals for auditing services and approved HCT Certified Public Accountants and Consultants, LLC, in the council meeting that followed. The audit selection committee consists of Councilwoman Sandra McMurray Jackson, Century resident Michelle Pace, Councilwoman Dynette Lewis, Council Member Henry Cunningham, Councilwoman Shelisa McCall, Councilwoman Alicia Johnson and...

  • Century town hall closed due to illnesses

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Feb 22, 2024

    The Jay Town Council normally meets Monday nights twice monthly but rescheduled for this past Tuesday because President’s Day was Monday. The Century Town Council usually meets on the first and third Tuesday nights monthly but council meetings scheduled for Tuesday night in both the towns of Jay and Century were cancelled. The town of Jay cancelled due to a lack of quorum, while a staff shortage due to the majority of town employees being ill is what prompted Century’s cancellation. Acc...

  • Skeletal remains lead to arrest

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Feb 15, 2024

    A Jay man was arrested Feb. 10 and charged with murder and felony possession of a weapon the when skeletal remains of a female were discovered in a shallow grave on his land. Jeffrey Scott Bostwick, 53, 2951 CobbTown Road, was questioned about the disappearance of Christina Uribe following information provided by an informant that around the middle of January, he told a third party he had shot Uribe with a shotgun and buried her, according to a Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office report. Uribe wa...

  • Mayor says water is 'perfectly' safe

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Feb 8, 2024

    “The water in Century is safe, we’ve been testing,” is how Century Mayor Luis Gomez addressed concerns voiced at the Century Town Council meeting Tuesday night prior to its approval to contract with U.S. Water for $33,360 to make repairs to its water system after the town has received a Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) consent order and two warning letters as part of an agency investigation preliminary to agency action in the last several months. The letter received Jan....

  • Collier feels at home as interim superintendent

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Feb 8, 2024

    The Escambia County Board of Education recently named Brewton native Michele Collier Interim Superintendent following the departure of Michele McClung, whom Collier has served as assistant superintendent under for the last couple of years. Growing up in Brewton, Collier attended Pollard-McCall Junior High School her elementary school years through the seventh grade. She went to W.S. Neal Middle School from eighth grade thru 12 grade, after begging her mom to let her go for her eighth grade year...

  • Water takeover bill stalls in Legislature

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Feb 1, 2024

    The town of Jay and the Mt. Carmel Water System were two nine public utilities that would be directly affected by a bill proposed by State Sen. Doug Broxson to take control away from local boards, but it appears the bill to do that has failed in the Florida Legislature and the Santa Rosa County legislative delegation is asking the county commission to move forward with the plan. In a letter recently submitted to the Santa Rosa County Board of Commissioners, Sen. Broxson suggested the commission...

  • Super to interim; Collier picked

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Jan 25, 2024

    The Escambia County (Ala.) School Board removed the 'interim' term for Michele Collier at its Thursday board meeting to name her as the system's new superintendent, however, the interim term was placed back on during a special meeting Monday after the board realized it had to advertise for that position. Collier, who served as an assistant superintendent, was serving as the school system's acting after the school board voted to buy out former Superintendent Michele McClung's contract. During...

  • Superintendent McClung out

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Dec 21, 2023

    Even though Escambia County School Superintendent Michele McClung handed out an Alabama education State Accountability Report at Thursday's meeting announcing that Escambia County had an overall grade of 84 (B), up from last year's 77 (C), the school board Friday morning approved to buy out her contract as of Jan. 30, 2024 in a lump sum to be paid Jan. 31, 2024 and grant her request for special paid leave. Board Member Kevin Hoomes made a motion to buy out McClung's contract, effective Jan. 31,...

  • Garbage rates to jump in Century

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Dec 21, 2023

    Century town residents will see a slight increase in their garbage bill in the amount of 85 cents for monthly service of one garbage can after the Century Town Council did not approve a 5.25 percent Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase of the monthly rate contractually required with Republic Services, but decided instead to absorb some of the cost and not pass it onto residents. The rate for an additional garbage can will increase from $5.64 to $5.92, a difference of 28 cents. When a motion was...

  • Jay opposed to having water system takeover

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Dec 21, 2023

    The Jay Town Council voted unanimously Monday night to stand against District 1 State Sen. Doug Broxson’s proposal to form a North Santa Rosa County Regional Utility and says it will be represented at the North Santa Rosa Utility Coalition at a press conference at 1 p.m. today (Thursday) in Milton to outline its resistance. Estimated to require in excess of $5 million as an initial investment, Broxson says the proposed bill will ‘streamline’ the water system for a population growth that is es...

  • Busted water main prompts boil order

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Dec 14, 2023

    Last Thursday, the town of Century experienced a water leak when a water main running along Highway 29 broke right at the entrance to town hall, causing the library to close and canceling Santa's 5:30 p.m. scheduled visit. Town workers shut the water line off and brought in a pump to empty the hole in order to repair the main. The break happened when Escambia River Electric Co-operative (EREC) was installing broadband internet cable and hit a telephone pole that had been cut off, which shifted...

  • Citizens can give input on Carver

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Dec 7, 2023

    No action was required, but residents of Century and the surrounding area will have a chance to voice their opinions in an upcoming public meeting on three different floor plans for the rebuilding of the Carver Community Center that have been submitted for approval, according to Robin Phillips, with Jones-Phillips and Associates at the Century Town Council meeting Nov. 21. The Carver Community Center, once used as a school building built in 1945 and located at 7040 West Jefferson Ave., is one...

  • School audit had flaws; grants boost the county

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Dec 7, 2023

    At its Tuesday, Nov. 27 meeting, the Escambia County (Ala.) Board of Education heard the results of a Fiscal Year 2022 audit by State of Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts from Oct. 1, 2021 to Sept. 30, 2022 with findings that the board failed to publish financial information in a timely manner in accordance with the Code of Alabama and failed to properly reconcile the general bank account. The audit included items pertaining to federal, state and local legal compliance, board...

  • White to lead the school board

    Gretchen Mcpherson|Nov 30, 2023

    At the Escambia County (Ala.) Board of Education meeting Tuesday, board members elected Loumeek White as president and re-elected Cindy Jackson as vice president of the school board with a vote of 4 to 3. For president, Kevin Hoomes nominated White, which was seconded by Sherry Digmon. Coleman Wallace nominated Mike Edwards. For vice president, Digmon nominated Jackson. Edwards nominated Wallace. In both elections, Hoomes, White, Digmon and Jackson voted for White president and Jackson vice pres...

  • Century considers hiring city manager

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Nov 9, 2023

    The Century Town Council planned a special meeting for 6 p.m. this Thursday, Nov. 9, following a presentation by the owner of a municipal consulting company who responded to the town's request for proposals (RFPs) for a possible interim town manager last September at the council meeting Tuesday night. Howard Brown, Jr., owner and president of Local Government Consulting Group out of West Palm Beach, Fla., originally from Pensacola, has worked as a city manager in California, Oklahoma and...

  • Century man found shot dead

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Nov 2, 2023

    A twenty-year-old Century man whose body was found early Sunday with multiple gunshot wounds on a sidewalk along N. Century Boulevard has been identified by family members as Jaheem Durant. According to Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Morgan Lewis, around 2 a.m., Sunday, the Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office responded in Century and located a deceased male with multiple gunshot wounds. Deputies located several shell casings nearby in the area. "At this...

  • Nickles spent her life helping people of Century

    Gretchen McPherson, Ledger Staff|Nov 2, 2023

    Residents of Century and the surrounding areas are mourning the loss of former town planner Debbie Nickles, who died Monday, Oct. 30, following some long-term medical issues. Nickles began working for the town of Century in the early 90's under the mayorship of Benny Barnes. She later continued working independently for the town as the administrator for the State Housing Initiatives Program (SHIP) that is designed to serve very low, low and moderate income families and provides funds to local...

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