News that East Milton might finally be landing a long sought after medical facility has found a stinker of a way to make its way to the public eye It arrives in a short note on the agenda appearing ahead of the Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners May 5 meeting noting that it is incumbent upon the board to "discuss economic development wastewater treatment capacity allocations for a medical facility." The agenda item goes on to state that a group calling itself East Milton Holdings LLC has formally requested the use of 8,000 gallons of sewage per day for said medical facility for which construction is planned for the State Road 87 corridor north of Interstate 10 No East Milton Holdings LLC appears in a search conducted on the Florida Division of Corporations website The allotment is part of what Santa Rosa County holds with the city of Milton for sewage capacity necessary for economic development Though the city plant is at capacity and is not taking on new customers the county allotment is counted toward that capacity "The (county) administration has reviewed the economic development capacity allocations and has confirmed that there is an availability of 8,000 gallons to allot for the project," the agenda item states whose District 2 encompasses fast growing East Milton said he is thrilled by the proposition of bringing a facility to the area He has long warned that due to traffic issues that arise at some times of the day emergency vehicles could struggle to get patients in dire need of hospital care into the city of Milton and to facilities operated by Santa Rosa Medical Center "That's been one of my big pushes since I took office," Smith said divulge the name of the medical group that is considering opening in East Milton He could say only that a company is doing its due diligence who acts as a community development liaison for Santa Rosa County has been lobbying for several years with companies that might consider locating medical facilities in East Milton and he has said a lack of sewer capacity at the city of Milton treatment plant has long been a stumbling block Holley said he has spoken to all of the four medical health services that operate in Northwest Florida − Baptist which owns the Santa Rosa County Medical Center "We've been talking for over a year to three of them and more recently conversations with the fourth have picked up," Holley said He said he was not sure which of the companies had made the inquiry about sewage capacity with the county "I think a couple may have made acquisitions (of property in East Milton)," he said "We're just very excited we stimulated the conversation With the city of Milton experiencing delays in getting underway on construction of a planned wastewater treatment plant that when built out will be able to treat eight million gallons of raw sewage per day the county has decided to go into the sewer business as well Commissioners have already expended $610,250 to design a treatment plant with capacity to handle 250,000 gallons of sewage a day and spent another $1.85 million on equipment adding capacity to allow for another 250,000 gallons to be processed per day will commence soon after completion of Phase 1 The cost of expansion was estimated to cost an additional $5 million It is expected the 500,000 gallon capacity will give the county a couple of years of leeway before embarking on a Phase 3 which at this time is an expansion by another 500,000 gallons per day treatment capability to bring the total capacity to 1 million The county plant will be built inside its Milton Interchange Park industrial park which is located next to the Northwest Florida Industrial Park at I-10 -- An altercation between two coworkers led to one being stabbed in East Milton on Wednesday evening Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office says the incident happened on Bluebell Street around 7 p.m They were transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries Today’s Top News: Who’s Who in Boston Residential Real Estate 2025 Massachusetts will use the public-private Momentum Fund to finance the construction of the Residences at East Milton creating nearly 100 new affordable and mixed-income residences at the site of an underused commercial property “We know that to meet our housing production goals and drive down costs for everyone, we need to build more housing at all income levels,” Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll said in a press release “The Momentum Fund is a transformative opportunity to increase the development of mixed-income Under the Affordable Homes Act the Momentum Fund aims to create new housing quickly by leveraging low-cost capital and partnering with private developers to incentivize already permitted housing construction the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency committed $5 million in Momentum Equity funding Additional development sponsors included Joseph J the Residences at East Milton will provide a total of 92 mixed-income rental homes The project will also revitalize East Milton Square through improvements like streetscapes “We passed the $5 billion Affordable Homes Act to increase the production of reasonably priced housing across the state,” said Governor Maura Healey “We are excited to announce this major milestone in its implementation today — a public-private partnership that will create hundreds of new homes for folks of all income levels We look forward to continuing to expand the impact of the Momentum Fund to lower the cost of housing across the state.” and website in this browser for the next time I comment Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited If you're traveling around the eastern portion of Milton Monday morning you may be wondering where all that smoke is coming from Eglin Air Force Base is performing a 2,400-acre controlled burn According to the wildlife mitigation specialist for the Blackwater Forestry Center Joe Zwierzchowski prescribed burns are the "most effective and efficient" way to manage forests to prevent widescale forest fires is a pre-planned fire used to prevent tree overcrowding and manage flammable fuels naturally built up over time by forests prescribed fires are meant to reduce hazardous fuels minimize the spread of pest insects and disease provide forage for game and recycle nutrients back into the soil Are prescribed fires dangerous?According to Florida State Parks prescribed fires are safe when the management prescription activity is carefully planned and followed during the fire The fire is implemented by "highly trained professionals" and are only planned during "optimal conditions." Once the prescribed fire objective has been reached Crews carefully "mop up or extinguish any burning and smoking material which could be a threat to control lines," according to Florida State Parks The area is then carefully monitored until the fire is completely out and there are no longer concerns Santa Rosa County commissioners want to create a master plan to handle the future development "We have a large amount of employers coming in and building as it is," District 2 Commissioner Kerry Smith said Buffalo Rock and Chaney Brothers are just a couple of the major companies building in East Milton -- creating jobs for people already in the East Milton area and beyond "We're looking at about 2,000 new jobs in East Milton in the next two years," Smith said we have to have infrastructure for these new employees." so they don't make the same mistakes they have with other areas "The biggest thing is so we are not to develop as Pace was developed," Smith said "We all know Pace developed in a hodge-podge fashion." "Once you have developed a place you can't just undo it right away you have to live with the consequences that you're dealt," he added They're aiming for one that addresses all aspects of development from residential housing to tourism we've already identified we don't have the proper roadways in East Milton and we may have to introduce new roadways," Smith said "I also wanna bring in some type of sports tourism." All of this will need to be carefully planned Smith says their goal is to not have as many rezoning requests in the future commissioners said they believe a study for the master plan can be done internally but say they are willing to have the option of bringing in outside consultants if necessary It was announced with some fanfare April 23 that Mondelez International will be joining the likes of Damian's Ice Cream Hershey's Ice Cream and soft drink giant Buffalo Rock in building a distribution center within the footprint of the industrial park And while the name Mondelez International doesn't exactly stimulate the savory senses the company that bills itself as one of the largest snack food producers anywhere gives us such tasty Nabisco products as Chips Ahoy and Oreo cookies crackers like Ritz and Triscuit and candies ranging from Sour Patch Kids to Cadbury chocolates "They (Mondelez) wanted to be part of what's become a mecca for distribution," said Santa Rosa County Economic Development Director Shannon Ogletree The deal struck to relocate Mondelez International to the State Road 87 industrial park was actually negotiated between two private entities with Summit Real Estate Group negotiating the deal on land it owned just north of the existing Northwest Florida Industrial Park at I-10 property The two groups did work with the county economic development department to secure the deal and Mondelez International will use the industrial park roads for access in and out of its distribution center and also tap on to the sewage treatment plant the county is working to build just up the road at its 200-acre Milton Industrial Park "Shannon and Santa Rosa County were such a big help in this," said Summit's Adam Ross for whom the celebrated real estate transaction was a first "They had an understanding of our desire to want to put together a realistic The new Mondelez International Distribution Center will be housed within a 53,610-square-foot building It is one of two buildings going up on the 13-acre site Summit Real Estate Group is developing 127,482-square-foot building will be multi-tenant building capable of housing a single tenant or businesses occupying as little of the space as 10,000 to 15,000 square feet Slabs have already been laid for both buildings and Ross said each are expected to be completed by the end of this year He said the two-building complex represents a $27 million investment He said no tenants have thus far signed leases at the multi-tenant building "We're trying to get some leasing done for the second building "We think once the walls go up we'll start to see some real interest." The Summit Real Estate Group purchased the property from Pedcore in 2024 having entered the area market two years earlier and after visiting with economic development officials from the county and the region Ross said the property's proximity to Interstate 10 the beach and the resort industry of coastal Santa Rosa County all played a role in the decision "And we came away impressed with the forward thinking of Santa Rosa County." Local partners representing the CBRE real estate firm had been working with Mondelez International whose Pensacola-based distribution center consisted of what Ross called "a small really inefficient building" encompassing about 20,000 square feet with two dock doors The new Mondelez building will provide parking for big trucks More: Santa Rosa scouting land to trade for 700-acres primed for commercial development a logistics manager for Mondelez International said the company will provide products to local companies on either side of SR 87 and travel Interstate 10 to markets that include Panama City He said the company will likely be working out of its Pensacola facility right up until the new East Milton distribution center is completed and move in immediately upon getting the go ahead to do so -- Temperatures are on the rise and the many inches of snow are starting to melt Some communities in Northwest Florida are still dealing with its effects Florida Power and Light crews are out in East Milton Friday as this week's severe weather still leaves dozens of homes without power Crews have been in the community for the last two days But the cold weather has made it difficult to fully restore power power substations have been working overtime Others couldn't keep up with the cold temps calling for upgrades to keep power in the community after the storm drills and large trucks in the roadways of East Milton they're all signs to the end of the outage This comes after ice and severe weather damaged the aged powerlines "We do have an ongoing outage in the East Milton area due to both the extreme weather conditions and then just high usage because of the cold weather," said Sarah Gatewood with FPL Gatewood says now more than three miles of powerlines will be replaced Fifty crew members are installing new equipment along Highway 87 and in the surrounding neighborhoods It's an update residents have been waiting all week to see "We'll be out here until everybody's lights are back on," said Gatewood Several residents called WEAR News this week saying their power has been inconsistent since the start of the snow storm telling WEAR News they haven't showered in days One resident in the American Farms community says she was without power for 15 hours straight leaving her and many others with no heat during the cold temperatures "This is very different weather conditions and very high usage because of the extreme weather," said Gatewood "And so our crews have been working around the clock to get all of our customers back on." Gatewood says residents can rest assured that everyone's power should be restored by the end of the Friday Feeding the Gulf Coast, a nonprofit organization formerly called the Bay Area Food Bank plans to expand their Panhandle Branch in East Milton Feeding the Gulf Coast submitted a development proposal to Santa Rosa County with plans to construct a 6,240-square-foot building that will be attached to the existing 22,200-square-foot metal building The new attachment is planned on the western side of the premises which is the furthest side from Industrial Boulevard A representative from Feeding the Gulf Coast was unable to comment on the project at this time filed with the county as part of the proposal indicate the building addition will be used as a docking-and-unloading zone for incoming deliveries Feeding the Gulf Coast’s proposal was filed to Santa Rosa County on April 11 and Buffalo Wild Wings is coming to Pace: Pace's first Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant approved for construction Feeding the Gulf Coast is a partner food bank of Feeding America that serves 24 counties spanning South Alabama They have a single facility in each of the three states but they also have dozens of agency partners scattered throughout their service areas The main branch of Feeding the Gulf Coast is in Theodore Alabama and their Mississippi location is in Gulfport The Panhandle branch is located at 5709 Industrial Blvd in East Milton the food bank distributed nearly 32.5 million meals through more than 800 community partners throughout its service area Discussion of creating such a plan has been ongoing since shortly after Commissioner Kerry Smith was elected to serve District 2 who assumed his position after Smith was elected said he sees actually formulating a plan to direct growth as a tantalizing proposition Any time you can be a part of shaping history it's exciting," he said "We can have an important impact on what the east side of Santa Rosa County will look like in the future." A team assembled by department head Shawn Ward will look at items the county deals with on a daily basis like economic development and infrastructure needs but could also delve into such topics as physical land planning and conceptual mapping according to a rudimentary outline of the proposed plan tourism and recreation needs will all be taken into account as well as things like walkability and the preservation of natural resources "Hopefully when we're done the commissioners will begin implementing the plan and we can have a plan for growth instead of just letting it happen," Baker said "We've already seen what willy nilly growth looks like It will be better when we can look at something and say 'what makes sense here for residential growth?' " Baker told commissioners Monday at their Committee of the Whole meeting that county staff had requested that its legislative delegation consider seeking an appropriation of state funds for development of the master plan that in a year when the state budget will be tight master planning funding would not be given high priority said utilizing in-house resources probably makes more sense than hiring an outside agency that doesn't deal with East Milton issues every day Land Development Code task force: Santa Rosa assembling task force to tackle thorny conservation issues "I think we all know that when we do these things and we go outside they end up coming in and digging around in our departments for information," he said Commissioner Colten Wright said he feared adding the master plan to the Planning and Zoning Department workload could stretch the staff too thin Commissioners left the option open to allow the master planning team to seek outside help if the need arose Ward said he might turn to a consultants to compile traffic data or other such essential data his team is prepared for the master planning challenge The action item that will give county staff the go ahead to start the master planning process was placed on the consent agenda for Thursday's regular commission meeting In all likelihood it will pass without further discussion everything will begin with public meetings to obtain input and assess what area residents want "We'll talk to residents as well as get input from stakeholders like the commissioners business owners and developers to see what they want and what they anticipate this plan to accomplish," he said Ward said a lot of the early staff work on the master plan will include "cutting pasting and regurgitating" of previous plan documents as concepts like bike lanes that have been favored in the past are incorporated into the new master plan "We kind of know what the public wants," he said The study will focus largely on the area outside of Milton east of the Blackwater River and primarily the SR 87 and US Highway 90 corridors where much of the county's overall development is focused A great deal of activity is already occurring in the area as subdivisions are being approved and prepared for construction and transportation and distribution centers are being built within the two industrial parks that lie in close proximity to the SR 87 intersection with Interstate 10 A potential game changer for the county – and elements of its master planning that include economic development potentially residential development and recreation – could come into play if a long-negotiated discussion of a land swap with the U.S If an agreement is reached, the county would take possession of the nearly 700-acre Santa Rosa Navy Outlying Field a seldom-used satellite of NAS Whiting Field that is located off State Road 87 in close proximity to Interstate 10 and the two industrial parks presently in development Plans have also been made to construct shopping centers and a grocery store on SR 87 just north of Nichols Lake and Hickory Hammock roads As laid out in documents found in information provided Monday to commissioners the master planning work will get under way with data collection in March and April The planning meetings held to gather resident input will take place in May and June July and August will be set aside for plan development and the public will get involved again in September when the draft plan is considered for consideration Adoption of a final plan is slated for October the city of Milton could potentially be discharging into the ground within the boundaries of the Santa Rosa County's Wellfield Protection District FDEP Northwest Florida Director Elizabeth Orr notified City Manager Randy Jorgenson that based on the agency's calculations when Milton begins discharging effluent at its spray fields on Jeff Ates Road "several PFAS compounds" will be deposited onto the ground in concentrations exceeding EPA standards for drinking water would be introduced into the environment at 35 times the levels deemed safe for drinking water The introduction of PFAS/PFOA to the environment is a concern for many because the East Milton Wellfield Protection District was created specifically to protect the freshwater wells that supply potable water to more than half of Santa Rosa County's 200,000 citizens It was established in 2014 to safeguard the waters of the vulnerable Sand and Gravel Aquifer in an area bounded on the south by U.S Fairpoint Regional Utility System and East Milton Water System operate approximately 12 wells within the Wellfield Protection District More: Treatment for 'forever chemicals' could add millions to price of Milton wastewater plant In a study he titled "The Critical Importance of the Sand and Gravel Aquifer," geologist Gary Eichler discussed at length the risks facing the underground water system He reported that the aquifer recharges itself directly from rainfall which makes it susceptible to contamination from ground sources "Not only does rainfall recharge the aquifer but any and all contamination that occurs at or near the surface also makes its way to the Sand and Gravel Aquifer," Eichler wrote contamination flows naturally to the south and/or is diverted and captured by a pumping well." PFAS/PFOS are chemicals used in the manufacture of many household items They are called forever chemicals because they take so long to break down They are suspected to be carcinogenic and can be deadly when ingested in large quantities “No PFAS chemicals are above EPA standards from the Whiting Field Lift Station," the city's April 30 letter to The Midway Water System and East Milton Water System boards of directors said “We exceeded all standards with raw sewage from NAS Whiting Field and the effluent leaving our current wastewater treatmentplant.” informed the city it had miscalculated in determining the water it would be sending to the spray fields was free of forever chemicals "We wanted to highlight a conversion error that appears to have led the city to believe that (its) data showed concentrations below the drinking water maximum contaminant level," the letter to Jorgenson said "The concentrations of the PFAS compounds were provided by the laboratory in micrograms per liter More: Santa Rosa County's water is at risk. Growing area while protecting wellfield no easy task When the concentrations are converted from micrograms to nanograms The drinking water MCL was exceeded for three PFAS compounds from Whiting Field and was significantly exceeded for one PFAS compound from the WWTP influent and effluent sample answering an inquiry from the Pensacola News Journal with an email from public information officer Bethany Anderson termed the mathematical error on its part "technical" in nature and one that did not indicate the city had violated regulations that "high levels" of PFAS are entering or are at risk of entering the ground in Santa Rosa County The city's first waste water treatment priority is halting the flow of PFAS laden effluent directly into the Blackwater River which is occurring at the existing Milton plant at rate of about 2 million gallons a day While the release stated "it is important to understand that any PFAS/PFOA present in our system originated before reaching our treatment facilities," it also said Milton officials are fully committed to adhering to all current regulations regarding PFAS "and will comply with any future standards for PFAS/PFOA in treated effluent once they are established and we are given a standard." In March the city celebrated the announcement that the city had received a permit from FDEP that would allow it to proceed with the discharge of treated waste water on the spray fields "The DEP has thoroughly reviewed and approved the location of our spray field confirming that it meets all applicable state regulations and standards," the city email said One portion of the DEP permit includes fine print notifying the city it will be liable for any harm that befalls people or the environment through operation of its spray fields "This permit does not relieve the permittee from liability and penalties for harm or injury to human health or welfare or property caused by the construction or operation of this permitted source," the permit states "Nor does it allow the permittee to cause pollution in contravention of Florida Statues and Department rules." The new spray field construction itself is expected to cost $1.4 million At the meeting, Coopers Basin resident Pamela Mitchell asked acting Milton City Manager Ed Spears if obtaining the new acreage which is north of the Wellfield Protection District and south of the Blackwater River would allow the city to alter its plans and build spray fields outside of the Wellfield Protection District that the entire 200 plus acres the city will own in the area will be utilized as spray fields "Y'all are going to be spraying PFAS and PFOA on top of the aquifer that supplies water to 51% of Santa Rosa County," Mitchell told the council Whatever the PFAS numbers might be when the spray fields do become operational there is nothing technically blocking the city from moving forward with its plans to utilize the spray fields At this time there are no existing EPA standards for PFAS amounts that can be carried in raw sewage or waste water effluent In a letter written ahead of the DEP notifying Milton officials of its findings executive director of the Fairpoint Regional Utility System also questioned the city's determination that PFAS levels were indistinguishable in the effluent it plans to ship to its spray field sites The letter also seemed to question the measurement standards used to justify the city's conclusions regulated contaminant at those levels should be either discouraged Save Our Blackwater and Milton Concerned Citizens two organizations that have long opposed the planned siting of a proposed new Milton Wastewater Treatment Plant and questioned the integrity of the city officials pushing to get it built addressed City Council members in a letter after the FDEP findings became known "Save Blackwater River has been for three years asking the council to take action to protect and preserve our river  We have now moved past just that battle and must address the future of the drinking water of Santa Rosa County," the letter said "Your city manager has told you and the water boards repeatedly that there is nothing to fear The city of Milton’s tests and data show nothing to worry about As our organizations have shown over and over The letter calls on members to stand up and assume the responsibility given them by voters and act to halt waste water discharges within the Wellfield Protection District All you have to do is to direct your city manager to move the spray fields from the 39 acres to some of the land that the city has already purchased," the letter said This is an environmental and a public protection issue." The Pensacola area saw an unprecedented amount of snow Tuesday, shutting down schools, roads and businesses throughout Escambia and Santa Rosa counties and breaking a 130-year record The band of snow over the western Florida Panhandle dropped 10 inches of snow in Milton Residents are asked to avoid any unnecessary travel overnight as multiple locations throughout Santa Rosa County are experiencing issues Per the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office Highway 90 at SA Jones Road is experiencing major gridlock due to an accident involving a semi traffic has increased along Highway 90 through Santa Rosa County Residents are asked to avoid any unnecessary travel overnight especially along Highway 90 in the East Milton area SRC Public Safety has also been informed via the SRC Sheriff's Office that the Yellow River Bridge along Highway 87 South is icing over power outages in Escambia County climbed from 19 customers to 2,047 Santa Rosa County outages climbed slightly to 2,356 Approximately 2,280 Florida Power & Light customers were without power as of approximately 6:30 p.m according to FPL's online "Power Tracker" website The outages were concentrated in the East Milton region around State Road 87 and first reported about 6 p.m Elsewhere in the Panhandle outages were minimal About 19 customers in Escambia County are without power and 10 total customer outages were reported among Okaloosa An estimate on when power will be restored for East Milton residents was not immediately available an FPL spokesperson said crews were working "around the clock" to restore power due to the cold conditions Interstate 10 from the Alabama state line to Tallahassee is closed Multiple government agencies warn of the significant danger on the roads tonight due to melted snow freezing in temperatures expected to dip to 15 degrees Extremely dangerous road conditions will occur this evening due to the melted snow freezing throughout the area and the return of below-freezing temperatures officials throughout Escambia and Santa Rosa counties warn. Residents are urged to stay home as all roads and bridges will be considered impassable and highly dangerous first responders' response times are expected to decrease Commercial operations are expected to resume Thursday morning travelers are advised to check with their individual airlines on scheduled departures and arrivals Navarre area saw much less snow than rest of Santa Rosa CountyMilton wasn't the only Santa Rosa County community pelted with powder four inches of snow also fell along the coast in Navarre according to the National Weather Service in Mobile The middle and northern portions of Santa Rosa County took the brunt of the hit in Tuesday's snow storm said Emergency Management Director Tom Lloyd emergency units could not respond in the midst of the chaos to the 699 911 calls and 554 administrative calls Santa Rosa County dispatchers fielded between 9 a.m but there was a short period when we had to pause our responses to certain calls due to the weather conditions because we couldn't get out there," he said Wednesday afternoon "We did follow up with everyone this morning." Though Lloyd couldn't provide an exact number a scan of sources such as the Florida Highway Patrol traffic accident tracker and the FL511 website provided ample evidence that despite stern warnings against doing so drivers were venturing out into the snow Tuesday night and Wednesday morning and either getting stuck in the snow or having accidents which occurred with consistent frequency all over Northwest Florida "Fortunately none of them turned out to be major Due to hazardous road conditions from extended freezing temperatures all city of Milton offices will remain closed on Thursday as below-freezing temperatures Wednesday evening into Thursday morning will create dangerous travel conditions City offices will resume normal operations on Friday This closure also impacts all after-hours meetings including the LEAP Committee Meeting and the City Council shade meeting The Police Chief Recruitment Committee meeting to discuss replacing retiring long-time Milton Police Chief Tony Tindall the bridges at Broad Street and Conecuh Street will remain closed A reevaluation of the closures will occur on Friday morning The University of West Florida and Pensacola State College will also remain closed Thursday and Friday and reopen on Monday All campus activities, classes, events and online classes at UWF are cancelled. However, the university's Board of Trustees meeting set for 10 a.m. Thursday will be livestreamed via Zoom (Passcode: 022020) or wuwf.org/bot and all on-campus classes and activities will not be held Online classes and synchronous online classes will continue as usual Milton and Warrington campuses will reopen on Sunday Pensacola also breaks 90-year temperature record for daily lowThe Pensacola International Airport reported temperatures as low as 18 degrees at approximately 6:53 a.m which breaks a 90-year record for the daily low set in 1935 when it reached 20 degrees The National Weather Service had extended its extreme cold warning through Northwest Florida from 9 p.m warning that dangerously cold wind chills could get as cold as 10 degrees To put those temperatures into perspective Pensacola will see slightly warmer temperatures as the day goes on but temperatures will drop again to 23 degrees by Wednesday night the temperature is forecast to drop to 15 degrees Escambia County EMS responds to 246 calls since start of stormEscambia County Public Safety is continuing to operate and respond to emergency calls even during hazardous conditions in the midst of the snowstorm Escambia County EMS responded to 246 calls for service and Escambia County Fire Rescue responded to 57 calls for service The emergency calls reinforce the need to residents to stay off the road so crews has respond quickly and safely during the weather emergency The updated final storm total snow for Pensacola is 8.9 inches according to Jason Beaman of the National Weather Service Escambia County Fire responds to 57 service calls since 9 a.m.Public Safety is continuing to operate and respond to emergency calls with Escambia County Fire Rescue having responded to 57 calls for service between 9 a.m "Public Works crews worked diligently ahead of and during the storm to sand all bridges throughout Escambia County working overnight from Monday afternoon into Tuesday morning," a news release said "Crews are monitoring road conditions and sanding bridges after the snowstorm while also continuing to work in dangerous conditions to make roads accessible for emergency vehicles to respond to calls." Northwest Florida has been  forecast to have below-freezing through a large part of the day Wednesday and though prevailing sunny conditions could melt some of the snow ice is expected to form after sunset which will allow icing of roadways Residents are strongly urged to stay off the roadways "Emergency vehicles should be the only vehicles on the road until further notice," the update said Interstate 10 between Pensacola and Mossy Head at the eastern end of Okaloosa County remain closed and the county news release offered no timeframe for when the Florida Department of Transportation might reopen the thoroughfare Pensacola Bay Bridge reopensPensacola Bay Bridge Drivers are asked to use extreme caution as conditions are still hazardous Reeves was out monitoring progress Wednesday morning as 44 work crews - 30 from the city and 14 from outside vendors - worked to de-ice 17 major roads across the city Reeves said the goal was to get the roads cleaned off and dry before sundown to prevent them from refreezing when the temperatures plunge again overnight He said the intent is to keep the paths open for first responders and he urged residents to keep the road clear for their own safety and for the safety of first responders and other citizens "We actually had a fire early this morning and our response time was four minutes thanks solely to this effort That outcome was the difference of having those roads clear and passable for our firefighters," Reeves said front-end loaders and ice spreaders deployed around the city would only be focused on main roads and they would not be de-icing streets at the neighborhood level "But we're in contact with our healthcare providers yesterday and today getting staff in and out of there," Reeves said Reeves said he couldn't speculate on exactly when the roads would be safe for general travel again only that we'd need consistently warmer temperatures to get a meaningful snow melt In terms of resuming normal city operations "We'll know a lot more based on the progress we make today." Cold shelters extended until SundayThe cold weather shelter for the homeless and/or heatless at Ferris Hill Baptist Church has expanded its hours of operation and will be open 24 hours from Wednesday each night unless brought in by law enforcement Only service animals (with verification of rabies vaccination) are permitted to stay with guests Volunteers are needed starting immediately and through Sunday. Shifts are in two-hour increments and there will always be at least two volunteers present at all times. To see available shifts and to sign up to volunteer, area residents are asked to visit https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C0F44A5AC2DA1FDC16-54474634-cold Santa Rosa County's cold weather shelter is operated by Ferris Hill Baptist Church utilizing volunteer resources and donations It opens each night weather is forecasted to drop below 40 degrees The shelter is for people who are homeless or cannot maintain heat in their homes and are not at risk to themselves or others No one will be admitted to the shelter who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol The National Weather Service’s most recent snow total for the city of Pensacola is 7.6 inches Tuesday at Pensacola International Airport NWS said it will take a few days to review all of the reports for a more accurate number That’s just under an inch less than the official total in nearby Milton Preliminary and unofficial reports show even higher snow totals – 9.8 inches in North Milton 9.5 inches in Molino and 9 inches in Pace and Century "Determining the final state record will take some time The state record won't be determined until a State Climate Extreme Committee meeting is held and that will then go to the committee for final determination of what the new state record will be." City residents are reminded to stay off the roads as many roads and bridges are impassable from the snow or covered with ice The snowplows and front-end loaders worked overnight to de-ice, sand, and clear all 17 critical roads throughout the city the city's Public Works team is focused on keeping critical roadways accessible by clearing slushy-ice Only one lane will be clear on many of the critical roads so the public is asked to remain at home to prevent the delay of emergency responders Williams Park Design + Expansion Community Kick-off Meeting Escambia County Public Schools Superintendent Keith Leonard has announced that schools and district offices will be closed on Thursday and Friday due to the effects of the historic winter storm impacting our area The National Weather Service forecasts cold weather remaining in the area overnight Wednesday and stretching into Thursday and early Friday which could affect safe travel on area roads and bridges district offices and afterschool activities have been canceled for Thursday and Friday “We expect to resume normal district operations will on Monday January 27,” stated Superintendent Keith Leonard we'll continue to work closely with local emergency operations officials to determine what is safest for our families and staff.” District officials will continue to monitor weather updates and members of the community are encouraged to do the same updates will be provided through local media Northwest Florida emergency management officials are prognosticating bitter cold will persist through this morning and through the afternoon An extreme cold warning set to expire at 10 a.m Wednesday will likely be replaced by another by afternoon Wind chills are expected to remain in the single digits to teens for most of the day and air temperatures below freezing across most of the region Road conditions are not anticipated to improve today and any lingering moisture will refreeze quickly after sunset The Santa Rosa County School District announced early Wednesday that its schools and district offices will remained closed for the remainder of the week District personnel have been monitoring road conditions and come to the conclusion that any snow melting through the day Wednesday would likely refreeze overnight and create hazardous driving conditions through the day Thursday and Friday "Due to unsafe road conditions for both staff and students all schools and district offices will remain closed Thursday The cancellations also apply to all afterschool activities including before and after care programs through Community School The snow is expected to stick around through Wednesday and possibly into Thursday according to Escambia County Emergency Manager Travis Tompkins The Three Mile Bridge remained closed early Wednesday as did Interstate 10 in Santa Rosa and Escambia counties The I-10 closure extended from Pensacola to Mossy Head in Walton County While the Santa Rosa County Emergency Management Department did warn drivers to consider all roads impassible and to stay off of them due to potential life endangering conditions State Road 87 and the Garcon Point Bridge "appear open with extreme caution." The Florida Department of Transportation order to close the Three Mile Bridge came down about 8 p.m. and Santa Rosa County issued a statement to that effect at 8:27 p.m Escambia County bridge closures included the Lillian Bridge and the Theo Baars Bridge road closures included Century Boulevard at the state line to Bluff Springs Pensacola sees historic snow: Pensacola snow storm keeps residents off the streets and heading for the hills - to sled State Road 292 from the Bayou Chico Bridge to Weis Lane was closed Jacks Branch Old Bridge was listed as closed as was Highway 29 at Nine Mile Bridge Road breaks ground on the Residences at East Milton next month the project won’t just usher in 92 apartments for a town in need of more multifamily housing The event in Milton will also kick off an unusual experiment for the Healey administration: Will using state money to buy equity in sidelined projects get them off the sidelines Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll thinks so working through quasi-public agency MassHousing to use via the state’s new “Momentum Fund.” Its purpose: to invest enough to help private-sector projects move forward after getting stalled by higher interest rates or construction costs MassHousing plans to invest $5 million in the Residences at East Milton which Corcoran is co-developing with Falconi Properties and is also offering a $30 million loan for the project The administration announced the $5 million allocation on Wednesday the Healey administration expects as many as 1,000 units could be built with the $50 million deployed in the coming months to close the financing gaps on various projects MassHousing would likely help with loan assistance as well the state would be repaid for the equity investments and loans through a refinancing or a sale is splitting $100 million to spark housing construction between the MassHousing program and Boston Housing Authority work.) “We have so many projects that are permitted but can’t pencil out from a financing perspective,” Driscoll said Driscoll said she’s hopeful MassHousing can attract pension funds or philanthropies to invest alongside the state in these projects “We want this to be contagious,” Driscoll said the roughly $50 million East Milton project probably wouldn’t be starting next month without the state support The project is going up via the state’s Chapter 40B law which allows denser development in return for a certain amount of affordable units (though this project did receive pushback from neighbors over its size) Twenty-three of the apartments will be income-restricted The $30 million loan from MassHousing and Berkadia with funds from mortgage buyer Freddie Mac will be used to buy out an existing construction loan within three years and the $5 million in equity will buy out Fidelity Investments for its stake on a similar timetable “It provides the project the needed long-term financing Given the turmoil or turbulent times we have with tariffs and interest rates This is an installment of our weekly Bold Types column about the movers and shakers on Boston’s business scene Jon Chesto can be reached at jon.chesto@globe.com. Follow him @jonchesto. Home Delivery Gift Subscriptions Log In Manage My Account Customer Service Delivery Issues Feedback News Tips Help & FAQs Staff List Advertise Newsletters View the ePaper Order Back Issues News in Education Search the Archives Privacy Policy Terms of Service Terms of Purchase Work at Boston Globe Media Internship Program Co-op Program Do Not Sell My Personal Information The first Wawa store has been proposed for East Milton in Santa Rosa County Here’s what we know about Santa Rosa County’s latest Wawa project East Milton’s potential Wawa is planned for construction on the northeast corner of the U.S Developers plan to build a Wawa with 6,372 square feet of space eight gas pumps and a few charging spots for electric vehicles using approximately 2.6 acres of undeveloped land Sixty parking spots are also planned as part of the project according to its site plans filed with Santa Rosa County Four full-access driveways to exit the Wawa location are planned as part of the project Developers plan for two driveways to lead onto Red Brick Road 90 and the last providing access to Dale Street Developers were told during a February pre-application meeting that more work was needed for the project to meet the county’s the Land Development Code requirements three of which need to be rezoned to allow for commercial use on the property Developers filed a small-scale rezoning request this week to achieve that and turn the parcels’ use from mixed-residential and commercial to highway commercial there are four Wawa projects that have been approved and three that are awaiting approval The East Milton Wawa project is the chain’s second proposed store for Santa Rosa County Their first proposed location is planned for the Pace area and was filed in March Neither has been approved at the time of writing A Wawa was recently proposed for the central Pensacola but it has not yet received approval from the county All four of Wawa’s approved projects have been in Escambia County two of which are in Northwest Pensacola while the other pair are in Ferry Pass and Southwest Pensacola respectively The first Wawa project in Escambia County to receive approval is planned for 5888 W The second Wawa in northwest Pensacola broke ground off of Pine Forest Road in late April The chain’s third-approved project is planned for 9262 W Highway 98 and received its development order from the county on May 29 Wawa’s latest approved store in Ferry Pass received approval on June 12 and will be built at 8530 N During an April groundbreaking event for their Pine Forest Road location Wawa Director of Store Operations Joe Collins said they plan to open eight to 10 locations for the Pensacola market over the next five to eight years Each store will bring an additional 35 to 40 jobs to their respective areas Never been to Wawa? Here's what to know: Pensacola's first Wawa broke ground. Here's what first-time visitors can expect Why is Wawa so popular?Open 24 hours a day a Wawa offers all the things you'd expect from a convenience store − snacks − but they also offer a larger variety of fresh food than most fast-food restaurants such as their made-to-order fan-favorite hoagies and the hot breakfast "Sizzli" sandwiches Wawas also are famous for customer service free air for your tires and no-charge ATMs In 2022 Forbes ranked them #12 in their Halo 100 list of brands that consumers love With the city of Milton continuing to encounter delays in constructing a long-planned waste water treatment plant to meet regional sewage service needs the Santa Rosa County Commission has decided to get into the waste water treatment business The Milton City Council had decided well over a decade ago that it was going to construct a new plant to replace an aging one built on and discharging treated effluent directly into the Blackwater River The proposed plant would process 8 million gallons of wastewater a day a significant upgrade from the old plant's 2.5 million gallon max capacity While the Milton project languished and the city reached capacity at its old plant and had to stop taking new customers county economic and residential development were speeding along Both industrial parks are located on State Road 87 close to the interstate Santa Rosa wastewater woes: Milton wastewater management becoming a juggling act as growth outpaces capacity The idea to expand on the scope of the industrial park treatment plant were discussed in detail at a Tuesday County Commission workshop while sanctioned by a consensus of the five commissioners present will have to be finalized by a formal Commission vote County Commissioner Colten Wright said the expansion concept grew primarily out of the need to provide sewer to the large distribution centers that have begun construction inside the local industrial parks It was further fueled when residential developers inquired into hooking into the Milton Interchange Park plant Due to Milton's capacity issues they have had to consider installing septic tanks within the subdivisions they want to build or finding another alternative for sewage treatment your lots have to be bigger with septic," Commission Chairman Kerry Smith said "You need close to half an acre for septic to work At the discussion's core was also pent up frustration with the city of Milton's continued lack of forward progress on getting its proposed plant built "We saw their inability to get it done," Smith said "They were continuing to run into different issues." we would refer any questions or opinions about (the treatment plant's) development to them," a statement from the city said Milton residents voted in November to oust four city council incumbents In doing so it brought in new council members who immediately voted to relocate the long-talked about plant to a site they found more environmentally friendly the schedule for construction was pushed back again Arguing at the public forum in favor of a county wastewater treatment plant County Commissioner Colten Wright said not having available sewage capacity had become a quality of life issue county officials hope to lure a much needed medical facility into East Milton at a site near the intersection of State Road 87 and US Highway 90 The time line the city of Milton is now on is so far out that if we want medical services in East Milton for public safety and quality of life reasons we cannot wait any longer," Wright said It will also allow the county to continue its economic development success "We were already going down this path simply for the economic development aspects that we were working on projects our team has been working on for in some cases 10 to 15 years all that work was going to get flushed away by not having a waste water facility put in place." An invitation to negotiate for the contract to build the plant which the county estimates will cost about $21 million has been sent out and bids are due at the end of February Board members directed County Administrator Brad Baker to negotiate with Milton about buying existing city sewer plant infrastructure to utilize in conjunction with the new county plant The county expects to borrow the money to pay for the wastewater treatment plant and create an enterprise fund to pay it back eventually building up reserves for maintenance and further construction A basic fee structure for sewer rates presented at the public forum called for $3,600 connection fees for single family and multi-family structures and $6,900 for commercial service entities such as restaurants or laundromat with $45 monthly rates for single and multi-family said he's confident the enterprise fund will help the county quickly pay off the initial debt undertaken to build the plant "In my district there are so many residential developments already approved and we've got to have the housing because of all the jobs coming with the new businesses," he said "We've got this ready made customer base." The new plant will be constructed within the borders of the county's Wellfield Protection District and treated effluent deposited into a manmade wetlands Baker said engineers are planning to use whatever modern technology is available to keep PFAS forever chemicals known to be carcinogenic Among the technologies is lining the wetlands deposit area and bringing in cattail plants which have been proven to "uptake" PFAS found in the water -- Florida Highway Patrol says a69-year-old Crestview man died in a fatal crashinvolving six vehicles Friday afternoon in Milton FHP says a sedan and sport utility vehicle were driving eastbound on I-10 in the outside lane The driver of the sport utility vehicle -- a 72-year-old Milton woman -- was ahead of a sedan when she began to slow down with the flow of traffic The driver of the Sedan -- a 75-year-old Milton woman -- failed to slow down in time the sedan struck the back of the sport utility vehicle that had three passengers inside Those passengers were a 63-year-old Milton woman a 64-year-old Crestview woman and the 69-year-old Crestview man who died from his injuries He was seated on the left rear passenger side The 63-year-old passenger and 72-year-old driver of the sport utility vehicle have minor injuries The 64-year-old passenger has serious injuries The 75-year-old Sedan driver's injuries were minor Other vehicles involved were not listed in the report After several years of pushing to fill the industrial development space it has on hand the county is edging towards succeeding in doing just that Ogletree looks west and sees Escambia County struggling to find the land it needs to lure companies to the region for Santa Rosa to take the lead in bringing in business "I do not want to see Santa Rosa County in the same shape Escambia County is in," he said now we've got to reload and get more inventory We in Santa Rosa County will continue to be proactive and expand our industrial footprint We have been Escambia County's little brother too long The big land swapSanta Rosa County can go a long way toward solving any immediate need for more acreage on which to promote commercial development by pulling off a land swap it has been negotiating for at least two years with the U.S If an agreement is reached, the county would take possession of the nearly 700-acre Santa Rosa Navy Outlying Field a seldom-used satellite of NAS Whiting Field that is located off State Road 87 in close proximity to Interstate 10 and two county industrial parks that have proven popular with businesses looking to locate distribution or transportation hubs The trade would be similar to one consummated by Escambia County in 2019 known as OLF-8 Escambia County leaders began negotiating last month with a single buyer to develop that site with the agreement they follow the site's Master Plan as well as homes and a light industrial area with businesses that create good jobs It was the third developer to withdraw over contentious negotiations Ogletree said he believes Santa Rosa Navy Outlying Field development should be solely focused on industry the deals struck by the county with other companies are coming to fruition work is now in progress at three sites within the county's Northwest Florida Industrial Park at I-10 Furthest along in development is a Hershey's Ice Cream distribution facility A building now stands on the company's 8-acre site on the southern end of the park Hershey's announced in 2022 plans to relocate from Pensacola to Santa Rosa County Branch Manager Josiah Fry said at the time the new and larger facility would allow for unimpeded growth Buffalo Rock and Damian's Ice Cream also have distribution centers under construction inside the 90-acre Northwest Florida Industrial Park at I-10 Damian's is at the southern entrance of the Industrial Park at I-10 near the Hershey's development site and Buffalo Rock the nation's largest family-owned bottler of Pepsi and Dr will build its distribution center on 47 acres inside the centermost entrance to the industrial park The Buffalo Rock development alone is expected to bring between 350 and 400 jobs to the area surgical and pharmaceutical resources to military clients also signed on in 2022 to build within the confines of the Northwest Florida at I-10 Industrial Park And in April he was able to announce development of "the largest single property" in Santa Rosa County a food service distributor based in Riviera Beach ships over 35,000 products that include fresh and frozen meat In April paperwork was signed sealing a deal for the company to locate a distribution center on 50 acres inside the Milton Interchange Park A letter signed by Cheney Brothers Chief Financial Officer Michael Sullivan to County Commissioners informed them that if they agreed to terms with his company they would construct a 350,000-square-foot manufacturing/distribution center on the site and plunge $75 million in capital investment funds into the community While the Cheney Brothers is thus far the only tenant with firm plans to locate within the Milton Exchange Park the county has also decided to construct a wastewater treatment "package plant" on the property which will occupy 20 acres inside the park will have enough capacity to provide sewage service for not only the Milton Interchange Park but also the Northwest Florida at I-10 park and whatever locates at the huge Navy property if the proposed land swap happens He envisions the plant also serving hotels and other businesses as they pop up along the State Road 87 corridor Sewage capacity is presently in short supply in the greater Milton area as a city plan to construct a wastewater treatment plant capable of serving the entire area has been 14 years in the planning and likely remains years away from being brought on line County officials will embark this year on alleviating some of the area's treatment capacity problems It will begin construction of a wastewater treatment plant of its own within the confines of the Milton Interchange Park industrial complex The plant will eventually be able to process 500,000 gallons of wastewater per day and serve both business and residential customers in the fast growing East Milton area Leonardo plans a ribbon cutting ceremonyOn the northside of Milton, at the back gate of NAS Whiting Field, Leonardo Helicopters USA the sole tenant presently occupying Whiting Aviation Park broke ground in 2023 on a 113,000-square-foot facility that will be used for maintenance repair and overhaul of much of the company's fleet This industrial park is unique in that it shares space with the U.S Last year work got underway to build a taxi-way connecting the two which will help facilitate movement between the base and the company which built the TH-73 "Alpha Thrasher" military helicopters being deployed at Whiting presided over a tour of the Leonardo construction site At that time he invited those in attendance back for a ribbon cutting ceremony and we expect we're going to have helicopters and other craft in the queue at that time waiting to be worked on," he said we're going to have a big Leonardo sign out here." Ogletree said he doesn't expect it to be too long before more aviation-related businesses opt in to take advantage of the opportunity to develop at Whiting Aviation Park He said he's currently putting together packages for two companies considering locating at Whiting Aviation Park to review The Haas Center at the University of West Florida has estimated that between 2023 and 2027 Leonardo's Florida Support Center will have a $62.9 million annual impact on the local economy and provide $34 million in tax revenue to Santa Rosa County Also in furtherance of providing more space for business development Ogletree has launched what he calls Project Young Frankenstein but the plans call for preparing 40 acres of property off Jeff Ates Road just outside the confines of the Santa Rosa Industrial Park East which presently operates out of a facility on Progress Drive inside the Santa Rosa Industrial Park Construction is underway on Jeff Ates Road Another 40 acres, this off Garcon Point Road is being marketed by the county in conjunction with the Leaf River Group created to utilize $1.5 billion the state obtained in a legal settlement following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill voted to give the county $7 million to allow it to purchase the property Garcon Point Road acreage suitable to build a warehouse of 400,000 square feet County Commission Chairman Kerry Smith has called Ogletree's insightful decision to buy and lease the land for construction "a great model for future planning." East Milton could see a new major food-and-beverage distributor move into town soon The Ben E. Keith Company filed a proposal to build a 3,200-square-foot food warehouse with the county on Nov. 4 that has not been approved by Santa Rosa County yet the warehouse would be constructed on Technology Avenue just southeast of the intersection of Interstate 10 and State Road 87 It would become the company’s second location based in Florida They have an existing distribution center in Gainesville that they acquired almost three years ago after buying all of the assets under Florida Food Services Inc The company is based in Texas and has 10 divisions across 20 states that handle different aspects of the supply chain A new Walmart is on the way: Santa Rosa County approves plans to build Pace's second Walmart location Keith was founded in 1906 and its hubs can be found from New Mexico to North Carolina but a majority of them are located in Texas The company employs over 6,000 people and service markets across the midwestern and southern U.S. even stretching up to states like Nebraska 23 on Forbes 2023 rankings of America’s largest private companies and that location started operations in early 2022 Construction on that facility initially began in 2020 now it services the Panhandle along with its home state -- Some citizens of Santa Rosa County are raising the alarm about the potential of contaminated drinking water They fear the city of Milton's proposed wastewater project could eventually contaminate the only source of drinking water for half of Santa Rosa County Fairpoint is a regional facility made up of 3 members," CEO of Holley-Navarre Water System and Executive Director of Fairpoint Regional Facilities Jeff Crigler said There is a wellfield in East Milton that pumps the water down to that facility It's protected by the Wellfield Protection Ordinance in Santa Rosa County Now the city of Milton has a proposal to build a wastewater It's required by the state to stop pumping wastewater into Blackwater River The problem is part of the spray field will sit on this wellfield "The people that were in attendance at this water meeting were actually in disbelief," Gulf Breeze resident Barbara Buss said "They were shocked to think that this could possibly be done." "their total spray field average is about 100 acres approximately and 33 of it roughly are located in the wellfield protection area," Crigler said "Not all of it so that's the Fairfield board's concern to relocate that portion out of the wellfield protection area and they can continue on with their project "It's just up to the Milton City Council to follow through and do the right thing," he added " They've already indicated and directed their staff to start looking at options to relocate out of the wellfield protection area." the prescriptions you flush something down in the toilet or your waste products contain it My understanding is that they'd have to buy more property and they're looking into that." There is no regulation for PFAs in wastewater Which is why the Department of Environmental Protection approved this project But residents like Carmen Reynolds argue there's still potential for the drinking water to be contaminated "Personal care products," Reynolds said "The face creams you wash your face with the prescriptions you flush something down in the toilet "Viruses exist in that," she added and now the new forever chemicals the PFAs." PFAs or "forever chemicals," are manmade industrial chemicals that don't break down in the environment They bioaccumulate over time and have been linked to various health issues there's the economic impact to think about as well if people are having to drink bottled water and bathing in bottled water that's very expensive," Reynolds said and how long before people are going to put their homes up for sale How long before the properties in that area are going to be devalued?" The final word will come from the city council MITLON, Fla. -- A man in Milton was found dead in his home on Friday Santa Rosa County deputies discovered 68-year-old Allen Phillips was shot in the chest Sheriff Bob Johnson believes it was the victims' wife She'll be headed to Santa Rosa County sometime this week The sheriff's office says they believe Allen was shot days before they discovered his body Deputies responded to a welfare check at a home on Trinity Church Road in Milton after Allen’s son claimed he was worried about his father saying they had not heard from him in days "The son keeps calling his dad," said Johnson Johnson says Tequila she was evasive about her husband's whereabouts when family members asked “He starts calling Tequila," Johnson said "Tequila starts making an excuse as well He’ll get back to you.' They had enough of that [and] after a few days called us.” Allen's body was found in what the sheriff’s office calls the "later stages of decomposition." Evidence revealed a fatal gunshot wound to his chest A firearm and shell casing were found on scene we believe shot him a week prior,” said Johnson "I can’t believe this happened," said a neighbor if I would’ve heard them fighting or something all the time maybe I would’ve called the police or something." A neighbor says everything appeared to be normal "I never heard them argue or anything "You gotta remember domestic violence murders you never know when or where they’re gonna occur," Johnson said "They can occur in a $2 million house in the south end or a trailer in east Milton It doesn’t matter and they’re very hard to come back how to get predict what’s gonna happen inside somebody’s home Santa Rosa County deputies used a ping on her phone to track her After her capture by local police about 20 miles away from Montgomery she's now awaiting extradition to Florida This is not Tequila's first run in with the law according to Johnson -- saying she was arrested in 2020 for domestic violence against Allen “Shows you there was a cycle of violence going on," said Johnson He never broke that cycle and she got arrested one time and then the next thing you know here we are.” Johnson says Tequila is facing murder without premeditation charges You will also start receiving the Star's free morning newsletter An Elections Canada logo is shown on Tuesday Ontario’s Milton East—Halton Hills South riding has flipped to the Liberals after a vote validation process the Liberal candidate received 32,130 votes while the Conservative candidate got 32,101 — a difference of 29 votes OTTAWA - Ontario’s Milton East–Halton Hills South riding has flipped to the Liberals after a vote validation process Unconfirmed MP-elect is proceeding with “guarded optimism” as the razor thin margin triggers an official recount Elections Canada’s validated results indicate that Liberal candidate Kristina Tesser Derksen received 32,130 votes while Conservative candidate Parm Gill received 32,101 votes – a difference of 29 votes The Liberals’ minority government is now back up to 169 seats while the Conservatives now count 143 seats the federal riding of Terrebonne in Quebec went from the Liberals’ win column back to the Bloc Québécois after a postelection vote-validation process Milton East–Halton Hills South is a new federal riding created as part of the redistribution process It includes parts of the previous ridings of Milton Preliminary results showed that Gill had won the riding with 32,186 votes with Tesser Derksen coming in second with 31,888 votes – a difference of 298 votes The validated results indicate there were 412 rejected ballots in the riding Elections Canada spokesperson Matthew McKenna says the validation process involves a returning officer examining the record of votes counted at polling stations to catch and correct any data entry or calculation errors in a riding McKenna says a recount happens automatically if the difference in votes between the first- and second-place candidates is within one one-thousandth of the total number of votes received Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account Williams College and Stonier Graduate School of Banking Shirley began working for First National Bank of Boston as a clerk and retired 38 years later as an Executive Vice President with The Bank of Boston Milton Hospital (where she was a former president of volunteers) East Congregational Church and was the first woman president of the Newton Rotary Club John Bell of Millis and Richard Bell of Milton and several nieces and nephews Funeral service at East Congregational Church Donations in Shirley’s memory may be made to the Dunlap Memorial Fund at East Congregational Church She was always kind and caring to my husband Erik and both our daughters We always looked forward to seeing Shirley and spending time with her She was adored and loved and will be missed by all I think of Shirley often when I drive through Milton She and my Aunt Eileen Ruane were coworkers and friends for so many years We had tea and the BEST lemon squares at Shirley's house before my aunt passed away My daughter is still trying to replicate the recipe I remember Shirley as a spirited woman with strong convictions and a deep love for Willard May she rest in peace and may happy memories soften your grief We lost our Mom Barbara this past July who had been friends with Shirley since being a young girl in Rainbow They had a special Rainbow friendship group that followed them throughout their whole lives After they all got married they rotated to each person's house and hosted their Rainbow group for get togethers My sister and I have known Shirley since we were born I was able to have a wonderful conversation with Shirley just a few months ago and was able to tell her just that and that we love her I remember when my mother had the rain bow ladies over for tea ,Shirley was my favorite one there It was great having Shirley and Willard over for a visit remember her when she was first starting at the bank Shirley was very special to me and my family My parents loved visits from Shirley and Willard Her smile lit up a room she was so kind and loving May God comfort your hearts and give you peace Contact Us to have your link and message added here We will contact suitable submissions with further details please provide your name and email address Milton East—Halton Hills South 2025 federal election live results 201 of 201 polls are reporting as of 5:00 a.m. Follow our full coverage of the 2025 federal election 201 of 201 polls are reporting as of 5:00 a.m. Follow our full coverage of the 2025 federal election leads by 29 votes with 32,130 (48.26%) of 66,583 votes in Milton East—Halton Hills South is in second place with 32,101 votes (48.21%) and Muhammad Riaz Sahi Milton East—Halton Hills South is a newly created riding defined by the 2023 representation order for Ontario This is the first time it has been contested 26,186 voters cast ballots at advance polls Looking for another riding? Here are the full results for the 2025 federal election. The Liberals have 169 races called in their favour and are leading in one other riding They have 8,581,729 votes and 43.73 per cent of the popular vote The Conservatives have 143 races called in their favour They have 8,099,299 votes and 41.27 per cent of the popular vote The Bloc Québécois have 23 races called in their favour They have 1,237,072 votes and 6.3 per cent of the popular vote The New Democrats have seven races called in their favour They have 1,236,300 votes and 6.3 per cent of the popular vote The Greens have one race called in their favour They have 240,575 votes and 1.23 per cent of the popular vote There were three independents and four vacancies in the 338-seat Commons the Commons has grown by five ridings starting with this election This article was automatically generated using data provided by Canadian Press and will update as riding results become available -- Disturbing complaints are coming from a community in Santa Rosa County about one of their neighbors A home on Shangri La West Road in East Milton is believed to be a group home for women suffering from mental issues Nearby neighbors say they've witnessed horrific incidents from those who say they're being held against their will inside The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office confirms they've responded to the home numerous times "We moved here for peace and quiet," a neighbor said The home is believed to be a group home run by Resolute Care Services They discretely describe the company as "creating a comfortable home life for all individuals under their care." Their listed website can't be reached neighbors lined up across from the home to tell us what they've witnessed coming from the house "The girl came pounding on my door wearing nothing but a diaper and a t shirt saying she was being molested and abused inside the group home," Brandon Clark said "We've had over a dozen accounts of people running down the road," he added "It links to a bridge that goes over I-10 "One day I was driving to get groceries and a young lady was standing in the middle of the road," neighbor Cedric Poe said "I pulled my window down and asked if she's ok 'I need you to run me over.'" The sheriff's office says deputies have responded to the address 30 times over the last two and a half years At least a third resulted in incident reports being filed The community held a neighborhood meeting recently to discuss the issue with county commissioner Kerry Smith "My husband and I were going over the causeway and we had to literally stop a lady from jumping off the bridge into traffic," a neighbor said "Because she was wanting to have us either run over her or she was going to jump So we had to hold her down until the cops arrived "I see the girls coming up and down the road here pushing baby carriages with dolls in them," they added "I don't know if its normal or abnormal "My wife had been at church and coming back from a meeting and she was driving back from the house and a girl was standing out in the road there," neighbor Ron Taylor said "And a girl said she'd been abused and there's two girls holding on to her So I load up my truck...I couldn't go down the road because she's flaked out in the middle of the road spread eagle." Smith says there's little the county can do as the property owner is believed to be within their rights Now the commissioner is urging the neighbors to seek legal counsel for the civil matter Show Breaking News BarCloseWeatherAnthony Yanez Does this track look odd to you?I received a handful of questions about the track of Hurricane Milton Most had to deal with the left to right movement toward Florida Hurricanes follow a path of least resistance higher pressure and a front are blocking Milton from moving north Milton can’t move west because of high pressure What looks strange to most people is how it formed in the Gulf of Mexico and immediately moves east It wouldn’t look odd if it had been more organized in the Caribbean and become a depression or storm last week The latest a tropical system has hit Houston was Hurricane Jerry on October 16th 1991 The reason our hurricane season ends in mid-October is because of fronts This time of year our weather pattern changes Cold fronts start moving farther south and once that first one moves through A trough will steer storms east of us protecting us from direct hits from hurricanes This is a good thing with Milton because this storm is a monster There were two storms I found that have this same kind of track Hurricane Mitch in 1998 makes a hard right turn in the Bay of Campeche Emily in 2017 formed in the Gulf and moved west to east There are other examples but simply wanted to make you aware this track has happened before At 7:00 p.m. Monday Milton’s pressure lowered to 897 millibars. This makes Milton the 4th strongest hurricane, based on pressure, since consistent records have been kept in 1979. Only Rita, Gilbert and Wilma were stronger. Here is more on these storms. This video is the Monday night Milton track update If you have any questions about our weather or hurricanes Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved Chief meteorologist and recipient of the 2022 American Meteorological Society’s award for Excellence in Science Reporting by a Broadcast Meteorologist TV Listings Email Newsletters RSS Feeds Contests and Rules Contact Us Meet the Team Careers at KPRC Closed Captioning / Audio Description Public File Current EEO Report Terms of Use Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Info FCC Applications Copyright © 2025 Click2Houston.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group Santa Rosa County only approved just one residential development project in August, but the sole project could lay the groundwork for dozens of new homes to be built in Milton Phase nine of the Plantation Woods project was approved to develop 104 lots for future singe-family residences using almost 40 acres of land off of Tarsus Drive according to the project’s final plat plans filed with Santa Rosa County The same document shows that the subdivision’s lots will be split into six different blocks Three new roads will be created as part of the project: Ephesus Way Bluebell Street and Gaineswood Drive will also extend into the subdivision with developers planning to connect the Bluebell Street to Tarsus Drive The developer behind the project is Plantation Development of Northwest Florida which had been working since July to get this proposal approved Escambia County's approved projects: More than 750 new homes approved in August for north half of Escambia County After the developers made some changes to the initial proposal and submitted additional documents the project’s final plat was accepted by the Santa Rosa County’s Board of County Commissioners on Aug Homes developed as part of the project’s seventh phase, which range from 1,830 to 2,483 square feet across three different floor plans, are available for purchase USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) against the Kansas City Chiefs during the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.Mark J Apr 19, 2025 7:00 AM EDTIn this story:New England Patriots NewsBuffalo Bills NewsNow that Milton Williams is in the AFC East he will have to face off against one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL Josh Allen is a very tough quarterback to defend known for his ability to throw along with his athleticism that allows him to extend plays with his legs And Williams is already being prepped on what to expect.  "I haven't gotten to play him yet, but since I got here, just talking with (Christian) Barmore, he was like, 'Yeah, Josh Allen's probably the hardest quarterback that I've had to bring down.' Just big, fast," Williams said on the Green Light Podcast with Chris Long. "He kind of reminds me of Cam Newton I compare him to Cam Newton just being that big it's going to be a challenge but I'm up for it."  During Williams' four seasons with the Eagles they only faced Buffalo once and that was one of the only games the defensive end had to miss after being diagnosed with a concussion.  the Bills quarterback also hasn't seen what Williams is capable of.  It's going to be a fun matchup to watch twice a season now primarily covering the New England Patriots She previously worked for MassLive as a high school and professional sports intern graduating from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a dual degree in Sports Management and Sports Journalism in May 2023.She is also A to Z Sports official Taylor Swift reporter.  his brothers Edward Phelan (Michele) of North Attleboro and Joseph Phelan (Carolyn) of North Easton and his sister Mary Phelan of Bridgewater and niece Erin and nephews Patrick Gregory’s School in Dorchester and Boston Technical High School He graduated from Northeastern University in Boston with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and received his Master’s Degree in Business Management from Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy Paul had a lengthy career in the IT and financial institutions industries with his latest role as a devoted AVP/Treasury Sales Analyst at Bank of America He also enjoyed playing guitar and was an avid hockey player and Bruins fan A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in Our Lady of the Visitation Parish Relatives and friends are invited to attend all services In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, www.themmrf.org I always enjoyed bumping into him at the bank I remember when he would fix my computer often when I worked at Bayside A lifetime of memories with you baby brother I attribute my love for playing the guitar to you I still have the picture of me as a young kid sitting on your bed in your apartment with your acoustic guitar that I couldn't play bc my hands were too small I will miss sneaking away to jam during our family get togethers so sorry to hear about Paul's passing but I'm glad to know you shared many adventures May perpetual life shine on you Paul ..to all the great times we had together growing up ..Cape Cod ..Dot Park. Fiddlers Green ..many more ..Fly High Cuz ☘️🙏 I'm very sorry to hear about your dad's passing He was great friends with my late husband Tom Ridge Sincerest condolences on your profound loss Sending our deepest condolences to you all Paul had such a great smile and could make anyone laugh I am so very sorry to hear of Paul's death I know you two shared something so special I will keep you in my prayers as you go thru this very difficult time So thankful we were able to travel to Europe in October Thank you for always being in a good mood and for all your logical advice