Senate Committee: OK W TXTING BAN
February 22, 2012
The Senate Budget Committee on Tuesday unanimously approved a ban on texting while driving, sending the bill (SB 416) to the floor.
The measure would make texting while driving a “secondary offense,” meaning police couldn’t pull drivers over for doing it unless they have another reason to pull the offender over. If the driver was speeding, or driving recklessly, for example, and the officer noticed they were texting, they could tack on the additional charge of texting while driving.
The bill would cost offenders $30 – and if they’re caught texting and driving in a school zone they could get two points on their license.
While the bill, sponsored by Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, has cruised easily through the Senate this year, it appears unlikely to pass the House. Three similar measures there (HB 299, HB 39 and HB 187) have gone nowhere.
By The News Service of Florida
Tate Names Brad Naggatz As New Head Coach
February 21, 2012
The Tate High School Aggies have named Brad Naggatz at the their new football head coach, Principal Rick Shackle announced Tuesday afternoon.
Naggatz has been at Tate since 2006 where he has served as both offensive and defensive coordinator. He previously worked as offensive coordinator for Pensacola High School, and head coach at Catholic High School for about a decade.
Naggatz replaces Ed Rigby who had been at Tate for six seasons before resigning in January.
Rigby and Naggatz joined the Tate coaching staff at the same time, leading the the Aggies 22-39 overall performance with a playoff appearance in 2008.
The Aggies were winless during the 2011 season.
Hoax 911 Call Reporting Home Invasion Leads To Evacuations
February 21, 2012
A hoax 911 call reporting a home invasion in Escambia County led to the evacuation of several homes during the early morning hours Tuesday.
At 3:25 a.m., the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a female stating that people were in inside her home in the 7100 block of Rampart Way shooting at other occupants. The phone number was traced to an out of town phone number.
Deputies responded to the 7100 block of Rampart Way where dispatchers were able to triangulate the call to a possible address. After deputies checked three different homes, it was determined there was no crime occurring.
“Several families were evacuated from their homes as a precaution and for safety due to the violent allegations. As dispatchers continued to track the phone number it was discovered this was hoax and that this phone number has been used in several other calls like this,” Deputy Matt Baxter, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office, said.
Sheriff’s investigators are still working to determine the source of the call.
If you have any information on the crime, contact the Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP
Let The Good Times Roll — Flomaton Hurricane Style
February 21, 2012
The Flomaton High School Hurricane Band took part in the Gulf Shores Mardi Gras Parade this morning.
For more photos, scroll down the page.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Alisa Hart, click to enlarge.
Northview JV Baseball Games Moved To W.S. Neal
February 21, 2012
The Northview and W.S. Neal double header scheduled for today at Northview has been moved to W.S. Neal. The games will begin at the same times — 4:00 and 6:00. The location was changed due to wet field conditions at Northview.
Thompson Life Sentence Upheld For Cheryl Cain Murder
February 21, 2012
A man serving a life sentence for murdering a Cantonment woman in 2009 and leaving her body in a dumpster has lost an appeal in the case.
Scott Joseph Thompson appealed his second degree murder conviction for the strangulation death of Cheryl Cain based upon an alleged lack of evidence against him at trial. His conviction was affirmed late last week by the First District Court of Appeals.
He is continuing to serve his life sentence at the Graceville Correctional Facility.
When he was arrested on the second degree murder charges, Thompson was already in the Escambia County Jail for violating probation on 2007 narcotics charges, according to court records, waiting for a bed to become available in a drug treatment facility.
Cain’s body was found in a dumpster behind a former gas station on Highway 29 at Burgess Road in Pensacola on March 25, 2009. DNA evidence from the dumpster and in Cain’s car were used to charge Thompson with murder, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department. Thompson’s DNA was reportedly found in Cain’s vehicle, which was located after the murder at a Pensacola motel.
Phone records also connected Thompson to Cain, as well as a witness that testified that the two argued over money the last day she was seen alive.
Pictured top: A makeshift memorial for Cantonment murder victim Cheryl Cain at a Pensacola gas station. Pictured below (courtesy WEAR): Cheryl Cain’s body was found in this dumpster. Pictured above: Cherly Cain and her dog Bandit. Submitted and NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Former Councilman: Century Should Sell Town Hall, Fire Dept, Library, Move Middle School
February 21, 2012
A former member of the Century Town Council believes the body should sell the town hall and library, moving them along with the fire department, “police” department and daycare to the Old Century High School. He also said the council should push the Escambia County School Board not to build a new $16 million facility at Ernest Ward in Walnut Hill, but rather move the students back to Century.
Jerry Fischer, who now lives outside of the town limits, made his suggestions to the Century Town Council during their regular meeting Monday night.
On Superintendent Malcolm Thomas’ proposal to rebuild Ernest Ward Middle School in Walnut Hill, Fischer said “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard”. Fischer noted that Century has a sewage system and “we’ve got the post office, and we’ve got the prison”. He said the school board should move Ernest Ward’s students back to Century where the board has previously closed Century High School and Carver/Century K-8 School.
“It was predicted years ago what would happen in Century, but we sat in our seats and did nothing,” Council member Sandra McMurray-Jackson said. She did not serve on the council at the time of the Carver/Century K-8 closure.
Council member Annie Savage, who also was not on the council during the Century school closure, said “It’s not that we didn’t try”. Savage attended most every school board meeting for months in support of a school in Century.
Ernest Ward serves about 500 students in an attendance zone that includes Molino and Barrineau Park north to the Alabama state line, including Century.
Fischer also told the council that they should no longer deal with the “limited space” of the current town hall and library. He said the town hall and library should be sold and moved to the old Century High School building on Hecker Road owned by the Escambia County School Board. He suggested that the “police” department, (Camp Fire USA) daycare and fire department should also be moved to the old school to provide each group with more physical space.
Few of the agencies mentioned by Fischer are actually controlled or their physical locations owned by the Town of Century. The “police department” he mentioned is the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office which operates in the Billy G. Ward Courthouse building owned by Escambia County, while the Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue is also a county department operating in a county-owned building. Campfire USA operates in a town-owned building in the Century Industrial Park, and the Century Branch Library is operated by the City of Pensacola as part of the West Florida Library system in building owned by Escambia County.
Pictured: Jerry Fischer addresses the Century Town Council Monday night. Pictured bottom: Council member Annie Savage. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Clearwire Moves Call Center And 110 Jobs To Escambia County
February 21, 2012
Clearwire has moved its call center and local jobs from Milton to Escambia County.
The wireless broadband services company has relocated to181 East Nine Mile Road — a former restaurant converted to office space near Kmart. The new facility will house 110 employees full-time and will operate 24 hours a day 6 days a week.
“We chose this new location because it was the right fit for our employees in the Pensacola region who had worked in nearby Milton,” said Geoff Levy, Head of Customer Care for CLEAR. “The new facility provided the right square footage, set up costs, amenities and nearby restaurants for our employees. We thank the officials of Santa Rosa County for our long standing partnership in that community for the past 5 years and look forward to working with officials in Escambia County.”
“We are glad that Clearwire has decided to continue to operate in the Escambia-Santa Rosa MSA,” said County Commissioner Board Chairman Wilson Robertson. “The region has a skilled and trained workforce that can ensure Clearwire meets the current and future needs of their customers.”
As part of the moving process to the new facility, Clearwire donated 410 computers and monitors from the facility to the Santa Rosa School District.
“Clearwire has always been vocal that they feel our workforce is worth staying for,” said Dave Hoxeng, Chairman TEAM Santa Rosa EDC, Inc. “When we determined the existing Clearwire facility could no longer meet their needs, we looked region wide to identify one that would. We are pleased they are remaining here to allow their current workforce to stay intact. Clearwire continues to be an asset to this region.”
Bill Draws Opposition Over High School Sports Recruiting Concerns
February 21, 2012
Past concerns about recruiting players by high school teams is running square into the desire to foster school choice. A bill intended to open up public school sports programs to more kids who don’t go to public schools drew heavy debate Monday and opposition from organizations involved in scholastic athletics, who fear it may unintentionally open the door to more high school recruiting.
One of the main thrusts of the bill is to broaden the mechanism by which students at small independent and private schools can participate in interscholastic sports.
Right now, some students – those at really small schools that are too little to even contemplate fielding many athletic teams, and which in fact don’t offer sports programs – can play on their zoned public school team while attending the private school. Homeschoolers can too.
The bill would say that students at larger private schools could also play for their local public school. Another part of the bill changes the benefit of the doubt in cases in which a student changes schools within the school district in the middle of the school year to presume that the student wasn’t changing schools because he or she was recruited.
Under current rules, students who change schools mid-year when their family hasn’t moved, must sit out at their new school for a period if there’s an accusation of recruiting. The bill changes that to allow students who transfer to continue to play.
Officials with the Florida High School Athletic Association and the Florida Council of Independent Schools said the measure would increase recruiting of high school athletes by rival coaches.
But the response shouldn’t be to punish the players, said the bill sponsor, Rep. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland.
“I understand that recruiting is a big problem,” said Stargel. “But let the student play until you prove he’s been recruited.” The bill passed the committee and now goes to the Education Committee, its last stop before the floor.
NorthEscambia.com file photos.
Story by The News Service of Florida
Florida Black Chamber CEO To Address Northview Black History Program
February 21, 2012
The founder of the Florida Black Chamber of Commerce will be the guest speaker at the annual Northview High School Black History Program Wednesday morning at Northview High School.
Eugene Franklin, who currently serves as the chamber’s president and CEO, will address the students during two identical programs at 9:30 and 10:40 a.m. in the Northview theater.
The public is invited to attend the program “Black Light: Embracing Diversity and Celebrating Contributions”.