Wahoos Snap Skid, Beat Lookouts 5-1
May 14, 2013
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos scored three runs in the first inning, which was more than enough against the Chattanooga Lookouts as the Wahoos snapped their five-game losing streak with a 5-1 on Monday night in front of 3,629 fans at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
Pensacola welcomed two major league rehabbers for the first time in the team’s history and both played just one inning. Manny Parra got the start and gave up a double in the first inning while striking out two. He threw 13 pitches, nine of which were strikes. Chris Heisey was involved in two plays in center field in the first inning. He was lifted from the game after the top half of the first for unannounced reasons.
The Wahoos backed up their Major League guests with three early runs, one coming on an RBI single from Travis Mattair and two more coming on a single from Tucker Barnhart.
Ryan Dennick (2-2) took over on the mound for the Wahoos and cruised through his piggyback start, limiting the Lookouts to just two base hits over six frames. Dennick earned the win for the first time since Opening Day.
Pensacola added to its lead with a fourth-inning RBI single from Bryson Smith and an eighth-inning RBI single from David Vidal.
The Lookouts lone run came in the ninth inning as Chris Jacobs doubled home C.J. Retherford with two outs. Loek Van Mil retired Griff Erickson to finish off the game.
The five-game series continues tomorrow night at 7 p.m. Daniel Renken (1-3, 3.67) will get the ball for the Blue Wahoos against the Lookouts’ Andres Santiago (2-4, 4.19).
story by Kevin Burke
Pictured: The Pensacola Blue Wahoos beat the Chattanooga Lookouts Monday night. Photos by Gary McCraken for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Sheriff’s Office Holds Leadership Academy
May 13, 2013
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is hosting the Florida Leadership Academy at the agency’s new training facility on Leonard Street.
The Florida Leadership Academy began in 2003 and has graduated 26 classes. The (FLA) is designed to provide current first-line supervisors with the knowledge and skill necessary to become efficient first-rate leaders in today’s criminal justice environment. Participants include sworn and non-sworn employees from various law enforcement and correctional agencies.
The FLA meets for one week per month for a total of four consecutive months and covers topics such as leadership, management, communication, professionalism, ethics, legal issues, decision making and stress awareness. FLA class 27 kicked off last week at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and will conclude in August.
Pictured: A training area inside the Escambia County Sheriff’s Video Visitation and and Training Facility near the Escambia County Jail on Leonard Street. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Gray, Hill Hold Fund Raising Edge In Tuesday’s Special Election
May 13, 2013
With a Republican primary looming Tuesday in the campaign to replace the late Rep. Clay Ford, two candidates built fund-raising leads — though money flowing from special interests and lobbyists appeared to be divided.
Former Gulf Breeze Mayor Ed Gray piled up nearly $100,000 for the special primary election in House District 2, collecting $94,975 in contributions and loaning the campaign another $5,000, according to totals posted on the state Division of Elections website after a Friday filing deadline.
Pensacola insurance agent Mike Hill, meanwhile, collected $68,610. Former Pensacola City Councilman Jack Nobles raised $26,040 and loaned his campaign $14,000, while Mark Taylor raised $8,305 and David Radcliffe loaned his campaign $1,313.
A report for the sixth Republican candidate, Scott Miller, had not been filed as of early Monday afternoon, a Division of Elections spokesman said.
The only Democrat in the race, Jeremy Lau, raised $3,671 by Friday and loaned the campaign $500. Lau will face the Republican primary winner in the general election June 11.
The candidates needed to quickly gear up campaigns after Ford, R-Gulf Breeze, died of cancer in March. House District 2 includes parts of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties and has been a Republican stronghold in races such as Rick Scott’s successful 2010 gubernatorial campaign.
The reports posted online reflect contributions to the candidates and do not detail spending by outside groups to influence the campaign. While much of the money contributed to candidates has come from the Panhandle, the reports also indicate that statewide interest groups and lobbyists have scattered money among three of the Republicans.
Gray, for example, has received contributions from groups and companies such as car dealers, utility contractors, beer wholesalers and ophthalmologists, according to the online records.
Hill has received heavy backing from insurance-related groups, along with getting money from organizations such as the National Federation of Independent Business. Nobles, meanwhile, has received support from physician groups, including the Florida Medical Association.
Some groups, such as the Florida Hospital Association and the Florida Bankers Association, have given to more than one candidate.
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
FHP Seeks Info In Two Motorcycle Hit And Run Accidents
May 13, 2013
The Florida Highway Patrol is continuing to search for vehicles involved in two hit and run accidents that left motorcyclists injured in North Escambia.
Molino Hit and Run
On April 8, a 72-year old motorcyclist was seriously injured in a hit and run accident in Molino.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Bruce Winsor of Pensacola and the pickup that fled the scene were both traveling northbound on Highway 97 near Gibson Road about 7:30 p.m. Winsor was traveling two to three car lengths behind the pickup and one of the witnesses when he changed lanes and attempted to pass the vehicles in front of him. At that time, the pickup slowed and began to turn onto Gibson Road. The front of Winsor’s Honda 1300 motorcycle struck the rear quarter panel of the pickup.
The pickup truck driver allegedly stopped, looked at the wrecked motorcycle and then fled the scene on Gibson Road.
There were three witnesses to the crash, according to FHP Lt. Steve Preston. They were not able to provide a positive vehicle description, but the FHP did develop a possible tag number. The pickup was located but did not have damage consistent with the accident. In addition, the pickup driver was included in a photo lineup presented to the witnesses, but he was not identified as the person involved in the accident.
Cantonment Hit And Run
A motorcyclist was injured in a February 7 hit and run on n Highway 29 southbound at Morris Avenue in Cantonment. The motorcycle driver was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Witnesses told authorities that an older model blue station wagon with wood grain panels was involved in the crash but fled the scene. The station wagon rear-ended the motorcycle, pushing it into a pickup.
Prestoon said the FHP has been unable to located the station wagon, described as being a mid 1990’s model with wood grain side panels and front end damage. The vehicle was last seen on Morris Avenue.
Have info that might help?
Anyone with information on either accident is asked to call the Florida Highway Patrol at (850) 484-5000 ext. 103 or their local law enforcement agency.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Sunny And Warming Week Ahead
May 13, 2013
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Monday: Sunny, with a high near 79. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 47. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 84. Light and variable wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 57. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light southwest after midnight.
- Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 85. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
- Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light after midnight.
- Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Light southeast wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
- Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
- Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.
- Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 62.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 88.
- Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 62.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 87.
Republicans Vie For District 2 Seat; Hill Boasts Double Digit Lead
May 13, 2013
Little more than a week after the end of the legislative session, Republicans in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties head to the polls Tuesday to choose a nominee to replace the late Rep. Clay Ford, R-Gulf Breeze, who died in March.
Among the candidates are insurance agents, a former mayor, a former city councilman and a tea party activist.
According to the latest survey by St. Pete Polls, Mike Hill is the front runner in the race by 12 percentage points. Hill, president of the Northwest Florida Tea Party, boasts endorsements from Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, and the National Federation of Independent Business in Florida, where he serves on the leadership council.
Hill fashions himself as a “genuine conservative” who says he will fight for limited government, lower taxes, personal freedom and individual responsibility.
But mailers targeting former Pensacola City Councilman Jack Nobles and former Gulf Breeze Mayor Ed Gray have served as a flashpoint in the race. Gray has produced an ad in which he says that Hill offers “no positive platform, no solutions, just a relentless smear campaign.”
In an interview, Nobles declined to comment in depth about the mailers, which paint Nobles and Gray as “two career politicians” who have voted to raise taxes. Gray declined to speak to a reporter Wednesday, saying he was focusing his time on contacting voters.
Hill said his campaign isn’t responsible for the mailers, but he backed up their message and said the attacks against Gray and Nobles weren’t personal.
“They’re career politicians, and that’s one thing I think that this area is kind of fed up with,” he said.
Beyond that, the race has covered everything from a feeling that Tallahassee is ignoring the area to how to use money meant to help eight counties recover from the effects of the BP oil spill.
“I’m looking forward to being a part of your governmental structure to go to Tallahassee, gain the respect of my peers over there and have state government look after the interests of northwest Florida just like they do all of South Florida and central Florida, because we deserve that,” Gray told a forum recently.
As for the BP money, most of the candidates agree that it should be spent by local officials.
“Let, at the local level, the counties determine how that money should be used,” Hill said.
Nobles adds that it should either be used to pay off debt or be invested and then used wisely.
“You give politicians money and they spend it pretty quickly,” he said.
Some of the candidates also have unique ideas and interests. Scott Miller, a businessman from Gulf Breeze and first cousin of Republican Sen. Greg Evers, says whoever represents the seat has to make sure that no one tries to use a toll to fund the replacement for the Three-Mile Bridge that runs from Pensacola to Gulf Breeze.
“I feel like we need to have somebody in Tallahassee who will watch that like a hawk,” he said.
Miller also has stressed his support for the Second Amendment, saying “people in South Florida” might try to curtail gun rights across the state.
David Radcliffe, a property and casualty insurance agent, developer and landlord, wants to return Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to a wind-only insurer. He worries that a recent measure creating a “clearinghouse” for the company will allow private insurers to “cherry-pick policies.”
“I need a good platform to go try to get my ideas heard in Tallahassee,” he said.
Mark Taylor, an insurance inspector who also works in construction and real estate, stresses workforce education, dovetailing with education reform efforts in Tallahassee. Taylor started selling real estate when he was in high school.
“Not everybody’s college-bound,” he said. “I wasn’t a college-bound guy, but still was very blessed and very successful.”
Whichever one of the half-dozen candidates emerges with the GOP nod in House District 2 will be a sizable favorite against Democrat Jeremy Lau in the June 11 general election. Gov. Rick Scott carried the district by 16 points in 2010 against his Democratic opponent, former Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink; Scott narrowly won statewide. Republicans also had an eight-point edge in voter registration, according to state numbers.
By The News Service of Florida
Easy Returns: Molino Library Gets Book Drop
May 13, 2013
Returning books at the new Molino Branch Library has become a little more convenient. The library, which opened April 1, now has a 24/7 book return located on the sidewalk at the northwest corner of the building on Highway 95A. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Recycle That Old Fridge Or Freezer, Get $35
May 13, 2013
Gulf Power Company residential customers who recycle an outdated refrigerator or freezer can get a $35 incentive check and be eligible to win one of two $250 gift cards now through June 30.
During the three-month “Recycle and Win” contest, Gulf Power residential customers can receive complimentary home pickup of their old inefficient refrigerator or freezer, receive a $35 incentive check and automatically be entered in a drawing to win one of two $250 prepaid debit cards, good anywhere, especially toward the purchase of any ENERGY STAR® product.
Turned-in appliances are sent to a recycling facility operated by JACO Environmental, a leading, national provider of appliance recycling services. JACO will be giving away the VISA® gift cards.
“If you’re looking for a cost-saving, energy-saving and space-saving way to jump start your spring cleaning, it doesn’t get much better than this,” said Natalie Smith, Gulf Power spokesperson.
Any Gulf Power residential customer can enter the drawing by recycling a refrigerator or freezer by calling 1-855-559-2523, or by visiting gulfpower.com/residential/fridgerecycle. Labor and transportation are provided free of charge to all customers.
Recycling refrigerators and freezers creates numerous benefits for utility customers and the environment. Program participants can save as much as $150 a year through lower electricity costs by having an older refrigerator or freezer hauled away. Recycling a single unit also repurposes more than 188 pounds of materials, such as foam, glass and metal for future use.
Local Students Shine At Sunshine Math Competition (With Photo Gallery)
May 13, 2013
Almost 600 third, fourth and fifth grade students from almost every Escambia County elementary school took part in the annual Sunshine Math Competition at the University of West Florida Field House.
For photos of the Bratt, Byrneville, Jim Allen and Molino Park teams, click here.
Teams and winners from North Escambia area schools included:
BRATT ELEMENTARY
3rd Grade Team 1:
Anna Adams, John Bashore, Shelby Cotita
3rd Grade Team 2:
Davis, Sarah Hetrick, Mia Starns
4th Grade Team 1:
Savannah Doremus, Hannah Hughes, Tyler Cloud Ray
4th Grade Team 2:
2nd Place Overall
Makayla Garrett, Shelby Godwin, April Johnson, Mary Paige Nassar
5th Grade Team 1:
Cassidy Boutwell, Neionni Findley, Cassandra Mullins, Adam Peterson
5th Grade Team 2:
Sheyenne Dillon, Anna King, Savannah Spence, Bailey Van Pelt
BYRNEVILLE ELEMENTARY
3rd Grade Team 1
David Ward, Harley Walker, Dillon Spears, Torka Mills
4th Grade Team 1
Ty Rolin, Logan Bryan, Maille Kilcrease, Abigail Levins
5th Grade Team 1
Savannah Steadham, Oliva Watson, Nicky Trump, Lea Nall
5th Grade Team 2
Alex Glidewell, Ian Gifford, Madicyn Bell, Cloe Smith
JIM ALLEN ELEMENTARY
3rd Grade Team 1
Christian Meadows, Alyssa Daniels, Jaxson Stafford, Jack Dortch
3rd Grade Team 2
Christian Riley, Kaleb Rudd
4th Grade Team 1
Kaelin Brinker, Dawson Butalla, Jessica Conti, Garrett Leggett
4th Grade Team 2
Andrew Robinson, Charlie Wine, Joshua Coonrod, Jonas Johnson
5th Grade Team 1
Jacob Leger, Katie Bryant, Jonathan Hamilton, Christian Wood
5th Grade Team 2
Ravyn Brown, Annie Cartwright, Austin Skipper, Izzy Kent
Individual Winners: Christian Meadows, 3rd place in3rd grade.
MOLINO PARK ELEMENTARY
3rd Grade Team 1
3rd Place Overall
Jaden Lewis, Clay Kittrell, Aden Fennell, Sarah Sconiers
3rd Grade Team 2
1st Place Overall
Kay-Lee Bradley, Reagan Daniels, Melody Patterson, Kileigh Lundy
4th Grade Team 1
Bryce Korinchak, Nathan Dansforth, Justin Miller, Leia Grantham
4th Grade Team 2
Clay Smith, Caden Woodward, Parker Hassebrock, C.J. Bulllington
5th Grade Team 1
Jacob Hawkins, Alexa Schlobohm, Micah Calhoun, Braden Boutwell
Tate ‘Cantus’ Chorus Shines At Performance Assessment
May 13, 2013
The ladies from J.M. Tate High School “Cantus” Chorus traveled to Tallahassee recently to participate in the “Florida Vocal Association State Music Performance Assessment”.
Only choirs who earned a superior rating at the district level MPA were qualified to attend this event. After many long rehearsals, careful listening and fine tuning, they delivered an outstanding and emotional performance that drew the attention of many audience members as well as other choirs and directors from around the state including the Florida Vocal Association Executive Director Mark Scott. Scott personally expressed how impressed he was with how Escambia County had been represented.
The choir is under the direction of Cynthia Domulot.