Dozens Graduate From Crisis Intervention Training
September 1, 2018
The 39th Crisis Intervention training course graduated dozen of participants Friday, including participants from Escambia County Corrections, EMS, Fire Rescue and Sheriff’s Office, along with other local agencies.
The 40-hour training program is recognized and used throughout the country, emphasizing a partnership between law enforcement, the mental health and substance abuse treatment systems, mental health advocacy groups and consumers of mental health services and their families. CIT is designed for first responders who handle crisis calls involving people with mental illnesses, including those with co-occurring substance use disorders.
Throughout the week, participants had the opportunity to hear from instructors from the law enforcement community along with mental health professionals. Certified CIT Mental Health Coordinator Mary Carter from Lakeview Center Inc. was the facilitator for the training, which also included tours of the West Florida Community Care Center in Milton, Lakeview’s Acute Stabilization Unit and the Baptist Behavioral Unit. CIT participants learned crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques through role play, also getting an opportunity to hear powerful stories from those in the community who suffer from mental illness or who have family members with mental illnesses.
Northwest Florida CIT has held 39 training classes with 911 graduates since it began in 2006, spearheaded by Lakeview Center Inc. CIT’s mission is to provide a safe environment for persons with mental illness by partnering with agencies and systems within the community. These actions facilitate growth, strength and stability in the lives of persons with mental illness, carried out through education, communication and cooperation from those who serve the citizens of the community.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
High School Football Finals
September 1, 2018
Here are Friday night’s high school football final scores from the NorthEscambia area:
FLORIDA
- West Florida 40, Tate 20 [Read more...]
- Flomaton 41, Northview 20 [Read more...]
- Jay 40, Cottondale 0
- Navarre 53, Washington 12
- Escambia 42, Archbishop Shaw 7
- Gulf Breeze 38, Pensacola Catholic 21
- Choctaw 35, Milton 35 - OT
- Pace 37, Pensacola 22
ALABAMA
- Flomaton 41, Northview 20
- Tuscaloosa Academy 31, Escambia Academy 7
- Escambia County (Atmore) 42, Wilcox-Central 0
- Choctaw County at T.R. Miller, 7 p.m.
- Satsuma 39, W.S. Neal 20
Smokies Drop The Wahoos 3-2 In 10 Innings
September 1, 2018
With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 10th, Alex Powers (L, 2-2) plunked Zack Short to bring home the winning run as the Smokies took Friday’s contest 3-2 on Friday.
After taking the lead in the top of the extra frame, the Wahoos simply couldn’t hold on, even with their closer on the mound. Powers made quick work of P.J. Higgins, Vimael Machin delivered an 0-2 single to center to put runners on the corners. With Tyler Alamo batting, Powers fell behind on a couple borderline pitches over the outside corner. Alamo eventually walked to load the bases, and Powers ran into the same problem with Wynton Bernard. He would eventually walk to bring home the tying run before Short was hit to end the game.
While the hit-by-pitch is the main story, Vladimir Gutierrez was nothing short of sensational for the Wahoos. After allowing a run on three hits in the first inning, Gutierrez did not allow another hit for the rest of his seven innings. He struck out seven, walked only one, and retired the final 16 Smokies to close out his final start of the regular season.
Jesus Reyes replaced Gutierrez and tossed two shutout innings for the Wahoos. Excluding the first inning, the Smokies sent 30 men to the plate spanning 8.1 innings before they picked up another base hit. However, their walk-off win puts Pensacola’s postseason hopes in jeopardy. With Biloxi winning at home against the Barons, the Wahoos trail the Shuckers by 1.5 games in the second-half standings, with only three to play.
The series continues Saturday night in a must-win game for the Wahoos. RHP Tony Santillan (4-3, 3.49) will get the start for Pensacola and he will be opposed by RHP Thomas Hatch (8-6, 3.72).
Former Molino Business President Gets Prison Sentence For Embezzlement
August 31, 2018
The former president of a Molino business was sentenced to state prison Thursday afternoon for embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from the company.
Scott Allen Taylor, 42, was sentenced by Judge Jan Shackelford to 30 months in prison for fraud and forgery for the crimes against Hendrix Service Center in Molino. He faced up to 30 years in prison but entered a plea agreement that dropped a money laundering charge and capped his maximum possible sentence at three years.
Taylor embezzled $76,483.09 from Hendrix by diverting client payments to an unauthorized and undisclosed account at Hancock Bank, according to presecutors. To open the account, he forged the signatures of the majority shareholder in the company on account opening records which he then presented to the bank. Taylor was the only person authorized to write checks and withdraw money from the account.
Taylor was president of the corporation at the time and owned a minority share of the company. The plea agreement called for him to forfeit his stock.
According to court documents, he was responsible for processing invoices and payments from an extended warranty company, and he diverted direct deposit payments into the Hancock Bank account. The documents state a total of $72,501.72 was deposited into the unauthorized account, and Taylor was reimbursed $3.981.37 for a total of $76,483.09. Investigators found that the majority of the purchases from the account appeared to be personal expenses to several restaurants, Disney resorts, Disney tickets, Google, PlayStation, barber shops and other stores.
Taylor was remanded into custody Thursday afternoon.
Simply Delicious Cooking Class Coming To Cantonment
August 31, 2018
A Simply Delicious Cooking class will be held September 18-19 at the Escambia Count Extension Office on Stefani Road in Cantonment.
Attendees can learn the keys to quick, easy, economical cooking. The class will include hands-on activities, tasting and recipes. Participants will learn grilling techniques, instant pot one dish meals, easy entertaining techniques and creative appetizers.
The cost is $15 per day, and there will be prizes for those attending both days.
To register, click here.
More Thunderstorms Likely Today
August 31, 2018
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 87. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Friday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a high near 87. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. East wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. East wind around 5 mph.
Labor Day: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 89. East wind around 5 mph.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90.
Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71.
Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Wednesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71.
Thursday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 90.
Pictured: Clouds and blue skies over Walnut Hill Thursday afternoon. NorthEcambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Ribbon Cuttings Held For Kingsfield Elementary, Beulah Middle Schools
August 31, 2018
Students have filled the hallways since the first day of school at Escambia County’s two newest schools. And Thursday, the Escambia County School District held official ribbon cuttings at Kingsfield Elementary School in Cantonment and Beulah Middle School on Nine Mile Road.
“This is an exciting moment for our school district…cutting the ribbon for two brand new schools,” Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said, giving credit to the Local Option Sales Tax for making the recent facility growth in the district possible. The LOST was approved by Escambia County in 1999. “We have always been diligent with that money. We only use it to support building projects that are going to support our students.”
“We’ve got the eye of the tiger…..We are the champions, and you are going to hear us roar,” the Kingsfield Cubs chorus sang their new spirit song to the tune of Katy Perry’s “ROAR” during the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Thomas said he asked several Kingsfield Elementary students what they like about the new school. And the very first answer he received was not about multi-million dollar building.
“I like the teachers,” the student said.
“We build schools not to have new buildings, but to give our students the very best possible environment,” Thomas said, “Where they can learn and they can truly roar.”
For additional photos, click here.
Pictured top: The official ribbon cutting at Beulah Middle School. Pictured below: Ribbon cutting at Kingsfield Elementary School. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Court Says ‘Pre-Reveal’ Games Are Illegal Slot Machines
August 31, 2018
Siding with state regulators, an appeals court Thursday ruled that controversial electronic games played in bars and other establishments are illegal slot machines.
A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal upheld a circuit judge’s decision that what are known as “pre-reveal” games violate laws preventing slot machines in most of Florida. The panel’s 10-page ruling found, in part, that the games meet the definition of slot machines because they include an element of chance.
The ruling backed the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, which prompted the long-running dispute by ordering two businesses to remove the machines. That move drew legal challenges from Blue Sky Games, which developed the games, and Jacksonville-based Gator Coin, which leased the games to businesses.
Supporters of the games, which also are known as Version 67, have contended that the machines are legal because they include a “preview” feature that advises players of the outcome of the games.
But regulators and other critics have argued the preview feature doesn’t matter because the “random number generator” used to create the games equates to the definition of slot machines, which are games of “chance,” under state law.
Also, a key issue has been whether the slot-machine law applies to playing a single game or a series of games. While the outcome of the first “pre-reveal” game is known in advance, a player at the outset does not know the results of subsequent games.
The ruling Thursday, quoting a section of state law, said the determination of whether the games are illegal slot machines “turns on whether the user may receive something of value ‘by reason of any element of chance or any other outcome unpredictable by the user.’ The element of chance or unpredictability must be inherent in the machine itself.”
“We hold that the trial court was correct in determining that Version 67 is a slot machine because the element of chance is inherent in it given that it has a preset win/loss ratio … and that the game outcomes are determined by the machine by chance, via an RNG (random number generator), and there is nothing the user can do to affect the outcomes,” said the ruling, written by appeals-court Judge Joseph Lewis and joined by judges James Wolf and Stephanie Ray. “Furthermore, Version 67 is a slot machine for the additional and independent reason that also inherent in it is an outcome unpredictable by the user. While it is true that the user is advised of the outcome of the game at hand ahead of time through the preview feature, the user cannot predict that outcome until it is randomly generated and then displayed by the machine. Nor can the user predict the outcome of Game 2 while playing Game 1.”
The games have drawn attention in the gambling industry and in the Legislature, which this year debated a proposal to outlaw the machines. The legislative proposal did not pass.
The appeals court upheld a decision last year by Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper, who originally sided with Blue Sky Games and Gator Coin but then reversed himself. The reversal came after the Seminole Tribe of Florida, which became involved in the case, asked Cooper to reconsider his initial decision. The tribe operates casinos that include slot machines.
The ruling Thursday described Version 67 as “profitable game that depicts traditional slot machine symbols, such as reels; it takes $1 to $20 bills; and the amount of return to the player varies by the amount of money played. Version 67 has a mandatory preview feature that displays the outcome of the game selected before the insertion of any money and before the play button appears.”
“When the first game is played, the outcome of the next game is automatically generated by the RNG and is stored in memory, and that outcome is displayed when the player presses preview for the next game,” the ruling said. “There is nothing a player can do to change the outcome that is randomly generated by the machine from among millions of potential outcomes.”
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Man Injured When Car Falls On Him
August 31, 2018
A man was injured in Cantonment Thursday when a car fell on him.
The man was reportedly working on the car when the accident happened just before noon on Andalusia Road north of Muscogee Road. He was transported to an area hospital by Escambia County EMS.
The Cantonment Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded.
Further details were not available.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Eight Ernest Ward Middle School Cheerleaders Named All American
August 31, 2018
During a recent cheer camp at Ernest Ward Middle School, eight cheerleaders were named UCA All American. Each has been invited to take part in the Thanksgiving Day Parade at Disney World. They are (L-R) Jamison Gilman, Carsyn Dortch, Chloe Criswell, Leah Hetrick, Zakyla Smith, Sarah Bailey, Emma Gilmore and Leila Sanders. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.