Atmore Splash Pad Closed For A Few Days
June 11, 2018
The new splash pad in Atmore will be closed for the next “two or three days” for additional improvements, Mayor Jim Staff said Monday morning. The splash pad was opened under a month ago at South Trammel Street and West Craig Street, just behind Heritage Park on South Main Street. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Son Charged With Murdering Father in Escambia County, AL
June 10, 2018
A man has been charged with the murder of his father in Escambia County, AL.
Friday night, the body of 72-year-old Donald Nall was found outside his home on Highway 21 north of Fountain Prison with an obvious gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.
His son, 32-year old Matthew Nall of Huxford, was arrested at the scene and charged with homicide for allegedly shooting his father in the head.
Nall remained in the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center in Brewton Sunday morning.
Further information, including any motive, has not been released.
More Daily Thunderstorms
June 10, 2018
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Sunday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Monday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the morning.
Monday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Tuesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 88.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 87.
Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 87.
Tennessee Town Dedicates Monument To Fallen Blue Angels Pilot
June 10, 2018
Saturday, a memorial honoring Blue Angels Pilot Jeff Kuss was officially dedicated in Smyrna, TN.
U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Jeff Kuss, a native of Durango, Colorado, was a decorated pilot who joined the Blue Angels in 2014. Prior to the Blue Angels, he served in Afghanistan and had accumulated more than 1,400 flight hours and 175 landings on aircraft carriers.
On June 2, 2016, at the age of 32, Kuss tragically lost his life when his jet crashed a day before the Great Tennessee Air Show in Smyrna. A Blue Angel F/A-18C Hornet similar to the jet flown by Captain Kuss and on loan from the National Aviation Museum in Pensacola is on permanent display as part of the Captain Jeff Kuss Memorial. He is survived by his wife Christina, children Calvin and Sloane, parents Janet and Michael, and brother Eric.
Pictured top: The Capt. Jeff Kuss Blue Angel Memorial in Smyrna, TN. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Highway 29 Traffic Shifts To New Bridge Over Nine Mile
June 10, 2018
Crews have completed work on the Highway 29 center bridge deck over Nine Mile Road. Northbound traffic will be shifted onto the newly constructed bridge section around 8 pm. Sunday as demolition and reconstruction efforts on the northbound span begin.
Due to the increased vertical clearance of the new bridge. the on-ramp will be extended between Elena’s Alterations and Emerald Cuts Salon/Unitarian Universalist Church. This will affect access to businesses and residences on the east side of Highway 29 between Nine Mile Road and 9 1/2 Mile Road
For the next 60 days, motorists seeking access to properties on the east side of Highway 29 will utilize the northbound on-ramp. Only right turns will be permitted for vehicles existing driveways between Nine Mile Road and 9 1/2 Mile Road
Pictured: A look at a new northbound Highway 29 bridge over Nine Mile Road as seen from the south (above) and the north (below). NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Highland Baptist Presents ‘Acorns To Oaks’
June 10, 2018
Highland Baptist Church wrapped up their summer music camp Sunday night with a performance of “Acorns to Oaks.
Photos courtesy Samantha Lundy for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Politics, Pot And Grim Numbers
June 10, 2018
The Sunshine State was packed with political news this week, along with the perennial twists and turns in Florida’s budding marijuana industry.
But even the most politically plugged-in foodies and fashionistas focused their attention elsewhere, after two American icons reportedly took their own lives within days of each other.
Kate Spade, whose handbags, shoes and household goods were adored by prepsters, created “an accessories empire that helped define the look of an era,” according to The New York Times. Spade, 55, was found Tuesday after reportedly hanging herself with a scarf.
While Spade introduced young women to classy style, celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain turned Americans onto plates from around the world and around the corner.
The heavily inked Bourdain — tagged by The Smithsonian as “the “Elvis of bad boy chefs” — was found dead Friday morning in his hotel room in France, according to CNN. The 61-year-old Bourdain, who was in the country working on his popular CNN series, “Parts Unknown,” killed himself, the network sadly announced.
Bourdain wasn’t a politician, but he served as an ambassador of sorts, bridging cultural gaps in far-flung places over wine and sea urchin caviar pasta or along dirt roads slurping oysters and beer.
“Food is everything we are. It’s an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. It’s inseparable from those from the get-go,” he once said.
Bourdain took his own life a day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a grim report revealing that the suicide rate throughout the nation has jumped by more than a quarter over the past 17 years.
Florida’s suicide rate climbed by 10.6 percent, but what’s even more alarming is that 25 states saw increases in suicide rates topping 30 percent. Only one state — Nevada — experienced a drop.
With nearly 45,000 suicides across the country in 2016, the report described suicide as a “growing public health problem” and said a variety of factors may contribute to the increase.
“Comprehensive statewide suicide prevention activities are needed to address the full range of factors contributing to suicide,” the report said. “Prevention strategies include strengthening economic supports (e.g., housing stabilization policies, household financial support); teaching coping and problem-solving skills to manage everyday stressors and prevent future relationship problems, especially early in life; promoting social connectedness to increase a sense of belonging and access to informational, tangible, emotional, and social support; and identifying and better supporting persons at risk (e.g., military veterans, persons with physical/mental health conditions).”
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline — 800-273-8255 — and the Florida Suicide Prevention Coalition — floridasuicideprevention.org — are among the many resources available for people or family members seeking help.
Perhaps there’s no way of knowing the factors that led to the deaths of Spade, Bourdain or the thousands of others whose lives are mourned every day.
But 13th century Persian poet Saadi of Shiraz offered some advice for people struggling with imperfection: “Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy.”
BYE-BYE MURPHY
Much of the political jostling this week took place in the Democratic race for governor.
Here’s the short version: Billionaire Jeff Greene’s in, and former Congressman Patrick Murphy’s out.
After weeks of talking about the possibility of a campaign with former U.S. Rep. David Jolly as his running mate, Murphy decided this week his friendship with Gwen Graham — another former congressional colleague — trumped his gubernatorial ambitions.
Murphy and Jolly, a Pinellas County Republican, made national headlines as they floated the idea of a bipartisan ticket.
But Murphy, who served two terms in Congress before leaving to launch a losing bid for the U.S. Senate in 2016, put an end to the speculation Thursday, saying “you never want to run against a friend.”
In a Broward County press conference with Graham and her father, former U.S. senator and former Gov. Bob Graham, Murphy cited the younger Graham’s support for issues that he has backed, including the expansion of health care, environmental protections and support for public schools.
“I have decided not to enter the race for governor because there is one Democratic candidate already demonstrating the leadership Florida needs and fighting for the values we share — and that Democrat is Gwen Graham,” Murphy said in a statement Thursday.
HELLO GREENE
Murphy’s announcement came days after Palm Beach real-estate investor Jeff Greene filed paperwork to run as a Democrat for governor, joining a crowded field that already includes four major candidates.
Greene, 63, who lives two doors down from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2010. He also ran unsuccessfully in 1982 as a Republican for a congressional seat in California.
With formal qualifying scheduled to start June 18, Greene opened a campaign account in a primary that includes Graham, former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, Orlando-area businessman Chris King and Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum.
Christian Ulvert, a top adviser to Levine’s campaign, noted that Greene entered the race just 50 days before the Aug. 28 primary ballots are mailed out. Levine and Graham have been the early leaders, although a large swath of Democratic primary voters remain undecided, public polls indicate.
Levine’s campaign has been bolstered by television ads financed by more than $15 million he had raised through May, including at least $8 million in personal contributions.
But Greene, who has a net worth of $3.8 billion according to Forbes, will be able to immediately compete if he decides to self-fund his campaign like he did in 2010, when he spent nearly $24 million in the Senate bid.
The billionaire won’t rely on earned media, at least not yet. Greene has declined to appear with the other four candidates at debates Saturday and Monday, according to the Florida Democratic Party.
SEEING GREEN FROM THE GREEN STUFF
In another indication of how lucrative Florida’s cannabis market is or could be, a California-based company bought one of the state’s medical-marijuana operators for $53 million.
Under the agreement announced Wednesday, the company MedMen will acquire Treadwell Nursery’s five-acre cultivation facility, located in Eustis, and the right to operate 25 dispensaries throughout the state, the maximum currently allowed under Florida law.
“Florida is the third most populous state in the country with a medical marijuana market estimated to reach $1 billion in annual sales by 2020. MedMen has built the best-in-class brand, and we continue to invest in premium assets that solidify our dominant position in the most important cannabis markets in the world,” MedMen co-founder and CEO Adam Bierman said in a prepared statement Wednesday.
MedMen, which runs retail shops in high-end locations such as Beverly Hills and Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, operates 18 facilities in California, Nevada and New York.
Treadwell, which operates as “Remeny Wellness” and is one of the state’s 13 licensed medical-marijuana firms, hasn’t begun selling products but has been authorized by the state to begin cultivation.
The Treadwell deal is the latest multimillion-dollar transaction in Florida’s highly regulated medical-marijuana industry. Lawmakers have restricted the number of licensed operators in the state, which has intensified competition for the licenses and boosted their value.
Investors from around the world have wooed the state’s licensed marijuana operators since Florida lawmakers first legalized non-euphoric cannabis for a limited number of patients in 2014.
The courtship has exploded since Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2016 that broadly legalized medical marijuana. State health officials have estimated that at least 500,000 Floridians could be eligible for medical marijuana use, and some industry analysts predict twice as many patients will sign up for the treatment.
And the quest to plant a cannabis footprint in the Sunshine State continues to intensify as businesses like MedMen plan on the eventual legalization of recreational pot.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Billionaire Jeff Greene filed paperwork to join an already crowded Democratic primary race for governor, while former U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy abandoned the possibility of a bipartisan run with former U.S. Rep. David Jolly, a Republican. Murphy endorsed former Congresswoman Gwen Graham in the race.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “If all judges were saints, then we wouldn’t be having all the cases that we have coming over from the JQC. And they’re coming over on a weekly basis, my friend.” — Florida Supreme Court Justice R. Fred Lewis, referring to the Judicial Qualifications Commission, during arguments about whether a Miami-Dade County judge should be disqualified from a case in which a lawyer for one of the parties is the judge’s Facebook friend.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Gaetz, DeSantis Hold Political Rally
June 10, 2018
Congressman Matt Gaetz and Ron DeSantis appeared at a political rally in downtown Pensacola Saturday morning.
Gaetz has endorsed DeSantis in the race to be Florida’s next governor, stating that they share the same priorities.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino 14U Wins All-Star Championship
June 10, 2018
Molino 14U recently won the GCYB All-Star championship in Navarre. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Braves Best The Wahoos
June 10, 2018
Mississippi Braves starting pitcher, Touki Toussaint (W, 3-6), got it done on the mound, but did serious damage at the plate with two hits and three RBI in the M-Braves 12-4 win over the Blue Wahoos Saturday night at Trustmark Park.
The Braves struck first against Blue Wahoos starter Daniel Wright (L, 2-4) with a pair of runs in the second inning on Toussaint’s two-run single. He would strike again with two outs in the fourth. Toussaint ripped a double to left-center field driving home Connor Lien to put the M-Braves back on top 4-3.
Pensacola took the lead briefly in the top of the fourth. Brian O’Grady doubled home Nick Longhi to cut the deficit to 2-1. With two outs, Chris Okey singled home O’Grady and Luis Gonzalez to put the Wahoos up 3-2. The Braves piled on after taking the lead with a four-run fourth inning.
The Braves knockout punch came in the sixth inning. Already leading 9-3, Lien launched a drive to left field, Daniel Sweet made a leaping attempt into the fence, but he couldn’t hold on. Three runs scored on the two-out triple. Pensacola got a run back in the seventh on Narciso Crook’s first double-a home run to make it 12-4.
Wright lasted four innings and was charged with six runs on five hits with four walks in the losing effort. On the mound, Toussaint earned the win with 5.2 innings and three runs, one earned, on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts. At the plate, Shed Long led the way with his second-straight two-hit contest.
The Blue Wahoos will look to bounce back behind All-Star RHP Keury Mella (4-3, 3.56). The Braves will counter with RHP Bryce Wilson (1-2, 7.43).