Dedria’s Gift Presents Local Scholarship Awards
May 25, 2018
The charity Dedria’s Gift recently presented two scholarships to deserving Flomaton High School students.
Dedria’s Gift honors the memory of Dedria Robinson who was killed in a 2005 automobile accident at age 11. The group annually provides school supplies for hundreds of children the Century area.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Travel Expected To Be Up For Memorial Day Weekend
May 25, 2018
Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, and Americans will kick off the season by traveling in near-record numbers. According to AAA, more than 41.5 million Americans will travel this Memorial Day weekend, nearly 5 percent more than last year and the most in more than a dozen years (2005).
Even as gas prices rise like outside temperatures, AAA still expects an additional 2 million people will take to planes, trains, automobiles and other modes of transportation. INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, expects travel delays on major roads could be 2-3 times longer than normal, with the busiest days being Thursday and Friday (May 24-25), as commuters mix with holiday travelers.
“Higher gas prices will not be enough to keep travelers home this Memorial Day weekend,” said Vicky Evans, Assistant Vice President, Travel Sales Development, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “A strong economy and growing consumer confidence are giving Americans all the motivation they need to kick off what we expect to be a busy summer travel season with a Memorial Day getaway.”
Florida Travelers
- Total travelers: More than 2.2 million Floridians will travel on Memorial Day weekend, 5.5 percent more than last year.
- Automobiles: The vast majority (89%) of Florida travelers will hit the road. A total of nearly 2 million Floridians will take a road trip, which is an increase of more than 100,000 people (5.5%) from last year.
- Planes: More than 177,000 Floridians will fly to their holiday destination, an increase of more than 12,500 individual passengers (7.6%).
- Trains, Buses, and Cruise Ships: Travel across these sectors will increase by 1.3 percent to 62,103 passengers (almost 1,000 more than last year).
- Florida gas prices for Memorial Day weekend will be the most expensive in four years.
The 88 percent of travelers choosing to drive will pay the most expensive Memorial Day gas prices since 2014. Gas prices averaged $2.72 in April, an increase of 33 cents from last year, due to expensive crude oil, record gasoline demand and shrinking global supply. However, these higher prices are not keeping holiday travelers home, with automobile travel expected to increase for the fourth straight year, by nearly 5 percent over last Memorial Day.
Last year, gas prices on Memorial Day averaged $2.37 nationwide ($2.31 in Florida). Although holiday prices at the pump are projected to be the highest in four years, AAA does not expect gasoline to come anywhere near 2014-levels, where the national average was $3.66 ($3.62 in Florida).
Sylvia Smith Hart
May 25, 2018
Sylvia Smith Hart, age 77 passed away May 23, 2018 .The Daphne resident was a native of Canoe, Alabama. She was employed for more than 36 years by the Press-Register in Mobile, where she worked variously as a reporter, copy editor and page designer. During her years as a reporter, she received a number of certificates and plaques of appreciation from local, regional and state organizations for news coverage in the fields of health, religion and education. Among those were the Press Club of Mobile, 1980; Alabama Eye and Tissue Bank, 1991; Medical Association of the State of Alabama, 1971, 1986 and 1990; Alabama Public Health Association, 1992; Alabama State Nurses’ Association, 1987; Mobile County Nurses’ Society, 1986; Mobile Mental Health Center, 1970; Mobile County Chapter of American Red Cross, 1985 and 1986; Alabama Baptist State Convention, 1974; Conference of Downtown Churches of Mobile, 1983; Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of Mobile, 1983; Right to Read Effort of the Catholic Diocese of Mobile, circa 1970s; Mobile Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa educators association, 1977; Alabama Interdenominational Seminary, Mobile, 1982.
Hart received a bachelor of arts degree with a double major in journalism and English from Samford University in Birmingham in 1962. She attended Canoe Public Elementary School, whose building continues as a site for education in the community as part of the private Escambia Academy. She also attended Escambia County High School in Atmore.
Hart is predeceased by her parents, King and Olvena Smith, who owned a farm in Canoe. She is survived by her two brothers and their wives, J. Michael Smith and wife Janice Turner Smith of Canoe and D. Max Smith and wife Marie Horn Smith of Hurtsboro, Alabama. Her survivors also include nephew Ben Smith and wife Becca of Canoe, nephew Brian Smith and wife Rita of Birmingham; and niece Anita Marie Hitchcock and husband Paul of Gulf Breeze, Florida. As requested by Hart, her great-nieces and great-nephews are honorary pallbearers. They are Sam and Will Smith of Canoe; Bailey Smith of Birmingham; and Mary Miles, Kate and Jack Hitchcock of Gulf Breeze.
A graveside service will be held 11 AM Saturday, May 26, 2018 at Sardis Baptist Church Cemetery in the community of Wawbeek, AL. The address is 124 Sardis Church Road, Atmore, Alabama.
Hart’s request was that contributions be made to a charity of your choice or to the American Cancer Society, PO. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, OK 73123; phone:
1-800-227-2345; online: cancer.org.
Linda Williams Acker
May 25, 2018
69, of Pensacola slipped away peacefully to be with the Lord Sunday morning, May 20, 2018 at home in the arms of her family. Mrs. Acker was born in Ironwood, MI on September 21, 061948. She was raised in Robbinsville, NC and moved to Pensacola during her junior high years. A graduate of Pensacola Junior College, she was a secretary in the medical field, and member and very active soul winner in East Brent Baptist Church. She touched the lives of many.
Preceding Linda in death are her mother, Marjorie Burns Edeker; father, Archie F. Weaver; stepfather, Clay Gormley; son, Warren L Williams, Jr. and former husband, Warren L Williams, Sr. Survivors include her husband of 28 years, Richard “Rick” Acker; daughter, Kristy Quinata (Robert); granddaughter, Kathryn Aaron; grandson, Justin Quinata; stepson, Christopher Acker (Amy); step granddaughter, Summer Acker; step grandson, Lukas Acker; half-sister, Sheila Keever (Marshall); half-brother, Joey Venable (Donna) and four great grandchildren. The family wishes to thank the professional and caring members of her
transition teams: Specialty Health and Rehab, STAT Home Health Care, and Regency Hospice.
Visitation will be held at Pensacola Memorial Gardens Funeral Home on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 from 10:30am until services beginning at 11:30am. Brother Dale Patterson will officiate. Pall bearers will be members of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, with honorary pallbearers being members of Linda’s Sunday School Class. Interment will be at Barrancas National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers the family request memorial donations be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation at jdrf.org.
Wahoos Snap Skid, Split Twin Bill With Smokies
May 25, 2018
The Blue Wahoos snapped their six-game losing streak with a 7-5 win over the Smokies on Thursday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium in the second of a doubleheader after dropping the first 5-4.
With the Wahoos down 5-1 in the bottom of the sixth of game two, Brian O’Grady hit a two-run double to cut the Smokies lead to 5-3. Nick Longhi then came to the plate and hit a two-run single to tie the game. C.J. McElroy broke the Smokies backs with another two-run double to give the Wahoos their first lead of the series at 7-5.
The story for the Wahoos during the six-game losing streak was the team’s inability to score runs. However, the Wahoos found their confidence scoring late in the first game that repeated itself in the second.
In the bottom of the ninth of game one, with the Blue Wahoos down 5-1, Pensacola hit three home runs to tie the game at four. Taylor Sparks hit a two-run shot to cut the deficit down to 4-2 before C.J. McElroy and Shed Long belted back-to-back home runs of their own.
However, the Smokies won Wednesday’s suspended game off Trey Martin’s 11th inning RBI single to give the Smokies a 5-4 victory in the series opener.
In game three of the series, left-handed pitcher Seth Varner (1-0, 4.19) will make his first career Double-A start for the Wahoos. One of the top prospects in the Cubs minor league system, RHP Thomas Hatch (4-2, 3.06) will take the hill and try to give the Smokies a 2-1 lead.
Fire Damages Ensley Home
May 24, 2018
Fire damaged a home in the Ensley area Thursday afternoon.
The fire was reported just before 5 p.m. on Tommy Street just off Cove Avenue. There was no immediate report of any injuries. Several pets were brought out of the home.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and the American Red Cross is assisting the residents with a temporary place to stay.
Further information has not been released.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Woman Seriously Injured In Rollover Crash
May 24, 2018
One person was seriously injured in a single vehicle rollover accident early Thursday morning.
The accident occurred about 4:50 a.m. on West Roberts Road near Stallion Road. The driver lost control, struck a culvert and overturned. She was transported by Escambia County EMS to an area hospital.
The crash is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Further details have not yet been released.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Split Rulings Continue On ‘Stand Your Ground’ Change
May 24, 2018
Amid requests for the Florida Supreme Court to wade into the issue, a South Florida appeals court Wednesday ruled against a defendant in one in a series of cases about how to carry out a controversial 2017 change to the state’s “stand your ground” self-defense law.
The ruling by a panel of the 3rd District Court of Appeal was the third time this month that appellate courts have grappled with the issue of the 2017 change — with courts coming to different conclusions.
The change shifted a key burden of proof from defendants to prosecutors in “stand your ground” cases, and the issue in the appeals is whether that change should apply retroactively to defendants whose cases were pending before the 2017 law passed.
The 3rd District Court of Appeal in the case Wednesday of defendant Justin Bailey and in a May 11 decision involving defendant Tashara Love sided with prosecutors in finding that the change should not apply retroactively. But the 2nd District Court of Appeal, in a May 4 ruling in a Hillsborough County case, said the change is retroactive, a decision that could help defendants arguing that they acted in self-defense.
Love’s attorneys quickly filed a brief last week asking the Florida Supreme Court to take up the issue.
“This case presents an issue of statewide importance impacting countless criminal prosecutions: whether the 2017 amendment to the Stand Your Ground law applies to all pending cases or only those arising after its enactment,” Love’s attorneys wrote in the brief.
The “stand your ground” law says people are justified in using deadly force and do not have a “duty to retreat” if they believe it is necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm. When the defense is successfully raised in pre-trial hearings, defendants are granted immunity from prosecution.
Before the 2017 change, the Florida Supreme Court had ruled defendants had the burden of proof in pre-trial hearings to show they should be shielded from prosecution. With backing from groups such as the National Rifle Association, the 2017 change shifted the burden from defendants to prosecutors to prove whether self-defense claims are justified.
The ruling Wednesday by the 3rd District Court of Appeal, which hears issues from Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, gave few details of the Bailey case. But it said a lower court in December 2016 rejected Bailey’s argument that he should be shielded from prosecution because of the “stand your ground” law.
“Under the version of the statute existing on the date of the offense (and at the time of the evidentiary hearing), Bailey shouldered the burden of proof, requiring him to establish his entitlement to statutory immunity by a preponderance of the evidence,” said Wednesday’s ruling by appeals-court judges Kevin Emas, Thomas Logue and Norma Lindsey. “The trial court concluded in its order that Bailey ‘failed to prove by the preponderance of the evidence that he is immune from prosecution.’ ”
As Bailey appealed the ruling, the Legislature and Gov. Rick Scott shifted the burden of proof to prosecutors. Bailey’s attorneys argued that the change should be applied to his case. But in turning down Bailey, the panel Wednesday pointed to the May 11 ruling in the Love case, which stemmed from a 2015 shooting during an altercation outside a Miami-Dade County nightclub.
“Following our precedent in Love, we therefore hold that the June 9, 2017 amendment does not apply to Bailey’s case, and Bailey is not entitled to a new evidentiary hearing on that basis,” Wednesday’s ruling said.
But in the Hillsborough County case earlier in the month, a panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal said the burden-of-proof change should apply retroactively to Tymothy Ray Martin, who was convicted of felony battery in a 2016 altercation involving his girlfriend. Martin had sought to use the “stand your ground” law to be shielded from prosecution, but a judge denied his request in a pre-trial hearing.
Martin appealed his conviction, and the appeal was pending when the Legislature and Scott made the change.
The 2nd District Court of Appeal and the 3rd District Court of Appeal have asked the Supreme Court to resolve the retroactivity issue — a move known as “certifying” a question to the Supreme Court.
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
“I’m The Guy Who Died At Chick-fil-A” – Escambia EMS Recognizes Cardiac Arrest Survivors
May 24, 2018
“I’m the guy who died at Chick-fil-A.”
That’s how Jack Casey introduced himself to Escambia County EMTs and paramedics who may remember him as the man who was clinically dead for about half an hour one spring morning in 2015.
Casey (pictured above) suffered sudden cardiac arrest while working at the Chick-fil-A on Navy Boulevard on May 11, 2015, and he said he owes his life to bystanders and first responders who immediately started CPR and didn’t stop until his heart was pumping again.
“CPR saves lives,” Casey said. And he would know.
Casey was one of seven sudden cardiac arrest survivors recognized by Escambia County Emergency Medical Services staff at a ceremony Tuesday, May 22 at Escambia County Public Safety, where they had an opportunity to meet the people who brought them back to life.
Some survivors shed tears as they tried to put their gratitude into words. Casey was able to make it to his son’s high school graduation right after the EMS ceremony.
Related story: Lifesaving PulsePoint App Now Available In Escambia County
The ceremony was conducted in conjunction with National EMS Week May 20-28, which honors emergency medical service professionals for their dedication to public service while raising awareness about the many EMS services, resources and programs available to Escambia County citizens. This year’s theme is EMS Strong: Stronger Together.
Escambia County Chief of EMS Steve White emphasized the importance of hands-only CPR for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, which only have about a 10 percent survival rate, according to the American Heart Association. Early application of bystander CPR and rapid defibrillation from an AED have proven to be crucial in improving a person’s chance of survival.
“If somebody, anybody, will perform CPR before EMS arrives, the survival rate triples,” White said.
Early application of CPR was critical for survivor Patricia Jablonski, who suffered sudden cardiac arrest in Walmart last March. Her husband, Jesse, a retired firefighter, immediately began CPR until first responders arrived.
“And we know that directly contributes to being able to walk out of the hospital and have another birthday, another Christmas, another child graduate high school,” White said while recognizing Jesse Jablonski for his quick action.
Patricia Jablonski (pictured left) expressed her gratitude to her husband, EMS personnel and everyone who helped save her life that day.
“I’m appreciative that I get to see all five of my grandchildren grow up…,” she said. “I really, really appreciate it, and I will love you and think of you ’til the day I die.”
Survivor Greg Yost (pictured below) echoed the importance of knowing CPR, which saved his life on April 14, 2017 while driving near his neighborhood. His wife flagged down a vehicle, and a 15-year-old stopped and performed hands-only CPR until EMS arrived. The 15-year-old only knew CPR from watching the TV show “Scrubs,” and he did chest compressions to the beat of the song “Stayin’ Alive,” which is commonly used to teach hands-only CPR.
Yost said the doctors told him he had less than a 1 percent chance of surviving to the hospital.
“I owe my life to them…,” Yost said of the bystander and first responders. “Truly, everything that happened for me aligned in a way that allowed me to live. So I am deeply, deeply thankful.”
Escambia County is offering several opportunities for the public to learn hands-only CPR during EMS Week:
- Free hands-only CPR courses: This week through Friday, May 25 from 4:30-5:30 p.m., Escambia County Public Safety, 6575 N. “W” St.
- Free hands-only CPR training event: Saturday, May 26 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m, Cordova Mall, 5100 N. Ninth Ave.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate High School Presents Industry Certifications
May 24, 2018
Tate High School presented numerous industry certification awards during a program Wednesday night at the school. The certifications were earned during career and technical educational classes.
“Tate High has had outstanding success this year with very high certification numbers,” Steve Harrell, Escambia County Workforce Development, said.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
