Bratt Elementary Students Celebrate 100th Day Of School
February 11, 2018
Bratt Elementary School recently celebrated the 100th day of school with activities that included dressing up as 100-year olds. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Where Will Road Construction Slow You Down This Week?
February 11, 2018
Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities
Escambia County:
- U.S. 98 Road Closure between A and Tarragona streets for Festivities- U.S. 98 between A and Tarragona streets will be closed from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9 for the 2018 Krewe of Lafitte Parade and from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10 for the Pensacola Grand Mardi Gras Parade.
- U.S. 29 Resurfacing between U.S. 90 and Muscogee Road – Alternating lane closures on U.S. 29 north and southbound, from Muscogee Road to West 9 ½ Mile Road, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 11 through Saturday, Feb. 17 as crews pave the roadway.
- State Road (S.R.) 742 (Creighton Road) Construction Improvement Project from east of Davis Highway to Scenic Highway – Intermittent and alternating lane closures between Davis Highway and Scenic Highway from 8:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 11 through Saturday, Feb. 17 continue as crews perform milling, paving, sidewalk and curb replacement. The following traffic pattern changes will also occur.
- Creighton Road at 9th Avenue: The week Monday, Feb. 12, east and westbound traffic patterns will change as a traffic separator is installed on the west side of the intersection.
- The eastbound, left-turn lane onto northbound 9th Avenue will be closed. The inside through lane will become a left-turn/through lane.
- The two westbound travel lanes will be shifted northward to utilize the recently widened portion of Creighton Road. These changes will remain in effect for two weeks and are weather-dependent.
- Creighton Road at 9th Avenue: The week Monday, Feb. 12, east and westbound traffic patterns will change as a traffic separator is installed on the west side of the intersection.
o Lanier Drive: The week of Monday, Feb.12, drivers will experience alternating lanes closures south of Creighton Road from 8:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. as crews place asphalt.
- Interstate 10 (I-10)/U.S. 29 Interchange Improvements Phase I – The following traffic impacts are planned on I-10 and U.S. 29 near the interchange (Exits 10A and 10B) from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 11 through Thursday, Feb. 15:
- Alternating lane closures on I-10 east and westbound and U.S. 29 north and southbound.
- The U.S. 29 on-ramps to I-10 eastbound will be intermittently closed. Traffic will be detoured on U.S. 29 to access I-10 eastbound.
- The exit ramp from I-10 westbound to U.S. 29 south (Exit 10A) will be intermittently closed. Traffic will be detoured to U.S. 29 north (Exit 10B).
- Alternating lane closures on the I-10 westbound exit ramp to U.S. 29 north (Exit 10B).
- I-10 Widening from Davis Highway to the Escambia Bay Bridge – Intermittent alternating lane closures on I-10, between Davis Highway (Exit 13) and Scenic Highway (Exit 17), and on Scenic Highway, between Whisper Way and Northpointe Parkway, from 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 11 through Thursday, Feb. 15 as crews perform construction activities. The speed limit on I-10 will be reduced to 60 mph during nighttime lane closures.
- U.S. 98 (S.R. 30) Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement – Alternating lane closures on U.S. 98 east and westbound, between 14th Avenue in Pensacola and Bay Bridge Drive in Gulf Breeze, from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 11 through Sunday, Feb. 25 as crews perform construction activities
- U.S. 29 Widening from I-10 to Nine Mile Road – Drivers traveling U.S. 29 and Nine Mile Road will encounter traffic pattern changes from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 11 through Saturday, Feb. 24 as follows:
- Nine Mile Road at the U.S. 29 overpass: Eastbound traffic continues to be shifted to the westbound inside travel lane as crews prepare the area for construction of the support column for the new center bridge deck. Lane restrictions are Sundays through Fridays.
- U.S. 29 between I-10 and 9 1/2 Mile Road: Drivers may experience alternating lane closures as crews perform drainage work and make preparations for future traffic shifts. Lane restrictions are Mondays through Saturdays.
- Traffic shift: Southbound U.S. 29 traffic between Hannah Street and I-10 will be shifted onto the new temporary pavement Saturday, Feb. 10 by 6 a.m. to allow crews to place cross drains across the existing southbound lanes. This traffic shift will remain in place several.
- Nine Mile Road (S.R. 10/U.S. 90A) Widening from Pine Forest Road to U.S. 29 – Alternating lane closures on Untreiner Avenue from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. the week of Monday, Feb. 12 as crews reconstruct the roadway between Nine Mile Road and Riley Road. The reconstruction will take approximately four to five days but is weather-dependent.
- I-10 Truck Parking Availability Systems- The FDOT will begin installing automated Truck Parking Availability Systems (TPAS) the week of Monday, Feb. 12 at I-10 rest areas and weigh stations in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Holmes, Jackson, Gadsden, Leon, and Jefferson counties. The Florida Welcome Center in Escambia County is also included in the program. Work is not expected to impact traffic on I-10 or within rest areas or weigh station facilities. No more than fifty-percent of available truck parking spaces will be closed at any time, and no closures will be permitted between 4 p.m. and 9 a.m. daily. Pedestrian access in the rest areas will be maintained always.
- I-10 over Escambia Bay Routine Bridge Inspection – Westbound traffic will encounter intermittent lane restrictions across the Escambia Bay Bridge from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13 through Thursday, Feb. 16 as crews perform a routine inspection on the structure.
- U.S. 98 (Pensacola Bay Bridge) Routine Maintenance- The East and westbound outside lane will be closed intermittently across the bridge between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13 through Thursday, Feb. 15 as crews repair overhead lights
Santa Rosa County:
- S.R. 87 Between Nevada Street and Laredo Street Drainage Pipe Operations- the northbound right lane will be closed between Nevada Street and Laredo Street from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Wednesday, Feb. 28 as crews perform drainage pipe operations.
- I-10 Widening from Escambia Bay Bridge to Avalon Boulevard (S.R. 281/Exit 22) Alternating lane closures on I-10, from the Escambia Bay Bridge to east of S.R. 281 (Avalon Boulevard/Exit 22), from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 11 through Friday, Feb. 16 as crews work to widen the roadway. In addition, alternating lane closures on Avalon Boulevard, near the I-10 interchange, will also be encountered as crews reconstruct the overpass.
- U.S. 98 (S.R. 30) Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement – Alternating lane closures on U.S. 98 east and westbound, between 14th Avenue in Pensacola and Bay Bridge Drive in Gulf Breeze, from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 11 through Sunday, Feb. 25 as crews perform construction activities.
- S.R. 87 Multilane from Eglin AFB boundary to Hickory Hammock Road -
Traffic between C.R. 184 (Hickory Hammock Road) and the Eglin AFB boundary is restricted to loads less than 11-feet wide. The restriction will be in place until the project is complete.
- I-10 over Blackwater River Bridge Repairs- The westbound outside, right lane will be closed from 8 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13 to 1 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14 as crews repair expansion joints.
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather. Drivers are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling through a work zone and to watch for construction workers and equipment entering and exiting the roadway.
West Florida Jaguar Cheerleaders Finish Second In State Finals
February 11, 2018
The West Florida High School Jaguar cheerleaders were runners ups in the recent Florida High School Athletic Association state cheerleading finals. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photos: A Rainy Day At The Pipes
February 11, 2018
Pictured is the view looking from The Pipes back toward Old Bridge Road near Cantonment on a rainy Saturday afternoon.
The Pipes is a Northwest Florida Water Management District day-use area that offers a picnic table, pedestal grill, portable toilet, and canoe/kayak launch on the Perdido River. The public area does not allow ATV’s or alcoholic beverage use.
Photo by Jared Sigler for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Halfway Home
February 11, 2018
Optimists had cause to celebrate, but glass-half-empty types hung their heads as the 2018 legislative session reached the halfway point this week.
The middle of the 60-day session marks the time for “bills are dying” plaints to begin. And it also sets the stage for horse trading — “negotiation accompanied by shrewd bargaining and reciprocal concessions,” according to Merriam-Webster — to kick into overdrive between legislators, the governor and lobbyists.
The ideological differences and political aspirations of those involved have been playing out inside the Capitol since the first week of the session, when the House passed a number of bills over which Republican base voters are certain to lick their chops. GOP House Speaker Richard Corcoran, who’s mulling a run for governor, has orchestrated the efforts.
For example, the deeply divided House passed a proposal to ban “sanctuary cities” in the state, a Corcoran-backed effort that drew criticism from Democrats and helped lead to a scheduled debate next week between the speaker and Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, a Democrat who’s already in the governor’s race.
But a number of high-profile issues remain in flux as the countdown clock begins to tick.
Gov. Rick Scott and House and Senate leaders have made the opioid epidemic a top priority this session. The House and Senate both have earmarked more than $50 million to address prescription and street drug addiction, a national phenomenon that’s caused overdoses to skyrocket.
But Senate Rules Chairwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, has twice postponed a vote by the Rules Committee on her opioid proposal (SB 8). Sen. Bill Galvano, a Bradenton Republican who’s slated to take over as president of the upper chamber after the November elections, said this week he’s in talks with Scott’s office about the bill.
The governor has pushed to restrict doctors to prescribing a maximum of three to seven days’ worth of narcotics, such as oxycodone, for acute pain.
But cardiac surgeons and orthopedists have repeatedly told lawmakers that’s not enough medication for patients who’ve undergone major operations, such as open-heart surgery. The doctors say the Legislature needs to leave decisions about their patients’ care to the experts.
Galvano indicated a deal might include some exceptions to the seven-day limit, an idea Scott’s office balked at during the first half of the session.
While the opioid legislation is still under construction, the House and Senate advanced their budgets this week, more than a week ahead of schedule, according to Senate President Joe Negron.
Those words ought to make even pessimists pleased, especially after everyone was dragged back to Tallahassee for a special session on education spending last year.
Let the shrewd bargaining and reciprocal concessions begin.
‘RANSOM’ DOLLARS FOR SCHOOLS
The House and Senate on Thursday approved separate versions of an $87 billion-plus state budget, with the two chambers taking different courses on health-care spending and a plan to link education policy to the budget process.
Although the two plans are only $100 million apart overall, a major hurdle facing negotiators is a House plan that directly links the $21 billion public-school portion of the budget to passage of a separate 198-page “conforming” bill (HB 7055), a move one Democrat branded as “ransom.” The conforming bill contains major education policy changes, including voucher-like scholarships to pay for bullied students to transfer to private schools.
Rep. Loranne Ausley, D-Tallahassee, said the bullying scholarship provision, which would divert more than $40 million in sales taxes, is another example of shifting public funding to charter and private schools.
“These programs are slowly killing our traditional public schools,” Ausley said. “The proverbial death by a thousand cuts.”
But the proposal, along with other attempts to expand school choice, are a priority for Corcoran and his leadership team. House Education Chairman Michael Bileca, R-Miami, said the policy changes in the bill are aimed at helping students and their parents, rather than relying on the existing school system.
“Nowhere are we telling parents what to do. We are opening up the choices for them,” he said. “It’s the greatest accountability system we have in the world.”
Negron and Senate Appropriations Chairman Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, reiterated their position that the Senate is willing to consider the numerous education policies proposed by the House, but the Senate leaders want to keep policy and budget issues separate, the leaders said.
“It doesn’t offend me that a bill is 10 pages or 200 pages, as long as it goes through a proper process of vetting and people have an opportunity to amend, take out, put in, change language,” Bradley said.
RED-LIGHT CAMERAS IN THE CROSSHAIRS
Across the street from the Capitol, the Florida Supreme Court took up two high-profile cases this week, hearing arguments on red-light cameras and a challenge to the state’s anti-hazing law by a former member of Florida A&M University’s “Marching 100” band who’s now behind bars.
Dante Martin was sent to prison in the November 2011 death of Robert Champion, a Marching 100 drum major. Champion died after participating in a decades-old ritual known as “crossing Bus C,” in which band members are hit and slapped as they cross from the front to the back of a bus.
Martin, who was the “president” of Bus C, was charged with manslaughter, felony hazing resulting in death and two counts of hazing related to Champion’s death, which drew international attention and resulted in the ouster of the historically black university’s then-president, James Ammons, and long-serving band director, Julian White. An Orange County jury convicted Martin on all counts and a judge sentenced him to 77 months in prison.
But on Wednesday, Martin’s lawyers tried to convince the Supreme Court that the fatal hazing ritual was a “competition” authorized by state law.
Under Florida law, hazing “does not include customary athletic events or other similar contests or competitions or any activity or conduct that furthers a legal and legitimate objective,” Martin’s lawyer, Rupak Shah, told the justices.
But justices seemed skeptical of Shah’s arguments.
“What ordinary, customary competition is there (in) beating of someone?” Justice Peggy Quince asked.
“There are customary events, where beatings, boxing is recognized,” Shah answered.
Justice Barbara Pariente was even more pointed, asking if “hazings are competitions to see who can stay alive and who dies.”
But Shah said the hazing rite met one dictionary’s definition of “competition,” which requires “perseverance and endurance to overcome an obstacle.”
Shah’s rationale did not appear to satisfy Pariente.
“The idea that you’re advancing a theory of competition, that you’re equating this with a boxing match or a football game or hockey that gets out of hand, but that’s not what this was,” she said later.
The justices, meanwhile, seemed just as doubtful about a challenge related to the city of Aventura’s system of processing red-light camera citations.
Lawyers asked the court to quash a ticket issued to Luis Torres Jimenez after a red-light camera captured an image of an illegal right turn.
Wednesday’s arguments in the case centered on the role that American Traffic Solutions, Inc. — a major player in the industry — has in handling red-light traffic violations.
Up to 35 percent of the images, which are sorted by ATS employees, are rejected, according to court documents. The rest are given to city traffic enforcement officials, who decide whether to issue citations or not.
Stephen Rosenthal, who represents Jimenez, told the court that a state law, passed in 2010, allows third-party contractors to review the images, but only traffic enforcement officers can actually issue citations.
Aventura’s system is unlawful because no city official “reviews” the images the vendor’s employees deem are not violations, meaning that the private company ultimately decides which drivers not to ticket, Rosenthal argued.
“Mr. Jimenez was subjected to unauthorized screening by the vendors,” he said.
But several justices appeared skeptical of Rosenthal’s position.
“Is it a misery-loves-company argument?” Justice Charles Canady asked. “I’m struggling. If he violated the statute, I don’t see what he has to complain about because … other people who might have violated the statute don’t get dragged into the net.”
STORY OF THE WEEK: The House and Senate passed competing versions of the state budget, setting up negotiations over the $87 billion spending plan.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “At some point I would hope the department would stop looking for a scapegoat and just do its job.” Sen. Kevin Rader, a Delray Beach Democrat who helps chair the Joint Administrative Procedures Committee, scolding Office of Medical Marijuana Use Director Christian Bax about delays in implementation of a constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana in Florida.
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Residents Evacuated As Fire Causes Assisted Living Facility Damage (With Photo Gallery)
February 10, 2018
A fire allegedly started intentionally by a resident led to damage and the evacuation of an assisted living facility late Saturday morning.
The resident allegedly set fire to a mattress in his room at the Enon Country Manor on Enon School Road. about eight miles southwest of Walnut Hill. There were 22 residents and two staff members evacuated outside into a cool rain without injury. They were eventually moved out of the weather into vans and other vehicles.
Responding firefighters were able to contain the fire to the resident’s room, but an additional portion of the building suffered smoke damage. It was not immediately known when the residents would moved back into the facility.
The fire is under investigation by the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The residents were moved back into the facility in the late afternoon.
For a photo gallery, click here.
According to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, the Enon County Manor is licensed for up to 25 residents.
Pictured top and inset: Residents of the Enon Country Manor outside in a cool rain watching firefighters work after a resident allegedly set a fire Saturday morning. Pictured below: The fire reportedly started on a mattress. Melted blinds and a busted, smoked window can be seen in the bottom photograph. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Saturday Morning Crash Claims Life Of Cantonment Woman
February 10, 2018
A Saturday morning crash claimed the life of a Cantonment women.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 23-year old Kaitlin Nicole Neese ran off Highway 297A between Eight Mile Creek Road and Heather Drive about 6:30 a.m., over-corrected and collided with a ditch, causing her 1996 Saturn to become airborne. The vehicle then hit a tree in a yard in the 3900 block of Highway 297A.
Neese was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Pictured: This crash on Highway 297A claimed the life of a Cantonment woman Saturday morning. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Don’t Stop Working For It: Winter Olympian Is From Northwest Florida
February 10, 2018
Update 2/21: Mia Mangenello and her speed skating team won the bronze medal in team pursuit, the first medal for U.S. women’s speed skating in 16 years.
Don’t stop working for it is the mantra of a Winter Olympian from Northwest Florida.
Speed skater Mia Mangenello, 28, was born in Fort Walton Beach and later lived in Crestview.
Mangenello’s parents opened Mia’s Italian Restaurant in Crestview and named it after her before selling it. Mia worked there growing up. They later opened Dominic’s Pizzeria in Valparaiso (it’s named for her dad). To this day, she still eats pizza to unwind after competitions.
“As a young child I quickly discovered my talent with inline skating and began to excel in the sport. When inline skating gave way to speed skating, I realized my life passion. With the abundant support of my family, we moved to Salt Lake City, UT, so I could train and pursue an Olympic dream,” she said.
After the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics inspired Manganello to switch from inline roller skating to speed skating, the then-13-year-old and her family made the move from Crestview.
In 2010, however, Manganello missed earning a spot on the U.S. team for the Vancouver Olympics and decided to step off the ice.
“I discovered a new love — competitive cycling,” she said.
She spent the next six years competing in cycling, believing that her speed skating days were over.
“In the winter of 2015, after a long break and a visit back to Salt Lake, the ice called once again. I competed in my first speed skate events in six years, ” Manganello said.
Her comeback was solidified when she claimed three titles at the 2017 U.S. Championships: the 1500m, 5000m and 3000m, which she won with a time that matched the American record. She was a member of the U.S. team at the 2017 World Single Distance Championships, where she finished 13th in the 3000m and 14th in the 1500m.
“Never stop dreaming,” she said online from Gangneung Ice Arena in South Korea. “They really do come true.”
Pictured top: Olympian Mia Mangenello is a Northwest Florida native. Pictured inset: Mangenello sports the official U.S. Olympic team’s official apparel. Pictured below: Mia Mangenello with her parents outside the restaurant in Crestviwe that bears her name. Courtesy photos for NorthEcambia.com, click to enlarge.
One Seriously Injured In Crash; Dog Rescued
February 10, 2018
One person was seriously injured in a single vehicle crash Friday afternoon on I-10 in Pensacola, while their dog was rescued in good condition from the wreckage.
The Jeep SUV ran off the roadway and struck a tree. After being extricated from the vehicle, the victim was transported by ambulance as a “trauma alert” to an area hospital. Further details have not been released by he Florida Highway Patrol as they continue their investigation.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Names Valentine’s Court
February 10, 2018
Ernest Ward Middle School held its annual Valentine’s Dance Friday night, naming a queen and her court based upon student votes.
King Noah Harigel and Queen Shelby Rice reigned over the dance, along with their court: Sixth Grade Knight Bentley Van Pelt, Sixth Grade Maiden Carsyn Dortch, Seventh Grade Knight Kaden Odom and Seventh Grade Elianna Morales.
Pictured top: King Noah Harigel and Queen Shelby Rice. Pictured below: Seventh Grade Knight Kaden Odom and Seventh Grade Elianna Morales. Pictured bottom: Sixth Grade Knight Bentley Van Pelt, Sixth Grade Maiden Carsyn Dortch. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
