Slight Chance Of Shower Today; Rain Chance Increases Tuesday
February 18, 2019
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Washington’s Birthday: A 20 percent chance of showers before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63. North wind around 10 mph.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49. Northeast wind around 10 mph.
Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 65. East wind around 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. Southeast wind around 10 mph.
Wednesday: Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Wednesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Thursday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78.
Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62.
Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 73.
John Kevin Bethea
February 18, 2019
John Kevin Bethea of Molino, Florida passed away on Friday, February 15, 2019. Kevin was born in Pensacola, Florida on May 16, 1973. He was a graduate of Ernest Ward High School in Walnut Hill, Florida, and went on to become a skilled mechanic and married the love of his life, Cristy.
Kevin was a passionate lover of country music, a tinkerer who could repair anything, and a best friend to countless among us. Kevin never met a stranger and enjoyed life to its fullest while caring most for his family and friends.
Our beloved son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, nephew, cousin, and uncle Kevin is survived by his wife Cristy; sons, Brandon Jernigan and Dylan Bethea of Molino; grandson, Brayden; parents, John and Evelyn Bethea of Bay Springs; grandmother, Juanita O’Connor of Molino; brother, Bryan Bethea of Chicago; and sister, Summer Stuckey of Byrneville. Kevin is also survived by loving in-laws, nieces, cousins, family members, and a host of long-time friends.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents, John C. Bethea, Dorothy (Walker) Bethea, Evelyn (Parker) Kovach, and Alfred O’Connor.
A memorial service and celebration of life will be held for Kevin on Tuesday, February 19, 2019, at the Bay Springs Full Gospel Church. The memorial will begin at 4 p.m.
National TV Show To Feature Local Sister Murder Story
February 17, 2019
A documentary television series is set to take a look at the case of a Northview High School student that shot and killed her sister in 2011 in an argument over a cellphone.
Elena Janelle Rendell — who was 17 at the time of the August 3, 2011, shooting — was convicted as a youthful offender for shooting 14-year old Christina Marie Sneary, a former Molino resident.
“We’re currently producing a docuseries for the Investigation Discovery network, focusing on true crime cases involving sisters and their families. Each episode examines their lives and relationships involved before things went bad, to help us understand the context for the crime,” Wesley Middleton, a producer for 44 Blue said in an email to NorthEscambia.com.
Rendell was sentenced to one year in the county jail, with no credit for nearly one year she spent behind bars awaiting trial. She also received five years probation. The reduced sentence was due to Rendell’s mental capacity at the time of the shooting.
She was also ordered to continue with mental health counseling and treatment.
The two girls had recently moved with their mother from Sunset View Lane in Molino to the 7600 block of Kipling Street in the Ferry Pass community.
Rendell told deputies that she began to argue with Sneary over a cell phone. During the argument, Rendell ran into her parent’s bedroom and retrieved her father’s 9 mm handgun from the top of a television shelf that stood about 12-feet high. Rendell then pointed the handgun at her 14-year old sister and fired a single gunshot into the right side of Sneary’s neck. Sneary died a short time later at Sacred Heart Hospital.
There air date of the program is not yet known. It is being filmed through early this week in Escambia County.
44 Blue’s recent crime and justice programming includes HBO’s top-rated documentary “Rock and A Hard Place,” produced in association with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions, which took an in-depth look at an alternative sentencing program for young offenders in Miami. 44 Blue is also known for A&E’s top-rated “Nightwatch,” produced in association with Dick Wolf, MSNBC’S “Lockup,” the longest running prison documentary series on television, and its trio of spinoff series “Lockup: Raw,” “Lockup: World Tour” and “Life After Lockup,” as well as Animal Planet’s number-one rated “Pit Bulls & Parolees,” currently airing its ninth season.
Nine Mile To Highway 29 Ramp To Be Closed Monday Night
February 17, 2019
The northbound Highway 29 on-ramp from Nine Mile Road in Escambia County will be closed from 8 p.m. Monday, February 18 to 6 a.m. Tuesday, February 19 as crews place drainage pipes across the roadway.
Nine Mile Road travelers wanting to head north on Highway 29 will be redirected to northbound Palafox Street, 9 ½ Mile Road, and back to Highway 29. All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.
Local Rotary Clubs Pack 54,300 Meals For Manna To Fight Hunger
February 17, 2019
The Combined Rotary Clubs of Pensacola (CROP) packed 54,300 meals Saturday to fight hunger with the Manna food bank.
Over 250 volunteers contributed to the project — a morning spent packing nutritious lentil casserole packets to provide much-needed food to those in need. According to Manna Executive Director DeDe Flounlacker, the project has become a critical part of their ability to meet the needs of the hungry throughout the year in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
“The Rotary Against Hunger project provides much-needed food during the winter and early spring months when giving has decreased and need has increased,” said Flounlacker. “Last year, Manna provided food assistance to 13,533 people. Many are the working poor, grandparents raising their grandchildren, and moms and dads who do not have enough money to pay their bills and buy food for their family. Thanks to our Rotary friends, thousands of our neighbors in need will be given the gift of nutritious food.”
Since Rotary Against Hunger started in 2012, CROP has packed over 650,000 meals for the hungry.
“Through this project, Rotary is striving to exemplify Service Above Self, the Rotary motto,” said Tracy Allen, Rotary Against Hunger Project Chair.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Showers, Cooler On Monday
February 17, 2019
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Sunday Night: Showers likely, mainly after midnight. Patchy fog. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Washington’s Birthday: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. North wind 10 to 15 mph.
Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. Northeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Tuesday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a high near 67. Northeast wind 5 to 15 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Tuesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a high near 76. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Wednesday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. South wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76.
Thursday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62.
Friday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75.
Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62.
Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 76.
No Change In ECUA Trash Collections Due To Presidents Day
February 17, 2019
ECUA offices will be closed Monday, February 18, in observance of the Presidents Day holiday. All residential and commercial sanitation collections for ECUA customers in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties will be unaffected, and will be carried out as scheduled. Customers may call ECUA Customer Service at (850) 476-0480 for additional information.
Man Killed In Escambia County Crash
February 17, 2019
A 55-year old Pensacola man was killed in a traffic crash in Escambia County.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 22-year old Darby Paddie of Pensacola failed to yield when he turned from Blue Angel Park onto Dog Track Road and into the path of a 1995 Acura driven by Fredrick Earl Bethune
Bethune was pronounced deceased at Baptist Hospital following the crash just before 8 p.m. Friday. Paddie received minor injuries.
Any charges are pending the outcome a traffic homicide investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
FWC: Truth About Florida’s Deer Rut; Gun Season Ends, But There’s A Week Left To Hunt
February 17, 2019
There are a lot of theories and differing opinions on what causes the white-tailed deer rut. Hours of daylight decreasing, geographic latitude, genetics, climate, evolution and moon phase are many factors that hunters and deer enthusiasts have debated over the years. To get to the science behind it and learn the facts about what impacts the rut, I asked the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) white-tailed deer research biologist Elina Garrison.
“As winter approaches, decreased daylight triggers does to come into estrus,” Garrison said. “Latitude therefore plays a part as seasonal day length varies with geographic latitude.”
Some hunters believe deer from other states released in Florida years ago is one of the reasons why the deer rut here is the widest ranging of any state – from July in extreme south Florida to early March in extreme northwest Florida and the Green Swamp Basin.
“While it seems unlikely that genetics due to restocking is the only explanation for the variation in Florida’s breeding dates, there is some research that suggests it may play a part,” Garrison said. “Florida, as were many other southeastern states, was part of restocking efforts in the 1940s through the ’60s when deer were introduced, mostly from Wisconsin, Texas, Louisiana and Pennsylvania. The main stocking source for the Green Swamp Basin was from Louisiana. South of there, deer from Texas were mainly used, and north Florida received mainly Wisconsin deer.”
Garrison said climate is a factor, but it really only plays a part in northern, colder states, where the timing of the rut occurs so fawns are born in the spring after the late winter storms and when the most food is available. But they must be born early enough to put on suitable weight and fat to survive the following winter. That’s why there’s such a short window for when breeding must occur in northern states.
The reason the rut varies so much in Florida is because it can, Garrison said. Florida’s relatively mild climate and long growing season allows fawns to be born at various times of the year.
“As far as I know, there are no other states where breeding occurs as early as July and August like it does in extreme south Florida,” she said. “And although difficult to prove, it seems likely it is driven by the hydrological cycles down there. The rut is timed so fawns are born during the driest time of the year, giving them the greatest chance of survival and allowing them to grow to an adequate size before the beginning of the wet season in June.”
Although it is a popular theory among hunters, Garrison says several research projects have proven there is no relationship between the rut and the moon phase. Another interesting fact is the average time a doe stays in heat is about 24 hours.
“The breeding chronology study we did shows that conception dates within an area vary as much as from nine to 110 days, with an average of 45 days, and most does breed within 60 days, meaning rutting activity can occur over a two-month period,” Garrison said.
If a doe is not bred during her first heat, she will come back into estrus again in about 26-28 days, Garrison says. If the doe doesn’t conceive, this cycle can be repeated but normally not more than a few times unless there are not enough bucks to breed all the does. In which case, an area could experience a second or even third peak rut.
If any of this deer talk is getting you fired up to continue hunting this season, then grab your favorite primitive method of take and follow the rut up to the Panhandle and take advantage of Zone D’s late muzzleloader season.
Zone D’s late muzzleloader season
General gun season ends Feb. 17 in Zone D, but if you’d like to keep hunting deer, Zone Dhas a late muzzleloading gun season that extends deer hunting opportunities by a week and runs Feb. 18-24 on private lands. The season was established to give hunters an opportunity to continue hunting northwest Florida’s late rut, which runs mid-January through February.
On private land, a $5 muzzleloading gun season permit is required along with a hunting license and $5 deer permit (if hunting deer) to hunt during this season, and hunters have the choice of using a muzzleloader, bow or crossbow. But the only muzzleloaders allowed are those fired by wheel lock, flintlock, percussion cap or centerfire primer (including 209 primers) that cannot be loaded from the breech. For hunting deer, muzzleloading rifles must be at least .40-caliber, and muzzleloading shotguns must be 20-gauge or larger.
Public hunting opportunities
There are 14 wildlife management areas in Zone D that have a late season in February, but it’s referred to as the archery/muzzleloading gun season. Those areas are Apalachicola, Apalachicola River, Beaverdam Creek, Blackwater, Chipola River, Choctawhatchee River, Econfina Creek, Eglin AFB, Escambia River, Escribano Point, Perdido River, Point Washington, Tate’s Hell and Yellow River. Season dates vary by WMA, so be sure to check the brochure for the area you want to hunt.
Hunters may use bows or muzzleloaders, but no crossbows – unless they possess a Persons with Disabilities Crossbow Permit. Besides a hunting license, $26 management area permit and deer permit (if hunting deer), hunters who choose to hunt with a bow must have a $5 archery season permit, and those using a muzzleloader need a $5 muzzleloading gun season permit.
All the licenses and permits you’ll need can be obtained at most retail outlets that sell hunting and fishing supplies, Florida tax collector offices, by calling 888-HUNT-FLORIDA or at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com.
Legal to take; bag limits
Deer and wild hogs are most commonly hunted during this season. Only legal bucks may be taken (even if using a bow). South of Interstate 10 in Deer Management Unit D1, one antler must have at least two points. North of I-10 in DMU D2, all bucks must have at least three points on one side or have a main beam of at least 10 inches long to be legal to take.
On private land, the daily bag limit is two. Bag limits for deer on WMAs differ, so consult the area brochure before you go.
Hunting regulations
During the late muzzleloader season on private lands and archery/muzzleloading gun season on WMAs, dogs may not be used to hunt deer. However, you may use a leashed dog for tracking purposes. You’re allowed to take deer and hogs over feeding stations on private land, but it is illegal to use such feed on WMAs. And it’s important to know that turkeys are not legal game during this season.
Happy hunting!
The 2018-2019 fall/winter hunting seasons may be winding down, however, there are still great opportunities to get out there. This February, catch the hunting excitement of the late rut that occurs during Zone D’s late muzzleloader season.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Prayers, Tears And Flowers
February 17, 2019
Alyssa Alhadeff. Scott Beigel. Martin Duque Anguiano. Nicholas Dworet. Aaron Feis. Jaime Guttenberg. Chris Hixon. Luke Hoyer. Cara Loughran. Gina Montalto. Joaquin Oliver. Alaina Petty. Meadow Pollack. Helena Ramsay. Alex Schachter. Carmen Schentrup. Peter Wang.
With heavy hearts, Florida paid homage Thursday to the 17 victims of the state’s deadliest school shooting with candlelight vigils, music and art to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
Florida’s Old Capitol all week was bathed in a glow of orange, to serve as a “token of hope and a pledge that the Parkland 17 will not be forgotten,” Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said last month when she asked Gov. Ron DeSantis and her Cabinet colleagues to support the colorful tribute.
The governor and First Lady Casey DeSantis joined Fried, Attorney General Ashley Moody, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, House Speaker José Oliva, Senate President Bill Galvano and dozens of legislators for a somber ceremony Thursday morning, as a National Guard member rang a bell 17 times.
The DeSantises later laid flowers at the Parkland school and attended a vigil at a nearby park where hundreds of other mourners prayed, wept and sang.
“On this solemn day, our state mourns the lives of the 17 souls lost at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School one year ago. Since that tragic day, the Parkland community has demonstrated tremendous courage and resiliency, reminding us just how strong and united Floridians can be in the face of such devastating loss,” DeSantis said in a statement. “We will never forget the heroes who risked and sacrificed their lives to protect others, nor the actions taken that day by first responders. Casey and I continue to keep the families and loved ones of the innocents who were lost in our prayers as we honor their memory today in a moment of silence.”
Andrew Pollack, whose daughter, Meadow, was among the slain students, stood behind DeSantis as the bell tolled in the Capitol courtyard.
For the grieving father, this Valentine’s Day didn’t carry any greater significance than any other day since the unthinkable happened.
“This is everyday life, for every parent who loses a kid like I did. We live it every single day,” Pollack told reporters.
SCHOOL SAFETY PROBE ORDERED
On the eve of the shooting anniversary, DeSantis — flanked by numerous family members of the Parkland victims — asked the Florida Supreme Court to impanel a statewide grand jury to investigate whether school districts are complying with mandatory safety measures designed to protect students.
DeSantis called the statewide grand jury “something real,” and said he intends the state to heed “whatever recommendations they have for us.”
Since taking office last month, DeSantis has taken a number of high-profile actions to address the horrific Parkland shooting.
On his first week on the job, DeSantis suspended Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, accusing the law enforcement official of “neglect of duty” and “incompetence” related to the shooting. Israel is appealing the suspension, but a recently released report by a state commission found fault with the sheriff’s office’s handling of the attack by confessed gunman Nikolas Cruz, a former student at the school with a long history of mental health problems.
Angry parents and other critics, including Pollack, also called on DeSantis to oust Broward County Superintendent of Schools Robert Runcie. But the governor said he does not have the authority to remove the schools chief because Runcie is an appointed official.
A statewide grand jury is “the best tool that we have” to explore possible wrongdoing by school districts throughout the state, DeSantis, a Harvard Law School graduate, said Wednesday. The probe will be at least the third statewide investigation into the Parkland shooting, which is also the subject of a Florida Department of Law Enforcement inquiry.
The governor asked the statewide grand jury to explore “whether refusal or failure to follow the mandates of school-related safety laws … results in unnecessary and avoidable risk to students across the state;” whether public officials committed — and continue to commit — fraud and deceit” by accepting state money conditioned on implementation of certain safety measures; whether public officials committed fraud by “mismanaging, failing to use, and diverting funds from multi-million-dollar bonds specifically solicited for school safety initiatives;” and whether school officials violated state law by “systematically underreporting incidents of criminal activity” to the state Department of Education.
Lawmakers last year created the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, which spent months investigating the shooting and issued a report in January.
But unlike that commission, the grand-jury investigation won’t be limited to Broward County or the events surrounding the mass shooting, the governor said.
“It is multi-jurisdictional. But I think it’s something that is warranted. I think it’s something that may lead to potential accountability measures by a grand jury. But it could also lead to, and I think it will, lead to recommendations about what some of the various school districts could do better. They can provide information to the state of Florida, and we can then take action,” he told reporters.
‘GUARDIAN’ PROGRAM COULD EXPAND
A Florida Senate panel responsible for shaping statewide education policies advanced a sweeping school-security package on Tuesday that would make it easier for districts to participate in a controversial “guardian” program and would allow classroom teachers to be armed.
The Senate Education Committee approved the proposal (SPB 7030) on a 5-3, party-line vote. The vote came after the panel agreed to amend the measure to allow law-enforcement officers to serve as school safety specialists instead of requiring school district employees to fill that role. The revised bill also would put school superintendents in charge of appointing “guardians.”
The school guardian program, part of a law passed in response to the Parkland shooting, allows school personnel whose primary duties are outside the classroom to carry concealed weapons after going through extensive training.
Under current law, county sheriffs must sign off on the guardian program for school districts to implement it. The Senate measure approved Tuesday would give school districts the authority to implement the program.
While most of Tuesday’s two-hour debate focused on the contentious guardian program, the proposed package includes an overhaul of other school-safety measures.
Senate Education Chairman Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah, called the proposal “monumental” and said it was crafted to include most of the recommendations made in a 458-page report by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission.
The commission overwhelmingly favored expanding the “guardian” program and recommended strengthening school requirements to report crimes and other safety-related incidents, as well as sanctions for superintendents who under-report such incidents.
“One year ago this week, we made a commitment to the students and families of Parkland that we would do everything in our power to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again. … So I am very pleased this critical school safety legislation gets to the heart of the commission recommendations,” Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, said in a statement.
But Sen. Bill Montford, a Tallahassee Democrat who is chief executive officer of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents, questioned the policy of allowing armed teachers.
“We’re at the verge of considering a monumental change in public education,” Montford said. “We are shifting the mission of public education from being one of teaching to being one of teaching and law enforcement.”
STORY OF THE WEEK: Gov. Ron DeSantis was among the many mourners who participated in memorials marking Thursday’s one-year anniversary of the state’s deadliest school shooting in which 17 students and staff members were slain and 17 other victims were injured at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “For today to be any different, it’s not. Every day is the same pain, from when you wake up until when you go to sleep.” — Andrew Pollack, whose 18-year-old daughter, Meadow, was among the 14 students killed last Valentine’s Day during a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida