FDOT Adds $20 Million To ST Engineering Project
February 14, 2019
The Florida Department of Transportation will contribute $20 million to the expansion of ST Engineering in Pensacola, completing the dollars needed for the project.
“I am proud to announce City of Pensacola has secured the remaining funding for Project Titan, which will expand the Aviation Maintenance Overhaul Repair (MRO) campus at the Pensacola International Airport,” said Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson.
FDOT stated in a letter to Robinson that the agency is amending funding for other unspecified projects to fulfill the $20 million.
Earlier this month, Escambia County contributed another $5 million, for a total of $15 million, to the project. The money is mostly from local option sales tax funds. The Pensacola City Council also voted to contribute another $5 million to their previous $10 million commitment.
The city asked Friday morning for another $12.5 million from Triumph Gulf Coast in addition to their previously committed $56 million. The Triumph board committed to additional $10 million, $2.5 million short of the ask, for a commitment of 1,325 jobs for at least seven years.
The project includes the construction of hangers and is expected to create over 1,300 jobs.
“I am extremely thankful for Governor Ron DeSantis, DOT Secretary Kevin Thibault, DOT District Secretary Phillip Gainer and all else involved. I am excited for this transformational project to move forward,” Robinson said.
Group Wants To Split Atmore Schools Away From County System
February 14, 2019
A local group wants the Atmore schools split away from the county system.
Atmore Citizens for Change wants a separate Atmore City School System, and they’ve notified Atmore Mayor Jim Staff and Escambia County (AL) School District Superintendent John Knott.
“In light of recently published school scores and the news of Escambia County High School being deemed ‘failing’ — for the third year in a row — with no change and no apparent intervention efforts by the Escambia County Board of Education, several local civic groups joined together to form the Atmore Citizens for Change coalition,” the group said in a media release. “The group feels it is time for citizens to explore a separate school option and plans to present its supporting facts, data, and plans to the Atmore City Council.”
Atmore Citizens for Change will hold a public meeting on the issue at 6 p.m. Friday at Deliverance Ministry at 103 2nd Avenue in Atmore.
The group is led by Loumeek White, president; Michael Arnold, vice president; Vasaroy Johnson, secretary; and Sandra Gray, assistant secretary.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Moment Of Silence In Escambia Schools Marks Parkland Shooting Anniversary
February 14, 2019
A moment of silence in Escambia County schools Thursday marked one year since the the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, that left 17 dead.
“On February 14, 2019, at 10:17 a.m., our school district joins Broward County Public Schools in observing a moment of silence to honor those whose lives were lost and recognize those injured during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School tragedy,” said Escambia County School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas.
Escambia Man Sentenced To Federal Prison On Child Porn Charges
February 14, 2019
A convicted sex offender from Escambia County has been sentenced to federal prison on child porn charges.
Christopher M. Arguelles, 34, of Pensacola, was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison today and a lifetime of supervised release as a federal sex offender. On November 15, 2018, Arguelles pleaded guilty to possession and access with intent to view child pornography. The sentence was announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
In February 2018, while a telecommunications provider was assisting Arguelles with his slow running cellular telephone, the provider observed a large amount of pornography on the phone, including a folder titled “underage.” Several days later, Arguelles, a sex offender, was arrested for failure to register a change in his residence, and his cellular telephone was seized. A forensic review of the device revealed images and videos of child pornography both on the phone and on the memory card.
Some of the child pornography involved females under age 12. Arguelles also maintained a cloud storage account with similar illicit materials.
“I am proud that prosecutors, law enforcement professionals, and North Floridians are all working together to bring child predators to justice and protect the most innocent members of our communities from exploitation,” Keefe said.
“This case highlights the value of vigilance by members of the community, who come forward and work with law enforcement when they see something wrong,” said Charles P. Spencer, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners are dedicated to working together to protect and serve, but we are far more effective when the community also works with us. We appreciate the efforts of everyone involved in the case, and their unwavering commitment to protect our children.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the State Attorney’s Office – First Judicial Circuit, and the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg.
DeSantis Calls For Grand Jury Probe Of School Safety
February 14, 2019
On the eve of the one-year anniversary of Florida’s deadliest school shooting, Gov. Ron DeSantis asked the Florida Supreme Court to empanel a statewide grand jury to investigate whether school districts are complying with mandatory safety measures designed to protect students.
DeSantis made the announcement Wednesday, flanked by family members of the 17 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students and staff gunned down last Valentine’s Day. Seventeen other people were injured in the massacre, which the governor called “one of the worst days that we’ve had in the history of Florida.”
The statewide grand jury “is something that is real,” DeSantis said at a news conference inside the Broward County courthouse.
“This is something that is very serious,” the governor said. “Whatever recommendations they have for us, we’re going to heed that.”
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 Andrew Pollack, whose daughter, Meadow, was among the slain students — 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.
DeSantis, a Harvard Law School graduate, called a statewide grand jury “the best tool that we have” to explore possible wrongdoing by school districts throughout the state. 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.
The Sun-Sentinel recently reported that Broward County school district turned down an opportunity to levy $55 million in tax dollars for school safety in 2013.
Lawmakers last year created the state commission, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission, which spent months investigating the shooting and issued a report last month.
But DeSantis said Wednesday that, unlike that commission, the grand-jury investigation won’t be limited to Broward County or the events surrounding the mass shooting.
“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.
Having a “broader mandate will be better for us in terms of getting the truth, holding people accountable and then making sure we’re going forward in a posture that is most conducive to public safety,” the governor said.
As the state gears up for the one-year anniversary of the Parkland shooting, DeSantis also traveled Wednesday to Brevard County to announce an executive order related to other school-safety issues.
On Thursday, a series of events, including prayer vigils, will take place throughout the state. Broward schools are planning a series of ways to commemorate the tragic anniversary, including “A Day of Service and Love” at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High.
“It will be a day to give back to the community in honor of MSD’s 17 fallen eagles, the students and staff who were lost one year ago,” the Broward County School Board said in a press release highlighting some of the Feb. 14 events.
The governor and his wife, Casey, are scheduled to take part in a moment of silence for the Parkland victims in the Capitol courtyard at 9 a.m. Thursday.
Pollack, who joined DeSantis at the both of Wednesday’s news conferences, said he and others whose children or spouses were killed don’t need a reminder of what occurred a year ago.
“As everyone knows, that year anniversary’s coming up, but I wanted everybody to know that I don’t need Feb. 14 to know that that’s the day my daughter was murdered, ‘cause I live it every day,” Pollack said at the Brevard County event.
The executive order DeSantis issued Wednesday in Brevard County followed up on some of the recommendations made by the state commission.
He ordered the state Department of Education to give sheriffs another chance to ask for money to carry out the school “guardian” program, which allows certain school personnel to be armed. Many counties have declined to take part in the program, leaving money unspent.
The executive order, among other things, also requires the education department to conduct an audit of all school districts to identify school-based discipline diversion programs, such as the controversial “PROMISE” program used in Broward, “to ensure that dangerous individuals don’t slip through the cracks.”
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Love That Weather For Valentine’s Day
February 14, 2019
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
This Afternoon: Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. South wind around 10 mph.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light after midnight.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. Light south wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 60. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 74. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 62. South wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north after midnight.
Washington’s Birthday: A 50 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 69. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60.
Tuesday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Tuesday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63.
Wednesday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a high near 72. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Arrest Made In Fatal Hit And Run Crash On Nine Mile Road
February 13, 2019
FOR AN UPDATE TO THIS STORY, CLICK HERE.
A man has been arrested in connection with a fatal hit and run early Wednesday morning on Nine Mile Road.
About 1:47 a.m., 42-year old James Alan Champitto was westbound on Nine Mile Road near Plainfield Avenue in a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado when he struck a pedestrian that was crossing the road, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The pedestrian was pronounced deceased at the scene.
“Champitto left the scene without leaving any information as required by law. Investigators received information regarding the location of the vehicle and owner who then identified the driver to investigators,” according to FHP Lt. Eddie Elmore. The information led to Champitto’s arrest later in the morning.
Champitto was charged with leaving the scene of a traffic crash with a fatality and two counts of driving with a suspended license with a fatality. He is being held in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
The name of the pedestrian has not yet been released by FHP.
Shots Fired At Molino Mobile Home; Occupant Was Also Shot Last Week
February 13, 2019
Shots were fired at a home in Molino late Tuesday night, less than a week after the occupant was shot in the finger.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to a mobile home in the 1000 block of Barth Road about 11:40 p.m. Shots hit at least one vehicle in the front yard of the mobile home, including a rear passenger side window (pictured below) that was shattered.
The victim told deputies that he smelled smoke and went outside investigate. He said someone opened fire once he got outside, but he was unsure if the gunfire came from the road or a nearby wooded area, according to ECSO Maj. Andrew Hobbs. Multiple shell casings were recovered at the scene.
No one was injured, and the man was uncooperative in the investigation, Hobbs said.
Last Friday morning, the same man called an ambulance to the residence because he had been shot in the finger some period of time before the call. Hobbs said he was also uncooperative in that investigation.
In an unrelated incident, two women were shot at a Barth Road home a short distance away on January 1. Both survived, and the suspect is awaiting trial on two counts of attempted first degree murder. [Read more ...]
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Arrest Made In Century Shots Fired Incident
February 13, 2019
An Alabama man was jailed for allegedly shooting at a Century man.
Johnny Lee Biggs, 42, was charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrived at a shots fired call Sunday night at the intersection of West Pond Street and West Highway 4 to find the victim on top of Biggs.
The victim said he was at his Pond Street home when Biggs came to the home uninvited. He said a verbal altercation followed, and Biggs pulled a firearm from his pocket and fired. A witness said the victim tackled Biggs to the ground, according to an arrest report.
Biggs told deputies a different story. He said he was dropped off at the victim’s home, and the two got into an argument over a woman. Biggs said the victim retrieved a firearm and threw it at Bigg’s feet, stating “pick the gun up and shoot me if you think you’re tough,” the arrest report states. Biggs said the victim lunged at him, and the firearm accidentally discharged.
The victim was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital for treatment of an injury he received during the fight. He was not hit by gunfire.
Biggs was later released from jail on a $5,000 bond.
Person Struck And Killed On Nine Mile Road
February 13, 2019
FOR AN UPDATE TO THIS STORY, CLICK HERE
One person was struck and killed on Nine Mile Road early Wednesday morning.
The incident occurred on Nine Mile Road at the Dodge’s convenience store just before 2 a.m.
Further details have not been released as the Florida Highway Patrol continues their investigation.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.