Rehearing Sought In Florida Teacher Evaluation Case
July 31, 2015
Teachers unions and individual educators this week asked a federal appeals court to reconsider a decision upholding a controversial Florida law that tied teacher evaluations to student performance.
A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on July 7 upheld the 2011 law, dubbed the “Student Success Act.” The judges found that it did not violate constitutional rights for the state or a school district to base part of a teacher’s evaluation on tests that the teacher’s students took in other subjects or on tests taken by children not taught by that teacher.
But in a motion filed Tuesday, the unions and other plaintiffs asked for a rehearing, arguing that the court misconstrued an attorney’s argument and that part of the ruling was “built entirely on a false factual premise.”
In 2013, the state passed a law aimed at making sure classroom teachers are only assessed based on the students they teach, but the appeals court said that didn’t make the lawsuit moot because the new law could still allow districts to approve similar policies.
by The News Service of Florida
June 26, 2015
Fingerprints On Soda Lead To Arrest, Robbery Conviction
June 6, 2015
Jimmie Barge was convicted by an Escambia County Jury of armed robbery with a knife. The robbery occurred at the Circle K store located at 1201 East Cervantes Street.
Prosecutors said Jimmie Barge entered the store and posed as a regular customer for a short time. As soon as the last remaining customer left the store, he pulled out a large butcher knife and rapidly approached the store clerk who was standing behind the counter. He demanded money and quickly left after receiving $50 from the clerk.
Barge’s identity as the robber was discovered as a result of the investigation performed by the Pensacola Police Department. Barge left fingerprints on a Styrofoam cup he had filled with soda then abandoned before committing the robbery.
Subsequently, the store clerk was able to pick Barge out of a photographic lineup.
Due to previous convictions, Barge faces up to life in prison.
Andrew Truman “A.T.” Dunsford
June 6, 2015
Mr. Andrew Truman ‘A.T.’ Dunsford, age 84 of Foley, passed away on Thursday, June 4, 2015, at South Baldwin Regional Medical Center in Foley.
Mr. Dunsford was a native of Jay and a resident of Foley for 25 years coming from Century. During his working years he worked as a self-employed mechanic. He was a veteran of the United States Army having served in the Korean Conflict where he earned the Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal and the United Nations Service Medal. He was a Mason and of the Baptist faith.
He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Marie Dunsford of Foley; sons, Eddie (Brenda) Dunsford of Century, Butch (Karen) Nall of Century, Buster (Melinda) Nall of Century, Steven Nall of Foley and James Howard McCurdy of Bluff Springs; daughters, Cheryl (Ken) White of Atmore, June (Billy) Odom of Century, Faye (Billy Joe) Scott of Byrneville, Linda (Houston) Roberson of Flomaton; sister, Lavon LaCosta of Pensacola; numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren..
Services will be held Monday, June 8, 2015, at Flomaton Funeral Home Chapel at 2 p.m. with Rev. Harold Brown officiating.
Interment will follow in Flomaton Cemetery with Military Honors.
Pallbearers will be Keith Faulk, Gaylan Shelly, William Odom, Danny Fuller, Buster Nall, James Kornegay.
Please share your memories and condolences with the family at www.flomatonfh.com.
Military Records Exemption Reaches Scott’s Desk
May 20, 2015
A proposal intended to make it tougher for evildoers to track the home addresses of military service members and military families has been sent to Gov. Rick Scott.
However, the leader of an open-government group that has asked Scott to veto the measure (HB 185) argues it will simply create a hardship for county record-keepers and may do little to provide actual security.
“This is huge in terms of redactions that are going to have to be made,” said Barbara Petersen, president of the First Amendment Foundation. “I understood what they were trying to do. I just don’t think they thought it through.”
The House sent 20 bills to Scott on Monday, including the proposal that would allow all current and past members of the U.S. armed forces, reserves or National Guard who have served since Sept. 11, 2001, along with their spouses and dependents, to request that home and personal information be exempt from state public records.
Scott has until June 2 to sign, veto or let the bill become law. A spokeswoman for Scott said in an email Tuesday that he is reviewing the legislation.
The measure sailed through the Legislature without opposition in the House or Senate.
“Those who are protecting the First Amendment feel very good about this,” Rep. Jimmie Smith, an Inverness Republican and veteran of Desert Storm, told House members during an April 16 floor debate on the bill.
“As strongly as we feel about the public-records laws, we need to protect the people who are protecting us,” agreed Rep. Joe Geller, D-Aventura.
The military-exemption proposal was filed in January to provide coverage for special-forces members. The measure was expanded after the names, photos and personal information of 100 U.S. military personnel, including at least three in Florida, were identified in March by a group claiming allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, better known as ISIS.
“There are a number of military spouses who work in the business I work in back in my district, and there is a high level of concern and a high level of knowledge regarding this potential threat,” bill sponsor Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, told members of the House Local & Federal Affairs Committee last month.
The group posting the threat claimed it had hacked several military servers and email. However, the information was more likely found by matching information posted on social media with military records that are available online, Petersen said.
The Tallahassee-based First Amendment Foundation has asked Scott to veto the proposal, pointing to unnecessary burdens for clerks, property appraisers and others in areas such as Jacksonville, Tampa and Northwest Florida where there are large numbers of active and retired military personnel.
Petersen said she didn’t oppose the bill as initially filed, but now questions how much the proposal will actually protect people.
“ISIS did not make a public records request,” Petersen said. “But right after that list came out, the U.S. military said we put all that information up.”
Florida is home to more than 61,000 active-duty military personnel, 12,000 members of the Florida National Guard, and 1.5 million veterans, of whom more than 231,000 served in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, according to state records.
And as Florida actively pursues more veterans to relocate to the Sunshine State, Petersen said the measure is too broadly defined.
“If you served after 9/11, regardless of what you did, you could have been a warrant officer in Kansas and retired to Florida and your home address is going to be exempt,” Petersen said.
Petersen said the bill also creates an additional public record, as government officials will have to make copies of any military identification used by people to prove they are active or former members of the military.
“That now becomes public record subject to disclosure,” Petersen said. “A tax collector can’t just take it as verification and give it back. They have to make a record of it. Case law says even if they look at it, they have received it for the purpose of a public records law.”
The bill is the fourth of four public-records exemptions that the First Amendment Foundation has asked Scott to veto. (Disclosure: The News Service of Florida is a member of the foundation.)
Scott has already signed two of the bills. One (SB 200) exempts taxpayers’ email addresses obtained by tax collectors in the process of sending tax notices. The other bill (SB 7040) applies to email addresses that the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles collects related to driver’s licenses and motor-vehicle records.
Scott has until Friday to sign or veto another measure (SB 248) that would create a public-records exemption for certain videos made by police body cameras. The exemption would apply to videos made on private property without the approval of a property owner or individual.
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Atmore Woman Killed In Single Vehicle Crash
May 12, 2015
An Atmore woman was killed in single vehicle accident Monday has been identified by Alabama Stat Troopers.
Troopers said late Tuesday afternoon that 62-year old Deborah McIntosh Clark was not wearing a seat belt when her pickup truck left Booneville Road three miles north of the Poarch Creek Indian Reservation. The vehicle struck a ditch and a tree.
Clark was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The investigation into the accident is continuing.
Adoption ‘Conscience Protection’ Bill Appears To Be Dead
May 1, 2015
A controversial bill that would allow private adoption agencies to refuse to place children with same-sex couples appears ready to die Friday with the end of the regular legislative session. House members passed the so-called “conscience protection” bill (HB 7111), but it did not reach the Senate floor.
The 60-day session will end Friday, though it has already effectively shut down after the House adjourned Tuesday. The bill was primarily designed for adoption agencies with religious affiliations whose beliefs prevent them from placing children with gay and lesbian prospective parents.
But opponents said it could lead to discrimination against gay and lesbian people, as well as other groups.
The House moved forward with the bill after an outcry from social conservatives about another adoption bill. The other bill (HB 7013), approved by the House and Senate, focuses on providing incentives for state workers to adopt foster children. But it also includes a provision repealing a decades-old legal ban on gay adoption in Florida. The ban essentially ended in 2010, when an appeals court ruled against it, but it has remained in law.
by The News Service of Florida
More Photos – New Langley Bell 4-H Center
April 29, 2015
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Pictured: The new Langley Bell 4-H Center on Stefani Road will open Saturday. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FWC Encourages Boaters To Take Online Education Course
April 21, 2015
From April 20-26, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) encourage boaters to “Spring Aboard” by enrolling in a boating education course.
Working in partnership with the states, some providers are offering discounts for students who enroll in or complete a course during the Spring Aboard campaign. It is a unified effort to remind boaters to prepare for boating season.
“An informed and knowledgeable boat operator is more likely to recognize hazardous conditions on the water and avoid a boating mishap,” said NASBLA President Eleanor Mariani. “Classroom courses are offered through local boating safety organizations, such as the Coast Guard Auxiliary and United States Power Squadrons. Online courses are also available and provide state-specific information. Completion increases your chances for having fun on the water.”
Florida law requires completion of an approved course, verified by NASBLA as meeting the national boating education standard, for individuals born on or after Jan. 1, 1988, who operate a motorboat of 10 horsepower or greater.
“Florida’s boating accident statistics indicate that 70 to 80 percent of vessel operators involved in fatal accidents never completed a formal boating education,” said FWC Capt. Tom Shipp. “We’re hoping to decrease those numbers across the board.”
For a summary of Florida’s available courses, please visit: http://myfwc.com/boating/safety-education/courses/
Failing Pavement Replaced At Escambia Fire Stations
March 23, 2015
Several Escambia County fire stations experienced pavement failure and have been upgraded with stronger pavement sections to accommodate heavier loads associated with heavy loads created by tanker trucks and fire equipment. The project included pavement upgrades at the Cantonment, Brent, Osceola and Pleasant Grove fire stations.
Pictured: Before (below) and after photos of pavement replacement at the Cantonment Station of Escambia Fire Rescue. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
