Winning $179K Fantasy Five Ticket Sold In North Escambia
March 18, 2019
Someone is over $179,000 richer this morning after purchasing a winning Florida Lottery Fantasy 5 ticket in Davisville.
The ticket sold at the State Line Gift Shop, 11208 Highway 97, was the only winning ticket sold for Sunday night’s drawing and is worth $179,443.81
The 273 tickets matching four numbers won $106 each. Another 8,351 tickets matching three numbers are worth $9.50 each, and 80,915 ticket holders won a Quick Pick ticket for picking two numbers.
Sunday’s winning numbers were 4-6-10-15-36.
Pictured: The State Line Gift Shop on Highwy 97 in Davisville. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Prison System And Workers Deal With Michael Aftermath
March 18, 2019
After Hurricane Michael hit the Panhandle, a key portion of the state’s corrections system was crippled, leaving nearly 300 prison employees displaced and more than 5,000 relocated inmates packing facilities across Florida.
New figures obtained by The News Service of Florida show a significant problem in a region where a sizable part of the workforce is employed by the corrections system and a good chunk of the state’s inmate population is housed.
“In these districts, other than Leon County and Gadsden County, it is school boards first and prisons second,” Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, said about the employers that fuel the region’s economy.
It has taken months to know exactly how bad the Oct. 10 storm has impacted the region’s 23 prisons. But officials with the Florida Department of Corrections said this week that in addition to tens of millions of dollars in damage to facilities, the storm also displaced 284 prison employees, increased job vacancies and forced shifting 5,000 inmates to facilities across the state.
Nearly 800 prison employees who lost or sustained severe damage to their homes in the storm have also received a total of $450,000 in assistance from the Corrections Foundation, a non-profit organization established to aid the Department of Corrections.
“It generally takes one to three days between the time the information is received and the time the checks are generated,” said Michelle Glady, a Department of Corrections spokeswoman.
Overall, the foundation has provided $8.3 million in financial assistance to correctional staff since 1999, Glady said.
The department is also struggling to fill vacancies in the hurricane-impacted areas. Before the hurricane hit, the region’s 23 prisons had a vacancy rate of 12 percent. As of Feb. 22, that vacancy rate had ticked up to 14 percent, with vacancies for prison guards and probation officers.
The probation-officer vacancies in Panama City, for example, increased from nine to 14.
“It is not the most pleasant job to have, and so we are always looking for corrections officers, but now when you have a housing challenge it makes it even more so,” Montford said.
The relocation of thousands of inmates has also impacted facilities in other areas of the state, some of which are dealing with staffing shortages as the department struggles to retain and recruit guards.
“Rather than overcrowd any nearby facilities, inmates were dispersed across the state to their new permanent facilities,” Glady said.
Hurricane Michael made landfall in Mexico Beach as a Category 4 storm and caused massive damage as it barreled north into Georgia. Part of that damage was in the Panama City area, but rural communities were also hard hit in places such as Gulf, Liberty, Calhoun and Jackson counties.
State lawmakers have not crafted an exact plan about how to address the storm’s impact on the prison system. The hurricane also caused more than $50 million in storm damage to corrections buildings.
When asked, Montford said he does not have an answer as of yet.
“This is a long, long-range problem,” Montford said. “We are facing a very complex and long-range problem.”
by Ana Ceballos, The News Service of Florida
Tate High School Hosts District Special Olympics (With Photo Gallery)
March 18, 2019
The 22nd Annual Escambia County School District’s Special Olympics Spring Games were held last week at Tate High School with about 600 athletes from about two dozen schools and hundreds of Tate student volunteers assisting as “buddies” and event workers.
The event began with Special Olympic athletes running with the Special Olympics Torch around the track. There was also an Olympic Village with plenty of fun and games for the athletes to enjoy after they completed their track and field events.
Athletes received the traditional gold, silver and bronze medals for top finishes.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
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Cantonment Man Sentenced For Fake Acid, Spice Possession
March 17, 2019
A Cantonment man has been sentenced on charges of selling fake acid and possessing spice.
Joshua Robert Welch pleaded no contest to selling a misbranded drug in lieu of a controlled substance and possession of spice within 1,000 feet of a college. He was sentenced by Judge William White to 12 months community control to be followed by 24 months probation.
Escambia County deputies conducted a traffic stop on Welch on December 19, 2018, for not having a rear view mirror on Pensacola Boulevard near Pensacola Christian College. Officers found a small piece of aluminum foil containing what was believed to be LSD, also known as acid.
As officers questioned Welch, he began to cry, stating he was scared for getting pulled over, according to an arrest report.
Welch told deputies that he bought the drugs believing it was acid, but when he took one nothing happened. He stated he was going to try to sell the drugs to try to make some money but believed the items were fake acid, according to the report.
At the Escambia County, staff located a brown paper towel containing spice in Welch’s genital area, records show.
Photo Gallery: Brandon Penegar Memorial Car Show
March 17, 2019
The annual Brandon Penegar Memorial Car Show was held Saturday at the Gonzalez United Methodist Church.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The show was held in honor of Branden Penegar. He was known as the “Gentle Giant” and was a 2011 graduate of Tate High School, an assistant coach for the freshman Tate Aggies’ football program and varsity tennis team, and a member of the Tate High School Student Hall of Fame. He passed away in March 2013 at the age of 20.
Penegar was an active member of the Gonzalez United Methodist Church and youth program. Proceeds from the car show benefit the youth programs at the church.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Firefighters Rescue Horse From Molino Swimming Pool
March 17, 2019
Firefighters rescued a horse from a swimming pool Saturday in Molino.
There’s no word on how the horse ended up in the pool, but firefighters from the Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue were able to get the horse out with no reported injuries.
The incident happened behind a home in the 5000 block of Fairground Road.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Man Charged With Homicide For Escambia County Stabbing
March 17, 2019
A man has been charged in connection with a fatal stabbing Friday afternoon just off Highway 29.
Michael Jerome Gant, 39, was charged with homicide for the stabbing about 5:30 p.m. in the 1000 block of Trammel Boulevard near Diamond Dairy Road.
The victim, whose name has not yet been released, was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.
Gant remained in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
It’s Tree Planting Time
March 17, 2019
by Cathy Hardin, Escambia County Forester
Planting a tree in your yard can be beneficial for years to come. Some of the benefits include reducing utility costs, landscape eautification, habitat for songbirds and other wildlife. If you are planting a tree, here are some tips to remember.
First, put the right tree in the right place. Consider the size the tree will become both above ground and below. Look up for potential interference with overhead wires and look down for driveways, sidewalks, and pipes that may interfere with root growth. Consider species suitable to the soil and planting zone where you live. Native species tend to be hardier and are easier to take care of.
Plant the tree at the proper depth. Do not make the hole deeper than the root ball of the tree. Look for where the roots spread from the base of the tree (trunk flare). Place the tree in the hole so that the trunk flare is slightly above the original ground level. This will allow for some settling.
Keep it simple. Soil amendments and fertilizers should not be added at the time of planting. Native trees are especially suited to their environment. Also, staking small trees is not usually necessary. If you have a large tree, simply staking the root ball in place will likely be more effective than tying the trunk off and will not require removal later.
Properly mulch. Put a couple of inches of mulch over the planting area. Do not let it touch the base of the tree and especially do not pile it deep on the trunk (volcano mulching), because moist bark can lead to wood decay. Good choices include pine straw, leaf litter and bark chips.
Finally, water the new tree weekly until it is established. Remember, springtime in Florida is the driest time of the year, and young trees often die from lack of water. The rule of thumb is 3 gallons per inch of tree diameter applied slowly at the root ball.
For more tree planting information, contact your Florida Forest Service County Forester or visit the Arbor Day Foundation.
Pictured top: Escambia County Forester Cathy Hardin demonstrates tree planting during an Arbor day event last month in Century. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Nine Mile Road Ramp To I-10 Set To Be Closed
March 17, 2019
The Nine Mile Road eastbound ramp to Interstate 10 (I-10) eastbound will be restricted to one access ramp location beginning the week of March 25. The western access ramp will be closed and drivers will enter to I-10 eastbound via the second, eastern most on-ramp at this location. The temporary closure is expected to be in place for several weeks as crews complete ramp reconstruction work.
All construction activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Ultimatum Sent – And Heard
March 17, 2019
Less than two weeks into his first legislative session as Florida’s chief executive, Gov. Ron DeSantis is taking a well-deserved victory lap after strong-arming lawmakers into hoisting the white flag on pot.
The Republican governor gave the Legislature an ultimatum shortly after he took office in January: Get rid of the state prohibition against smokable medical marijuana, or I’ll do it without you.
If lawmakers didn’t act by March 15, DeSantis threatened to drop the state’s appeal of a court decision that said the smoking ban violated a voter-approved constitutional amendment broadly legalizing medical marijuana.
GOP legislative leaders, who included the smoking ban in a 2017 law aimed at carrying out the amendment, grudgingly surrendered to the 40-year-old governor this week, sparking a shout-out from DeSantis.
“The Florida Legislature has taken a significant step this week to uphold the will of the voters and support the patients who will gain relief as a result of this legislation. President Bill Galvano, Speaker José Oliva, Senator Jeff Brandes and Representative Ray Rodrigues have done a tremendous job, working hard to ensure the voices of Floridians are heard. I commend them for their diligence on this issue,” DeSantis said in a statement Thursday.
Rodrigues, R-Estero, and Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, shepherded the legislation, which received overwhelming support from both chambers despite insistence by Galvano and Oliva that the smoking ban was — and remains — legit.
So why did lawmakers cave on the issue? The Republican leaders didn’t want the courts to have the last word in the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the smoking ban, according to Oliva.
The lawsuit “was more about the Legislature’s prerogative and the Legislature’s being able to pass laws to regulate things like medicine in the state,” Oliva told reporters after the House signed off on the bill Wednesday.
While Leon County Circuit Judge Karen Gievers ruled that the ban was unconstitutional, Oliva would have preferred to wait for the 1st District Court of Appeal, which is more conservative than Gievers, to opine.
“I would have been interested to hear what would have come of that appeal. We might still. But I think that, again, the most important thing was that the elected lawmakers of the state would have an opportunity to legislate how this would be governed in this state,” he said.
BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE
The House passed the repeal of the smoking ban (SB 182) in a 101-11 vote, sending the bill to the governor two days before the DeSantis-imposed March 15 deadline. The Senate passed the bill last week.
DeSantis has until Wednesday to act on the measure or let it become law without his signature.
Despite DeSantis’ insistence that the ban be repealed, Rodrigues, who was also instrumental in crafting the 2017 law that carried out the constitutional amendment, noted that “many of us feel like we got it right” the first time.
“I’m not going to have all of your votes today, and I understand that, and I respect that. My encouragement to you is to vote your conscience, but what I would say is this: This bill is important because if we do not pass this bill, then the guardrails that we could place around smokable medical marijuana will not exist,” Rodrigues said before the House vote.
While eliminating the ban, the bill includes some restrictions — or guardrails, to borrow Rodrigues’ description — on smokable marijuana. It would allow patients to purchase up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for smoking every 35 days, ban smoking of medical marijuana in public places and allow terminally ill children to smoke the treatment, but only if they have a second opinion from a pediatrician.
Oliva, a Miami Lakes Republican who has made a fortune in the cigar business, had balked at doing away with the marijuana-smoking ban. Supporters of the ban argued, in part, that smoking is hazardous to people’s health.
But after DeSantis delivered the ultimatum, the House made a series of concessions to reach an accord with the Senate, which historically has taken a less-restrictive approach toward medical marijuana.
Under the compromise passed by both chambers, dispensaries can sell any form of smokable marijuana, and patients can buy devices to smoke cannabis at retail outlets, such as head shops.
The bill also requires the state university system’s Board of Governors to designate a university to house a “Consortium for Medical Marijuana Clinical Outcomes Research” and steers $1.5 million each year to fund the research, which would be based on data submitted by doctors.
Oliva, who voted in favor of the bill, told reporters he continues to have concerns about what he called “a difficult subject.”
“I don’t know, and we don’t have the data — hopefully we will in the coming years — to show if there truly are benefits to consuming this medicine in this fashion. I personally don’t believe that there probably is. And there might be some detrimental effects as a result of that, which is why I had reservations then, and I still have them now,” he said.
VOUCHER PLANS GAIN STEAM
Vouchers have long been a controversial issue in the Legislature, with supporters saying private-school scholarships offer needed choices to families and opponents saying they strip money from traditional public schools.
But on Thursday, the House began moving forward with a dramatic expansion of school vouchers, including allowing middle-class families to apply for state-funded scholarships to send children to private schools.
The GOP-controlled House and Senate and the Republican governor all want to expand voucher-type programs and point to a waiting list of about 14,000 students in the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program, which serves low-income children.
The House Education Committee on Thursday approved a bill (HB 7075) that would create a new voucher program, known as the “Family Empowerment Scholarship” program, which would be open to many middle-class families.
If approved, the program would be available to families whose incomes are up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level during the 2019-2020 school year — a calculation that equates to $77,250 for a family of four. The threshold would gradually increase, with a family of four making $96,572 eligible for the vouchers in the 2022-2023 school year.
Rep. James Bush, a Miami Democrat who supports school choice, said he is worried the House is moving away from the goal of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program, which was to help low-income children attend private schools.
“My only concern is keeping the original intent of helping low-income children,” Bush said.
The Senate version (SB 7070), meanwhile, would create a program that would provide vouchers to families up to 260 percent of the federal poverty level — the equivalent of $66,950 for a family of four.
Senate Education Chairman Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah, and Senate Education Appropriations Chairwoman Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, said they think that’s a better approach.
“In the real world, depending on where you live, if you look at a family of four and say they make $96,000, it sounds like a lot. But sometimes it is deceiving,” Diaz told The News Service of Florida.
Diaz, however, was careful about calling people at the House’s household income threshold a middle-class family.
“We all know the truth,” Diaz said. “They are working class, obviously.”
But the Florida Democratic Party blasted the proposed voucher expansion, in part raising questions about whether it would be constitutional to use tax dollars for the new program. The state Supreme Court in 2006 struck down a voucher program backed by former Gov. Jeb Bush.
“House Republicans are abusing the legislative process to rush this bill through because they know it would never hold up under sustained scrutiny,” Democratic Party spokesman Kevin Donohoe said in a prepared statement.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Ceding to Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a proposal to do away with the state’s ban on smoking medical marijuana.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “It’s about damn time.” — Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democrat and former medical marijuana lobbyist, on the Legislature’s proposed repeal of the smoking prohibition.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida