Stolen Vehicle Crashed Into Cantonment Home; Gun, Cupcakes Stolen In Six Other Vehicle Burglaries
February 8, 2019
A vehicle was stolen in the Ironhorse subdivision in Cantonment early Friday morning and a second stolen vehicle crashed into house a short distance away.
A 2015 Nissan Rogue was taken from a home on Chesapeake Trail, just off County Road 97, during the early morning hours, and six unlocked vehicles on the same street were burglarized.
Also overnight, a suspect crashed a Nissan Altima into a brick home less than a mile away on Silver Ridge Drive. The vehicle traveled through the dining room and into an interior wall to the garage about 3:45 a.m. No one in the home was injured. The suspect fled on foot, according to Maj. Andrew Hobbs of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. He was described as a black male with dreadlocks wearing a white hoodie.
The Nissan Altima was stolen earlier this month from Metford Avenue in the Monclair area.
A handgun and cupcakes were among the items stolen from six unlocked vehicles on Chesapeake Trail. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Gun Response Team is involved in the investigation due to the stolen firearm.
“We just can’t stress enough how important it is to lock your vehicle,” Hobbs said.
The possible connection between the two incidents remains under investigation.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the ECSO at (850) 436-9620 or to remain anonymous call Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP. Crime Stoppers callers can be eligible for a cash reward.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Taco Bell On Nine Mile To Reopen After Fire; Workers Not Out Of Job
February 8, 2019
There are plans to reopen the Taco Bell on Nine Mile Road following a fire Wednesday afternoon, and the restaurant’s workers are not out of job.
A statement Thursday night from the Taco Bell corporate office said the franchise owner and operator of the location is “working quickly” to reopen.
“In the meantime, all team members have been given the opportunity to work at nearby Taco Bell locations,” the Taco Bell Corp. said in an email to NorthEscambia.com.
The fire was reported just after 3:30 p.m. The first firefighters arriving on scene reported a heavy ceiling fire, according to Joy Tsubooka, spokesperson for Escambia County. Fire crews were able to save about 75 percent of the building.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Pictured: The first firefighters arrive on scene at a fire at the Taco Bell on Nine Mile Road in Pensacola Wednesday afternoon. Pictured below: More photos as firefighters battle the fire. Photos by Dylan Shipman and others for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Approves $5 Million More For ST Engineering Expansion
February 8, 2019
Escambia County will contribute another $5 million dollars to the expansion of ST Engineering at the Pensacola International Airport.
The Escambia County Commission approved the increase on a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner Doug Underhill voting against. The move brings the county’s total contribution to the project to $15 million, mostly from local option sales tax funds.
The Pensacola City Council also voted this week 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.
A total of $210 million in funding is needed for the project by March 31.
The project includes the construction of hangers and is expected to create over 1,300 jobs.
Atmore Explores Establishing Downtown Historic District
February 8, 2019
The immediate downtown Atmore business district could be designated as a historic district.
The City of Atmore held a public hearing Thursday evening to discuss the proposed historic district. Officials from the Alabama Historical Commission and the consulting firm of McNair Historic Preservation fielded question from a small crowd of mostly business owners and stakeholders at Atmore City Hall.
City Clerk Becca Smith said boundaries for the historic district have not yet been established, but the area currently under consideration is along and either side of Main Street downtown.
If the city moves forward, it could take well over a year before the historic district could become officially recognized.
Pictured: Downtown Atmore and a public workshop at the Atmore City Hall Thursday evening. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
North Escambia Transportation Service Explained In Century; Next Meeting In Walnut Hill
February 8, 2019
Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) held a public workshop Thursday evening in Century to provide information about the North Escambia Transportation Service Pilot Project. There is one more workshop meeting set for Monday in Walnut Hill.
The North Escambia Transportation Service Pilot Project will begin February 20 as a door-to-door on demand transportation project.
To qualify for the program, participants must live north of Quintette Road within Escambia County and complete a short application (click to download). All trips will require a 24-hour advance reservation by calling (850) 595-0501 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays. The participant’s fare will be $1 for each trip.
The project will service Walnut Hill, Davisville and Bratt on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Century, Molino and McDavid on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The service will be available from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday.
A meeting will be held at 5 p.m. on Monday, February 11 at the Walnut Hill Community Center (Ruritan Building) on Highway 97.
Pictured: ECAT Division Manager Tonya Ellis explains the North Escambia Transportation project during a meeting Thursday evening in Century. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Volleyball: Beulah Academy Of Science Tops Ernest Ward Middle
February 8, 2019
The Beulah Academy of Science Bobcats topped the Ernest Ward Middle School Eagles in middle school volleyball Thursday night.
In varsity play, Beulah defeated Ernest Ward in two straight sets, 25-21, 25-21.
In junior varsity play, Beulah Academy topped Ernest Ward in three sets. The Bobcats won the first set 25-15. The Eagles battled back to 26-24 win in the second set, followed by a decisive Bobcat 15-6 win.
Beulah Academy will travel to Beulah Middle School on Monday. Also on Monday, Ernest Ward will host Ransom Middle School.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Jay Lady Royals Beat Freeport To Win District Championship
February 8, 2019
The Jay Lady Royals beat Freeport Thursday night for the District 3-1A Championship in Baker.
The Royals dominated 46-32 for the first district title since 1996 when they went on two win the state title.
Madison Mathis led the Lady Royals with 12 points and six blocks. Hayden Burkett also added 10 for the Royals.
Jay will host Franklin County on Thursday.
Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Bids Farewell To Retiring Administrator Jack Brown
February 8, 2019
Escambia County recognized and honored retiring Administrator Jack Brown Thursday. A reception in his honor was held Thursday afternoon, and the county commission approved a proclamation in the evening.
Brown retired to take of his wife and her health issues.
He became administrator on June 8, 2014, and walked into the aftermath of flooding of historic proportions from the April 2014 flood event including relocation of prisoners after the Central Booking and Detention Center explosion and numerous infrastructure issues.
He worked to secure new sites for the Escambia County 4-H Facility in Molino and the Escambia County Correctional Facility, and he worked with the state and Navy Federal on traffic issues. He worked with the U.S. Navy on multiple issues to keep the OLF-8 and OLF-X land swap project on track.
After the Florida Department of Transportation closed several bridges in North Escambia due to structural issues, Browned worked to find a solution to replace in bridges in a timely fashion while saving taxpayer money.
Employees also received a 3-percent pay increase in annual operating budgets during Brown’s tenure.
Brown, a resident of Molino, retired to take care of his wife and her health issues.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
UWF To Be First North American University To Host Parkrun, A Series Of Free 5Ks
February 8, 2019
The University of West Florida will host the first parkrun on a college campus in North America on Saturday. A volunteer-based nonprofit, parkrun offers free, weekly, timed 5K routes at 7:30 a.m. every Saturday, year-round.
There are currently 1,400 parkruns worldwide, with three established in the state of Florida. The other two Florida-based parkrun events are in Clermont and Gainesville. The nonprofit has developed a far-reach since its start in England in 2004. After visiting two parkrun events in Ireland, Pensacola resident Robin Foley introduced the idea of parkrun to Caleb Carmichael, head coach of the UWF men’s and women’s cross country teams, and Howard Reddy, vice president for university advancement.
“I was looking for a suitable course and UWF was looking for additional ways to attract visitors to campus, so linking up was a marriage made in heaven,” Foley said.
Foley has worked with UWF in recent months to clear the trail. The idea of parkrun was a welcoming one for Carmichael—he envisioned a competition-grade cross-country course that could serve UWF, nearby schools and the community.
“I wanted people to be able to come to a home meet here, train for UWF’s cross-country teams or run on a trail on campus,” Carmichael said.
Runners and walkers of all experience levels are invited to participate in the Rec Plex North parkrun. The meeting location will be at the entrance of UWF’s Baars-Firestone Wildlife Sanctuary, located at the backside of the Rec Plex North, behind Lot Z.
For more information about the Rec Plex North parkrun, visit parkrun.us/recplexnorth. To view the UWF campus map, visit map.uwf.edu.
DeSantis Wants New Teacher Bonus Program
February 8, 2019
Four years after lawmakers started a controversial teacher-bonus program, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday he wants to scrap the “Best and Brightest” program and plow nearly $423 million into a new effort to reward teachers and principals.
The Best and Brightest program has faced opposition, at least in part, because it considers teachers’ scores on SAT or ACT college-entrance exams in determining eligibility for bonuses. The use of those scores has drawn state and federal lawsuits arguing that the program discriminates against older teachers and minority teachers.
During an event Thursday at Armwood High School in Hillsborough County, DeSantis also pointed to questions about the logic of looking at college-entrance exams in evaluating teachers.
“While there were some good things to that (Best and Brightest) and some teachers got some good bonuses, the way they did the program was not just whether you were a good teacher but then your SAT scores from going into college,” DeSantis said. “And a lot of folks didn’t think that that was necessarily the best way to do it because, quite frankly, that test is one moment in time and it’s not necessarily indicative of the passion … when you’re into the classroom.”
DeSantis said the new program could provide bonuses of more than $9,000 to nearly 45,000 “highly effective” teachers at schools that showed progress on grading calculations and bonuses of up to $6,500 for principals.
“What we’re trying to do is identify those teachers that are rated highly effective and that are helping their schools move forward,” DeSantis said. “And when they’re doing that, we think they should be rewarded.”
The Florida Education Association, a statewide teachers union that has been a fierce critic of the Best and Brightest program, issued a news release that said it sees DeSantis’ ideas “as a start toward fixing the discriminatory and unfair provisions of that bad legislation.” But it also suggested that higher salaries are the best way to attract and keep qualified teachers.
“There doesn’t have to be a revolutionary way to solve Florida’s problem with recruiting and retaining teachers,” Florida Education Association President Fedrick Ingram said. “We will be urging the governor and the Legislature to go one step further: We need competitive salaries for teachers and education staff.”
The governor’s proposed changes would require legislative approval during the session that starts March 5. The Best and Brightest program, which provides $6,000 bonuses to teachers, is in state law. House Republican leaders pushed for its creation in 2015 — a time when current Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran was the House appropriations chairman.
DeSantis last week released a proposed $91.3 billion state budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year that included $422.97 million for the new program.
Lawmakers set aside $234 million for the Best and Brightest program during the current year. In addition to considering performance on college entrance exams, the eligibility requirements for Best and Brightest also take into account whether teachers have been evaluated as “highly effective.”
Along with the new bonus program, DeSantis said Thursday he wants to provide $10 million a year for five years for a loan- and tuition-forgiveness program that would help recruit teachers. He said the program would provide aid to as many as 1,700 new teachers who commit to working in the state for five years.
“And the preference is going to be on areas of high need, and we have some areas of the state where the shortages are acute,” DeSantis said. “We have underserved areas. And so basically what we’re telling the folks is if you go to college, you rack up some of this debt, if you’re willing to do this and dedicate those five years, that we’ll be able to wipe that slate clean, up and to a pretty significant amount of money.”
The State Board of Education last month approved an annual report that, in part, detailed a shortage of certified science, English and math teachers in Florida’s public schools. Also, the report indicated schools that received “D” ratings for their performances over the past three years have higher percentages of out-of-field teachers than other schools.
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida