Tate FFA Horse Judging Team Named 5th Best In The Nation
October 27, 2018
The Tate High School FFA Horse Judging Team was named fifth in the nation Friday.
Victoria Kelson was also named as the high individual overall, and Kaelin Brinker was named as 10th high individual. Other team members are Raven Hollis and Molly Graham. Advisors are Erin Lawall, Melissa Gibbs and Austin Courson.
The event was held in conjunction with the 91st National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis. The top 10 individuals and the national winning team members received cash prizes to recognize their success in the event.
The National FFA Horse Evaluation CDE is a competitive event that tests students’ ability to select and evaluate horses. Event components include eight selection classes consisting of four halter classes and four performance classes. Students also give four sets of oral reasons with two sets coming from each evaluation class. Teams also work together to complete practical activities and a team presentation. Each team competed at local and state levels for the privilege of representing their state at the National FFA Convention & Expo.
he event, held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, is one of many educational activities at the national convention in which FFA members apply classroom knowledge to real-life situations.
strong>Pictured: The Tate High School FFA Horse Judging Team Frida in Indianapolis. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Church Pumpkin Patch Open In Cantonment
October 27, 2018
Looking for a pumpkin? The Allen Memorial United Methodist Church Pumpkin Patch has sold hundreds of pumpkins so far this year, and they have a selection remaining at the corner of Highway 29 and Neal Road in Cantonment. Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes are available, with some priced as low as 50 cents.
The Allen Memorial United Methodist Men have sponsored the Pumpkin Patch since 1995.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Friday Night Finals
October 26, 2018
Here are tonight’s North Escambia area high school football finals:
FLORIDA
- Pine Forest 35, Tate 20
- Northview 56, Snook Christian 0
- Jay 30, Freeport 26
- West Florida 21, Pensacola 0
- Escambia 35, Washington 12
- Pace 21, Milton 14
- Navarre 40, Gulf Breeze 12
ALABAMA
- Escambia Academy 48, Fort Dale 13
- Flomaton 20, T.R. Miller 13
- UMS-Wright 29, W.S. Neal 0
- Flomaton 20, T.R. Miller 13
- Williamson 7, Escambia County 2 (Thurs pm)
With $674 In The Bank, Century’s Gas Dept. Scrambles To Pay $33.6K In Past Due Bills
October 26, 2018
With just $674 in the bank, the Century Gas Department was scrambling for a way to pay $33,602 in mostly past due bills.
At an emergency town council meeting Thursday afternoon, the council voted to zero out a $11,030 reserve account and transfer $25,000 from a special revenue account in order to make payments that include health insurance premiums for workers and the actual natural gas sold to consumers.
The past due bills include $7,816 from BP Energy for natural gas, $1,200 to City Services and $912 to Florida Gas Utility due about 45 days ago. Another $10,638 is also 15 days past due to those companies. A $1,250 payment to the town’s financial auditor, Warren Averett, is 46 days past due, and $504 to Consolidated Pipe & Supply is at 50 days. Health insurance premiums of $2,567 to United Healthcare for gas department employees is 28 days past due.
Other “emergency” bills are less than a week past due – $236 to Verizon Wireless, $615 to Purchase Power, $30 to Louverne Starkie. One bill for $85.44 to Century Auto Parts was not past due as of Thursday; it has a Saturday due date.
Century Mayor Henry Hawkins said the emergency meeting was called for Thursday afternoon because “our bills would have been late”, and the town did not know if any service might be suspended before the next regular council meeting in two weeks.
“I called an emergency meeting; we got to get these checks out,” the mayor said. When asked if the town has every paid bills late before, he said, “we are breaking that habit”.
“We have lost our health insurance before. We ain’t going to do that again,” Hawkins said.
Council member Ann Brooks was out of town and did not attend Thursday’s meeting, and Louis Gomez was absent due to an appointment.
NorthEscambia.com will look at some of the other issues faced by the Century Gas Department in future stories.
Pictured: Accountant Robert Hudson (left) explains the Century Gas Department financial situation to town council members Sandra McMurray-Jackson, Ben Boutwell and Gary Riley Thursday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Tate High’s Blalock Named Florida Social Studies Teacher Of The Year
October 26, 2018
Tate High School teacher Robin Blalock has been name the Florida Council for the Social Studies 2018 Florida Teacher of the Year. Blalock was named one of Escambia County’s Social Studies Teachers of the Year earlier this year. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Three Lineworkers Killed By Suspected DUI Driver
October 26, 2018
Three lineworkers restoring power after Hurricane Michael struck by a vehicle and killed by a pickup truck pulling a U-Haul trailer near Chipley. The vehicle left the roadway and hit the men as they worked on shoulder.
Washington County Sheriff Kevin Crews said suspect John Goedtke (pictured) fled the scene before being arrested about five miles away. He was charged with DUI manslaughter, felony vehicular homicide and leaving the scene.
The victims were 52-year-old George Cecil of Cole Rain, NC; 22-year-old Ryan Barrett, of Roanoke Rapids, NC; and 60-year-old James Ussery of Chipley.
Even though the crews were not part of Gulf Power’s group of lineworkers, the company said the news was a tragic reminder of the dangers of working along the roadside.
“Nothing matters more than the safety of our customers and our storm crews, and after a storm of this magnitude, all of us must remain vigilant,” said Adrianne Collins, Gulf Power’s vice president of Power Delivery. “Risk from oncoming traffic is one of the biggest dangers our lineworkers face, and our community can assist with the protection of all our restoration team members by observing the Move Over law.”
Gulf Power offered the following tips:
Move Over law – The Move Over law provides safety buffers for those working or assisting others along Florida’s roadways including law enforcement, emergency responders, utility and sanitation workers and other public servants.
- The law requires motorists to move over a lane when passing.
- If they cannot move over, then they should slow down to 20 mph below the posted speed limit.
- If drivers violate the Move Over law, they could be issued a ticket, which could result in a fine as well as three points on their driver’s license.
Mad Scientist Night At Kingsfield Elementary (With Gallery)
October 26, 2018
Thursday was Mad Scientist Night at Kingsfield Elementary School.
It was night of madness for students, family members and faculty. From dry ice smoke to spider webs, from pumpkin oobleck to building with “bones” (AKA Q-tips), students got to experiment and create for a couple of hours of scientific wonder and adventure.
Photos by Kim Stefansson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Volunteer Sought For FloridaWest Board of Directors
October 26, 2018
The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners is seeking Escambia County residents interested in volunteering to be considered for an appointment on the FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance Board of Directors.
Residents interested in serving on the board are asked to submit a resume and letter indicating their desire to serve by close of business Friday, November 2. Resumes should be submitted to Judy Witterstaeter, Program Coordinator, Board of County Commissioners, P.O. Box 1591, Pensacola, FL 32502, or emailed to jhwitter@myescambia.com.
Woman Writes Bad Checks, Embezzles Rent, Buys $81K In Goods
October 26, 2018
An Escambia County woman is headed to prison for allegedly writing bad checks and embezzling money to purchase items that included a vehicle.
Jessica Harring was sentenced to seven years in state prison after pleading guilty to organized fraud and grand theft.
Greyhound Racing Ban Goes To Florida Voters
October 26, 2018
This is part of a series of stories in advance of the November 6 general election.
Amid a sharply partisan backdrop overshadowing nearly everything else on the ballot, Florida voters are being asked this year to settle a long-running dispute that could result in the elimination of dog racing in the state.
Among a long list of proposed constitutional amendments is a measure that, if passed, would end greyhound races at dog tracks by the end of 2020. Florida is one of a handful of places in the country with dog racing, and passage of the amendment would be a serious blow for an industry that has been in the state for decades.
The proposed ban, placed on the ballot by the Florida Constitution Revision Commission, has drawn support from Democrats and Republicans.
“So many things these days are partisan,” said Kate MacFall, state director of The Humane Society of the United States and co-chair of the Yes on 13 campaign. “This is really refreshing because it’s bipartisan.”
But bipartisan support doesn’t mean universal support for what is known as Amendment 13.
The measure is opposed by the Florida Greyhound Association, which represents owners and breeders in the racing industry. It is also opposed by a coalition of farmers and sportsmen who contend the proposal is broader than banning dog racing because it includes language that declares, “The humane treatment of animals is a fundamental value of the people of the state of Florida.”
Groups opposed to the amendment sued to try to get the measure stricken from the Nov. 6 ballot. And while a lower court judge sided with them, the Florida Supreme Court ordered that Amendment 13 be placed back on the ballot. The measure would require approval from 60 percent of the voters to pass.
The battle over the amendment has drawn fierce debate from people on both sides, with advocates arguing that racing dogs are often injured or mistreated.
Sonia Stratemann, 46, a supporter of the amendment, started taking in injured greyhounds in 2003. She first worked with friends but eventually launched her own adoption agency called Elite Greyhound Adoption in Palm Beach County.
In the 15 years since initially getting involved, Stratemann estimates that she has saved about 2,300 dogs. She said she has seen health conditions that run the gamut and dogs covered with fleas and usually missing patches of fur.
Stratemann said she initially chose not to publicly share the condition of the dogs or how she contends they were treated. But she said she was “outed” by her daughter, Maya Stratemann, who on her 18th birthday turned to social media to help raise funds for a greyhound who needed surgery.
“The industry went crazy,” she recalled.
A prominent spokesman for the industry is Jack Cory, a lobbyist for the Florida Greyhound Association.
Cory maintains that Grey2K USA Worldwide — one of the groups backing the amendment — is using the ballot initiative as a fundraising tool. Grey2K works to eliminate greyhound racing and promote the rescue and adoption of greyhounds.
“They are the same groups that put the sad puppy commercials on TV, this false information for fundraising,’’ Cory said. “But they don’t take care any of any animals in Florida.”
Carey Theil, executive director of GREY2K USA, disputed Cory’s arguments.
“He is desperately trying to change the subject because he has lost the debate over greyhound confinement and racetrack deaths,” Theil said in an email to The News Service of Florida
As an alternative to banning greyhound racing in Florida, Cory said the groups and others should direct their efforts to help all dogs.
“We could move the state of Florida to no kill,” said Cory, who spends many weekends in Tallahassee volunteering for Florida Pets Alive!, which works to get dogs and cats adopted.
Joining Cory in opposition to Amendment 13 is prominent National Rifle Association lobbyist Marion Hammer, who is leading a coalition of Florida farmers, ranchers and sportsmen.
Hammer, a former national president of the NRA, issued a prepared statement calling Amendment 13 a “Trojan horse.” In part, Hammer contends that “extreme animal rights groups” could use the amendment to do such things as try to ban hunting and fishing.
“We cannot be fooled. This is an attack on our rights as Floridians and as Americans,” she said.
But Theil, in a recent memo to reporters, said the Florida Supreme Court “debunked” such arguments when it allowed the amendment to go on the November ballot.
“It’s now clear that opponents of Amendment 13 are incapable of debating the merits of commercial dog racing,” Theil wrote in the Sept. 25 memo. “In recent days, they have started to circulate a series of falsehoods. You don’t have to take our word that these claims are false. Every single one was debunked by the Florida Supreme Court in its ruling in favor of Amendment 13.”
The Constitution Revision Commission, which was mostly appointed by Gov. Rick Scott and Republican legislative leaders, meets every 20 years and has the power to place proposed amendments before voters.
Commission members, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, pushed for the proposed racing ban even though dog racing could be addressed by legislators.
For several years, lawmakers have considered proposals that would allow dog tracks to drop greyhound racing but continue offering other types gambling such as poker. But the proposals have been blocked amid a larger debate on whether gambling should be expanded.
Greyhound tracks that run a full schedule of live racing are authorized to operate cardrooms, as well as take bets on races going on elsewhere. Facilities in Miami-Dade and Broward counties that run full schedules of live racing can also offer access to slot machines.
There’s no guarantee, however, that voters will resolve the dog-racing issue with the ballot proposal. Amendment 13 will be at the end of a lengthy ballot. Susan MacManus, a retired political science professor at the University of South Florida, said that could result in many voters skipping the amendment altogether.
“The longer-than-usual ballot plus the large number of amendments is likely to result in a higher rolloff (drop off) rate than normal,” she said in an email to The News Service of Florida. “That said, the amendment would pass if 60 percent of those who chose to vote on it voted yes.”
MacFall worries that voter fatigue could adversely impact Amendment 13 but remains optimistic that the measure will pass.
“We’re hoping it’s lucky 13 this November,” she said.
by Christine Sexton, The News Service of Florida