Media Groups Fight ‘Jane Doe’ Request In Gun Law Case
October 4, 2018
Media organizations from across the country are urging a federal appeals court to reject an attempt to allow two teens to remain anonymous in a challenge to a new Florida gun law.
A brief filed last week on behalf of 21 organizations argued that allowing the teens to take part in the challenge as Jane Doe and John Doe would hinder public access to court proceedings. The National Rifle Association filed the challenge in March to a law that increased from 18 to 21 the minimum age to buy rifles and other long guns in Florida.
“(The NRA and teens’) allegations in this case are — as they themselves argue — significant matters of public concern, especially because their challenges are framed as an assertion of their constitutional rights, and seek ultimately to invalidate legislation,” said the 40-page document, filed by attorneys for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. “The testimony by and concerning Does (the teens) could very well affect the ultimate outcome of this case. Open litigation, with full disclosure of the parties’ identities, will allow the public to better understand and assess the parties’ competing claims, and their credibility, and to make informed judgments about the administration of justice in this case.”
The filing at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta is the latest move in a case that stems from lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott approving gun restrictions after the February mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 people.
The NRA quickly filed a federal lawsuit challenging the age change for purchasing guns and later sought to add a 19-year-old Alachua County resident as a plaintiff and identify her as Jane Doe. It also sought to add to the case allegations related to another 19-year-old identified as John Doe.
But Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office has fought allowing the teens to take part in the case anonymously, and U.S. District Judge Mark Walker in May agreed with the state’s legal position. That prompted the NRA to take the anonymity issue to the appeals court. The underlying lawsuit challenging the gun law remains pending.
The NRA has argued in court documents that anonymity is needed because of concerns for the safety of the teens. As part of its case, the NRA has cited threatening and often-vile emails received by longtime NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer.
“Jane Doe and John Doe, two 19-year-old Florida citizens, seek to participate in this lawsuit challenging Florida’s age-based ban on the purchase of firearms anonymously, based on the reasonable, documented fear that they would suffer harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence if their true identities and participation in this controversial litigation were made public,” said a brief filed in June by the NRA’s attorneys. “Under the standard for pseudonymous pleading established by this court’s precedents, Jane and John Doe should clearly be allowed to remain anonymous.”
The attorneys for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press filed the friend-of-the-court brief Friday on behalf of organizations ranging from the American Society of News Editors to The Dallas Morning News. Among the organizations were The McClatchy Co., which operates the Miami Herald and Bradenton Herald newspapers, and South Florida’s WPLG television station.
In addition to raising arguments about public access to court proceedings, the media organizations disputed the NRA’s argument that the teens need to remain anonymous for safety reasons.
“Put simply, the record before this court is devoid of any factual basis on which to conclude that there would be a legitimate risk of retaliation against Does themselves if their identities were revealed in this litigation,” the brief said. “Permitting Does to proceed pseudonymously in this case would provide grounds for any plaintiff asserting a ‘controversial’ claim to do so. Such broad use of pseudonymity is impermissible.”
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
Northview Names Homecoming Court; Plans Parade And Friday Meal
October 4, 2018
Northview High School has named their 2018 homecoming court, and there are several big events planned for homecoming.
Homecoming court members are: seniors Shelby Bashore, Hannah Ellis, Kherstin Johnson, Aubree Love, Madison Sherouse; juniors Raeleigh Woodfin, Briana White; sophomores Franki Daw, Hailey Harigel, Kenna Redmond, freshmen Anna Adams, Grayson James and Mia Starns.
The parade will line up on the campus of Bratt Elementary School beginning at 12:30 p.m. Friday. The parade will begin at Bratt Elementary at about 1 p.m. and end with a pep rally in the Tommy Weaver Memorial Stadium at Northview High. (The general public should not enter the Bratt Elementary campus.)
A homecoming meal will available Friday from 10 a.m. until from the football concession stand to support the Tommy Weaver Scholarship Fund. The $7 meal will include a barbecue sandwich, chips, dessert and a drink.. To reserve lunch, call (850) 327-6681 ext. 248 or email pbyars@escambia.k12.fl.us.
Pre-game festivities will begin at 6:00 Friday night, including the presentation of the homecoming court and the naming of the queen.
The homecoming game against Jay High School will kickoff at 7:00.
Pictured are: (L-R) Mia Starns, freshman; Anna Adams, freshman; Franki Daw, sophomore; Raeleigh Woodfin, junior; Aubree Love, senior; Madison Sherouse, senior; Kherstin Johnson, senior; Shelby Bashore, senior; Briana White, junior; Hailey Harigel, sophomore; Grayson James, freshman; Kenna Redmond, sophomore.Not pictured: Hannah Ellis, senior. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Molino Bridge That Collapsed In June Now Open
October 3, 2018
A new $1.97 million Molino bridge that partially collapsed on June 30 has opened to traffic.
On June 30 at the Highway 196 bridge over Jacks Branch, concrete for a bridge deck span was being poured into temporary forms when a rod and temporary truss failed. That caused two deck spans of concrete that had not hardened to fall into water below.
Earlier in June, crews were attempting to place concrete in another deck form that failed, causing the deck and truss under the form to sag, he said. That section of bridge deck was removed by the contractor.
“The safety of the state’s bridges is a top priority of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Due to our comprehensive bridge maintenance program, Florida has some of the safest bridges in the country,” said Ed Seifert, interim communications director for the FDOT, told NorthEscambia.com after the collapse. “Before any bridge is opened to the public, a thorough safety inspection is undertaken by FDOT.”
GDB-US Constructors, Inc. of Parish, FL, is the contractor on the project, the lowest of four bidders. This was their first bridge project in FDOT District 3, which includes Pensacola to Tallahassee. The bridge is owned by Escambia County; however, the replacement project is being constructed with federal dollars administered by FDOT.
Highway 196 had been closed since January for the bridge replacement.
Pictured: A look back at a June partial bridge collapse on Highway 196. Photos obtained by NorthEscambia.com and NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge
.
Pictured below: Sections of concrete bridge deck removed from the bridge after it began to sag three weeks ago can be seen to the right of the bridge.
Century Approves Tax Funding Plan For Redevelopment Area
October 3, 2018
The Century Town council has voted to approve a funding plan for their Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).
The council approved a Tax Increment Financing plan for their redevelopment area, allowed the CRA to receive property tax revenues each year in excess of an established base rate. The appraised value of the property within the designated district was “frozen” this year, with that amount of tax revenue generated still designated for the town’s general fund, the county and other taxing authorities.
The redevelopment area will receive 95 percent of the property tax generated in excess of the frozen base value as property values rise. It is estimated that will amount to about $10,000 the first year for the CRA.
The CRA funds will be used to improve conditions in the 510 acres, bounded by Jefferson Avenue to the south, Jefferson Avenue to the east, East High 4 to the north and the center line of North Century Boulevard to the west. It also extends north on the east side of North Century Boulevard to include commercial properties up to, and including, the former Burger King. Click here for a detailed map (pdf).
Tax Increment Financing is a unique tool available to cities and counties for redevelopment activities. It is used to leverage public funds to promote private sector activities in the targeted redevelopment area. Property owners in the CRA will pay the same tax rate as those in the remainder of the town.
TIF revenue can be used on a “pay as you go” basis, where the annual stream of revenue is used to fund small projects, or used to pay debt service costs over the life of a project lasting 10 or more years. Historically in Florida, TIF has been effective at generating large amounts of funding for capital investments for roadway improvements, flood control programs, water and sewer and drainage infrastructure improvements, parking lots and garages, neighborhood parks, sidewalks, street and sidewalk tree plantings, signs and building construction.
After a February 2016 tornado damaged or destroyed 40 homes and businesses, the town looked to address the long-term effects on the community of a downturn in economic development. That led to the redevelopment area.
The CRA plan sets a roadmap for future development and spending to eliminate existing conditions of blight and to encourage continued private investment. The plan also provides a framework for coordinating and facilitating public and private redevelopment within the area.
Review the Century CRA plan by clicking here.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
You Should Have Received A ‘Presidential Alert’ On Your Cell Phone
October 3, 2018
Everyone in the country should have received an alert on their phone this afternoon, and a short time later there was an alert on broadcast television and radio stations. But many North Escambia area residents reported that they did not receive the alert. (We didn’t receive it on our NorthEscambia.com phones from Verizon.)
The test happened at 1:18 p.m., when phones displayed a “Presidential Alert” with the note: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
A second test of the national Emergency Alert System, the kind that typically appears on TV and radio, will follow at 1:20 p.m.
“The test will assess the operational readiness of the infrastructure for distribution of a national message and determine whether improvements are needed,” according to FEMA.
A Presidential Alert is “meant for use in a national emergency, and the only type of WEA alert (wireless emergency alert) that can be sent nationwide by FEMA” according to the agency.
While individuals can opt out of ordinary emergency alerts (like Amber Alerts or extreme weather notifications), that’s not an option for Presidential Alerts. These types of alerts would be sent in the event of major national emergency, such as a mass terrorism event.
Pine Forest Takes Golf Match
October 3, 2018
Pine Forest boy’s golf team defeated Northview Monday with the score of 204. The teams played the front nine at Osceola Golf Course in Pensacola.
Pine Forest
C. Munoz 54
C. Guallat 40
R. Rudd 55
T. Woodard 55
Northview
Josh Wilson 56
Hunter Zisa 57
Bryce Korinchak 54
NHS girl’s Individual Scores vs Tate, Escambia, Pensacola:
Emily Boutwell 53
Mededith McGhee 58
Northview’s next match is Tuesday against Pine Forest and Baker high schools at Cypress Lakes in Cantonment.
‘Fire In The Field’ Tent Revival Begins Sunday In Atmore
October 3, 2018
A “Fire in the Field” tent revival will begin Sunday in Atmore.
The area-wide event will take place Sunday, October 7, through Thursday, October 11 under the “big white tent” located behind Hardee’s on Highway 21 at I-65 in Atmore.
The group “Across Festivals” is coordinating the event. The group has held similar events in Monroeville, AL, and recently in Valley, AL, where 124 people came forward and professed their faith in Jesus Christ for the first time.
For one Atmore man, the upcoming tent revival sparked childhood memories of a tent crusade he attended in Pennsylvania with his family.
“I remember very well the night I decided to publicly declare my allegiance to Jesus Christ,” David Landis said. “It happened during the George R. Brunk Tent Crusade.”
“I pray that you will prayerfully consider the seriousness of the Fire in the Field community tent crusade and will plan to support and promote it in whatever way you can. To my knowledge this is the first time anything of this spiritual magnitude has been planned for this area,” Landis said. “I consider it a once in a lifetime event for this area, and if one person gets to experience what I experienced as a young man, it will have been worth it all.”
Fire in the Field will begin at 6 p.m. on Sunday, October 7, and will be at 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday nights, October 8-11.
For more information about Fire in the Field, visit Fire in the Field South Alabama on Facebook
.
Annual Peanut Butter Challenge Underway
October 3, 2018
If you want to help feed the hungry in Florida’s Panhandle this year, you can donate peanut butter during the annual Peanut Butter Challenge, coordinated by UF/IFAS Extension. Thanks to a partnership of UF/IFAS Extension and the Florida Peanut Producers Association, food pantries from Pensacola to Monticello will receive thousands of jars of donated peanut butter this December.
The annual Peanut Butter Challenger coordinated by UF/IFAS Extension is underway.
From now through November. 21, donate unopened jars of peanut butter at the UF/IFAS Extension office and other locations in Escambia County. This year, drop-off boxes can be found at:
- UF/IFAS Extension Escambia County, 3740 Stefani Road, Cantonment
- Century Branch Library, 7991 N. Century Blvd., Century
- Escambia County Public Safety, 6575 N. W St., Pensacola
- Escambia County Farm Bureau, 153 Highway 97, Molino
- Gilmore Services, 31 E. Fairfield Drive, Pensacola
- Escambia County Administration, 221 Palafox Place, 4th Floor, Pensacola
- Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit,10650 Gulf Beach Highway, Pensacola
Since 2012, the volunteers and UF/IFAS Extension faculty have collected jars of peanut butter from residents, volunteer groups and businesses in 16 Northwest Florida counties. Last year, UF/IFAS Extension county offices received 6,388 jars of peanut butter from across the district.
In addition to these donations, the Florida Peanut Producers Association also contributes, supplying more than 3,000 jars each challenge, said Libbie Johnson, agricultural agent for UF/IFAS Extension Escambia County and co-organizer of the challenge.
They hope to surpass that total this year, and citizens of Escambia County are asked to help.
“Every year, the Peanut Butter Challenge continues to grow and helps support the needs of our community with a healthy, locally-grown crop,” Johnson said. “Extension is proud to coordinate the effort to reduce food insecurity for Escambia County residents.”
General Election Mail Ballots Are On The Way
October 3, 2018
Tuesday, the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office today delivered more than 30,000 vote-by-mail ballots to the post office for the November 6 General Election. Over 5,600 ballots were sent to military and overseas voters in late September.
Voters who have requested to vote-by-mail should begin receiving their green or ivory colored ballot packages by the end of the week. Voted ballots must be received in the Supervisor of Elections Office no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day, November 6 and require a 50-centr first-class postage stamp if returned by mail. The U.S. Postal Service recommends voters mail ballots at least one week before the due date. Ballots may also be returned by hand to the Supervisor of Elections Office.
The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot for the General Election is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, October 31. To request a vote-by-mail ballot or track the status of a ballot, visit EscambiaVotes.com and click “Vote by Mail”, or contact the Supervisor of Elections Office at 595-3900.
Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Scott, Nelson Take Off Gloves During First Debate
October 3, 2018
In a matchup mirroring the deep partisan divide engulfing the nation, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and Florida Gov. Rick Scott bickered Tuesday about red tide, guns, immigration and a controversial Supreme Court nomination in their first debate before next month’s U.S. Senate election.
Nelson, a Democrat, and Scott, a Republican winding up his last year as governor, reached almost no consensus during the hour-long Telemundo debate, which was scheduled to air Tuesday night.
Instead, Nelson accused his opponent of lying, and Scott painted the incumbent as a partisan do-nothing who’s accomplished little in his nearly 20 years in the Senate.
Proposals backed by Nelson and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum will “kill the economy,” Scott said.
“They like high taxes,” he said.
“The governor keeps coming out with one whopper after another. Apparently, you never got your mouth washed out with soap after telling a lie because you keep on going on, on every part of my record,” Nelson shot back, according to a transcript released Tuesday afternoon by Telemundo.
The two also tangled about Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee who vehemently denies allegations by Christine Blasey Ford and at least two other women who have accused him of sexual misconduct while in high school or college.
Nelson said he intends to vote against Kavanaugh, adding that he tried repeatedly in vain to meet with the appellate judge.
Nelson praised Ford’s “compelling” testimony when she and Kavanaugh appeared separately before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week.
Ford “was expressing for millions of women in this country the ‘me too,’ that sexual assault has happened to them. And she was doing that in front of 11 Republican men that seemed to dismiss it,” Nelson said, referring to the Republicans on the committee.
Kavanaugh, who angrily criticized the confirmation process and what he viewed as a Democratic conspiracy to thwart his confirmation, lacks “the temperament that is needed of what you want to put someone on the highest court in this land,” Nelson said.
But Scott rebuked Nelson for having decided to vote against Kavanaugh even before the hearing, accusing Nelson of saying he would reject whoever was nominated.
“The way the U.S. Senate has handled this, it’s a circus. It’s more like a Jerry Springer show,” Scott scolded, calling Kavanaugh and Ford “just pawns in some political game.”
The testimony of both Kavanaugh and Ford were “convincing and raw, pure emotion,” Scott said.
But, he said, “if you take all of the evidence together and you look at Judge Kavanaugh’s record as a judge, I’m going to continue to support Judge Kavanaugh.”
Scott then assailed Nelson for failing to expose Congressman Alcee Hastings for settling a sexual assault claim for over $200,000.
“You know governor, you just can’t tell the truth,” Nelson punched back, adding that the state’s newspapers have branded Scott as “a walking conflict of interest.”
The senator cited an Orlando Sentinel story that Nelson said showed that “every election that you’ve ever run … you always blame the other guy.”
The two opponents also sparred over Puerto Rico.
Both campaigns have attempted to endear their candidates to the more than 1 million Puerto Ricans — and up to 50,000 more who moved here after Hurricane Maria — who call Florida home.
The day before the debate, Nelson secured the endorsement of Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, despite Scott’s repeated trips to the U.S. territory following last year’s massive storm, which wiped out electricity island-wide and resulted in 3,000 deaths. Trump has also been widely disparaged for accusing Democrats of inflating the number of fatalities.
“The president has treated its citizens as second-class citizens,” Nelson said, mocking Trump for throwing paper towels into the audience when he visited Puerto Rico shortly after Maria made landfall in September 2017.
“Now, my opponent has said when down there in Puerto Rico, what would you have done differently? And he said, quote, I would not have done anything differently. I think that pretty well tells you about the treatment of the people from Puerto Rico,” Nelson said.
Scott countered that he wanted “to do everything I can to help Puerto Ricans” after the storm.
“It was never about politics. It was about helping our fellow citizens,” he said, rattling off a list of the aid the state provided to the island and to migrants who fled to Florida.
In front of the Hispanic debate audience, Scott, who has close ties to Trump, sought to separate himself from the president on the issue of children whose parents illegally brought them into the country.
Scott again blamed Nelson for failing to address the problem in Washington, calling it “remarkable” that the senator would “talk about doing something.”
“He’s been there when his party controlled both chambers and the White House, and he did nothing,” Scott said.
The two candidates also pointed the finger at each other over recent outbreaks of toxic algae and red tide that are impacting waterways and beaches on both coasts.
“Red tide is something that’s naturally occurring. I’ve declared a state of emergency,” Scott said, saying the state has sent “millions” of dollars to the counties to deal with the crisis and committed $17 million for research projects.
But he blamed Nelson for the toxic algae outbreak, saying it was linked to the failure to improve the Herbert Hoover Dike around Lake Okeechobee.
“He has never done anything to get us the money to fix the dike at Lake Okeechobee, which is a 100 percent federal project,” Scott said.
Nelson called that “a whopper,” pointing to major cuts in environmental funding by Scott that affected water management districts and eliminated the Department of Community Affairs.
During his eight years as governor, Scott has “systematically disassembled the environmental agencies of this state,” Nelson said.
“You see the result. You put pollution in the water, it will grow the algae in the heat of summer. And then when that algae goes down the rivers and mixes with a bacteria known as red tide, it supercharges that,” he said.
But Scott said environmental funding has increased during his tenure, including a state commitment to spend $200 million a year on Everglades restoration. He also said he worked with Trump to secure funding for the dike repairs, which he said would be completed in 2022.
Also, the two candidates clashed over gun-control laws in the wake of the Feb. 14 mass shooting at a Parkland high school killed 14 students and three faculty members.
Nelson pointed to Fred Guttenberg, who was sitting in the audience and who lost his 14-year-old daughter, Jaime, in the attack.
“Fred wakes up every day and goes to the cemetery the first thing. He’ll never have another birthday for Jaime. My opponent has an A-plus rating with the NRA. He has passed more NRA-backed legislation than any other governor in the history of this state,” Nelson said. “I hope governor, that you will look Fred Guttenberg in the face, and tell him that you’re not going to support those kind of policies that you have with the NRA.”
Scott said his “heart goes out” to all the shooting victims and their families. And he said he worked with parents, like Guttenberg, in crafting a quick response to the shooting that includes more law-enforcement officers and more security measures for schools and more mental health counselors.
“And within three weeks after the Parkland shooting, we passed a comprehensive bill,” Scott said.
In contrast, Scott again said Nelson has “got nothing done.”
“He can talk like he cares about these things. Here’s the difference, Sen. Nelson is fine with taking away certain guns from law-abiding citizens,” Scott said.