Motorcyclist Critically Injured On Nine Mile Road
September 24, 2018
A motorcyclist was critically injured in a wreck early Monday morning on Nine Mile Road.
Edward D. Cochran, 55, was stopped at a stop sign on Bowman Avenue when he pulled his Lexus onto Nine Mile Road and into the path of a Harley motorcycle driven by 54-year old Kenneth W. Pike, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The motorcycle struck the side of the Lexus.
Pike was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in critical condition. Charges against Cochran and pending the outcome of the FHP investigation.
File photo.
Escambia County Makes Safety Improvements On State Line Road
September 24, 2018
Escambia County has made safety improvements on State Line Road in Century.
Rows of reflectors were added in addition to rumble strips to warn drivers as they approach a 90-degree curve adjacent to the Highway 29 overpass into Alabama. The curve has been the location of several accidents over the past several years.
Pictured top: A July accident on State Line Road in Century after a driver failed to negotiate a 90-degree curve and struck a utility pole. Pictured below: Escambia County has added rumble strips as drivers approach the curve. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Military And Overseas Ballots On The Way
September 24, 2018
Vote-by-mail ballots are on the way from the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office to eligible military and overseas citizens. Voters will either receive their ballot by mail or electronically, depending on their chosen method of delivery.
Vote-by-mail ballots for all eligible domestic voters will be mailed beginning on Tuesday, October 2. The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot to be mailed for the General Election is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, October 31. To request or track your vote-by-mail ballot for the General Election, visit EscambiaVotes.com and click “Vote by Mail”, or contact the Supervisor of Elections Office at (850) 5953900.
For more information, visit EscambiaVotes.com.
Bonus Pics: NHS Band, Cheerleaders
September 24, 2018
Click here for a bonus photo gallery featuring Northview cheerleaders, the Tribal Beat Band and the NJROTC.
For game details from Friday night and an action photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
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Take Stock in Children Selects 25 New Students For Scholarship Program
September 24, 2018
There were 25 middle school students were recently selected for the Take Stock in Child Scholarship program.
There are now a total of 126 students in grades 7-12 in Escambia County’s program. Students will receive a college scholarship upon graduation from high school as long as they maintain good grades, attendance and citizenship, remain crime and drug free, and meet weekly with a volunteer community mentor.
The newly selected students include:
- Ernest Ward Middle School – Allyson Jones, Dequan Shabazz, Brier Thompson
- Ransom Middle School – Kaylee Emmons, Bobbie-Sue Jarrell, Quentin Lewis-Wright, Malachi Williams
- Jim Bailey Middle School – Henry Addy, Nathan Barberi, Luke Campbell, Brogan Dougherty, Nyla Hunter-Smith, Keyonte Smith, Jayla Stallworth
- Brown Barge MiddleSchool – Ralynn Durant, Jessica Hatton, Bailey Poston
- Ferry Pass Middle School – Jaden Allen, Ariyanna Cunningham, Nolan Howie, Chaeli Lackey
- Workman Middle School – Nancy Mendez-Rostro, Chancellor Washington
Take Stock in Children is a statewide non-profit organization operating locally under the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation. Take Stock provides “scholarships, mentors & hope” to deserving young people selected through a need-based application process through the public middle schools at the end of their 6th grade year. Scholarship donations from local foundations, organizations, businesses and individuals are matched dollar-for-dollar when scholarships are purchased from Florida Prepaid College Foundation each year and are held until students successfully graduate from high school.
Pictured are: (front, L-R) Chancellor Washington, Brier Thompson, Jayla Stallworth, Luke Campbell, Malachi Williams, (second row) Bailey Poston, Chaeli Lackey, Quentin Lewis-Wright, Allyson Jones, Nancy Mendez-Rostro, Jessica Hatton, (third row0 Brogan Dougherty, Henry Addy, Arianna Cunningthom, Jaden Allen, Chancellor Washington, (fourth row) Kaylee Emmons, Dequan Shabazz, Ralynn Durant, and Bobbie-Sue Jarrell. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Appointee Sought For Escambia Board Of Electrical Examiners
September 24, 2018
The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners is seeking Escambia County residents interested in volunteering to be considered for an appointment to the Escambia County Board of Electrical Examiners.
Escambia County residents interested in serving on the Escambia County Board of Electrical Examiners are asked to submit a resume and letter indicating their desire to serve by the close of business on Wednesday, October 3. Resumes should be submitted to Jennifer Hampton, director’s aide, Escambia County Building Services Department, 3363 West Park Place, Pensacola, FL 32505 or emailed to jahampton@myescambia.com.
Science Is Cool: Ransom Students Take The Straw Structure Challenge
September 24, 2018
Last week, science students at Ransom Middle School took part in the Straw Structure Challenge – build a freestanding structure at least 30 centimeters (about a foot) tall made only of straws and paper clips to support as many common nails as possible.
The strongest straw structure supported 122 nails — about two pounds.
Ransom science teacher Louis O’Rear explains the Straw Structure Challenge. and in he explains why “Science Is Cool”, in his own words:
These days my Straw Structure Challenge project would be labeled a STEM project. Education is all about combining and applying skills and subjects. This is a perfect example of project-based learning that combines science, technology, engineering, and math. It’s a beautiful thing when we can pull multiple subjects together, and let the students actually design, create, and build something with their own hands. Although I encourage them to do research on their own time, this is about getting back to the basics of using their hands, their imaginations, and a few basic tools to create something out of nothing. This is my 26th year in the classroom, and there is a definite trend in the students’ abilities (or the decline of their abilities) to create something from scratch, using their hands. The bulk of these kids don’t play outside and “do things” as we did. But they are slowly discovering my motto… If the hands do it, the mind will not forget it.
Kids today are excellent at tapping the screen of their phones with their two thumbs. I challenge anyone to out-text these kids today. When I was a kid it was an insult to tell someone they were all thumbs, but that is what so many of our kids are slowly becoming. It helps that so many of our Ransom parents know how important it is to limit their child’s screen time. Each student has a Chromebook laptop provided by the school district, and most have a smartphone. They are surrounded by technology, and they know how to utilize it, but that is just the “T” in STEM. It is important for them to experience other aspects of this project, of science in general, and not just read about it, or see videos about it.
My goal is for them to glean some important information from this hands-on project. FIRST: When constructing with straight members (straws, or toothpicks, or popsicle sticks, or two by fours in their attic at home, or giant iron bridge girders, or sections of the cell phone tower in their neighborhood), the triangle is their best friend. Barring the ability to build an arch shape, like the top of an egg, the triangle is the strongest shape they can use for building. SECOND: the way to accomplish this is to design a structure while taking into consideration the forces of compression and tension. THIRD: I give a few bonus points for the group with the best ratio of nails to straws. Having already thoroughly learned about ratios from our math teachers at here at Ransom, it’s easy to teach them how to apply ratios to real situations.
This is our first group project of the year in science, and being able to work with others is paramount. With so much screen time in their lives, some of the students struggle with true “FaceTime”…communicating with others in person. As teachers, we talk to each other a lot about this issue and what we can do about it. We can’t do much about the phones and other screens in their lives, but we can help them learn how to communicate better and more effectively in person. It helps tremendously that we have a very strong group of teachers in our Language Arts department who incorporate good communication skills in their classrooms.
As much as we try to incorporate some technology (where appropriate) in our teaching, technology isn’t always the solution, just as much as technology isn’t always the problem. It helps to remember that some kids are just innately quiet and shy, this having nothing to do with today’s ubiquitous connected devices. So, as educators, we are constantly seeking a good balance, for all of our students.
Our administration here at Ransom is all about making students the priority. In doing that, they support us, the teachers, because we are the forces on the ground making it possible. We all agree, administrators and teachers alike, that the students are why we are here. And they are why our main school improvement goal is, of course, increasing academic achievement in all content areas.
There is a saying: “If the kids are not learning the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” Sometimes this rings true. One way is to teach them, and then have them apply what they have learned through project-based learning. Hence, the Straw Structure Challenge. And because they are learning with their hands, the knowledge is much more likely to stick. We all have a great time! After all, this is science, the best subject of all, right? What better place to build cool STEM projects than in science! #ScienceIsCool
Stolen Backhoe Recovered After Reader Tip
September 24, 2018
A stolen backhoe was recovered Sunday after a tip from a NorthEscambia.com reader.
Sunday morning, we published a story about a backhoe stolen Thursday night or early Friday morning from a worksite near Lowes on Nine Mile Road. By Sunday afternoon, someone who saw the story contacted the construction company and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office after spotting the backhoe on Kenmore Road off Highway 29.
Someone had apparently started painting the backhoe black instead of its original orange color.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
Pictured above: A stolen backhoe after is was recovered Sunday with black paint on the wheels. Pictured below: The backhoe before the theft. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Lipscomb Art Teacher Receives Visual Arts Association Classroom Grant
September 23, 2018
Sally Miller of Lipscomb Elementary School has been been name the 2018 Visual Arts Association of Northwest Florida Classroom Grant winner. The grant will provide the opportunity to incorporate “STEAM” (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) into her art room curriculum.
Art has always been tied in with other curriculum, but unique supplies for specific lessons on creative higher order thinking will be used to engage students.
Pictured: Lipscomb Elementary teacher Sally Miller (left) and VAA President Pat Page. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Deer Dog Hunting Dispute Goes To Florida Supreme Court
September 23, 2018
Some Northwest Florida residents have gone to the state Supreme Court in a legal battle aimed at reining in “deer dog” hunting on property around the Blackwater Wildlife Management Area.
The residents, who contend that “deer dog” hunting has infringed on their property rights and created a nuisance, filed a notice as a first step in asking the Supreme Court to take up the case, according to documents posted on the Supreme Court website.
The notice came after the 1st District Court of Appeal sided with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and overturned a ruling by a Leon County circuit judge. The notice, as is common, does not detail the arguments that the residents will make at the Supreme Court.
“Deer dog” hunting, as the name implies, involves hunters using dogs to flush out deer and has long been allowed in the state’s Blackwater Wildlife Management Area. But the legal battle stems from hunters and dogs trespassing on adjoining private land. Property owners filed a lawsuit in 2016, seeking to prevent deer-dog hunting in the wildlife-management area.
The lawsuit included what is known as a “takings claim” — essentially arguing that the deer-dog problems were so serious that they were depriving the owners from enjoying their property. Also, the lawsuit sought an injunction to require the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to “abate” the nuisance on the private property.
Leon County Circuit Judge Karen Gievers issued an injunction requiring the commission to abate the problem. But the commission took the dispute to the 1st District Court of Appeal, where a majority of a three-judge panel rejected the injunction and sent the case back for entry of summary judgment in favor of the commission on the takings and nuisance claims. Among other things, the appeals court said the injunction was overbroad and violated separation of powers.
“Here, the injunction is impossible for FWC (the commission) to comply with because it holds the FWC accountable for the actions of third parties over which the FWC has no control,” the appeals court ruled.
by The News Service of Florida