IMPACT 100 Names 2018 Finalists For $100K Grants
September 13, 2018
IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area, a local women’s philanthropic group, has announced 15 grant finalists for 2018. Eleven of the 15 nonprofit finalists will each receive a grant of $100,300 at the IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area Annual Meeting in October.
The 15 finalists selected by IMPACT 100’s Focus Area Committees are as follows:
ARTS & CULTURE
• First City Arts Alliance, Inc. dba First City Art Center
Project: Creating Space for Educating and Inspiring Youth
• Pensacola High School Band Boosters Association, Inc.
Project: Music is for Everyone at PHS
• Pyramid, Inc.
Project: Bringing the Arts to the Underserved in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties
EDUCATION
• Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge, Inc.
Project: Return to the Wild
• Escambia County Public Schools Foundation for Excellence, Inc.
dba Escambia County Public Schools Foundation
Project: Swim, Soar, and Fly into Science Inspiring Hands-on Exploration of Our Natural World
• Santa Rosa County 4-H Association, Inc.
Project: 4-H Field Education Facility
ENVIRONMENT, RECREATION & PRESERVATION
• Miracle League of Santa Rosa County, Inc.
Project: Miracle Field of Dreams
• Mother Wit Institute, Inc.
Project: Save the Ella L. Jordan Home – A Historic Place
• Veterans Memorial Park Foundation of Pensacola, Inc.
Project: Restoring Veterans Memorial Lighting
FAMILY
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida, Inc.
Project: There’s No Place Like Home
• Sacred Heart Foundation, Inc.
Project: “Paw”erful Medicine – Using Animal-Assisted Therapy to Make “Ruff” Days a Little Brighter
• Young Men’s Christian Association of Northwest Florida, Inc. dba YMCA of Northwest Florida
Project: The Wheels on the Bus
HEALTH & WELLNESS
• KlaasKIDS Foundation, Inc.
Project: Missing Child Response & Child Exploitation Prevention
• Opening Doors Northwest Florida, Inc. dba EscaRosa Coalition on the Homeless, Inc.
Project: Opening Doors on a Mission to Reach, Respond, Restore
• Re-Entry Alliance Pensacola, Inc. dba REAP
Project: REAP’s Women’s Re-entry Portal – Pathway for Success
Since its inception in 2004, IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area has awarded 87 grants totaling $9,395,000. With the addition of this year’s awards, IMPACT 100 will have awarded 98 grants totaling $10,498,000.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ribbon Cutting Held For New Doughnut Shop In Century
September 13, 2018
The Century Area Chamber of Commerce held a grand opening ribbon cutting at a new doughnut shop. Sunrise Donuts is located at 8321 North Century Boulevard in a building last occupied by a Chinese restaurant. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Democratic Party Reaches Out To Voters During Century Stop
September 13, 2018
The Florida Democratic Party brought their statewide tour to Century Wednesday afternoon as they look to gain support in Escambia County, a traditional Republican stronghold.
Only one Century resident — other than local candidates or the mayor — attended the meeting.
The tour is part of the party’s effort to ensure they are reaching voters across the state and bring attention to their candidates in rural areas that have not seen a Democratic candidate in decades.
“We are here to talk about the issues that are important to the rural areas of Florida. We know that rural counties have been particularly hard hit by the last 20 years of Republican rule,” Terrie Rizzo, state chair of the Florida Democratic Party told NorthEscambia.com. “We have a record number of Democratic candidates that have stepped up to run and present issues to the local areas.”
Rizzo said the visit to Century is part of the party’s 67-county plan, because “every county in Florida matters”.
For more photos, click here.
“We deal with a lot of poverty, and we deal with a lot of infrastructure needs that go overlooked, as well as transportation to get to things such as education, transportation to health care and transportation to jobs, Vikki Garrett, Democratic candidate for Florida House District 1, said.
“I have a real concern about out public education from the state level as far as the resources we can bring back to District 1,” Garrett said.
“We will build up Escambia,” Democratic Florida Chief Financial Officer candidate Jeremy Ring said. “Probably starting from Pensacola, especially with all the defense work. And the communities start to build opportunities moving north.”
Ring is a former state senator from Broward County and was one of the first people to work at Yahoo during the the company’s early years. If elected, he would be first Democrat to win a statewide race for a Florida office since 2006 when Alex Sink won the CFO job.
The Democratic Party’s “Rural Tour” stop in Century was billed as a “Rural Education Forum”, a topic Century Mayor Henry Hawkins said he holds dear.
Carver/Century K-8 School, the last public school inside Century, closed in May 2009 as the students were consolidated into Bratt Elementary School and Ernest Ward Middle.
“In the past 10 or 12 years with two superintendents, they have closed every predominately black school there is in Escambia County,” Hawkins said. “Century was the last one.”
Hawkins said the county spent millions more building a new facility at Ernest Ward Middle School in Walnut Hill, instead of spending millions less to move students to the former Carver Middle School in Century.
The one local resident that attended the event, Tawana Jones, told the panel that there is more to Century that most people see.
“I don’t want you guys to think we are all just needy and poor, because that is misrepresentation of us,” Jones said. “There’s a lot of us that work, that have great jobs, that are productive members of society. So we are not all poor, we are not all begging…..there are people that are doing well in Century. I want that to be portrayed about my community.”
“Century has a lack of resources for its citizens, and school is that resource. That is the main resource,” Jones added. She said “the majority” of the children in Century do not attend Bratt or Byrneville elementary, Ernest Ward Middle or Northview High schools because they are too far away. In the school attendance zone that includes Century, Ernest Ward is the greatest distance away at about 16 miles.
Pictured top: (L-R) Florida Democratic Party chair Terry Rizzio, Century Mayor Henry Hawkins and Florida CFO candidate Jeremy Ring. Pictured inset: Jeremy Ring. Pictured below: U.S. House candidate Jennifer Zimmerman (left) and Florida House District 1 candidate Vikki Garrett listen during Wednesday’s discussion in Century. Pictured bottom: Hawkins listens to Ring. NorthEscambia.com photos. click to enlarge.
Number Of Uninsured Increases In Florida, Tops National Average
September 13, 2018
More than 2.6 million people in Florida lacked health insurance at some point in 2017, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
That means about 12.9 percent of the state’s population last year was uninsured — up from 12.5 percent in 2016 — as Florida continued to be higher than the national average of 8.8 percent.
“Florida is going in the wrong direction, and Florida already had a high uninsured rate to begin with,” said Joan Alker, executive director and research professor at the Center for Children and Families at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy.
Nationally, the data showed that about 1 in 4 uninsured people were 26 to 34 years old, and about 1 in 5 uninsured people were ages 34 to 44. Data also indicated that the uninsured tended to have lower incomes and were more likely to have high-school educations or less.
Florida had the fifth-highest rate of uninsured residents in the nation, with the higher states Texas (17.3 percent), Oklahoma (14.2 percent), Alaska (13.7 percent) and Georgia (13.4 percent).
The release of the new numbers comes at a time when health care remains one of the top issues dividing Florida political leaders and as it has become a key issue during this year’s elections.
Democrats have long called for expanding Medicaid eligibility under the federal Affordable Care Act to include uninsured childless adults with incomes at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level. But the Republican-controlled Legislature has rejected the idea.
Before his 2014 re-election campaign, Republican Gov. Rick Scott came out in favor of Medicaid expansion but later resumed his opposition to the idea. Scott is running for the U.S. Senate this year, trying to unseat longtime Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson.
Scott spokesman McKinley Lewis said the narrative that Medicaid expansion is a cure-all “just isn’t’ true” and that “19 states that expanded Medicaid have seen an increase in the number of uninsured.”
“Florida’s Medicaid program is operating at an all-time high in efficiency and service to Florida families,” Lewis said. “The fact is, Gov. Scott has offered significant proposals on how Washington can increase quality and access to health care.”
After President Donald Trump was elected, Scott called for Congress to repeal the federal health-care overhaul, which was pushed into law by former President Barack Obama and is commonly known as Obamacare. The effort ultimately failed, although Florida is now part of an ongoing lawsuit that could dismantle key portions of the law.
A closer look of the new data shows that in Florida, about 45 percent of people with insurance in 2017 obtained it through their employers. Medicare, the government-run program for people 65 and older, and Medicaid, which covers the poor, elderly and disabled, account for 21.7 percent and 18.6 percent of the insured population respectively. Another 3 percent of Floridians with health insurance obtained it through the Veterans Administration, according to the data.
The remaining people obtained their insurance, according to the Census data, by directly purchasing policies. For many people, that meant buying policies on the federal health-care exchange, which was created through the Affordable Care Act.
Jodi Ray, director of the organization Florida Covering Kids & Families, said she wasn’t surprised by the Census data.
Florida Covering Kids & Families works to provide education, training and enrollment assistance to help people obtain health coverage. As she travels the state, it’s not unusual for her, she said, to speak with residents who aren’t aware that they can enroll in the federal health insurance exchange.
“It never fails to shock me when I hear them say, ‘I thought that went away,’ “she said.
by Christine Sexton, The News Service of Florida
Gas Main Break Closes Nine Mile Road
September 12, 2018
UPDATE – West Nine Mile Road has reopened.
East and west Nine Mile Road at Bowman Avenue is expected to be closed for several hours due to repairs on a broken gas main.
The gas is no longer leaking, but repair work continues (11:30 a.m. update).
Nine Mile Road was closed shortly after 10 a.m. Just after 11 a.m., officials said the road is expected to be closed for two to three hours.
There were no reported injuries or evacuations.
File photo.
Century Approves CRA Redevelopment Plan (With Plan PDF)
September 12, 2018
Century’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) plans have received the final approval of the Century Town Council.
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 plan sets a roadmap for uture 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.
Once the CRA is in place and operating, it will work to improve conditions within the area. As property tax values rise, most of the increase will be funneled back into the redevelopment area for further improvements.
The CRA area is 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). The area is about 25 percent of the town area of the town.
Review the plan by clicking here.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Escambia Deputies Receive Awards, Including Two For Saving A Life In Century
September 12, 2018
The day was May 10.
Emergency dispatchers took a call reporting a heart attack on Backwoods Road in Century. Lt. Bart Fryer and Senior Deputy David Bashore arrived to find a person unresponsive with no pulse on a bathroom floor.
Bashore connected an AED, shocking the person twice. He and Fryer continued CPR until the Flomation Fire Department arrived.
The patient airlifted by LifeFlight helicopter to Jay Hospital and survived.
Fryer and Bashore (pictured top) were two of four Escambia County deputies receiving a Lifesaving Medal Tuesday during a quarterly awards ceremony at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputy Jimmie Wiggins III was awarded a lifesaving medal after a patient in cardiac arrest was saved on Cruzat Way in early May; and Sgt. Matthew Roe for his part in saving the life of a female with no pulse on Patton Drive last May.
Sgt. Vincent Odenbrett received a Meritorious Service Medal and Cole Chancellor received a Commendation Medals for their work on the department’s accreditation.
Multiple deputies received Commendation Medals for their part in cleaning up a property on Winners Circle in Cantonment for an elderly Marine Corp veteran unable to care of it himself. [Read story...] They are: Lt. Jack Holland, Sgt. Brian Shorette, Deputy Matthew Johnson, Deputy 1st Class Ellis Smallwood, Deputy Jake Bandurski, Sr. Deputy Jeff Gardner, Deputy Justin Fountain, Deputy Andrew Kelley and Deputy 1st Class Mildred Smallwood are awarded the Commendation Medal and Citizen Joshua Swindell was awarded the Civilian Service Medal for his assistance.
Unit Citations were awarded to Lt. Marcus Murphy, Sgt. Matthew Roe, Sgt. Brian Shorette, Sr. Deputy Jeff Gardner, Deputy 1st Class Caleb Odom, Deputy 1st Class Ellis Smallwood, Deputy Justin Fountain, Deputy Katrina Ivins, Deputy Matthew Johnson, Deputy Jake Bandurski, Deputy Andrew Kelley, Deputy Troy Luckenbill, and Deputy Miguel Felan.
Elizabeth Medeiros was named the Law Enforcement Employee of the Quarter. Deputy Kyle Haver was named Law Enforcement Employee of the Quarter.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Sex Offender Sentenced To 40 Years For Receipt Of Child Pornography
September 12, 2018
A registered sex offender living in Escambia County will spend what will likely be the rest of life in prison on child porn charges.
John William Hall, 61, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to receipt of child pornography.
In 2017, Homeland Security Investigations interviewed a teenage girl whose image had appeared in child pornography recovered in Canada. The girl identified herself in the pornographic pictures and told investigators they were taken when she was around 13 or 14 years old. She said some of the photographs had been taken at Hall’s residence in Pensacola.
In June 2017, law enforcement officers seized Hall’s computers and cellular telephones. A review of Hall’s computer revealed numerous images of child pornography, including pornographic images of children under the age of 12. The investigation showed that Hall had also searched for child pornography on a Russian website known for the distribution of child pornography.
U.S. Attorney Canova said: “Thanks to the hard work of our law enforcement partners and prosecutors, this predator will never be able to hurt another child. This 40-year sentence should serve as a warning to those who would victimize vulnerable children.”
“Justice was served in this case, as this predator received what is essentially a life sentence in prison for his crimes against children,” said HSI Tampa Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero.
The case was investigated by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, Mobile and Pensacola Offices.
Cantonment Man Charged With Battery With A Deadly Weapon After Chair Attack
September 12, 2018
A Cantonment man was arrested after allegedly striking his cousin with a chair.
Eric Lashon Strong, 44, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon for the assault and criminal mischief with property damage for breaking the chair.
The cousin told the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office that Strong entered his residence, asked him about money and then struck him in the face with the chair. After he fell to the floor, Strong allegedly punch him with his fist. The victim was evaluated and treated by Escambia County EMS for facial injuries and additional pain in the back of his head.
Strong was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $55,000 bond.
Road Shoulder Collapse At Molino Bridge To Be Fixed Under Warranty
September 12, 2018
A road shoulder collapse at a Molino bridge will be repaired under warranty, according to local officials.
A portion of the asphalt shoulder on Molino Road near Sunshine Hill Road collapsed before Tropical Storm Gordon. It did not cause the roadway to collapse and did not impact the bridge itself.
The bridge over Penasula Creek opened in December, replacing a 60-year bridge. The $1.13 million project was funded by the Florida Department of Transportation.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
